MANAGEMENT
MACHINERY
NEWS
Erosion scheme motives hill country farmers. PAGE 30
Folding-trailed cultivator drill range extended. PAGE 38
Lincoln University vice chancellor is upbeat about the university’s prospects. PAGE 5
TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS FEBRUARY 21, 2017: ISSUE 624
www.ruralnews.co.nz
Bully boys – critic PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz
MASSEY UNIVERSITY ecologist Mike Joy, and dairy industry critic, has accused the sector of bullying behaviour. Speaking at the Beef+LambNZ’s Environmental Conference, last week, Joy claims the power that the dairy industry holds over the nation has made it harder for people to question some of its behaviours. “If you say something against dairy it’s like saying something against rugby or Richie McCaw – simply don’t dare say it. Dairy, pardon the pun is a sacred
cow. Nobody is game to say anything about it and we turn a blind eye to so many impacts of it. People won’t speak because of the response they will get.” Joy says this has become evident in Environment Waikato’s Plan Change One, which has adopted the concept of grand parenting nitrogen leaching. He says the pollution rights have been given to the existing polluters, which disadvantages sheep and beef farmers. Meanwhile, Joy has also pleaded for farmers to fence off small streams. He claims the present system of fencing off larger streams was wrong and that focus should be on the small ones, which feed into these.
Under the Sustainable Dairy Water Accord, streams over a metre wide and 30cm deep have to be fenced off and it’s claimed that 96% of these have been done. But Joy says fencing these isn’t as effective as it might seem and believes some farmers apply the rules to suit themselves. “When people apply that rule about the metre and 30cm, they generally apply it where it suits them and this relates to the width of the stream and also the depth,” he claims. “Last time we looked at an area and said let’s have look and monitor what is happening; it seems that most streams didn’t have to be fenced
because they didn’t meet the criteria. In my view, we should be fencing all the little ones.” Joy also has problems with science being politicised. He says all the money is with the government and industry who are promoting intensification. He claims that work which gets commissioned by individuals or councils and doesn’t suit them (industry or government) doesn’t see the light of day. However, he concedes that the role of a consultant is to meet the needs of the needs of the person who is paying for the work. • More on sheep and beef worries over river plan – p6
Lambastic! Two of NZ’s top female athletes, Eliza McCartney and Sarah Walker were on hand to help last week to celebrate National Lamb Day and the 135th anniversary of the sending of the first shipment of NZ frozen mutton to Britain on the refrigerated ship the Dunedin. McCartney and Walker are two of four Iron Maiden Ambassadors employed by Beef+Lamb NZ to promote NZ lamb. The celebration took the form of a special dinner, held at the palatial residence of the British High Commissioner to NZ Jonathan Sinclair in Wellington. Four of BLNZ’s platinum chefs prepared the meal which was attended by diplomats, meat industry representatives’, farmers and government officials. The four lamb courses were served and followed by dessert. Eliza McCartney and Sarah Walker are pictured with Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and UK High Commissioner Jonathan Sinclair with the main course of the night – rack of lamb prepared by Chef Rex Morgan. – Peter Burke
JAP/US DEAL BROKE TPP NEW ZEALAND was ‘screwed’ the moment we allowed Japan and the US to sew a bilateral side-deal under the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), says trade expert Charles Finny. “And we should not have allowed that to happen; that was a mistake in my view,” Finny told the Federated Farmers Dairy council meeting in Wel- Charles Finny lington, last week. Finny told dairy farmer leaders that while TPP wasn’t a particularly good deal for dairy, it was a great shame not to have the deal done. He was critical of the TPP negotiations and what it done to NZ. Describing former Trade Minister Tim Groser a close friend, he said the TPP deal broke apart the political consensus that existed in NZ on trade policy which some of them had helped built up over the years. “It really upset me when the Labour Party said they won’t be supporting the TPP.” Finny says he doesn’t think it was the intention of Groser or his negotiators to do this.
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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
NEWS 3 ISSUE 624
www.ruralnews.co.nz
More FTAs needed Ian Proudfoot. PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz
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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 80,580 as at 31.09.2016
NEW ZEALAND needs to work hard on developing special trading relationships with Japan and Mexico, according to the Head of Global Agri for KPMG, Ian Proudfoot. He says NZ is relying on the TPP to deliver but is unrealistic as Proudfoot believes there is very little likelihood that this will happen. But he adds, given the importance of Japan as market for our beef, the need for FTA with the Asian giant is critical. Proudfoot reckons the dairy industry also faces some new challenges caused by the breakdown of the relationship been the United States and Mexico and further uncertainty caused by Donald Trump’s election. “Mexico was the largest buyer of American skim milk and it seems they have significantly reduced their buying
It’s a winner! Our annual photographic competition ‘Show Us Your Rural Summer’ revealed some serious talent among Rural News and Dairy News readers over summer. The overall winner ‘Morning Glow’ by Jan MacKenzie is featured here. It also won the Nature category. ‘Double the fun on the beach’ by Yvonne Arnold won the People category and ‘Fetch’ by Tina Chambers won the Things category. Thanks to everyone who shared their summer images with us and our readers. Their work can still be viewed on the Rural News Facebook page.
at the moment, which will mean that the US will have to find different markets for some of that product and SE Asia is one of the potential markets,” he told Rural News. “This means they will compete
with NZ products destined for that market; so that means we could see some changes here in NZ pretty quickly over the next couple of GDT auctions.” Proudfoot also has concerns that
the apparent fast recovery in dairy prices is leading to complacency, which he thinks is a problem. He’s found, in recent years, there is a strong correlation between better prices and complacency and says farmers need to continue to watch their cost of production otherwise they will get caught out financially. Proudfoot says because of the fast recovery, some farmers who had been planning changes have suddenly put these on hold. Meanwhile, he says overall American milk production is up and there are no signs of a reduction in Europe. Proudfoot is not so sure that milk production in NZ will be down as much as predicted a year ago. He says while some farmers are suffering from both drought and wet, many had a better November and December and this may reduce the drop in local milk production.
RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
4 NEWS
An unstable world SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz
FEDERATED FARMERS Dairy chairman Andrew Hoggard says the world markets have become more unstable despite an improvement in dairy prices. Hoggard told the Feds dairy council meeting that urged farmers need to remain cautious. “The global prices seem to have improved for this season, and I think we can start to get confident that this season will deliver a milk price that is reasonable but we need to remain cautious going ahead. “A lot of the current market improvement is driven by world supply coming off its peak, with poor weather and poor prices reducing supply in NZ, Australia, and in Europe. “Now that the prices have recovered if favourable weather hits globally how certain are we that supply won’t increase back again, and have we seen any great change in Global demand that would enable prices to remain steady? I’m not sure we have.” Hoggard feels the world is even more of an unstable environment to be trading in now than it was this time last year. “That instability could go either
Andrew Hoggard
way. If the great wall of trump is built, will it actually mean increased dairy trade opportunities to the south of it for us, and decreased competition from north of it, because all the people that do the actual milking got deported? “In Europe, will the Dutch farmers be forced to reduce their herd numbers to meet their phosphate limits, or will there politicians push the limit further out? “Will the Trump/Putin bromance mean the Russian Dairy market opens up again, or will it remain closed? “Again all of this is hard to know, the few things we do know are this, volatility is likely to be a constant companion.” He also urged farmers to remain
WILSON
focussed on the environment. Hoggard says most farmers are well aware of this. “Quite frankly it is vitally important every farmer is doing the basics well here, waterways fenced, and effluent well managed. “Going beyond that, it’s being aware and understanding what is the state of your local waterways, and what you could do about improving or safeguarding it. “One clear goal I think the industry and individual farmers should have is to totally prevent harmful levels of faecal contaminants entering waterways. Most dairy farms are likely already very close to that, but that shouldn’t just be a goal for dairy farmers it should be a goal for all.”
Mexico FTA could help NZ dairy NEW ZEALAND can survive without the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal in the short term, says Wellington-based trade expert Charles Finny. Speaking at Federated Farmers Dairy council meeting in Wellington last week, he said it would have been good to have TPP, but bilateral deals with other countries involved in TPP are now possible. He singled out Mexico; Trade Minister Todd McClay was in Mexico City last week to discuss a potential trade deal. Finny, who stepped in to speak on behalf of McClay at the meeting, says the Mexicans are “really angry” with US President Donald Trump’s stance on NAFTA. “The Mexicans want to send a message to the White House; that’s the reason Todd McClay is flying to Mexico City.” He points out that in the 1980s – before NAFTA was negotiated – Mexico was an important market for dairy industry. “Then NAFTA came in and the Americans got free access and we got slapped with tariffs, losing market share.” Finny also singled out Sri Lanka, where a trade deal would benefit dairy. “I see two really good opportunities with Sri Lanka and Mexico.” While negotiations are going on with India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Finny sees no evidence to expect fast outcomes. On Europe, he remains dubious that a great deal for dairy can be achieved. However, the UK could hold promise. Finny says the
UK is desperate for runs on the board and “if we do our jobs properly, and if we are in front of the queue, there is a good opportunity for NZ to do a good deal there.” The UK was the biggest market for NZ agricultural products in the middle of the last century, so that could be “enormously exciting for us”, he says. But Finny warned not to crack the champagne yet; because a trade deal with the UK won’t be a straightforward one. He says since the UK is still part of Europe it cannot legally start negotiations on a FTA with any country. “They have to extract themselves from the EU; one of the issues that will come up during the extraction process is what happens to the quotas negotiated for dairy and other products.” Finny expects a trade deal with the UK to take “many years”. – Sudesh Kissun
Trade Minister Todd McClay was in Mexico working on a potential FTA.
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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
NEWS 5
Lincoln boss upbeat about future NIGEL MALTHUS
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY vice-chancellor professor Robin Pollard has opened the 2017 academic year with an upbeat assessment of the agricultural university’s prospects. Sharing the love at a Valentine’s Day forum for staff, Pollard told a “well-attended” gathering of about 250 that the focus on improving sustainability was paying off. He says that having embarked on a ‘fitness programme’ in August 2016, “Lincoln recorded a strong last quarter result, showing financial performance well ahead of forecast and with a positive surplus”. In an interview with Rural News, Pollard says the budget for 2017 is looking strong. “There’s been an awful lot of talk about Lincoln being a financial disaster. That’s not the case; we have turned the finances around.” Pollard says that with 2017 registration at about the half-way point, total student numbers, including returning students, were higher than for the last two years. For new commencing students,
domestic enrolments were on a par with this time last year, but international enrolments were slightly below. There had been speculation that that was because of Indian student visa problems, or because of international publicity about the November Kaikoura earthquake. Pollard quips that it has “quite unreasonably” been described as another Canterbury earthquake, but should perhaps have been labelled a Wellington quake. Pollard also brought staff up to date on developments including the proposed transfer of the Telford campus at Balclutha to the North Islandbased Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre, under a Statement of Intent announced in mid-January. He says discussions were continuing on the final make-up of the agreement. The university had previously announced 16 staff cuts at Telford, in a move explained as necessary because the campus was being heavily subsidised by students actually studying elsewhere. Pollard says that a few years ago Telford had 1350 effective fulltime students enrolled, while the campus actually held a maximum of only 110
to 120. He claims the roll was therefore “hugely dominated” by students elsewhere, many in the North Island, studying by correspondence or through other private education providers. “It’s a point that’s often lost on people, especially those in the [Balclutha] region,” he adds. Pollard says Lincoln is moving ahead with renewed vigour and confidence, and is in good shape to set a path for the future. “The Transformation Programme aims to reassess and re-articulate the vision for Lincoln University, to best achieve the vision set by the Lincoln University Council.” A Transformation Board was being appointed which would engage widely with people and organisations with a stake in the future success of Lincoln University and provide feedback, in a programme to take place over the next six to eight months. Pollard says it had been a bold move by Lincoln to reposition itself through 2013 and 2014 as a specialist land-based university. “It’s not all agriculture. We have a broad range of disciplines, environmental science landscape architecture
and so on, but one way or another they’re all connected with land.” The forum also covered progress on the joint Lincoln University-AgResearch Lincoln Hub concept. A revised business case for the firststage building project to house the hub was submitted to Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Paul Goldsmith last month. Pollard says this facility will provide a new operating model for learning clusters, allowing ‘multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary collaboration’. A new concept is that everyone would be engaged in learning, from firstyear students
through to professional researchers. “Learning involves teaching, research and experiences, and the joint facility will be ideal for that,” he says.
Lincoln University vice chancellor Robin Pollard.
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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
6 NEWS
Sheep and beef not shying away from environmental issues PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, its use and regulation is high on the radar of sheep and beef farmers, according Beef+LambNZ’s Sam McIvor. In his keynote address to BLNZ’s environment conference, last week, McIvor told delegates that soil, water and vegetation is the ‘basis of their industry and they know and understand these assets – because they are basis of their livelihood’. He noted that careful management of the environment is essential to the success of their businesses and farmers understand their obligation to the land. McIvor says sheep and beef farmers are better able to understand these issues now that impacts are being measured, but there is still some confusion in this regard.
“There is no shortage of willingness to invest in time and money in things. It’s really the confidence that what they do will have a positive impact and I guess the jury on this is still out for a lot of farmers,” he told the conference. “They say if they fence off a stream or retire land, will it really improve the water quality? They ask if they drop their fertiliser rates back, what’s the impact? “These are investment decisions for farmers and they want to be confident that what they do will achieve the right outcome.” McIvor says farmers accept that some of our water ways have issues with nitrogen, phosphate, bacterial contamination, sediment and other stuff, and that farming a part to play. “They accept too that the concern is widespread, that includes the farming sector,
Beef+Lamb NZ chief executive Sam McIvor.
rural communities, the wider NZ population and many customers overseas and increasingly trading partners or competitors. “Let me also say that as a sheep and beef sector – we also get that.” But McIvor adds that people in the wider community should also be aware that what farmers do provides a whole raft of jobs in the community. He says farmers are rightly intolerant of individuals who spout off opinion without the facts to back it up.
“Contrary to some reports, sheep and beef farmers haven’t been sitting on their hands in regards to environmental issues.” He points to huge changes the industry has made in the last 30 years by producing the same about of lamb meat, while at the same time the national flock has dropped from 70 million to less than 30 million. In that period, greenhouse gas emissions from sheep and beef farms have fallen by 19%. “We produce high quality food, in low-impact farming systems on land with few alternatives. A world that needs to mitigate environmental impact, and yet feed 9 billion people by 2050, needs sectors like ours.” McIvor says farmers are happy to improve their environmental management, but there are some roadblocks to this. “Such things as a lack of
clarity on national environmental issues, making national environmental objectives relevant to farmers and making sure that the whole community and not just farmers are targeted.” He also points out that there needs to be greater consistency with regional council plans, which adds confusion to the mix. People have to understand that ‘environmental requests’ are seen as ‘compliance’ by farmers. “Environmental sustainability is not just a farmer issue – it is a community issue, not just a rural community issue, but an urban one too. “The community needs to understand the consequences of the questions they are asking of farmers, and the conversation needs to consider all perspectives and focus on what we can agree on to progress,” McIvor says.
NOT FAIR! MCIVOR HIT out at Environment Waikato’s Plan Change One proposal, which he says will take a lot of flexibility away from sheep and beef farmers because of the ‘grand-parenting’ provisions – which favour dairy farmers. McIvor was very circumspect in his criticism of the dairy industry – more so than many farmers at the conference, who were appalled and annoyed at what’s going on the Waikato. All McIvor would say is that the recent release of the proposed Waikato Healthy Rivers Plan Change will have significant impacts for sheep and beef farmers. “My initial analysis suggests what I call a triple twenty impact,” he told Rural News. “A 20% increase in farm working expenses to put in place mitigation practices required by the plan, a 20% decrease in productivity due to farming limitations and a 20% reduction in land values due to the knock-on effect on the potential use for the next buyer.”
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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
NEWS 7
Plan to redress rural GP shortage PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz
GP SHORTAGES in rural areas are a huge, escalating problem and bold solutions are needed, says Dr Nigel Murray, Waikato District Health Board (DHB) chief executive. Setting up a new medical school, specifically aimed at training rural doctors, is one of the most “powerful tools”, to respond to that need, he says. The DHB and the Waikato University have a business proposal before the government to set up New Zealand’s third medical school. Auckland and Otago currently have medical schools. The proposed Waikato based school would specially be modelled to produce doctors to meet primary care needs of rural communities. It would run a selection process towards that, and would be open to applications for the four year programme from graduates in all subjects. Philanthropist Sir Owen Glenn has pledged $5 million towards the proposal. Dr Murray says while Auckland
and the bigger cities have more GPs per capita, places in rural New Zealand – for instance the North Island’s Midlands which is the DHB’s region – have some of the lowest rate of GPs per population in the country. These are also the lowest rates in OECD counties. “So we have a big job ahead of us and we need big solutions that are bold and just making more places available in the existing medical schools will not do it,” Dr Murray told Rural News. “We need to train people in the communities that they come from, that the communities help select. You need to start from scratch – you can’t have two cultures running in the same medical school training university. “The one in Auckland is a great uni-
versity and produces great doctors and researchers that are competitive globally.” But the new medical school, if approved by government, would aim to come out with a “new breed of doctor” that comes from a new culture of community based social contract type mentality. “This requires a brand new approach”. Dr Murray says the medical workforce is ageing, 40% of our GPs plan to retire by 2025, which means 1850 GPs will need to be replaced – “that is huge”. “The size of the GP workforce has not kept pace with the population’s demand and in particular vacancy rates in the general rural practice of
20-25%,” he says. “So already we have got vacancies of up to 25% in our smaller farming communities. “GP shortages mean there are longer waiting lists for patients, many of the existing general practices have closed their enrolments, so the imbalance between the GP workforce supply of doctors and the demand for health care is mismatched.” Many of our rural based GPs are trained outside of New Zealand. “I thank the international medical workforce for their help in New Zealand. We import 1100 overseas trained doctors a year into our country. Normally 25% of them stay,” he says. “No disrespect to the international medical graduates that come here, but we need to do better here. We can’t be so reliant on other countries training our doctors. “ Also having New Zealand trained doctors is important to understand our communities’ needs, he says. They have looked at overseas models for the medical schools including Canada, Australia and the United States. Two models stand out – the
Flinders model in Australia and the Northern Ontario School of Medicine in Canada. They want to emulate aspects of both programmes. “We are not inventing from new here – in good Kiwi fashion we are taking the best bits of what others have done and putting it into a new way of working in New Zealand.” The partnership proposal between the DHB and Waikato University is unique. The DHB is accountable to meet the needs of the population and the university for teaching and training and “when the two get together, it’s a very powerful model”. The DHB sees their smaller hospitals and community facilities as a great training venue for young doctors. “What a great opportunity to train in the community that ultimately you might be serving in”. “What we do know is where doctors train in inevitably where they come back to,” he says. The Waikato Medical School will potentially provide provincial GPs to the whole country. But in the first instance they have issues locally. – Owen Glenn’s view page 8
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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
8 NEWS
Benefits of stock water systems – report A NEWLY-RELEASED report shows major environmental and economic gains for farmers in using reticulated stock water systems, claims Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy.
“This is the first study that has ever been done to quantify the benefits of installing an on-farm stock water system on hill country, and it shows excellent results,” Guy says.
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The study involved investment analysis of 11 hill country sheep and beef farms across New Zealand who had invested in stock water systems on their properties. “The analysis showed
a significant return on investment for all of the properties. The average Internal Rate of Return was 45% and on some farms was as high as 85%. On average, the time it took to repay the initial investment was three years. “Without fail, every single farmer who took part in the study said their investment was a good decision. They found it helped cope with drought conditions and enabled them to better graze hill country areas. This has meant improved pasture utilisation and production, as well as improved stock numbers and stock performance.” Guy says providing stock with alternative drinking sources reduced
pressure on waterways and allowed environmental improvements that couldn’t otherwise be made. “Waterways, wetlands and dams were able to be fenced off while riparian strips were planted and regeneration programmes instated. “One of the unquantified benefits was the greater peace of mind as they didn’t have to worry about animals getting stuck in dams during dry periods. The report was jointly funded as a Regional Economic Development initiative by MPI, MBIE and Beef+Lamb NZ. The full report is available at: http://www.mpi. govt.nz/growing-and-producing/stock-water/
CORRECTION In the Feb 7 issue of Rural News, on page 29 in the article about on-farm safety, the managing director of Farm Venture was mistakenly referred to as Tim Barnett and not his correct name, which is Tim Barrett.
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IT IS time for smaller communities outside of the main cities to be counted, says billionaire businessman and philanthropist, Sir Owen Glenn. “We just can’t let the population building up in Auckland put pressure on infrastructure,” he told Rural News. “It is time for Hamilton, the King Country, Waikato and right through to the East Coast – it is their time.” Glenn has pledged $5 million towards the setting up of a Waikato Medical School – a proposed joint venture between Waikato University and the Waikato District Health Board. The school would target training towards rural community practice and aim for at least 60% of its students to work in rural and smaller communities after graduation. “I think it will have a very positive impact in putting people from these communities who are chosen for their aptitude, trained properly and go back to the community,” says Glenn about the project, which is currently before government. “There will always be some attrition – but at least people will know there is a GP available, and that is a key thing.” But overall he says it is time for Waikato to “flex its muscles”. “This is a start. You need housing, industry and to grow,” he says. “It is time for the smaller communities to be counted whether it is Napier or Otorohanga or whatever.” – Pam Tipa
RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
NEWS 9
Mutant sheep answer to wool’s woes? PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz
RESEARCH INTO mutant sheep with the naturally occurring trait of straight rather than crimped wool may lead to new potential for wool, says AgResearch scientist Jeff Plowman. The result may be new fibres. “But we want to get an understanding of what drives wool fibre in the first place – what factors affect it,” Plowman told Rural News. “We are trying to model wool fibre so we can provide information for farmers about what to look for in wool types for breeding. “We have other programmes which this could feed into. “We are doing mathematical modelling to work out what sort of
fibre affects prickles and so on. “We can feed the data into that model eventually to come up with ideas for farmers for breeding.” The strong wool farmers want to breed wool that doesn’t have prickle problems. “Merino is a good wool as a garment on your skin, but it is not as strong as say Romney,” he explains. “If you get Romney down a bit more then maybe you could still have that strength, but you could wear it close to your skin. And not have prickle problems.” Plowman says the objective of their research is trying to keep the wool going, find markets and improve the quality of NZ wool. “Merino sells well. But with some of cross
‘Sharon’ the mutant sheep with scientists: Could she be the answer to wool’s current woes?
breeds it is not worth shearing sometimes compared to the carcass weight and prices. “Farmers aren’t bothering to breed for wool quality, they are breeding for meat. You can’t blame them – you’ve got to go where the money is. “But there is always potential – we are passionate about trying to improve wool.” Plowman says they are
always keen to hear from farmers who have these mutants. Commonly known as Felting Lustre mutants, these sheep are rare. The work began in 2011, when a lamb with an unusual coat was brought to the attention of AgResearch staff involved in wool research. They initially thought to be a cross between a sheep and a goat- the
coat was reminiscent of an Angora goat. Genetic testing showed it was 100% sheep. They located more mutants through an appeal to farmers. “We have found they show a radical change in wool structure and properties that can be tied into specific protein changes.” Sometimes the mutant sheep switch to become
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crimpy as they mature. The curvature and diameter of the wool fibre are important properties in controlling performance in textiles and other products. The mutant sheep are delicate and not suitable for most New Zealand farms. “We want to use what we learn to add value to New Zealand’s mainstream sheep flocks. The protein differences between the mutant sheep and semi-lustrous breeds suggest that it may be possible to breed wool with controlled levels of lustre, or crimp, independent of diameter and hence produce new wool products which allow for different market opportunities.” Plowman says they are looking at the protein composition and comparing that with semi-lus-
trous breeds. “There are certain proteins that sort of get lesser in content and these are associated with certain cell types in the fibre,” he says. In merino for instance there is a definite pattern in the bilateral symmetry between two different cell types. One is always on the outside of the crimp and the other on the inside. That may be a factor because the mutant sheep don’t have that symmetry. “Why it affects their proteins we don’t know but the idea is to locate the gene. There are several different genes involved in mutation because some of the animals start to revert after about six to eight months; the wool which is straight suddenly goes crimp again.
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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
10 NEWS
Make plans to endure droughts PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz
Northland Adverse Events Trust’s Julie Jonkers.
WHILE MOST farmers have endured droughts before and would be able to draw on those experiences, it is important
to plan for the short and long term and review those plans regularly, says Northland Adverse Events Team spokesperson Julie Jonkers. “It’s far better to be organised and to seek
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drought hit Northland farmers are being organised by the Northland Rural Support Trust and supporting rural businesses. “We want people to be able to get off farm, catch up with others and have a break from thinking about the drought.” Meanwhile Jonkers says farmers with surplus stock feed are urged to contact the Northland Adverse Events Team to help those facing feed shortages. The committee was preparing to source stock feed from outside the region if the situation worsened. Information on farming in drought can now be found on websites such as: www.beeflambnz. com or www.rural-support.org.nz/Regions/NorthIsland/Northland
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help now if it’s needed, rather than leaving it until things are well out of hand,” she says. Farmers should have short and long term drought plans. For farmers these include sorting out ongoing feed needs, frequently checking stock water supplies, monitoring stock condition – especially younger animals – and planning what to do when rain arrives. The Northland Adverse Events Team works under the umbrella of the Northland Rural Support Trust. The Ministry of Primary Industries earlier this month officially declared a medium level drought in Northland and banks are now looking at special drought packages for farmers. Free barbeques for
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“There is some sort of control mechanism thing there – whether it is because they have reached puberty or whether it is a dietary thing, we don’t know. “We think if we understand how it affects it… could we control this thing in others ways, through diet and things like that?” The mutants’ actual wool itself isn’t good because it felts. “But if we can find out what the control mechanism is, maybe we can breed for more lustre for example,” he says. Some of the mutants seem relatively healthy, but others are not and some die at birth. If there is a hope of getting the wool qualities into a healthy flock he says they have got to find the genetic marker for the next stage of the process. “Then we have got to figure out how it affects the wool process and these ones who revert, how they are affected. “Once we figure out what the gene is we might be able to modify it or how we can deal with it. “There are semi-lustrous breeds… so if you can get can get a fine fibre with a sheen to it like angora that can survive outside in the New Zealand climate that would be the thing to go for.”
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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
NEWS 11 CONFUSION OVER NEW SHAREMILKER CONCEPT SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz
FARMERS ARE pouring cold water on a new sharemilking model based on milk price. Federated Farmers says it does not support the concept, the brainchild of farmer investor MyFarm. In its weekly newsletter Agri-Globe, MyFarm said last week that it was working with DairyNZ “to begin promoting a new milk priced sharemilking model”. Federated Farmers sharemilkers section chairman Richard McIntyre says MyFarm’s announcement is “premature”. He says the concept has been trialled on two of MyFarm’s properties but they have yet to see the results. “We are keen to know how the concept has fared for two sharemilkers employed by MyFarm; until then we are in no position to back it. “We believe the concept is better suited to corporate farmers rather than family farms.” Feds Sharemilkers farm owners chairman Tony Wilding says many farmers are disturbed by MyFarm’s announcement. Wilding says the industry has in place a good herd owning sharemilking agreement for 50/50 sharemilkers. “This could be another tool for the industry but it’s a complex agreement and not suited to everyone.” MyFarm says the new concept has been in development for at least 12 months and is aimed at increasing the number of sharemilkers in New Zealand by making sharemilking more attractive to farm owners. “Recent volatile milk prices and high land values have exacerbated the problems with the current 50/50 model where sharemilkers are significantly disadvantaged in times of low milk prices and farm owners lose profits at times of high milk prices,” it says. DairyNZ figures show that in 1995 the NZ dairy industry included 3600 50/50 sharemilkers (25% of all dairy farms). By 2012 this number had reduced to 2300 (20% of all dairy farms).
Lab-grown milk a threat SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz
BACON WITHOUT PIGS, milk without cows – are they a threat to New Zealand’s agriculture sector? Federated Farmers Dairy chairman Andrew Hoggard believes farmers should continue to excel in environment, animal welfare and staff management – irrespective of the threat from lab-grown artificial alternatives. Speaking at Federated Farmers Dairy council meeting, last week, Hoggard played down the threat. He says some commentators cite the example of Kodak and its slowness to react to the change to digital and how the dairy industry in New Zealand should learn from that. “They do fail to grasp that for me, I suddenly can’t go and sell
my cows and buy a lab. I don’t have knowledge in that field or skills in the field. “My assumption will be this; if the majority of world demand shifts to lab-produced food stuffs … there will likely always be a demand for naturally produced foods. But this will be a select market and the consumers in this market will likely have high expectations. In my view, our response as farmers to artificial food isn’t to join the laboratory race, but to instead ensure that we have the best providence story we can provide to consumers,” Hoggard says. “That means the bar will be continued to be raised on those three areas - the environment, animal welfare and our people.” Even if artificial foods don’t become a real threat, farmers still need to be doing the same
Andrew Hoggard
thing anyway with its current competition and societal demands, says Hoggard. Producers of milk made from yeast are aiming for a product launch in the second half of 2017. Made in the lab from yeast, it will be a product virtually indistinguishable from cows’ milk. Because it will have the same proteins, fats, sugars, vitamins and minerals, it will also taste the same, according to developer, Californian research and
development company Muufri. But the milk will be able to be made without the typical cholesterol, allergen lactose and bacteria in cows’ milk; meaning it will be healthier and won’t need to be refrigerated – giving it a much longer shelf-life. In August 2013, a team of Dutch scientists showed off their lab-grown burger and even provided a taste test. Late last year, the American company Memphis Meats fried the firstever lab meatball. Those who have tasted these items say they barely differ from the real deal. The Dutch and the Americans claim that within a few years lab-produced meats will start appearing in supermarkets and restaurants. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews
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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
12 NEWS
Saturday rural mail to be dumped NEW ZEALAND Post will stop letter deliveries or mail pick-ups on Saturdays for rural customers currently on a six day delivery. Rural contractors will continue to deliver parcels and subscription newspapers on Saturdays in areas where there is currently six day delivery.
In 2013, New Zealand Post was given the flexibility by the Government to move to five day delivery in rural areas. About a quarter of rural delivery customers are already on five day delivery from Monday to Friday and the remainder are on six day delivery. NZ Post chief operat-
ing officer Mark Stewart says all rural mail deliveries will continue as they
are now, from Monday to Friday. “Letter volumes con-
tinue to fall sharply, whereas the number of parcels and other prod-
ucts in our network is increasing,” says Stewart. He claims that NZ Post had held off moving to five day letter delivery for all rural customers for as long as possible, however the continuing decline in letter volumes means six day letter delivery is no longer sustainable.
“We’re continuing to work hard to bring new business on board to maintain a commercially viable rural network for us and our contractors, and to give our rural customers the best possible service,” says Stewart. “We need rural delivery to be in good shape for the future.”
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AVOCADOS WILL replace dairy on a 405ha farm on the shores of the Kaipara Harbour. The Overseas Investment Office (OIO) has paved the way for reportedly New Zealand’s biggest avocado orchard, to be planted at Tapora, in lower Northland. Harbour Edge Avocados will be 50% owned by Warkworth-based capsicum operation Southern Paprika, which is partly owned by Levarht in the Netherlands. There is other New Zealand ownership in the new venture. The OIO has given approval for the Dutch investors to take a greater share. The OIO decision says the land meets key soil type and climatic criteria for a successful consistent avocado production. Southern Paprika will sell the avocados on the export and domestic markets. Harbour Edge anticipates 90% of all avocados produced on the land by 2026/27 will be exported. Avocado consumption globally has been growing steadily year on year, the OIO decision says. The Japan, Korea, India and China markets have been identified as having strong growth opportunity. The ‘substantial and identifiable benefit to New Zealand’ identified by the OIO included jobs, increased export receipts, added productivity and walking access. Planting is planned for 295ha of the land which is suitable for avocados while the remainder will be used for other horticultural crops. Planting is set to be completed by the end of 2020-21. Southern Paprika – so named because the northern hemisphere name for capsicum is paprika – is New Zealand’s largest single site glasshouse grower of capsicums. It doesn’t make the spice of the same name. It was formed in 1998 with Levarht looking for a solution to supply customers in Japan from New Zealand during the northern hemisphere winter. Southern Paprika grows capsicums year-round.
RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
NEWS 13
Less maize compounds northern drought PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz
INSUFFICIENT CONTRACT maize was grown this season, contributing to a feed shortage in drought conditions, says Federated Farmers Northland provincial president John Blackwell. The low dairy payout stifled that industry for quite a while, he told Rural News. There was talk of accessing maize silage from the Tauranga area, but that area is short also, although is not in dire straits, he understands. “Their contractors who have grown it in the past have cut right down because they thought there wouldn’t be the demand for it.” Maize silage contractors have been doing it tough. “They will come back a bit, with the payout going up and these dry summers. I think you will see quite a bit more maize grown next year, particu-
larly for dairy farmers. “It looks like farmers are getting back into it, and it looks like there wasn’t enough grown for the demand.” Federated Farmers 0800 FARMING (0800 327 646) line is available to connect farmers looking for feed and other support, with farmers who have it to sell. But Blackwell says the transport costs are high as the bulk of feed on offer is from Nelson. In that region their biggest problem has been harvesting all their crops; “in a sense it might be better to send the cattle down there to be fed than to bring it up here”. He will ask the government for a subsidy on the cartage but is not hopeful. “In the Far North feed can only come from one direction and that’s from the south and that is expensive.” The hard decisions are being made, such as destocking, and the loss of cap-
ital stock will hurt the most. Northland has had two good summers, but “this is a bit of a shocker”. But they are better off than if the whole country was in drought. “But it is serious and these droughts in Northland can go right through until May and that is where the real issue lies,” he says. “We are bad now but if we get another month of dry weather it will go from being bad to extremely bad.
Then it will get worse from then on.” All the sectors are in the same boat – feed and water shortages. “The beef farmers have had a pretty good schedule for a number of years now so they are probably quite well heeled… unlike dairy farmers who are probably financially vulnerable.” Eighty percent of pasture debt is dairy farming and after a low payout for a couple of years this year was looking good in terms of the payout.
CRAP FORECASTS THE SHORT term weather forecasts seem to be pretty good but the long term ones are “absolutely wrong”, says Blackwell. “Last year they said we were going to have a dryer than average summer and we had a really good wet summer. This year they said it is going to be a hotter than average summer but wetter than average, and it is wrong on both accounts. “We are better off without the forecasts because they are not even right 50% of the time…. It is almost doing damage to the industry because we use science all the time, and the good farmers make the most of it. “But the weather forecasting is just crap.”
“But they have had their production cut which is a bit cruel,” he says. Sheep farmers had their wool cut in half this year, and the lamb prices have come back. “Sheep is the worst one, dairy has been poor the last few years and beef has been the highlight.” Blackwell says chicory, widely grown in Northland, has become a good tool. It can grow year-round in the region and a Beef + Lamb NZ trial has shown it to be quite a cost effective crop and good for finishing lambs. Farmers are always modifying their systems, he says. They had two really good summers “and we probably got a bit cocky”. “This has brought us back into line. I think dairy farmers will end up doing a bit more maize and cropping to get through the summers.” Beef finishers are tending to make sure they have got most of their cattle gone by Christmas.
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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
14 NEWS
Farm volunteers dig in for quake victims switched from repairing quake damage to clearing trees blown over the THREE MONTHS after track on a Kekerengu the earthquake ripped farm. through the Kaikoura area “We’ve had two on November 14 there is professional fencing still no shortage of teams up in the tasks for volunteers “We’ve had two professional fencing Clarence for a helping the region’s teams up in the Clarence for a couple couple of weeks farmers to repair the now and I don’t damage. of weeks now and I don’t think they’re think they’re short On the day of short of stuff to do. We’re still trying to of stuff to do,” he the quake, Blenheim told Rural News. builder Tyler Fifield, find experienced fencers and builders “We’re still trying founder of the NZ who can come and help.” to find experienced Farming Facebook fencers and builders who Humm says the midA page administrator, page, took a couple of can come and help.” Duncan Humm, says they January weather bomb his mates in a ute loaded Humm said they that brought heavy rain arranged work for about with tools and supplies were now trying to and gale winds to much 50 volunteers in January and headed south to see help several families of the country caused alone, mostly in the what help they could with accommodation, more work for one Clarence and Kekerengu provide. including one project volunteer team, which areas, north of Kaikoura. When their efforts went viral, the page almost inadvertently became a default clearinghouse for matching volunteer workers with farmers needing help.
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The founder of the NZ Farming Facebook page and instigator of its volunteer relief effort, Tyler Fifield, in a well on a farm near Kaikoura. The volunteers were trying to deepen the well by hand shovels after it dried up.
to convert a shed into temporary living quarters for a farm family living in a caravan. In the first days after the quake, the NZ Farming page had also acted as a contact point for farmers and families trying to confirm everyone was safe. Humm says that became a 24-hour operation, with a page administrator in Germany able to take on
the nightshift. Humm also thanked those who came onboard during the second phase – supply runs by air while the roads into the worst affected areas were all blocked. He says Marshland School, Christchurch, collected supplies with help from Andrea Roberts’ ‘Andrea’s Angels’ Givealittle page, Contact Energy donated gas
bottles and Ngai Tahu Farming provided trucks and drivers to take goods to Culverden, where Young Farmers and Lions and other volunteers loaded them onto aircraft provided by private owners and Aerowork. Anyone willing to help with the NZ Farming volunteer effort can find contact details on their Facebook page. Volunteers Gerald Carver and Gavin Brown with farmer Paul Dewhirst of Ellerton Station where they were repairing fences for his bull-fattening paddocks.
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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
16 NEWS
Farmers unsociable towards social media PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz
WANT TO get your message across to farmers? Well, social media, it would seem, is not the best way. That’s one of the interim findings of Charlotte Drury, a land management team member at Hawkes Bay Regional Council (HBRC) researching the most effective way to communicate with farmers to get them to change their attitudes and behaviours on the issue of water quality. Drury’s findings, presented at the recent Fertiliser and Lime Research Centre workshop at Massey University, suggest that the ever-popular farming magazines, such as Rural News, are among the most effective communication tools -- but not social media.
Drury has so far interviewed sheep and beef farmers in the Tukituki River catchment in Hawkes Bay as part of her research project for the HBRC. “Most say they read the farming papers. When I ask about the internet they say they might go online, but only if they want specific information,” she says. “They are not going on to trawl the regional council’s Facebook account or Twitter…. Even younger guys, who have taken over the farm and are potentially more tech savvy, again say this social media is not reaching them.” Drury is trying to persuade farmers that good agricultural practice – aspects of land management -- can effect water quality, and they can make beneficial changes
to those. Her work is focused on sheep and beef farmers, not dairy farmers. She says councils face a challenge in trying to get near the top of farmers’ priority lists. “Farmers have to deal with a huge range of other challenges; in the case of Hawkes Bay drought is a major one. There are others – such as markets for their products – and my suspicion is that the regional councils’ rules and regulations are pretty low on their priority list when they thinking about what they do day-to-day.” Drury’s research is to understand how farmers make decisions, who they talk to and seek advice from, and who they trust in looking at making change. She says the council must discover how to tap into those
Hawke’s Bay Regional Council land management team member Charlotte Drury.
networks or relationships. She says dairy farmers in the Tukituki catchment are well connected via their day-to-day relationships with Fonterra and information flow from
“They are not going on to trawl the regional council’s Facebook account or Twitter…. Even younger guys, who have taken over the farm and are potentially more tech savvy, again say this social media is not reaching them.” DairyNZ; but sheep and beef farmers don’t have those strong networks. Drury says money seems to be lacking to get the messages across to sheep and beef farmers, partly because they are geographically isolated, unlike former days when MAF farm advisors used to come up their driveways, which helped them connect better to what was happening in the wider industry. “This doesn’t happen
anymore and is a common complaint from many farmers.” She has discovered that many are at least second- and, in some cases, third-generation farmers. So they know a lot about their farms, but need a trigger, e.g. a farm advisor or fert rep, to get them thinking about change and the potential benefits of that. Another issue that can affect change is the age of the farmer.
“Age might mean some people getting older and unable to physically do as much as they used to may not be keen to change. They have done things a certain way for years and believe that is still effective.” However, Drury says some change is taking place in the hill country: more farmers are measuring soil moisture, nutrient levels and soil quality. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews
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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
NEWS 17
Ex-farming leader is no quitter NIGEL MALTHUS
‘NEVER GIVE up, never give in’ is the motto of former Glenavy and Geraldine farmer Allan Andrews. It is an apt maxim for a man who credits his personal mindset for surviving an encounter with an aggressive cancer in 1988. Now 72, Andrews has enjoyed an active life in New Zealand’s rural economy, including six years as the president of South Canterbury Federated Farmers. He recently published his autobiography, and is donating $5 from each copy sold to the Cancer Society. Andrews grew up on a 288ha sheep farm at Glenavy, on the Otago/ Canterbury boundary, land granted to his grandfather in a government ballot in 1898. He took over running the farm from his father in 1976. He was South Canterbury Feds chairman from 1997 to 2002 and “enjoyed every minute of being involved”, attending meetings and conferences and representing rural interests to the powers in Wellington. A keen advocate of irrigation, Andrews’ book records the changes wrought by getting water onto dry ground, “a big occasion, when we had our first 20 acres borderdyked. You would have dry paddocks all round, but you’d have white cover and ryegrass where the water was.” Andrews and his wife Janette moved in 2002 to a smaller intensive sheep farm near Geraldine, where a chance meeting led to a second career driving school and tour buses, for 13 years, for Ritchies Coachlines. He also served then as a district councillor. Having decided to retire to a property on the flat, the couple are now on 8ha just east of Ashburton, where they run
“60 sheep, two rams, and three tractors”. His favourite is Dexta -- a 1959 Fordson Dexta he had restored after picking it up at auction in 1990. Also still with them is ‘Burley’, the name of the Glenavy farm, which now graces the gateway of their Ashburton property. Andrews dedicates his autobiography to the memory of his older brother Lyndsay, who died of leukaemia at age 21 in 1961. Andrews’ own brush with cancer – nonHodgkins lymphoma – came at age 44. “In 1988 I was out fishing on the Waitaki River with my brother-in-law and I threw a line out and felt a huge lump under my arm, right down my ribcage.” The following morning he went out to let the dogs out and could barely make it back the 100m to the house. “My bones and joints ached like you wouldn’t believe. Every gland in my body swelled. It happened that bloody quick.” A long and difficult course of chemotherapy followed. Andrews believes he would not have survived without his personal determination. One anecdote in the book relates how he told a hospital chaplain who dared to ask if he had his affairs in order, to “bugger off”. Andrews’ book is as much a history of farming in the district as an autobiography, filled not just with family photos, but also clippings and historical records going back to the early days of the Glenavy settlement. A keen cricketer, he has even included his own assessments on the strengths and weaknesses of a few of NZ’s more prominent international players. The book is self-published with the help of Hannah Leech, a Canterbury University law student he met as a schoolgirl on the Geral-
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dine school bus run; she suggested he write his life story, and helped with transcription and production. • The book is printed by Print & Copy, Oamaru.
Copies are available at some Farmlands and PGG Wrightson outlets, or by contacting Print & Copy at www.perfectprint.co.nz or email info@perfectprint. co.nz.
Allan Andrews with his autobiography ‘70 Years On’, beside the fruit cage on his retirement farmlet at Ashburton.
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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
18 NEWS
Wool technology to help the w Auckland company Texus Fibre, a leader in developing functional materials derived from wool, is preparing to tap into the multi billion-dollar global market for facemasks, and NZ woolgrowers are likely to benefit from the deal. Pam Tipa reports. AN AGREEMENT with Auckland company Healthy Breath Ltd (HBL) will see the woolbased Helix filter from Texus used in a new generation of urban face masks marketed to Asian consumers. But this type of mask – with filters made from specifically bred high country sheep – potentially has a global market for any urban area with polluted air. The filter technology also has a wide range of other applications which Texus is working on. Texus chief executive Nick Davenport says the filter used in the masks is
a perfect opportunity to move wool up the value ladder. Poor air quality claims seven million lives annually. Consumers in countries such as India and China buy facemasks worth US$2 billion each year, and sales grow in double digits every year. HBL has taken a stake in Texus Fibre to build on the work developed over five years by Texus and its research partners who include Wool Industry Research Ltd, AgResearch, AgMardt, Callaghan Innovation, NZTE and Nexus Foams Ltd. Current investors include NZVIF, Global
from Day One fund (GD1), Sparkbox Investments, Seraph VC and K1W1. Davenport says: “At the very heart of this is a New Zealand story, that of high-country sheep producing the world’s greatest natural fibre.” They want to pay farmers in their programme a premium for the specially bred wool. Davenport told Rural News that countering air pollution is a strategic market for them following their success in commercialising products for industrial respirators. They started manufacturing the product four years
ago, from science developed at CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research) in Australia. “We invested another four years in science, working out what made it work,” he says. They determined that wool fibre has key attributes in its performance as an air filter. There are plenty of air filters globally which are mainly synthetic and do a good job, says Davenport. So does wool, but it also has key advantages. Wool is natural, a renewable biodegradable resource which doesn’t contribute to the prob-
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lem they were trying to resolve in its production, manufacture and disposal. “So it seemed kind of unique,” he says. “The science research found we can produce a product similar to a synthetic product but it works better. It also has more functions than a synthetic product because it is designed to sustain the life of [humans]. Nature has worked out those functions. “We have researched those functions. They are applied by people familiar with the wool story in clothing – footwear and active-wear. It is thermoregulating and that is to do with the ‘regain’ -- the ability to manage moisture.” Breath is a particularly humid environment and wool functions well in it.
“Wool is one of the most positively electrostatically chargeable fibres that exist,” he says. “We have examined what the traits are to produce that and what it takes to produce a good filter. An electrostatic air filter takes microscopic nano-sized particles out of the air as though it were a virtual dust magnet. Those are the harmful particles that
Texus chief executive Nick Davenport.
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NEWS 19
e world breathe easy injure your lungs. It does that in a particularly satisfactory and high performance way. “Then we found out that due to the nature of the fibre and its structure that we could produce a filter which could act at very low breathing resistance – very low pressure drop. That’s another advantage in a respiratory filter. So if you can have high efficiency and low pressure drop together, that is best-of-breed. So that is what we have pro-
duced.” Texus is now focussing on filter media which applies to thousands of different applications worldwide. “Filter media is the opportunity for us because it improves people’s health,” Davenport explains. “A filter may hold only a gram of wool, but you would pay a reasonable price for a filter which is the most comfortable, easiest to breathe through and protects you from particles and toxins.
WOOL SUPPLIERS WANTED TEXUS WILL be looking for more farmer suppliers and will significantly add value to the wool clip over time, says Davenport. Texus has discovered through research that there are specific attributes which give performance, he says. “We dug deeply into that, assisted by AgResearch and Wool Industry Research Ltd (WIRL). Their funding helped us go deep and determine which attributes were most significant in producing the performance we required, and the processes which were most important. “About four-five years ago we started looking in this area and talking to one of the country’s top sheep breeders who had successfully developed a number of sheep breeds over the last 25 years. “We have been working with them to develop our own breed. Texus has its own breed of sheep which is in its third generation.” The breeding has reduced the variability and improved the quality of the filter they produce. “Our initial flocks and our breeding flocks are based in Central Otago in the southern lakes area,” he says. “This is the beginning of a significant journey. We see our technology as a point of inflection for uses for wool in different areas. ”We’ve got the ability over time to significantly increase farmers’ incomes from their wool clip. But our breeding programme also aims to ensure they get a de-risked platform to build supply from. “So not only does the farmer get better [return] from his wool clip but from his meat as well. It has to tick all the boxes. “We did not want to build a technology based on a supply chain where a farmer didn’t want to go for it, which is why we have gone for products which are high utility, high function and high benefit to the individual from a relatively small amount of wool.” People will pay well for something that benefits their health or the health of their child. They will be looking for more supplier farmers. “We will be ramping up; the O2 business is growing, the existing industrial business is growing and the Healthy Breath programme will significantly increase our volumes. And we’ve also got a programme for development of products into other application markets. “They are significantly larger volume markets.” The farmer selection programme looks at specific attributes from farmers, specific genetics or land types. They are looking for the right type of farms. “There is a significant opportunity for higher [return] for their wool for farmers involved. That higher [return] depends on the specification of the product they will produce and the consistency and the quality. “That is why we are looking at people who wish to commit to the long term journey, to look at how they can build gains not only in wool but also meat.”
“There are millions of people around the world who are in need of protection.” Their latest deal is a distribution agreement for greater Asia, of which China is the most affluent and receptive market but no means the only one. Many people in Asian
countries use surgical masks which are only nominally effective against air pollution and other industrial products. The white disposable facemasks you see people wearing in industrial situations are not very comfortable and are designed to meet workplace regu-
lations, he says. “We don’t make masks, we make filter media which enables people to make the best masks in the world.” The first licensee they signed mid last year was Nexus Foams which is licensed to manufacture products using the
Wool-based filters like these will be used in face masks marketed to Asian consumers.
materials. They have a licensee, a California customer called O2 Today.
They started selling their masks throughout Asia at the end of 2016.
RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
20 MARKETS & TRENDS L amb - PM 16.0kg
LAMB PRICES n/c
Last Week 5.20
M 2 B ull - 300kg
n/c
5.05
5.05
5.30
Change
c/kgCWT NI
P 2 Steer - 300kg
2 Wks A go 5.20
Last Year 5.30
S te e r - P2 300kg
n/c
5 .2 0
n/c
5 .2 5
P 2 Co w - 230kg
n/c
3.90
3.90
4.30
B u ll - M2 300kg
n/c
5 .0 5
n/c
4 .9 0
M Co w - 200kg
n/c
3.90
3.90
4.20
Ve n is o n - AP 60kg
n/c
7 .9 0
n/c
7 .9 0
Lo cal Trade - 230kg
n/c
5.20
5.20
5.30
n/c
5.25
5.25
5.20
M 2 B ull - 300kg
n/c
4.90
4.90
4.70
P 2 Co w - 230kg
n/c
3.95
3.95
3.80
M Co w - 200kg
n/c
3.95
3.95
3.70
Lo cal Trade - 230kg
n/c
5.20
5.20
5.40
North Island 16kg M lamb price
6.0
Slaughter
5.0
7.0
11-Mar
11-May
6.0
$/kg
6.5
11-Mar Last Ye ar
11-May
5yr Ave
North Island 300kg bull price
10-Sep 10-Oct 10-Dec
11-Mar
South Island 300kg steer price
250 $3.00
5yr Ave
$/kg $/kg
2 Wks A go 223 682
3 Wks A go 216 652
Last Year 204 677
203 618
South Island 60kg stag price
-5 -5
2Wks A go 71.9 69.8
3 Wks A go 76.5 74.9
Last Year 78.0 66.1
5yr A ve 74.9 68.6
% of export returns
$/kg
Procurement Indicator - South Island
90 P rocu rement Indicator - South I. 85% 80% 75% 70 70% 65% Last Year 60% This Year 50 11-Nov 11-Jan 11-Mar 11-May 55% 19-Jun 26-Jun 3-Jul 10-Jul 17-Jul 24-Jul 31-Jul 7-Aug 14-Aug 21-Aug 28-Aug 4-Sep 11-Sep 18-Sep 25-Sep 16-Oct 23-Oct 30-Oct 6-Nov 13-Nov 20-Nov 0-Jan 5yr ave Last Ye ar 9-Oct This Ye ar
8.5 7.5 6.5 11-Nov
11-Jan 5yr Ave
11-Mar Last Ye ar
This Ye ar
11-May
10 Oct
10 Feb Last Ye ar
10 Nov
10 Apr This Ye ar
UK Leg p/kg
n/c
Last Week 5
NZc/kg
+0
8
500
2 Wks A go 5
Last Year 5
8
9
5yr A ve 6 9
Export demand indicator - UK CKT leg
400
14 Jan
14 Mar
14 May
Procurem ent Indicator
P rocu rement Indicator Procurement Indicator -- North North I.Island 95 90% 85% 80% 75 75% Last Y ear 70% This Year 65% 60% 55 0… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 3… 3… 3… 2… 3… 3… 11-Nov 11-Jan 11-Mar 11-May
11-May
10 Dec
Change
5yr A ve
% of export returns
11-Mar
10 Sep
5yr Ave
300 14 Nov
% Returned NI % Returned SI
11-Jan
k 10 0Aug
Export Market Dem and
This Year
Export indicator - US 95CL D edemand mand Indicator - US 95CL B eefbeef
Change
7.5
9.5
+7 +3 1
North Island 60kg stag price
8.5
6.5 11-Nov
Last Y ear
Procurement Indicator
This Ye ar
S outh Island Week ly Lamb Kill
400 200k
10-Dec 10-Oct 10-Feb10-Nov 10-Apr 10-Sep 5yr Ave Last Ye ar This Ye ar
Last Year This Year 150 $1.50 14-Nov 14-Jan 14-Mar 14-May 5-Jun 12-Jun 19-Jun 26-Jun 3-Jul 10-Jul 17-Jul 24-Jul 31-Jul 7-Aug 14-Aug 21-Aug 28-Aug 4-Sep 11-Sep 18-Sep 25-Sep 9-Oct 16-Oct 23-Oct 30-Oct 6-Nov 13-Nov 20-Nov 5yr ave Last Ye ar This Ye ar
11-May
10 Nov10 Apr
South Island w eekly lamb kill
500 250k
10 Oct
USc/lb 11-Mar Last Ye ar
This Year
10 Oct 10 Feb
50k 100
$2.00
11-Jan 5yr Ave
Last Y ear
10 Sep 10 Dec
300 150k
$2.50 200
4.5
5yr Ave
k 0 10 10 Aug Oct
100k 200
95CL USc/lb NZc/kg
11-May
5.5
9.5
10-Dec 10-Apr
South Island Weekly Cattle Kill
Change
3.5 11-Nov
10-Nov 10-Feb
Export Market Demand
4.5
6.5
This Year
S outh Island Weekly Cattle Kill
0 k 10-Oct 10-Aug
11-Jan
200
5k
5.5
3.5 11-Nov
Last Y ear
10k 20
This Ye ar
North eekly N ort hIsland Islandw Week ly lamb Lambkill Kill
50k
20
15k40
11-Jan 5yr Ave
Last Year 4.66 4.68 4.70 4.71 2.30 4.78 4.78 4.78 4.78 2.15
100k
Thousand head
4.0 11-Nov
2 Wks A go 5.01 5.03 5.05 5.06 3.10 5.23 5.23 5.23 5.23 3.10
150k
k 0 10-Aug 10-Oct
5.0
n/c n/c n/c n/c n/c n/c n/c n/c n/c n/c
Last Week 5.01 5.03 5.05 5.06 3.10 5.23 5.23 5.23 5.23 3.10
200k
40 20k
South Island 16kg M lamb price
Change
Slaughter 250k 400
North Kill N ort hIsland IslandWeekly Weekly Cattle Cattle Kill
40k60
11-Jan
Thousand head
4.0 11-Nov
$/kg
P 2 Steer - 300kg
Thousand head
$/kg
7.0
SI
c/kgCWT NI Lamb YM - 13.5kg P M - 16.0kg P X - 19.0kg P H - 22.0kg M utto n M X1 - 21kg SI Lamb YM - 13.5kg P M - 16.0kg P X - 19.0kg P H - 22.0kg M utto n M X1- 21kg
UKp/kg
c /kgCWT
BEEF PRICES
S o u th Is lan d C h an g e L as t c /kg We e k n/c 5 .2 3
% Returned NI
0.0
2Wks A go 63.2
% Returned SI
0 .6
64.4
Change
85 80%
3 Wks A go 63.2
Last Year 62.5
63.8
60.6
5yr A ve 65.6 63.1
Procurement P rocu rementindicator Indicator-- North North Island I.
% of export return
No rth Is lan d C h an g e L as t c /kg We e k n/c 5 .0 3
LAMB MARKET TRENDS
75 70% 65 60%
Last Year
This Year
50% 55 11-Aug 11-Nov 11-Sep 11-Oct 11-Jan11-Nov 11-Dec 11-Mar 11-Jan 11-Feb 11-May
85 80%
% of export returns
Me at
BEEF MARKET TRENDS
Thousand head
MARKET SNAPSHOT
Procurement indicator - South Island P rocu rement Indicator - South I.
75 70% 65 60% Last Y ear
This Year
50% 55 11-Aug 11-Nov 11-Sep 11-Oct 11-Jan 11-Nov 11-Dec 11-Mar 11-Jan 11-Feb 11-May 5yr ave Last Ye ar This Ye ar
Venis on Prices NI Stag - 60kg
n/c
Last Week 7.90
SI Stag - 60kg
n/c
7.90
Change
2 Wks A go 7.90
Last Year 7.20
7.90
7.20
5yr A ve 6.66 6.71
Beef & venison prices are reported as gross (before normal levies & charges are deducted). Lamb & mutton prices are reported nett (after levies & charges are deducted).
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MARKETS & TRENDS 21 PRICE WATCH
beef market has been variable in recent weeks. Imported beef supply continues to be tight, and traders have had to put aside resistance and lift bids further in order to secure product. However, just
WOOL PRICE WATCH Change
09-Feb
26-Jan
Last Year
Coarse Xbred
-11
337
348
567
Coarse Xbred
Fine Xbred
-17
344
361
594
Fine Xbred
Lamb
-21
347
368
724
Mid Micron
n/c
727
727
952
Indicators in NZc/kg
SHEEP: Lamb slaughter rates appear
moderate around the North Island. Many plants are full, but the numbers are certainly not flowing in as they typically would through February. Limited pressure on feed and the cost of replacements in the South Island is keeping numbers on farm. Lamb weights, more so in Southland, are also below what is typical for this point in the season, which is expected to lag numbers as well. Global sheepmeat markets are humming. It has been a long time since demand and prices looked so positive. The exchange rate remains a thorn in the side of NZD returns, however, in-market prices are steadily increasing and for most key items, are above historical averages. Demand for chilled product for the Easter trade is solid, with many processors reporting production could be sold twice over. .
Overseas Wool Price Indicators 09-Feb
26-Jan
Last Year
-4
247
250
375
-8
252
260
393
Lamb
-11
254
265
479
Mid Micron
+9
533
523
630
Indicators in USc/kg
Wool indicator trends Wool Indicator Trends
850 700
CXI
750
FXI
LI
650 500 550
450 3005-Feb 5-May 5-Aug 5-Nov 5-Feb WeekNo 42110 42124 42138 42152 42166 42180 42194 42208 42222 42236 42250 42264 42278 42292 42306 42320 42334 42348 42376 42390 42404 42418 42432 42446 42459
CXI
650700
Change
39 micron wool (US$)
500
FXI
Coarse Xbred indicator Coarse Xbred Indicator Last Year
600600
400
300 200 10-Nov
LI
5yr ave
500
10-Jan
10-Mar Last Year
10-May This Year
35 micron wool (US$)
This Year
400
550500
c/kg
INTERNATIONAL BEEF: The US
how firm bids have been has depended heavily on importers short-term needs. Supply from Australia remains low and the NZ bull kill is showing signs of easing, which should support the bull meat market. There is expectation from the market that the offerings of cow meat will increase in coming weeks, keeping prices here subdued.
c/kg
than typical for the time of year. Some dry regions are culling their empties following pregnancy testing, however, this is with great reluctance. The number of prime cattle flowing out of Northland is easing. Supply is still adequate for processors needs however. While a few yearling bulls have begun to be killed, the flow of the bull kill is likely to be moderate in coming weeks. Competition for cattle is much stronger than usual through the South Island. Current slaughter prices in the South Island are mostly above what is found in the North Island, which is highly unusual for this stage of the year. North Island store prices have eased 10-20cpk kg over the past three weeks, and are largely trading at prices similar or lower than this time last year. However, relative to schedule they still remain slightly above five year averages. Whether we see any further adjustment in the store cattle market will depend on the weather through February.
c/kg
BEEF: The cow kill still remains lower
c/kg
NEWS
500400 450300 10-Nov Dec Oct
5yr ave
10-Jan Feb
10-Mar Jun Last Year Apr
Aug10-May
This Year
300 200 10-Nov 10-Jan 10-Mar 5yr ave Last Year
10-May This Year
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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
22 AGRIBUSINESS
NZ/US teamwork on N breakthrough NIGEL MALTHUS
NEW ZEALAND and American scientists have discovered a previously unknown way of chemically converting reactive nitrogen, common in soil and water, into a safe form rather than a harmful greenhouse gas. The discovery, published by the science journal Nature Scientific Reports online in Decem-
ber 2016, could ultimately help reduce emissions by the NZ agricultural sector. The heart of the problem is that while some natural soil organisms convert reactive nitrogen in the soil to nonreactive di-nitrogen, N2, – the common nitrogen gas which makes up 78% of the atmosphere – they also produce nitrous oxide, N2O. Nitrous oxide
is both a major player in ozone depletion and a potent greenhouse gas – 300 times more effective than carbon dioxide and 10 times more than methane at trapping atmospheric heat. Agriculture worldwide is a major source of N2O, mainly because of nitrogen fertilisation. Ultimately it will break down, but not before damaging the environment. Nitrous
oxide survives for up to 120 years in the atmosphere. However, the scientists have found a chemical process by which organic nitrogen, which mainly comes from plants and fungi, combines with inorganic nitrogen, mainly from fertiliser and urine, to produce unreactive N2 without either biological processes or the kinds of conditions possi-
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ble only in a laboratory. “The idea that you can form inert di-nitrogen without any enzymes, without any biology, is pretty new,” Dr Rebecca Phillips, of Landcare Research told Rural News. The Landcare Research team of Phillips, Andrew McMillan, Gwen Grelet, Bevan Weir and Thilak Palmada utilised the only analytical instrument in NZ capable of measuring atmospheric concentrations of both N2 and N2O, situated at Landcare Research in Palmerston North. They had help from soil microbiology expert Professor Bongkeun Song at the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences, and Professor Craig Tobias of the University of Connecticut. Tobias is an expert in isotopic measurement, essentially a means of identifying and tracking the nitrogen by its atomic characteristics. Phillips believes the finding could lead to practical applications, reducing farmers’ environmental footprint by converting excess inor-
ganic nitrogen that would otherwise be leached into water or emitted as nitrous oxide. “If we find the optimum conditions and the optimum chemistry for this to occur then we’ll be able to suggest, perhaps, some different kinds of soil amendments or different kinds of soil management that might encourage this,” she says. “But it still takes us a little more work to figure out exactly the best way to get the most N2 and the least nitrous oxide.” Phillips says Song has continued investigating the process over the past month and it appears that more organic matter in the soil is beneficial. “The discovery is promising enough, we think, that all it takes is the work to figure out the right combinations and conditions to bypass nitrous oxide in the process of removing excess N in soils and water.” The scientist recently made a case for funding further research into using this new bypass pathway to mitigate N20,
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to the NZ Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre and MPI in Wellington. The proposal is in response to a call for research proposals from the Global Research Alliance, a group of 16 countries aiming to address global scientific problems collaboratively (http://globalresearchalliance.org/ updates/). Meanwhile, Phillips thanks Song and Tobias for their help. “They were willing to work on it, even though we didn’t have funding for them, because they thought it was so interesting and so important towards closing the gap in our knowledge of the nitrogen cycle. “I’d like to mention that – just from a human relations standpoint – about scientists. It’s important for the public to know that a lot of time we don’t get paid for the extra work we do. We do a lot of things just because we want to advance the science.”
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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
AGRIBUSINESS 23
Glowing report on NZ co-ops SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz
A GLOWING report on the benefits of cooperatives isn’t a surprise, says Cooperative Business New Zealand’s (CBNZ) chief executive, Craig Presland. The report says the co-op sector contributed revenues of at least $42.3 billion a year in 2014-15. Almost one fifth of NZ’s economy is generated by co-ops and mutu-
The agrifood sector dominates NZ’s exports and remains the backbone of the NZ economy with profits retained. als, they employ almost 50,000 and almost 1 in 3 Kiwis belongs to a co-op. Presland notes that the report is on the 201415 financial year, therefore key statistics such as revenue, share of GDP, employment and membership numbers will be much higher now. “Remember that the numbers shown relate to the top 30 NZ cooperatives only; the share of GDP across all NZ’s co-ops is likely to now be closer to 20%,” he told Rural News. Presland says the figures are compelling but not surprising, and that NZ clearly is a world leader in cooperative economies. Lead researcher Dr Elena Garnevska, of Massey University, says the results are a much needed glimpse into a sector of significant economic and social importance to the country. It helps us to better understand and promote the co-operative business model to policy makers, consultants and others. The 1.4 million co-op memberships “show
how much the cooperative economy is woven into the everyday lives of NZers.” The report says the 30 co-ops and mutuals are strong in agri-food, accounting for 65.2% of revenue, 67.6% of assets and 82.8% of employment in the cooperative economy. Presland says the agrifood sector dominates NZ’s exports and remains the backbone of the NZ economy with profits
people suffering since the Christchurch earthquakes in 2011”. They care for the environment so that resources are utilised and
waste is discharged and controlled sustainably.” Presland says the report will help raise the awareness and profile of co-ops in NZ and attract
TOP REVENUE GR OSSERS Fonterra ($18.8 billio n) ■■ Foodstu ffs - North Island ($6 .2b) ■■ Foodstu ffs - South Island ($2 .7$ b) ■■ Silver Fe rn Farms ($2.4b) ■■ Farmlan ds Trading Society ($2.2b REVENUE BY CA TEGORY: ■■ Agri-foo d (65.2%) ■■ Wholes ale and retail (30.3% ) ■■ Insuranc e, banking and finan ce (3.4%) ■■ Other se rvices (1.1%). EMPLOYEES: Fonterra (22,000) ■■ Silver Fe rn Farms (7000) ■■ Alliance Group (4700) ■■ Eastpac k (2700) ■■ Foodstu ffs North Island (18 00). ■■
more members. “We now have the opportunity to extend our research on cooperatives, and advocate even more strongly for them.”
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retained. “Within this sector, the cooperative business model, with full ownership and control provided to members on the basis of supply and/or patronage each year, has been successful back to NZ’s first dairy co-op set up in 1871. These cooperative organisations have demonstrated endurance and sustainability.” Of CBNZ’s 60 full members, 40 are now 25 years or older, and of the remaining 20 about half are at least 10 years old. Four co-ops – SBS Bank, Fonterra, Tatua Dairy Co and Farmers Mutual Group – are at least 100 years old. Presland says the cooperative ethos of working together for the common good is part of who we are as NZers. Typically these organisations “give back to local communities and care about NZers, such as Fonterra’s Milk in Schools Programme, FMG’s Farmstrong wellness programme for farmers and rural communities, and Foodstuffs South Island’s financial support for
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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
24 OPINION EDITORIAL
EDNA
The silly season begins! Election years seem to cause a rush of blood to many people, bringing them out of the woodwork and into the limelight, who so desperately seek to recharge their egos that have largely lain dormant for three years. Nathan Guy rang the warning bell about this at the Beef+LambNZ’s environmental conference, last week, and it was timely. Within hours an invited speaker, from Greenpeace, got up and launched into the dairy industry, which – let’s face it – is a prime target. It’s already been besmirched by Fish and Game’s toxic dirty dairying campaign as well as other crackpots in the vegan space. Many of the arguments these groups make, will in some cases be Trump-like or fake news; but there will be a smattering of credible facts to make their case acceptable to the great unwashed masses. While there will always be critics around throwing up crazy stories, the dairy industry and other farming sectors have to take some responsibility for gifting examples of bad farming management to these people. The bobby calves issue was a recent classic case in point. Farmers – who should know better –allowing their stock to get in rivers, are among the many that have let the industry down. To top it off, the people who could do something about it have stood there like wax models at Madame Tussauds and done nothing. Fonterra’s failure to prosecute, by not pay polluting dairy farmers and others who don’t or won’t comply with simple rules, is a prime cause of the behaviours that have let the side down. The fuzzy, feel-good education message has lingered on too long. Why is it that 100% of Irish dairy farmers have signed up to comply with a raft of environmental regulations through Origen Green and ours can’t even fence their 100% waterways off? The Irish dairy companies put the hard word on their suppliers and they complied, virtually, over-night. It would be tragic if our farming sector, which is one of the best in the world, becomes a political punch bag this year. This would be unfair to the majority of farmers who are struggling with many things beyond their control – such as weather and market volatility. Worse still it would unhelpful for our economy, which – many of these critics fail to acknowledge – is and always will be land-based. The simple answer is for the farming industry to get tough on the small percent of twits who ruin it for the majority. Is that too much to ask?
RURALNEWS TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS
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
“Can’t wait to see the Greenies make them Jafas fence off their lavatories!”
Want to share your opinion or gossip with the Hound? Send your emails to: hound@ruralnews.co.nz
THE HOUND Wah-wah
Wrong s#$t!
Prize plonker
Self-important
YOUR OLD mate notes the parttime Member of Parliament for North Korea – sorry, Northland -- Winston Peters, has got his knickers in a knot over his no-show on the farm in his electorate where Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy officially declared the region to be in drought. Apparently, Peters – who has been living off the taxpayer for at least 40 years – was most upset that he missed the memo from Guy’s office telling the where and when of the event, and he failed to front. But as a mate of the Hound says, if Peters spent more time in Northland and less in Auckland and Wellington’s late-night bars, he may have been better placed to attend.
THE HOUND sees that the inquiry into the contamination of Havelock North’s water supply has been told that sheep – not cow – faeces was probably the cause of it. The government-ordered inquiry into August’s campylobacter outbreak, which left 5000 sick, was told bores providing water to the Hawke’s Bay town had become contaminated, likely by sheep in nearby paddocks. This contrasts sharply with the ‘facts’ claimed by all the antidairying screaming skulls and selfproclaimed water quality experts who were quick to blame dairy cows for the problem. As a mate of the Hound asks: “Will Mike Joy, Rachel ‘Toxic’ Stewart, Greenpeace and every other halfwit now call for a ban on sheep farming, given that they clearly know s#$t about water quality?”
SPEAKING OF Hawkes Bay, your canine crusader sees that newly elected Hawkes Bay Regional Council chair Rex Graham has only taken a few months to show what a plonker he is. Apparently, Graham wants to spend $90,000 of ratepayers’ money to revamp his offices to better reflect the “mana” of his position. He makes lofty claims in support of his proposal to hang Maori carvings and portraits of tribal ancestors in the debating chamber, and create a “chairman’s room” in what is now a councillors’ lounge and meeting room. Says Graham, “It’s not just the mana of myself, but the mana of the role as chair... I don’t think this chamber does it.” The Hound reckons a dam providing reliable water to the droughtprone region would be more mana enhancing to the Hawkes Bay and its community than empire-building fancy rooms at the council’s head office.
WE’VE ALL become used to the new US president and his narcissistic and boastful claims, but a mate of the Hound reckons the host of the ‘Country’ radio show, Jamie Mackay, would give Trump a run for his money on this front. The Hound’s source pointed this old mutt to a recent column written by the ego-driven shock jock which, ironically, talked about Trump and his ability to get things done. Anyway, in his self-important discourse, Mackay, among other things took credit for Fonterra introducing its ‘Milk in Schools’ scheme and said he was behind the knighthood of champion shearer Sir David Fagan. As the Hound’s mate says, “What next? Soon Mackay will be claiming he invented sliced bread and the question mark.”
PRODUCTION: Dave Ferguson ........................Ph 09 913 9633 davef@ruralnews.co.nz Becky Williams ........................Ph 09 913 9634 beckyw@ruralnews.co.nz REPORTERS: Sudesh Kissun ....................... Ph 09 913 9627 Pamela Tipa ............................. Ph 09 620 7811 Peter Burke .............................Ph 06 362 6319 Nigel Malthus ...................... Ph 021 164 4258 MACHINERY EDITOR: Mark Daniel ............................. Ph 021 906 723 or 07 824 1190 SUB-EDITOR: Neil Keating ............................Ph 09 913 9628
NATIONAL SALES MANAGER: Stephen Pollard ....Ph 09 913 9637/021 963 166 stephenp@ruralnews.co.nz
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WAIKATO SALES REPRESENTATIVE: Ted Darley .......... Ph 07 854 6292/021 832 505 ted@ruralnews.co.nz
SOUTH ISLAND SALES REPRESENTATIVE: Kaye Sutherland Ph 03 337 3828/021 221 1994 kayes@ruralnews.co.nz
ABC audited circulation 80,580 as at 30/09/2016
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 // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
OPINION 25
Forget all the negativity; communicate the positives! RICK POWDRELL
SHEEP AND beef farmers are facing testing times and many of the challenges are outside their control. For many of us, our resilience will be tested and our ability to support each other and communicate with the wider industry will be paramount. My message to farmers is not to waste time and emotion worrying about issues they can’t influence - adverse events, regulations, currency volatility, global trade and market access. What they should do is seize every opportunity they can to tell the positive stories of rural life to whoever will listen. The red meat and wool sector was worth $8.2 billion to New Zealand last season – as much as many would like to think, we are not the poor cousin of dairy. However, our farming practices are constantly being portrayed in a negative manner, so often by totally uninformed people. The frustrating thing is when invited to view the realities of the practice they are passing judgement on, most decline. We must continue to engage with them, share our experiences and invite them on farm. Encouraging, promoting, highlighting and educating best practice is a very positive means of improving on-farm uptake and, carried out well, can have the spin-off of enlightening the wider public. The annual Bay of Plenty Federated Farmers Farm Day reminds me how far removed many children and some adults have got from practices on the land. Likewise, the lack of rural content in the school curriculum is not helping spread positive stories of rural life. In recent times, the Red Meat Profit Partnership and NZ Young Farmers have picked up the baton in this area and are working with schools to further the agricultural content in the curriculum. Once we have visi-
tors on farm and can gain their confidence, the absorption of knowledge is immense. You can often witness the excitement and transformation from a position of little knowledge, often fear, to wanting to know more and understand. Greater understanding will have spin-offs as agriculture and agri-businesses look for skilled people for their future workforce. That grounding needs to begin during school years. The focus of agricultural training is being refined to assist schools to offer agricultural options and create the links to post school tertiary study and practical training. At the same time, we as farmers need to clearly understand our role as a good employer, an efficient trainer and a provider of good pastoral care. Farmers face other challenges around consumption, synthetic alternative proteins, everincreasing compliance, the anti-farming brigade and how to grow markets. Beef + Lamb NZ, processing companies the Meat Industry Association and other agencies are working on these issues and farmers will have ideas also. But are we co-ordinating our efforts to get best bang for our buck through all these organisations, avoiding duplication and having a common strategy of where we are heading and how we approach these challenges? Farmers face pressures on how they used the land. “As one Canterbury farmer said to me recently, ‘I own my farm but it has got to the point where I am losing all say in what I do on it’. The problem is that so much money is being used for the processes of remedying the problem and lengthy legal challenges rather than being used on the ground for future mitigation measures. I hope councils will share best practice on
what works so we are all learning from each other’s mistakes and successes. The words I intends hammering in 2017 are: “engage, communicate, unite and support”. We need a move-
ment led by rural people, built on hope instead of fear; science instead of emotion; education instead of litigation; resolution instead of conflict; employing rather than destroying human
resources. • This is an edited version of a speech given by Federated Farmers Meat & Fibre Council chair Rick Powdrell to the Feds’ meat and fibre council meeting held in Wellington last week.
Rick Powdrell
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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
26 OPINION
Water options set to be popular SARAH CHARTERIS
WATER, SOIL monitoring, irrigation and weather systems will be hot topics at this year’s East Coast Farming Expo, as the region bat-
tles the effects of another summer drought. The two-day expo, on April 5 and 6, will again be hosted by the Wairoa A&P Society at its central Wairoa showgrounds. The event is devoted
to helping the region’s farmers and landowners explore new ideas for sheep and beef farming. It enables East Coast and Hawke’s Bay farmers to talk to industry innovators, especially
trade exhibitors wanting to demonstrate and sell products and services. Field hydrologist and director of Hydro Logic NZ Ltd, Matt Brown, exhibiting for a second year, says the Wairoa
Water, soil monitoring, irrigation and weather systems will be hot topics at this year’s East Coast Farming Expo, as the region battles the effects of another summer drought.
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Explore everything from water systems and fertilizer options, to cloud based farm recording systems and stock handling equipment East Coast and Hawke’s Bay sheep and beef farmers will have the chance to network and learn about agricultural innovation in their region.
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expo has the potential to grow into an important event for East Coast farmers. “We like the fact that it draws interest from the northern end of the East Coast, right down to the Taihape area,” Brown says. “The larger field days around the country show agricultural products and services on a grand scale, but at the East Coast expo the feel is more relaxed, and shows technology, services and expertise that was unavailable until last year’s inaugural event.” Brown says they felt they only “scratched the surface” in 2016 in promoting telemetry systems, soil moisture and weather stations. This year Hydro Logic NZ Ltd will exhibit water quality sensors, radio telemetry, water tank monitoring equipment, water quality probes, etc. “We will show radio telemetry equipment that has low running costs and can be used to monitor many different applications, e.g. water tank levels and rain gauges. And we will display Davis weather stations.” Water Right Ltd, of Hastings, also exhibited last year. Managing director Matt O’Kane says the Wairoa event gave many East Coast business people a good look at new technology and techniques. “It is a specialised
show with… technology that is life-changing to many people who simply didn’t realise that technology was out there,” O’Kane says. “Unlike A&P Shows it attracts genuinely interested people who want to know about your products for a reason.” Water Right Ltd will exhibit automated irrigating equipment, pipe welding technology and European centre pivot systems. “We had a huge amount of interest last year and as a result more people are thinking about irrigation and water systems,” O’Kane says. These include people farming areas typically not irrigated, particularly from Wairoa north.” Another returning exhibitor is Hansen Products NZ Ltd, whose technical sales rep Simon Hayes hopes to build on the success of the inaugural expo. The Hansen will include the firm’s own trough valves, ball valves, leveller valves, a level alert, Easy Fit fittings for alkathene pipe and Hansen True Fit threaded fittings. Says Hayes, “We’re looking forward to showing farmers how using our products can help improve their farm output, and giving them input on existing product performance and opportunities for improvements and innovations.” www.eastcoastexpo.co.nz.
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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
OPINION 27 TIME GORDON GOT A GONG! WHY IS it that Gordon Levet has never been formally recognised for his lifetime work in the sheep world? His two outstanding achievements are breeding for eczema and worm resistance, between them worth millions of dollars to the sheep industry already and untold millions to come. Gordon started his farming career about the same time I did, when all sheep were judged by showroom standards (glamour sheep). My old boss then was interested in ‘commercial traits’ such as growth rate and survivability and we did a lot of work weighing and recording manually to this end. Looking back, I think he would have been about 30 years
ahead of his time in this respect. Over the last 50 years, Gordon has taken the lead in many aspects of sheep breeding from his own observations and in cooperation with various scientists, taking these to new heights. He hasn’t kept his achievements to himself, but shared them with the industry, as a whole, helping all. A lesser known attribute has been his leadership and untiring work in various local issues. Why keep the accolades and kudos for his obituary? They’re worth more now. Brian Styles (via email) @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews
Showing the boys how it’s done! A DOCUMENTARY film crew is using the internet to help fund its project about New Zealand women in shearing sheds. NO.1 Stand is a documentary that has been in the works since 2014, when director Jack Nicol and his team began researching the NZ wool industry and shearing sports. Through this research Nicol, who likes animals,
craft beer, steak and cheese pies and the mighty Black Caps, and his team, were able to find the focus of NO.1 Stand – the women. “Shearing sports are the competitive version of these women’s professional lives, and these women are proving that the girls are as good as, if not better than, the boys.” says a profile of NO.1 Stand on Boosted.org.
nz, a site dedicated to funding artists’ endeavors. The documentary is also aimed at showing how everyone in the shearing industry, men and women alike, are people to be admired. Whilst some funding was provided in 2016 by the NZ Film Commission, the project stills needs money to reach the end goal – covering the 2017
Golden Shears contest. NO.1 Stand has so far earned a whopping $4245 towards its bare minimum goal of $10,000 by using Boosted, but still needs more to be able to cover the costs of food, accommodation and petrol. If you would like to contribute to NO.1 Stand, go to https://www.boosted. org.nz/projects/no1-stand – Jessica Wilson
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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
28 MANAGEMENT
War on rabbits takes next step NIGEL MALTHUS
NEW ZEALAND is about to open a new front in the war on rabbits with the expected release of a new strain of rabbit haemorrhagic disease, or calicivirus. The new variant, known as RHDV1 K5, is approved in Australia and is due for release there March-June this year. NZ authorities also hope to release it about that time. Environment Canterbury says it is acting for a national co-ordinating group to obtain the three statutory approvals needed. Graham Sullivan, Environment Canterbury regional leader biosecurity, says RHDV1 K5 could be an important biological control tool. “While exact figures are unknown, it is
expected there will be improved knockdown in areas where the current strain of RHDV is less effective,” he told Rural News. Rabbit haemorrhagic disease is widespread in NZ after its unapproved release in 1997, but rabbit numbers recovered in many areas after NZ authorities are hoping to release the initial spread. a new strain of rabbit haemorrhagic Federated disease, or calicivirus between March and June this year. Farmers high country policy Douglas explains that advisor Bob Douglas says DOC, MPI and governrabbits can be a big drain ment departments are on farms. involved because rabbits “Some stations in are an “environmental North Canterbury, southpest, eating grass, cutting ern Marlborough and it down to nothing. Then certainly around Otago the winds get up and the are spending close to $100,000 a year on rabbit topsoil disappears. So there are environmencontrol.”
tal factors as well; it’s not just the productivity side of things.” RHDV1 K5 is a Korean strain believed to better overcome the protective effects of a benign calicivirus – which also naturally occurs in feral rabbit populations and confers
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some immunity to the existing RHDV1. “RHDV1 K5 is expected to boost the effects of the existing RHDV1 strain and help slow the increase in rabbit numbers,” Sullivan explains. Although rabbit numbers vary nationwide, councils from Auckland to Southland are interested. “You don’t need a Mackenzie or Otago situation to be interested in the virus…. Even in Canterbury rabbits are a nuisance. The Port Hills are a classic example; lifestyle blocks around cities
where you can’t use traditional control tools such as poisons, trapping and shooting for obvious reasons.” Sullivan says the new variant, like other RHD viruses, infects only the European rabbit and no other species. It has no human health risks. A vaccine is available to protect pet rabbits and MPI is expected to confirm the vaccine will also work on the new strain. Sullivan says the release will be managed by the country’s 12 regional councils and probably take the form of freeze-dried product added to carrot bait. He believes a controlled release will ensure that a higher quality, commercially prepared product is made available and the release appropriately managed and monitored. “This approach will increase the likelihood of success and maximise benefits to farmers and the environment,” Sullivan says. “RHDV1 K5 is not the silver bullet for rabbit eradication in NZ. A longterm, integrated approach
to controlling pest rabbits is required.” The NZ Rabbit Coordination Group (RCG) includes representatives from regional and district councils, Federated Farmers, DOC, MPI and Land Information NZ. On behalf of the RCG, ECan submitted a Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act application to the Environmental Protection Authority in September 2016 and this is now being processed. ECan will also lodge applications this month (February) for the other two required statutory approvals: registration under the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Act, and an unwanted organism permission under sections 52 and 53 of the Biosecurity Act. Meanwhile, a Landcare Research Sustainable Farming Fund release strategy is in process for the participating regional and district councils. That will include pre- and post-release monitoring to measure impacts and inform future research. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews
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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
30 MANAGEMENT
Erosion scheme motivates hill country farmers LIKE ALL hill country farmers, Peter and Niels Hansen have dozens of projects needing time and money, so when the Taranaki Regional Council offered funding and incentives they jumped
at them. In recent years, the Hansens, with their wives Grethe and Fiona, have retired and fenced marginal land and a forestry block, and planted poles, with help from the
council’s soil conservation fund – the South Taranaki and Regional Erosion Support Scheme (STRESS, co-funded by the Taranaki Regional Council and MPI through its hill country erosion
fund). “The losses and benefits are easy to see but hard to capture when you’ve got a lot of things competing for resources, so when the council said, ‘it’s possible we could
Taranaki Hill Country farmers Peter and Niels Hansen.
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benefit from the waterway, and you can get some benefit and we’ll help fund the fence’, we were motivated to do it,” Niels Hansen says. “It’s to protect the asset, and if you can improve your asset and make it more robust and future-proof it, why wouldn’t you?” The family have two eastern Taranaki hill country farms at Huiroa and Matau. The Hansens have worked hard getting the Matau property into good shape since buying it five years ago. They run 1071 sheep and 232 cattle on 205ha of productive land, and have fenced 14.3ha of its marginal land and native bush with help from STRESS funding. “It’s given us an 18ha forestry block,” says Hansen. “And the original forestry block here at home (Huiroa) is pretty much going to be perfectly timed for succession planning.” Matau is more productive now and Peter Hansen says they “don’t lose anywhere near as many stock from going over bluffs and getting stuck in swamps.” The fencing has also improved stock control because they’re grazing smaller areas of subdivided land. “It’s very satisfying: you’re in a much better position to harvest grass at the right time, and shift stock around.” The improvements have also solved the problem of hill country areas going rank if not grazed properly in late spring. “We have older cattle trying to survive on that, rather than having nice, green grass, so you put a pump and some troughs into a farm like that and suddenly you can see the opportunity to subdivide land,” Niels Hansen says. “I know strip grazing isn’t everybody’s cup
of tea, but it’s incredibly powerful to cut your easy paddocks in half, for example.” He believes stock management is as important as planting and retiring land, so they’ve attended field days and discussion groups, and debated and tested theories. The Hansens are now thinking about mitigating erosion by fattening more cattle during the summer surplus and having fewer on the hills in winter. They also aim to fence wetlands, but they are behind after the June 2015 flood, which brought 440mm of rain in 18 hours, causing slips and breaking about 45 major fence lines. The repairs are consuming and ongoing, but they’re still planning how to conserve and optimise their land, with help from council land management officer Nathan Zieltjes. Niels Hansen says they don’t feel suspicious of the council. “They’ve got a good balance and they’ve always had enthusiastic staff and that’s good. I accept that eventually in the odd place they might need a ‘big stick’ approach, but I think they’re getting 90% of the job done just by giving advice and support.” Peter Hansen says the STRESS scheme has been a great help and “motivation from the council has helped us a lot”. He is also chuffed that Max, one of Niels and Fiona’s five children, wants to join the family’s dairy grazing, fattening, service bulls, trading and sheep operation. “I was born on a farm in Denmark. Max is as mad a farmer as me – we just love it. It’s pleasing to be an immigrant to New Zealand and Niels wanted to be a farmer and now his son Max (18) does too. It’s a gift to me.”
RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
MANAGEMENT 31
Name change needed for greater precision PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz
‘ACCURATE FARMING’ would be more apt than ‘precision farming’ to describe this agricultural practice, says professor Simon Blackmore of Harper Adams University in the UK. Blackmore, head of engineering at this agricultural university in the West Midlands, was a keynote speaker at the recent Fertiliser and Lime Research Centre annual workshop at Massey University. He says the term ‘precision agriculture’ is a misnomer because it doesn’t convey exactly
what is happening. It is a systems approach that uses technologies to create new opportunities. Many technologies used in agriculture, such as GPS, drones and auto steer, were developed outside the sector but are now used to help make crop production systems more efficient, Blackmore says. “We have a lot of agricultural inputs which we literally throw over the land: chemicals, sprays, fertilisers -- we throw them all over the place and how much goes on target? A very, very small amount and the rest all gets leached out into the water and cre-
ates problems somewhere else. It’s a crazy situation because farmers are buying this stuff and it’s going off target and creating a problem for someone else.” Blackmore reckons his role is to give farmers new tools to allow them to become a lot more accurate with their farming systems. To this end, he says, they are developing a concept called ‘intelligently targeted inputs’. “We have heard people say ‘if you can’t measure it you can’t manage it’. If you can get the machine to measure it, to know how much nitrogen is in the plant while it is growing today, you can
HANDS-FREE HECTARE AN EXPERIMENT at Harper Adams University is the ‘hands-free hectare’. Blackmore described a “grand agricultural challenge”, due next year. This will be to integrate new technologies such as auto-steer, fertiliser spreaders, GPS, robots and other technology tools to manage a 1ha commercial crop without a human being walking on the land. “Although I talk about robots and other
automation that doesn’t mean there will be no human involvement,” Blackmore said. “You still need people. But the machines will control themselves, while they are on that hectare. “However, when these machines come out they must be filled up and serviced, etc. But this will be the first time anyone has tried this.”
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then work out how much nitrogen you want to give the plant in the future and not waste inputs,” he explains. The goal is to move to ‘sustainable intensification’ for crops– but not livestock – getting higher crop yields, but reducing harmful inputs which could damage the environment. A world challenge is producing enough food for the growing population. But while many people have talked up the notion that large company/family corporate farms will hold the key to this, Blackmore thinks otherwise. He says traditionally, precision farming has been the preserve of larger farms able to
achieve economies of scale by getting the maximum value out of a GPS or a large tractor. “The big tractors can’t be made any bigger now, but the new opportunity coming is the application of intelligently targeted inputs with small machines doing exactly the right things on a smaller scale,” he explains. “The extra production is going to come from family farms and small fields because the larger farms can no longer get levels of efficiency by economies of scale. “We are now talking about small robots that are reasonably priced and which can operate in small fields. This
Professor Simon Blackmore.
will allow farmers to grow higher value crops in these small fields and improve yields and make smaller farms more viable.” Blackmore says the use of lightweight robots in agriculture will also improve soil structure and quality. He believes the present system is “crazy” because the heavy tractors used to plant and tend crops compact the soil and soon afterwards another tractor is used
to open up the soil and repair the damage caused by the first tractor. He says the best soil is usually found in forests where bugs and insects are left alone and the soil is not damaged by machines. The final piece of the puzzle is getting farmers to adopt new technologies and systems. The key driver, Blackmore believes, is farmers being convinced of the resulting financial benefits.
RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
32 ANIMAL HEALTH
Economies of dry cow therapy show up DAVID AND Colleen Fagan, of Northland, take pride in the quality of the milk their cows produce, reports MSD Animal Health NZ.
In fact, their local veterinary practice, Dargaville Veterinary Centre, recognised the Fagans’ good results recently with an award for the best
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overall milk quality in their area. But it’s not by accident: any average bulk tank somatic cell count for a season that’s below 100,000 is a sign of consistently good milk quality and the couple achieved this three years in a row by carefully managing mastitis risk. In the 2013-14 season their cell counts averaged just 90,000, then 72,000 in 2014-15 (their award-winning season) and 75,000 in 2015-16. The Fagans have run their family farm for 40 years at Hoanga, near Dargaville, with a manager and his son doing the day-to-day running. The 110ha (eff, 120 total) milks 320 cows of various breeds. David Fagan says a tough spring set the current season off to a slow start. “We’re 12-13% down on this time last year, and that wasn’t a great year to start with.” But by early summer,
conditions were improving and production was starting to catch up. It’s a challenging environment, frequently wet, with soils prone to pugging in winter. They had been running autumn and spring-calving herds, but have since sold the autumn herd, making management simpler. Like most in the dairy industry, the Fagans have found the sub-$5 payouts for the past two seasons difficult and they had to take a hard look at costs, animal health included. One strategy to achieve such high milk quality has been blanket treating their herd with Cepravin Dry Cow at drying off. The long-acting treatment cures any existing infections, helps prevent new infections during the dry period and at calving, and contributes to low somatic cell counts during the following lactation. In 2016, the Fagans decided to cut back on
Northland dairy farmers David and Collen Fagan found the effects of economising on dry cow therapy treatments soon show up in bulk milk cell counts.
dry cow therapy. They stayed with the same product, but targeted only cows with relatively high average cell counts in the 2015-16 season (250,000 or more) and those treated for clinical mastitis during the season. Fagan says it was a calculated move and likely to have an impact on milk quality in the 201617 season. This season, he and his vet Joyce Gallaghan were surprised how quickly the economising showed up in the bulk tank somatic cell counts in the new season.
The number of clinical cases of mastitis is also much higher than usual for the season to date. By mid-December at least 60 cases had been treated, compared with 32 cases in the previous season. It may all have put a drag on production. The increase in average cell counts this season has not been dramatic, however. Bulk tank cell counts have risen as high as 134,000 and are staying over 100,000 for now, but the Fagans had the luxury of starting from a good position. Joyce Gallaghan says
the experience shows that cows apparently not infected at drying off could still have been flying under the radar with low-grade mastitis that spilled over into this season. Fagan is comfortable with the decision he made this past season, but it’s likely to be a oneoff. And things are looking brighter with the current season Fonterra payout forecast at a more sustainable $6.50–$6.60. “We’ll be going back to blanket treating the herd at the end of this season,” he says.
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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
ANIMAL HEALTH 33
Growing your calves well IVAN HOLLOWAY, BVSC
REARING YOUNG stock on single species grazing systems under irrigation may become very challenging as there is often no alternative species grazing to help reduce parasite burdens on the pasture. Irrigated pastures grow grass and provide the perfect environment for parasites: shade, moisture and warmth -conditions which allow parasites to thrive. Constant grazing with the same species allows numbers to build up from early in the season to peak at high levels early autumn. Regular drenching intervals help to control the parasite burdens, but still young stock may struggle. The problem is that in between drenches
young cattle are ingesting immature worms (L3 stage larvae) that go on to mature into adult egg laying worms in about 21 days. These L3 larvae tend to have productionlimiting effects as they cause gut damage, which may directly or indirectly lead to appetite suppression. The result is that maximal growth rates may not be attained. A relatively new product on the market called Alpheus drench capsules is designed to ease calves through this difficult period. The Alpheus capsules are a slow-release drench capsule discharging abamectin for 125 days, which kills incoming larvae as they are ingested thus preventing them from causing gut damage. Parasites tend to be easier to kill in their
L3 larvae stage than as adult worms. The capsule comes with an oxfendazole/ levamisole combined primer drench to kill all adult worms at insertion leaving the abamectin release to carry on killing any ingested larvae. While these capsules are not for everyone, if you are struggling with your young replacements’ health then it is worthwhile discussing the use of these capsules with your veterinarian. Trace elements are often neglected in young growing stock, with a mish-mash of treatments often thrown at calves with varying success. The Tracesure range of boluses are designed to give a steady release of selenium, iodine and cobalt for six months, all essential elements
for the growth and wellbeing of young stock. Add to this a copasure bolus and all the essential minerals are being given. No need for yarding and all the dramas that go with it and your young stock only need to consume grass and get on with growing to meet the all-important target live weights required for mating next spring. Finally, don’t neglect a good vaccination programme for your young calves. While leptospirosis and clostridial vaccinations should be high on your list and already done, some of the viral diseases are usually forgotten. Bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD), infectious bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR) and Para-Influenza type 3 (PI-3) virus are widespread in New
Irrigated pastures grow grass and provide the perfect environment for parasites: shade, moisture and warmth – conditions which allow parasites to thrive.
Zealand. Each of these viruses may affect young animals’ growth rates individually, but combined they can be devastating, leading to severe outbreaks of pneumonia, immune sup-
viruses ensures they can get on and grow unimpeded by disease. Talk to your local veterinarian about good practices to get the maximum potential out of your young stock.
pression and greater susceptibility to parasites. Hiprabovis 3 is the only trivalent vaccine on the market catering for all three viral pathogens at once. Vaccinating young stock against these
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References: 1. Leathwick et al. (2009). Managing anthelmintic resistance: Modelling strategic use of a new anthelmintic class to slow the development of resistance to existing classes. NZVJ 57(4) 181–192. 2. George, S.D. et al. (2013). The synergistic effect of monepantel/abamectin combination anthelmintic. Proceedings ASV Conference. Zolvix Plus contains 25 g/L monepantel and 2 g/L abamectin. Registered pursuant to the ACVM Act 1997 (No. A011107). Registered to Elanco Animal Health, Division of Eli Lilly and Company (NZ) Limited, Level 1, 123 Ormiston Road, Botany Junction, Auckland 2016. Elanco, Zolvix™ and the diagonal bar are trademarks owned or licensed by Eli Lilly and Company, its subsidiaries or affiliates. ©2017 Elanco, a division of Eli Lilly and Company. EAH17027 NZSHPZOL00018b
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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
34 ANIMAL HEALTH
Tools for efficient milking, cow health PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz
DAIRYNZ has put together in-depth tools and animations on how to milk efficiently while ensuring cow health, said milk quality consultant Josh Wheeler, at a Mini Milksmart event in Helensville.
The tools are for helping farmers train staff members to milk efficiently and timely so that cows remain productive and healthy, Wheeler says. Wheeler and DairyNZ scientist Dr Paul Edwards are taking their Efficient Milking module nationwide in Febru-
ary and March. Theirs is one of three DairyNZ Mini Milksmart modules; the other two are Understanding your cows to reduce mastitis and What’s blocking your track -- people or cows? Wheeler and Edwards discussed a commonsense approach to improving milking times
while maintaining cow health, including operating procedures for rotary and herringbone platforms. The tools are now also available on the DairyNZ website. One example is stripping to look for mastitis. Wheeler says in most countries -- except for New Zealand, Australia
and parts of Uruguay and Argentina -- milkers wash teats before milking. Our farmers understand well – and given NZ milk quality it is understandable – that if the cows you are cupping are clean, the bacterial risk is very low, Wheeler says. “If dirt is dry we
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MilkSmart’s Josh Wheeler.
should be wiping it off, if it is wet we should be washing and wiping.” Farmers are always on the lookout for mastitis and in this country we can look at our routines and the frequency of stripping cows. Milkers in developing countries have to strip every cow before cupping. It can take a lot of stripping time to find one cow with mastitis. “A Kiwi farmer would look at that logically and think ‘I can get away with watching my cell count because I get a daily feedback, and maybe strip once a month in low risk times and once a week in high risk times’,” says Wheeler. “To keep the milking routine working we either have another person help us strip or, when we are attaching the cups we might decide to strip the back left quarter this morning and the back right tonight so we can do it all as one process. “We might get the two teats on Monday and Tuesday during spring – four teats, four milkings -- to get the coverage.” DairyNZ’s Milksmart material recommends milking procedures for herringbone and rotary that are efficient and also maintain cow health. “All milking tasks are to be completed calmly and consistently at every milking so that cows get used to the routine to help milking run smoothly,” DairyNZ says. Rotary ■■ Backing gate: move the gate little and often to take up the space in the yard to keep the cows flowing onto the
platform. Stay at cups-on: call the cows onto the platform. If a cow hesitates, step backwards from cupping position to encourage it on. Milkers should only enter the yard away from the entry when absolutely necessary. ■■ Udder preparation: if cows teats are clean and dry, go ahead and cup; dry but dirty, wipe first then cup; wet and dirty, wash then dry cup. ■■ The platform: Set the platform speed to suit your cupping speed Don’t back the platform up for cows, keep the platform moving Stop the platform if there is a risk of a cow or person getting hurt or when training cows to exit the platform Don’t allow cows to ‘free ride’; all cows should exit after the clusters are removed. ■■ In-bail feeders: check the feed is flowing correctly during milking. ■■ Milking behaviour: keep milking calm and relaxed – no yelling or hitting cows. ■■ Teat spraying: spray all cows teats after every milking. Spray to cover all surfaces of the teats. ■■ Hose down during milking: keep the bridge and platform clean during milking. ■■ Cow health: draft and record any cows that look lame and sick for checking after milking. ■■ The milking plant: listen and watch the plant during milking to make sure it is working properly. ■■
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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
MACHINERY & PRODUCTS 35 Power Farming powers up southern presence MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz
TRACTOR SALES in New Zealand in 2016 mirrored 2015, the slack in dairy areas having been compensated by greater fortunes in Auckland, Bay of Plenty and Hawkes Bay. Power Farming, the importer of Deutz Fahr, Kioti, Kverneland and McHale, was setting out its stall for the future last week with the opening of a new $7.5 million facility at Rolleston on SH1 just south of Christchurch. The 12,500 sq.m. building will serve as a distribution point, receiving products from local and overseas suppliers and shipping them to South Island dealers, while the adjoining building with a 1300 sq. m. workshop,
Power Farming managing director Geoff Maber and wife Linda cut the ribbon at the opening.
650 sq. m. canopy and 400 sq. m. showroom will be the new base for Power Farming Canterbury, which is the retail outlet for the area. The opening’s 550 customers and guests were welcomed by marketing director Brett Maber, who said the new facility will give existing customers easier access to sales, parts and service, and offer potential customers a one-stop shop for tractors or machines for their
operation. Cutting the ribbon with his wife Linda, managing director Geoff Maber suggested that there had never been a better time for agriculture in NZ. With the global population likely to hit 9 billion by 2027, much of that growth on the Asian sub-continent, NZ farmers were in an ideal position to capitalise on the areas’ demands for high value proteins.
Maber commented, “there is a need to increase output of milk, vegetables and fruit”. “The technological advances in modern tractors and machinery will allow Kiwi farmers to grow bigger and better crops, harvested in a timelier manner and delivered to customers with far higher levels of quality. “The investment in this facility will allow us to deliver those technologies to the local and greater South Island communities, and it will serve as a central point for distribution and training for our sales and parts and service teams; these form the heart of our business and the long-lasting relationships we have with our customers.”
SERIES 6 HITS NZ MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz
WHILE OPENING its new Rolleston facility Power Farming launch the latest product from German manufacturer Deutz-Fahr – the new Tier 4, Series 6 tractors. Three models designated 6165, 6185 and 6215 offer 165, 185 and 215hp respectively, with a 6 cylinder, 6.1L engine using SCR and passive DPF to meet Tier4 Final emission regulations. A key change over the previous series is the new RC (robotised change) transmission which offers five main speeds and six powershift steps to give 30 forward and 15 reverse speeds, or in the case of the creep option 54 forward and 27 reverse. The layout also offers 17 working speeds in the working range 3-19km/h, as well as 50km/h coming up at a fuel saving 1447 engine revs. RC transmissions have three operational modes, with manual input from the operator; semi-automatic, where powershift steps change subject to load; or full automa-
tion which sees powershifts and range changes achieved without driver input – said to be like driving a car with auto transmission. An alternative specification comes in the TTV version, with steplessly variable speed from 0.2-50km/h; it has a mix of mechanical and hydrostatic drive through four automated ranges, which give high mechanical efficiency at key points in those ranges. For the driver, the MaxiVision 2 cab provides many creature comforts. And a new front axle suspension system is controlled by double acting hydraulic cylinders, which improves traction and driver comfort; it has performance enhancing features such as anti-dive, anti-rise and system lock-out. www.powerfarming.co.nz
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Tow and Fert saves on fert costs ™
Given the current financial conditions for dairy farmers around the world, managing input costs without decreasing production is the only logical way to navigate through this tough time. Technology developed in Dannevirke is becoming noticed as breakthrough technology with research agencies in other pasture grazing markets around the world. Tow and Fert, designed and manufactured by Metalform, has the ability to either reduce fertiliser input costs without impacting pasture yields, or maintain fertiliser inputs and improving dry matter and protein production. As well as proven research from NZ and a dairy co-operative in NSW Australia, an independent dairy specialist in the UK is the latest company to prove the efficiency of Nitrogen when applied in a foliar form. The trials were performed when applying 33%, 66% and 100% of the typical rate of nitrogen which was 25kg/ha, 50kg/ha and 75kg/ha of foliar applied Urea compared to 75kg/ha of granular Urea. Even when the foliar urea was applied at 33% of typical application rate, the DM response was only 10% less DM per hectare. At an application rate of 50kg/ha which was 66% of the control rate, the increase of DM yield was exactly 50% higher. Based on this research, now consistent from 3 different research trials it can be concluded the possibilty of acheiving the same DM response with only 1/2 the amount of urea.
To put this into a reality from a profitability point of view, on a typical farm of 150 hectares milking 400 cows, a typical application of granular Urea at 80kg/ha 6 times a year would equate to approximately 72 tonne of Urea, $43,000. If it were to be dissolved and applied as a foliar spay, then the cost would be around $18,000, which is an annual saving of $25,000. From an environmental point of view, the N escaping into the environment, as ammonia, leached beyond the plant’s root zone or as the greenhouse gas, Nitrous oxide, would be largely reduced because the Urea should not enter the soil but is directly absorbed by the leaves.
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Metalform developed Tow and Fert, a fertiliser applicator, to quickly dissolve normal granular urea in cold water on the way to the paddock which means turning urea into a dissolved foliar spray is quick, convenient and most of all more cost effective and environmentally responsible. As grass is the cheapest form of feed, it is ever so important to ensure that we are growing the most nutrient rich pasture rather than spending on supplement feed and the Tow and Fert can be a key part of reducing input costs in the current economic climate without decreasing pasture yields.
Graph used from research paper, Kingshay, Somerset, UK 2016©
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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
36 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS Not a bad year after all TRACTOR DISTRIBUTORS and dealers will be relieved that despite predictions the dairy gloom would drive the market down, reports suggest it was status quo. Total tractor sales in 2016 were 3584, versus 3578 in 2015, though there appeared to be several winners and losers in a case of ‘two islands’. Northland, Auckland and Hawkes Bay showed rises of 20%, 21% and 19% respectively, while Bay of Plenty rose a massive 40%, suggesting that horticulture and kiwifruit are in excellent shape. In contrast, the South Island fared less well: Mid Canterbury, South Canterbury, Otago and Southland had dips of 22%, 17%, 22% and 21% respectively. The powerhouse of tractor sales, dairy-led Waikato, largely held its ground
with a single figure drop of 6%. Looking at market segments in detail, tractors up to 60hp accounted for 31% (1108), 60-120hp made up 34% (1224), and 120-180hp tractors saw 27% (956). Units 180-250hp clocked up 6% (206) and the balance was tractors over 250hp -- 90 units, 3% up. Sales in Australia are said to have been the best in 30 years: 2% higher (11,720 units). There was a drop of 4.3% in tractors below 40hp, 40-100hp units remained static, while 100-200hp and over 200hp, saw useful rises of 7.2% and 8.9% respectively. The sellers of combine harvesters were rubbing their hands at 869 machine sold, a rise of nearly 20%, and balers did well – 16% up to hit 942 sales.
Despite a tough year for dairying last year, figures show tractor sales remained static.
New Holland’s Roll Baler 125 and Roll Baler 125 Combi have been completely restyled.
Roll baler combi revamped MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz
THE NEW Holland Roll Baler 125 and Roll Baler 125 Combi have been completely restyled to offer excellent service access. It will now meet the
requirements of the most demanding contractors, livestock and mixed farmers, the company says. Designed to operate in a wide range of conditions and crop types, and deliver consistently high bale quality, the new models also offer more
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durability, reliability and ease of operation and share many advanced features with the Roll Baler 135 Ultra. The Roll Baler 125 models have a 2.3m wide pick-up, which was introduced on the BigBaler and Roll Belt balers, with five tine bars with double cam drive and the adjustable suspension system. An improved roller wind guard, also taken from the BigBaler range, promotes feeding in light or heavy windrows and is available with a choice of removable fixed or swivel wheels. An adjustable drawbar is designed to allow high and low hitch positions and is complemented by a double speed jack for fast hitching or removal. A new drop floor, operated from the tractor cab, offers 120mm clearance at the front and 60mm at the rear. This makes it easier and quicker to clear a blockage from the machine without any losses. In operation, the knives lower automatically when the drop floor is lowered and the choice of an optional rotor declutch system ensures fast unplugging even in extreme conditions. In the bale cham-
ber, a new roller design with 10 notches reduces crop losses in dry conditions and ensures positive bale rotation in all conditions. The operator can select the option of using 10 knives or the full 20, switching from the two settings without having to stop for sharpening. As a bale nears completion, the knives can be retracted for the final layer, leaving a smoother surface for wrapping. When not in use, the knives are automatically raised as the bale chamber is opened, ensuring self-cleaning of the knife bank. The film wrap on the Roll Baler 125 Combi works 20% faster than the previous model and uses the New Holland hydraulic feed to pre-stretch the film. This ensures a tight, reliable wrap every time and is suitable to deliver plastic or net from rolls up to 1400mm wide; it has stowage for three spare rolls. The single Roll Baler, has the maker’s Duckbill net wrapping system, which is 20% faster, easy net loading from the side with one active and two stock rolls, and over-theedge net wrapping.
RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
MACHINERY & PRODUCTS 37 XCEL 1250 Muck Spreader
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Spreading width of up to 24 metres 12 tonne capacity Ability to spread full load in 3-5 minutes Optional scales available High quality - Built to last
John Deere’s new 36,000m2 plant Horicon plant in Wisconsin will increase production of the Gator range.
Contact Jarred L’Amie: 027 203 5022 | jarred.lamie@gaz.co.nz
JD gets serious about UTV market MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz
FOR EVIDENCE that UTV style vehicles are taking over from quads, look no further than the John Deere Horicon plant in Wisconsin, U.S. A new 36,000m2 plant commissioned there will increase production of the Gator range, resulting in
80 new jobs. Units will be made to individual customers’ specifications, wherever they are in the world. Dating back to 1911, the JD Horicon works was bought from Van Blunt Manufacturing, which made horse-drawn farm machinery and for over a century has built agricultural and recreational products including
bicycles and snowmobiles. The latter gave rise to the now common tagline ‘nothing runs like a Deere’, first used on a snowmobile in the early 1970s. Production began in the new plant in December 2016, bringing production and shipping of the Gator under one roof, which JD says should improve efficiencies and quality. www.johndeere.com.au
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CASE WINS 2017 TOTY CASE IH took top honours with its Optum 300 CVT at the EIMA 2016 exhibition in Bologna, Italy, winning the title Tractor of the Year 2017 (TOTY). The TOTY 2017 awards are judged by trade journalists from Europe’s top farm publications. The Optum 300 won
Case IH brand president Andreas Klauser accepts the TOTY 2017 award.
on various points, not least reducing soil com-
paction and improving fuel efficiency.
Contact Jarred L’Amie: 027 203 5022 | jarred.lamie@gaz.co.nz Built at CNH Industrial’s plant in St Valentin, Austria, it has a new, strong yet lighter design and a robust front axle. It has a structural engine design that meets customer requirements for a 250-300hp tractor with a high power-to-weight ratio and compactness with manoeuvrability. www.caseih.co.nz
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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
38 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS / RURAL TRADER
Folding-trailed cultivator drill range extended stubbles, and the high clearance is said to prevent blockage from straw or crop residues, even at high operating speeds. The disc section of the machine has two discs mounted on each support arm, which is suspended via a sprung rubber block to maintain a uniform working depth and maintenance-free operation. It also acts as an overload device in stony conditions. Working depth is easily adjusted from the cab on the move, and maintenance is taken care of with the use of twin-row angular contact ball bearing races. These are sealed for life and eliminate the need for grease nipples. The Cirrus 4003-2 has an open, single 3600L hopper, and the 40032C can be equipped with a sealed twin bin 4000L
MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz
AMAZONE HAS extended its series of Cirrus offset disc/drill combinations with the release of the 4003-2 folding unit and 4003-2C models. These machines offer a 4m working width, larger hopper capacity and narrow transport width. Said to offer one-pass cultivation and drilling at operating speeds up to 18km/h and a modest drawbar requirement of 170-200hp, either machine can be moved quickly between paddocks and properties. Both units have the same technology found on the current Cirrus 03 series, with two rows of compact discs, Amazone RoTeC PRO coulters and a roller. Aggressive angling of the discs helps distribute and incorporate
pressurised hopper with a 60:40 split. This allows for the accurate application of seed and/ or fertiliser via the RoTeC PRO coulters. Both models can be fitted with a foldable loading board or a hydraulic filling auger for quicker and easier filling. An optional pneumatic GreenDrill catch crop seeder box enables a second seed, fertiliser or crop protection product to be applied simultaneously. Fitted with 880mm 400/75 R17.5 Matrix tyres, the implements have a legal road speed of 40km/h, even with a full hopper. In work, the Matrix tyres are said to reduce drag, but more importantly have a unique profile that consolidates the soil for optimal germination, emergence and crop establishment. Both models have
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full ISOBUS control, allowing operation via any ISOBUS-compatible terminal, such as the Amatron 3, CCI or Amapad. All major functions are controlled via the Amatron 3 in-cab terminal, which can be optioned with the maker’s GPS-Switch section control, GPSTrack guidance and
Amazone’s new machines offer a 4m working width, larger hopper capacity and narrow transport width.
GPS-Maps variable rate technology. A further option
MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz
POWERED CULTIVATOR specialist Maschio, of Italy, has upgraded its power harrows, which sees maximum tractor limits raised to 550hp. The Orso, Toro and Jumbo ranges can now handle up to 300, 400 and 550hp, respectively and, because of extensive testing in key markets, several upgrades have
Maschio has upgraded its power harrows, which has raised maximum tractor limits to 550hp.
taken place. Oil capacities in the main gearboxes has been doubled to increase cooling capacity, and internal componentry has been upgraded for durability,
ALL PRICES INCLUDE G.S.T.
e.g. bevel gears, which now see driveshafts of 85mm fitted. Other features designed to cope with increased power include a forced, oil re-circulat-
ing system, and premium quality fully synthetic oils. To help dissipate extra heat, larger 300mm cooling fans act on oil coolers with increased surface areas. At the business end, a welded blade support works alongside 16mm thick tungsten coated blades to allow working depths up to 28cm. www.powerfarming.co.nz
A ‘ROLLS’ BY ANY OTHER NAME HARVESTING SPECIALIST Claas could lay claim to being the Rolls Royce of self-propelled forage and combine harvesters, given that it uses MTU engines from Rolls Royce Power Systems. It recently signed to use the latest Euro Stage 5 versions when regulations come into force in 2019. These engines will power the Lexion and
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Toucano combines, Jaguar harvesters and Xerion tractors. The deal is for the supply and use of 4000-5000 series 1000 and series 1500 units per year, based on technology from the Daimler Benz OM93 and OM 94 series engines widely used in commercial vehicles. Power outputs between 135hp and 643hp are covered by the series, and
the series 1600 versions can deliver up to 985hp. Key changes between Euro stage 4 and stage 5 centre on the reduction of particulate mass in the exhaust gases, and a cut in the overall number of particles. MTU engines achieve this by using an extra diesel particulate filter. – Mark Daniel www.claasharvestcentre.co.nz
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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
RURAL TRADER 39
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Northland Field Days TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS FEBRUARY 21, 2017: ISSUE 624
DARGAVILLE MARCH 2-4, 2017
www.ruralnews.co.nz
Bringing the country to the town FROM CUTTING horses to Clydesdale rides, the Northland Field Days have been bringing the country to town for 32 years. While the show might
be getting bigger, the country fair atmosphere hasn’t changed since it began in 1985. Organisers say as the largest annual agricultural event in Northland, the event
is renowned for energy, vibrant demonstrations and exhibitions. This year, the field days will run from March 2-4 at the event site situated at the corner of
Awakino Point East Road and State Highway 14, Dargaville. First run by the Dargaville Jaycees, the event gained immediate support from the local farm
community, some 80 exhibitors joining the inaugural show. It was run entirely by volunteers and was a “roaring success”, offering a chance for local agricultural enterprises and the wider community to connect in a fun, safe, welcoming environment. 2017 marks the 32nd event, and while the show itself has retained the same energy and community spirit, many improvements have pleased exhibitors and visitors, boosting visitor numbers year on year.
The event eventually outgrew the original showgrounds, and with the shift in location came the ability to attract larger crowds. The Northland Field Days is now an incorporated society, registered with NZ Charities Commission and donating cash for scholarships and research in a variety of sectors. It enlists community groups to help with the set-up, running of the event and cleanup. These groups then get donations from the organising committee for
their efforts. Despite the growth and extra complexities of managing such a large attraction, the field days are still a volunteer-led event. Many of the original events still take centre stage too: Kiwi attractions such as chainsaw carving, tractor pull competitions, sheep shearing shows and sheep dog trials. The field days family pass costs $30; and attractions for children includes a mobile farm, sheep racing, Clydesdale rides, and food stalls.
BIGGER AND BETTER BIGGER AND better than ever, say the organisers of this year’s Northland Field Days. They promise a line-up of great demonstrations, top quality exhibitors and wallet-pleasing field day-only specials. “There’s something for every member of the family, and the crowd will be large and diverse.” Ravensdown, the fertiliser co-op, long a supporter and sponsor, sees the event as an opportunity to stay in touch with the local farming community and the Northland public in general.
Some 500 business will exhibit their wares and 20,000-30,000 people are expected to visit the Northland Field Days this year.
Hansen, another household name in New Zealand, is also an active sponsor. It has been at Northland every year and says its efforts are well rewarded with sales leads and unmatched business exposure. Hansen’s valve and pipe fittings are used in homes and business and on farms. Tru-Test, a global innovator in farm electronics, has long been a sponsor of the Northland Field Days. Its business is improving farm productivity and profitability.
MAKE EVERY MINUTE COUNT With more than 50 years experience, how much time will we be able to save you? Check out our Field Days Specials and we will help you Make Every Minute Count. Terms and conditions apply.
See us at Northland Field Days Site 142
TEL EMAIL
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WEB
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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
2 NORTHLAND FIELD DAYS
Updated side-by-side riding the field days circuit operators can now choose manual gearshift or fully automated mode via a dashboard mounted toggle switch. When the latter is chosen, the Pioneer behaves like a modern automobile and shifts each of the five forward speeds without driver intervention. But the driver can at any time use steering columnmounted paddle shifters to change speeds manually, particularly useful in changing or difficult ter-
rain. For 2017, the machines will also have dual-rate suspension springs to give a more comfortable ride and offer greater resistance to bottoming out in difficult terrain. Safety improvements include a new interlock system which limits maximum sped to 24km/h if the seatbelt is not engaged by the driver, and driver and passenger torso bars to help protect in the event of side lat-
eral impacts. Retaining the same dimensions as its predecessor, the 2017 Pioneer is 260cm long and offers a 185cm wheelbase, uses the same single-function door system which opens the door and the safety nets in one movement, and can tow 453kg. The fuel injected 475cc fuel-injected engine offers an excellent balance between performance and fuel economy, and the vehicle carries Honda’s
extensive twoyear warranty. www.honda. co.nz
FAMILY FUN ATTENDING THE Northland Field Days won’t bust your family budget, the organisers say. Because it is organised, managed and staffed by volunteers, the community event has kept costs “realistic” to encourage more families to attend. Beginning life as a simple agricultural expo, the Northland Field Days are now celebrating their 32nd year, and while it has grown in size and scope, its focus remains on the local community. Recognised as Northland’s largest annual agricultural event, the event champions all things farming and agricultural -- from sawmill demonstrations through to the latest innovations in fencing and agriculture. The event also caters for lifestyle and market exhibitors under the lifestyle pavilion marquees and a specific area for market-type products. It says the 2017 event promises an
even stronger family focus than usual, with the 2-adult, 3-child family day pass for $30 and children under 5 free. “We have deliberately set ticket prices at a more affordable price this year, to make the field days more accessible to all; adult day pass tickets cost $12 and single child tickets cost $5 each. Entertainment for kids includes bouncy castles and fairground rides, and the Dargaville Fire Brigade will run a free children’s mini-combat challenge. “It’s not often families are able to enjoy such an affordable local day out: many of the attractions for children are free, and there will be delicious food and drink options onsite with plenty of seating areas to sit, relax and soak in the atmosphere. “As a community-focused and volunteer-led project, the field days are an affordable, entertaining, informative and uniquely Kiwi family day out.”
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HONDA WILL use this year’s regional field days circuit to show off the 2017 version of its compact side-by-side Pioneer 500. Known for being nimble, with a 127cm overall width and able to carry two people and load easily, it has several enhancements to the transmission, suspension and rider safety that should make the package even more attractive. To drive the machine,
RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
NORTHLAND FIELD DAYS 3
Making planting a sure thing MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz
AG LEADER provides GPS guidance solutions including autosteering, variable rate application and sprayer section control. New for the 2017 season is the SureDrive electric drive system for row crop planters, which follows the company’s ‘colour blind’ ethos, meaning it can be fitted to any brand or format of planter in the marketplace. The company suggests that individual electric drives offer several tangible benefits such as row shut-off, the ability to adjust seed placement over individual rows while taking a curve, and increased accuracy during variable rate seeding from prescription maps. The SureDrive is also designed to fully integrate with the Hydraulic Down Force system sold by the
company, which, as the name suggests, accurately controls planting depth on the move, resulting in more consistent plant emergence. The company claims the combination of both systems has distinct advantages in smaller, irregular shaped paddocks such as those found in New Zealand. The elimination of mechanical drives helps improve singulation in curves, while the Down Force system controls depths in compacted or pugged areas including gateways. The company also says the product allows growers to choose the best planter hardware for their individual circumstances; add the accuracy in seed rate and planting to achieve better yields, and at the end of the planter’s life remove the hardware and fit it to the next machine.
The SureDrive electric drive system for row crop planters can be fitted to any brand or format of planer in the marketplace.
Dairy Cooling Solutions A Division of Eurotec Limited
WHY A DCS MILK COOLING SYSTEM IS THE BEST INVESTMENT IN YOUR FARM European design and quality - Over 50 years experience in developing milk cooling tanks and one of Europe’s leading Dairy Cooling Systems producers for the needs of farmers around the world – from Mexico to Japan, from Russia to South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Horizontal Milk Cooling Tanks with Iced Water Cooling – 50% more effective in cooling the milk compared to standard direct expansion systems without any risk of freezing the milk due to the water temperature of +0.5 > 1.0degC. Highly suitable for AMS (Robotic Farming Systems) with low milk flows – no
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Newcomers bring buzz MANY OF the exhibitors at this year’s Northland Field Days will be first timers. The organisers report being overwhelmed by the level of interest, especially that many of the exhibitors are ‘first-timers’, bringing a welcome buzz of adrenaline to the popular annual event. Hundreds of regular and over 40 new exhibitors are confirmed for the three-day event. The organisers are anticipating larger-than-average crowds and are working 24/7 to ensure everything runs smoothly. New exhibitors include big Northland companies -- PlaceMakers Whangarei/Mangawhai, Carpet Mill Northland, Wurth and Waste Management NZ Limited. DairyNZ, OSPRI and MPI will also be there this year. Adding to the agricultural and commercial arena are Fencequip Post Drivers, Vegepod, Chillerman, Puncturesafe NZ, StockX Ltd, Mobile Health, Pacific Helmets, Agriline, First Equine, Game Gear NZ Ltd, Turbosawmill, Tow and Farm and Pacific Safety & Apparel Solutions Ltd. New exhibitors include GirlGuiding NZ, Supa Scoota, the Rocking Horse Place, eBike Centre and Me and Dad Kid’s Books. Promising a lot of flavour are Prochef, Kraka Fudge & Chocolates, Crackadamia and Roar Honey NZ Ltd.
risk of freezing the milk.
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PIB 25-160
For 30yrs Eurotec has been supplying the NZ Refrigeration Industry with leading Global Brands. The only NZ supplier of this technology providing nationwide coverage and After Sales Support with branches in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch with over 30 Approved Refrigeration Installers throughout the country from Invercargill to Whangarei. Check out the DCS website www.dairycoolingsolutions.nz, talk to your refrigeration contractor, and come and see DCS/Packo milk cooling technologies operating at the Northland Field Days in Dargaville.
PIB 230 - 370
Northland Field Days Site: 206B
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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
4 NORTHLAND FIELD DAYS
Small but packs a powerful punch markd@ruralnews.co.nz
The McCormick X4 will appeal to farmers looking for lightness and compactness ahead of power.
THE NEW McCormick X4 is said to be the smallest agricultural tractor in the maker’s range. Argo Tractors says it will appeal to farmers looking for lightness and compactness ahead of power. Using Deutz Tier 4 engines with 4 cylinders and 2900cc capacity, the X4.20, X4.30 and X4.40 deliver 64, 69 and 74hp respectively. The ‘odd tractor out’ is the X4.35, which uses a 4400cc, 4 cylinder Perkins engine to pump out 75hp to Tier 3 standard, and is said to be price competitive. Features and specifications include 2WD or 4WD, flat platform ROPS or modern cab versions, and a choice of transmissions with 12x12 or 16x16 speeds with creep and a final choice of dry clutch, synchro shuttle or the wet clutch, power shuttle version. Hydraulics are provided by an open-centre gear pump set-up deliv-
ering 49L/min, and a separate 28L/ min unit for the power steering, braking and gearbox lubrication. Lift capacity is 2700kg as standard, although this can be boosted to 3400kg with option-assister rams installed. On the cab versions, designers appear to have managed to fit a fullsize cab on this compact unit, to give space, comfort and excellent visibility. Forward vision is enhanced by a
MARK DANIEL
slim header rail and a deep screen, while the four-post design and the absence of ‘B’ pillars allows easy access through full width doors. Controls are grouped logically in the right-hand console, and angled towards the operator for easy access. Clever installation has the air conditioning filters built into the rear cab pillars, reducing overall height to 2.4m on 30 inch tyre equipment. www.agtek.co.nz
FARM MACHINERY STRENGTH / QUALITY / PERFORMANCE NORTHLAND FIELD DAYS SEE US AT SITE
61 Bale Feeders
Forage Wagons
Manure Spreaders
Tip Trailers
www.mcintosh.net.nz FREEPHONE: 0800 622 276
Keeping water in place HANSEN SUPERFLO trough valves are designed to automatically fill and maintain water levels in animal troughs. A key design feature is the Slipper Fit Piston (patent pending), engineered to prevent the valve from sticking open or closed and, in doing so, avoid flooding or lack of supply to animals. This is achieved without the need to grease ‘o’ rings, and it will cope with dirty water. Offered for top or side entry installation, made easy with a range of inlet adapters, the Superflo valve has a 25mm female thread on the valve outlet which can extend the delivery range to, say, portable
troughs when required at certain times of the year. The valve is made from non-corrosive, long life UV stable materials and can tolerate low or high pressure feeds from 0.2 to 12 bar (2.9 to 174 psi) pressure, and deliver high volumes of water
with its unobstructed design. Pressure of 29 psi will typically deliver water at 188L/min. All valves are factory tested, suitable for drinking water and carry a lifetime warranty. www.hansenproducts. co.nz
at
RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
Se e SIT us E0 7
2
NORTHLAND FIELD DAYS 5 SPECIAL PRICE
Gallagher promises fencing innovations FARMERS SEEKING innovative and well-designed fencing solutions will be satisfied with the offerings on the Gallagher site at the Northland Field Days, says national sales manager Darrell Jones. The provincial field days play a key part in rolling out innovations from the New Zealand-owned, family business, he says. “The products we are showing at the regional field days start an exciting and significant line-up of new releases this year,” Jones says. In recent years, Gallagher’s focus has been on “problem solved” solutions for farmers, with a high level of farmer input into product design. The new products on show at Northland will continue Gallagher’s “legacy of innovative fencing solutions”. This includes the next generation of Gallagher’s robust portable solar energisers, with the new S100 and S40 portable units “sure to generate strong interest”. Available from April, the S100 marks a higher powered, practical step up in energiser capacity that incorporates the “clever” design specs found in its recently released cousin, the S40. Both energisers have taken their design cues from the S10 and S20 models for smaller blocks and farms.
With 1.0 stored joules of energy and powering up to 10km of fencing, the S100 has mains recharge capability to ensure it can be up and running straight out of the box. Once fully charged, it can operate off its rechargeable battery for 21 days without sunlight. “The smaller units are very popular, and we are confident the S40 and S100 are going to generate a lot of interest, Jones says. Meanwhile Gallagher’s new insulated line posts and insulated end strainer will deliver power seamlessly. The permanent insulated line posts are easily erected without posthole borers or equipment. They come in four heights with multiple wire configurations, to suit sheep, cattle, equine and deer fencing. “You can simply bang the posts into the ground with a lightweight hand-held post rammer,” Jones says. “At minimal labour cost you are putting up a strong, well-insulated post easy to transport and it can take the knocks livestock will throw at it.” Gallagher will also exhibit a simple but smart solution to permanent insulated strainers. The new insulated end strainer has an insulated body encasing a noncorrosive aluminium cog. “It’s a simple yet brilliant design that lends itself well even
to corrosive coastal locations that don’t require an insulated strainer but need something robust to withstand the environment.” Good deals on weighing and electronic ID systems will be on offer for autumn drafting and
$ 13,750+GST RANCHER DELUXE ON TERMINATOR BASE INCLUDES
winter weight monitoring. “And we will have on site last year’s big innovation -- the Flatmate electronic heat detector,” Jones says. “For farmers looking at plans for winter mating, this will be of great interest.”
• Terminator Base 900mm Side Shift • Top Link Ram & Angle Adjustment • 4m 180UB Mast • 4 Bank Valve • 227kg Hammer • Adjustable Legs
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Gallagher’s new portable solar energisers will be on display at Northland.
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$ 23,850+GST Terminator Beam TT Terminator Base INCLUDES • Terminator Base 900mm Side Shift • 4.25m (150UC) Beam • 270kg Hammer • 6 Bank Valve • Hydraulic Hinge • 250mm Mast Shift
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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
6 NORTHLAND FIELD DAYS
A drill for all seasons MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz
DIRECT DRILLING is the favoured approach of many farmers and contractors looking to reduce establishment costs, so the new Avatar SD from Horsch should give these folks something to look at during the upcoming regional field days. Said to be suitable for establishing crops in the
toughest conditions, the Avatar 6.16SD has a working width of 6m, 36 rows at a 16.7cm spacing and weighs about 9300kg. The high tare weight allows the machine to impose up to 250kg of coulter pressure, to ensure penetration in all conditions. Its simple design embodies a 480mm diameter single disc opener, followed by a press and gauge wheel
SERIOUS ABOUT FENCING!
set-up. This design helps reduce the number of moving and wearing parts compared to similar machines. It also has a heavyduty rubber suspension system, whose basic concept has been proven in the company’s Pronto drill range; it should give excellent performance with minimal repair and maintenance costs. “The significance
See us at Site 254
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Ph 0800 266 258 www.strainrite.co.nz
The Horsch Avator is suitable for establishing crops in the toughest conditions.
of the reduction in the number of moving and wearing parts shouldn’t be underestimated,” says Jamie Hanna, of CB
Norwood Distributors’ Groundforce division. “Competitive machines are still seen to suffer from excessive wear rates due to their over-complicated designs, which can require extensive seasonal repair and rebuild with associated parts and labour costs to bring machines back into a usable condition.” Standard equipment has the machine set up for seed, fertiliser and small seeds/insecticides,
with a 5000L hopper split 60:40, and a separate small seeds/insecticide hopper with a 200L capacity. The main hopper can be easily configured for single or dual product operation. Metering is by Horsch’s proven unit which uses interchangeable rollers for seed or fertiliser. It can deliver at rates down to 0.5kg/ha, while being controlled by the Horsch Drill Manager, which can be configured
for ISOBUS or standalone operation. The manufacturer suggests power requirements are reduced by the combination of the SingleDisc openers, carried in two banks on the coulter frames, which themselves are strengthened to ensure there is no sideways movement. This ultimately results in an accurate sowing depth irrespective of the ground conditions or terrain.
TOYOTA AND FARMLANDS TEAM UP THE COUNTRY’S largest car supplier Toyota, and rural supply co-op Farmlands, have a new joint deal for farmer shareholders, with economy and safety in view. It offers Farmlands shareholders a better deal through the existing Toyota dealer distribution chain, to offer farmers a choice of vehicles from the passen-
ger, recreational and commercial sectors -- all with the highest safety ratings in the industry. Maximum productivity and safety are the aim. And Toyota now become the preferred supplier of vehicles to Farmlands. Expect to see branded Hi-Lux’s on rural roads very soon.
Hard working engineering We engineer equipment for grassroots farming. It’s solid machinery, to help convert your blood, sweat and tears into a thriving business.
www.bucktonag.co.nz
See us at Northland Field Days Site 95
P 07 533 1259 E sales@bucktonag.co.nz
RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
NORTHLAND FIELD DAYS 7 Dargaville ←
State Highway 14
Vintage Machinery Corner
Emergency/ Evacuation Gate
Tractor Pull HQ
Logger Sports
Central Prime Site 14x18m
Tractor Pull
Star t/Finish
7
9
11
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75a
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POWER FARMING NORTHLAND PLACE 77
Fo od Court 2
79
Rural P avi li on 2
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130 132 134 136 138 140 142 144 146
ENVIRONMENTAL FERTILISERS TRACK
117 119 121 123 125 127 129 131 133 135 137 139 141 143 145 166
168 170 172 174 176 178 180 182 184 186 188 190 192 194
171 173 175 177 179 181 183 185 187 218 220 222 224 226 228 230
230c 187c
CRAIGS INVESTMENT PARTNERS PLACE
F A R M L A N D S
R O A D
229 231 233 235
FIBER FRESH WAY 259 261 263 265 267 269 271 273 296 298 300 302 304 306 308
297 299 301 303 305 307 MARKET AREA
96
98 100 102 104 106 108 110 112
53
55
Lifes tyle Pavilion 1
Market Site
1 57
Parking
Quad Skills
AGRIDUSTRIAL RISE
95
97
99 101 103 105 107 109 111
148 150 152 154 156 158 160 162 164 BERTOLINI BOULEVARD 147 149 151 153 155 157 159 161
Rural Fo od P avi li on Court 1 1
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163 a 210 a
FORD GO FURTHER
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Road Naming Rig hts Available Here
Exhibitors Carpark
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232 234 HQ
258 260 262 264 266 268 270 272 274
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Pedestrian Entrance Carpark Entrance
Carpark Exit
Ticket Booths Toilets
First Aid
Food
Attractions
Services 1m
Danger No Entry Loading Ramp
Road 15m wide
FONTERRA ROAD
Lifes tyle Pavilion 2 Lifes tyle Pavilion 3
Disabled Parking
Road 10m w ide
237 239 241 243 245 247 249 251 253 276 278 280 282 284 286 288 HONDA HIGHWAY 275 277 279 281 283 285 287
310 312 314 316 318 320 322 324 Road Nam ing Rights Available Her e 309 311 313 315 317 319 321 323 325 340 342 344 346 348 350 352 354 356 Road Nam ing Rights Available Her e Beer
339 Food 311 Hall 313Garden 347 349 351 353 355 364 342 344
372 374 376 378 380
Bush Road Nam ing Rights Available Here
Public Carpark
256
43
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FIRST NATIONAL REAL ESTATE ROAD
Public Carpark
Heavy Vehicles & Buses
45
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41
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FONTERRA ROAD 217 219 221 223 225
Site 14x18m
Road Nam ing Rights Available Her e
Road Nam ing Rights Available Her e
5
128 a
3
Prime Site 14x18m
Star t/Finish
CERVUS EQUIPMENT LANE
Whangarei →
DAVE PHILLIPS MEMORIAL DRIVE
Isuzu D-Max Sheep Dog Trials
THE RIGHT TOOLS FOR THE JOB FREE MAKITA POWERTOOLS WITH EVERY TROJAN AND MUDBUG
ED IMEPACT R F ILL AN
DR DRIVER SET WORTH
549 $6
WITH SUZUKI DR200SE TROJAN
FREE
32CC CHAINSAW WORTH
$329 WITH SUZUKI TF125 MUDBUG
Demonstration Area
WHAT’S ON AND WHEN THURSDAY, 2nd MARCH Live Chainsaw Carving Youth into Industries Northland Field Days Careers Day Clydesdale Rides Big Fun Events Vintage Machinery Laser Clay Shooting Challenge Northland Toyota 4WD Rides Tractor Pull Ballance Agri-Nutrients Sheep Dog Trials Clydesdale Ploughing Demonstration Northland Field Days & Tru Test Group Live Auction FRIDAY, 3rd MARCH Live Chainsaw Carving Youth into Industries Northland Field Days Careers Day Clydesdale Rides Northland Toyota 4WD Rides Tractor Pull Ballance Agri-Nutrients Sheep Dog Trials FMX Motorcross Team – 15 minute demos throughout the day (weather permitting) Lawn Mower Racing
Clydesdale Ploughing Demonstration Sheep Racing Sheep Shearing Show Northland Field Days & Tru Test Group Live Auction Clydesdale Ploughing Demonstration Sheep Racing SATURDAY, 4TH MARCH Live Chainsaw Carving Clydesdale Rides Vintage Machinery Log Loading Demo Logger Sports Laser Clay Shooting Challenge Northland Toyota 4WD Rides Logger Sports Quad Skills Tractor Pull Ballance Agri-Nutrients Sheep Dog Trials FMX Motorcross Team – 15 minute demos Lawn Mower Racing Clydesdale Ploughing Demonstration Sheep Racing Sheep Shearing Show Northland Field Days & Tru Test Group Live Auction
WWW.SUZUKI.CO.NZ
KQ500 FREE POWERSTEER!
BUY AN LT-A500XL7 AND WE’LL GIVE YOU THE CHOICE OF TAKING AN LT-A500XPL7 AT THE SAME PRICE INSTEAD!
SAVE $
$13,039+GST
2,000 INCL GST
Offer not available with any other promotion and must end 31 March 2017 or while stocks last. Makita EA3200S Chainsaw and DLX2180X Drill and Impact Driver Set are covered by their own manufacturer’s warranty. See your dealer for details or go to www.suzuki.co.nz
HURRY! ONLY 50 AVAILABLE NATIONWIDE
Offer not available with any other promotion and must end 31 March 2017 or while stocks last. Promotion must end 31 March 2017 or while stocks last. See your dealer for details or go to www.suzuki.co.nz
SZM0282/83
When there’s work to be done you need rugged, reliable machines that won’t let you down no matter what. They’re tried and true, no-nonsense work bikes – designed for NZ conditions and built to last. And right now if you buy a new DR200SE or TF125 we’ll throw in some free Makita tools – just what you need to get the job done.
RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 21, 2017
8 NORTHLAND FIELD DAYS
Wheel loader’s bold new design BOLD NEW design is the hallmark of Kubota’s recently launched R065Series wheel loader, with more features and more power, helping the company’s growth in the construction and agricultural equipment market. The R065 is Kubota’s first entry into the 60-80hp range; it uses a 64.4hp engine and has a maximum bucket breakout force of 4,263.6 kgf (41.8 kN). It is available with a ROPS / FOPS certified canopy or new factory cab, the latter offering air conditioning, a wider entrance for maximum operator space,
full suspension seat and improved visibility. The cab has lower noise levels, and is lower to allow the RO65 to access tighter spaces. The machine has an E-HST (electronic) transmission offering four modes: normal mode is compatible with everyday load and carry operations, whereas attachment mode allows the operator to independently control travel speed from flow to the attachments. With operating costs always on users’ minds, eco-mode conserves fuel up to 15% over other modes, while power
mode exchanges travel speed for an increase of about 40% in traction power to excavate or attack a hard-packed pile with ease. The new R065Series expands attachment selection with a new hydraulic skid steer style quick coupler and a hydraulic Euro-style coupler. The hybrid link system combines the best features of the parallel link system and a Z-bar link system, by enhancing pallet fork operation giving high breakout forces for tough applications. www.kubota.co.nz
FENDT PASSES 250K MARK PREMIUM TRACTOR builder Fendt said recently it had made its 250,000th Vario transmission, since launching it at the 1995 Agritechnica Exhibition, two years before the company was taken over by industry giant AGCO. At that time, Fendt laid claim
to building the world’s first highpower tractor with a stepless transmission – the 926 Favorit. Nowadays, all tractors built at the home of Fendt in Marktoberdorf, Germany, are fitted with the Vario transmission, made in a dedicated plant by 880 staff at the rate
of 100 units per day. Commenting on the milestone, Peter-Josef Patten of Fendt said, “in 1995 we opted for technology as a key solution in modern agriculture, and today the Vario transmission is a solution for all our tractors from 50-500hp”.
DAYTECH
WOOD SPLITTERS Built strong with a double-skinned main beam, 50mm back plate and dished wedge.
❱❱ 2 stage hydraulic pump coupled to a 9.5hp Kola motor ❱❱ Motor will do the best part of a day’s work on a full tank of petrol ❱❱ Wedge has a hardened sharpened leading edge ❱❱ Filtered hydraulics system fully fitted ❱❱ Sprung axle 13” wheels make road-towing comfortable
Ph 06-370 1329 • Stuart 0274-387 528 124 Lincoln Road, Masterton E: daytech@wise.net.nz W: www.daytech.co.nz LEADERS ON FARM MACHINERY DESIGN
See us at Northland Field Days Site 158
AgriFert’s easy to use fully galvanised trailer, complete with oscillating axles and floatation tyres for smooth travel has a low centre of gravity making it safe to operate. The continuous agitation and no-fuss 9 -10m spray pattern is ideal for mixing and keeping products in suspension and spraying at low application rates. Quality Assurance
5139
3 models to choose from: Single Axle ST650L or Tandem Axle ST1150L and ST1600L