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Biocontrol options explored for nassella tussock. PAGE 23

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NEWS Mission completed – David Carter bows out of politics. PAGE 9

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TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS FEBRUARY 25, 2020: ISSUE 695

www.ruralnews.co.nz

NZ to bend on GIs PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

THE EUROPEAN Union wants New Zealand to bring in a much stricter set of rules for Geographical Indicators (GIs) on food, says an intellectual property (IP) expert. We already have some strict regulations applying to wines and spirits – the EU also wants food under a tougher regime.

It wants us, as part of free trade negotiations, to change our IP laws to be more in line with their position, says Jonas Holland, a senior intellectual property adviser with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade (Mfat). “The Europeans are asking for quite a lot more prescription.” Realistically New Zealand is likely to concede and bring some form of GI restrictions on food, he says. But what form that takes is up for discussion and

negotiation. Geographical indications (GIs) are usually names that identify that a product comes from a particular area. They indicate that a product has a given quality, reputation or other characteristic that is strongly associated to that area. The EU has put forward 2200 names of GIs registered in Europe that they want us to register or protect here. These include names like

Learning from the best A pair of visiting British fencing contractors will take home happy memories, despite being outclassed in the fencing competition at the 2020 Southern Field Days at Waimumu. Peter Redgwell and James Corbett had been on a threeweek tour through New Zealand, visiting fencing contractors, suppliers and factories. The tour was organised by Debbie White, of Revolution Postdrivers, who was also the organiser of the fencing event on behalf of New Zealand Fencing Competitions. “She suggested having a crack and we thought: ‘We’re over here, why not?’” said Regdwell. In a field of ten teams, all the rest being from the south of the South Island, the Britons were among the last to finish their tasks. The pair conceded that they struggled through “all the proper little finishing touches.” At home, their work mostly involves post and rail, and horse and deer netting. But they say they’ll be taking home some new techniques and pointers. Redgwell says that at home, they looked to New Zealand as the forefront of fencing. • See more coverage of the Southern Field Days in this issue

champagne, feta cheese and Prosecco. Broad discussion has already been held on these. But what is now up for discussion is the text of rules the EU has proposed. Holland says we have legislation in relation to wines and spirits including trademarks and the Fair Trade Action. “If someone was making wine in the Levin and put Central Otago on it and sold it you don’t need a GI regime TO PAGE 5

HB TB FLARE-UP MORE THAN 43,000 animals have been tested to date as Ospri deals with a bovine tuberculosis (TB) outbreak in the Hawke’s Bay. As at February 18, seven beef herd and one dairy herd were infected: one herd was cleared and 14 herds were under investigation. TB has been detected in 29 animals. DNA strain-typing indicates the source of infection is from wildlife. Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor was told by Ospri that the outbreak resulted from the failure of a buffer zone on the edges of the existing movement control area. “I’ve asked them to look at all the buffer zones in place right across New Zealand to ensure this won’t happen again,” O’Connor says. Ospri chief executive Stephen Stuart says identification of disease is the TBfree programme in action. “We will manage this cluster of infection and return Hawke’s Bay to TB-free status. This week, Ospri is holding farmer meetings to update where things are at: farmers will also learn about possum control, movement control areas and getting help with NAIT. O’Connor says the latest outbreak is disappointing. “Flare ups have occurred from time to time and should not undermine the long term target of eradication across all New Zealand.” @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

NEWS 3 ISSUE 695

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Southern treasure or trash? NIGEL MALTHUS

NEWS ��1-12 HOUND, EDNA �� 14 CONTACTS �� 14 HOUND, EDNA �� 22 OPINION �� 14-17 AGRIBUSINESS �� 20-21 MANAGEMENT ��22-24 ANIMAL HEALTH �� 25-26 MACHINERY AND PRODUCTS ��27-30 RURAL TRADER �� 30-31

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

A MAN who bought an opencast Southland lignite mine 18 years ago no longer sells the coal for fuel, but sings its praises as stock food, fertiliser and soil conditioner. Malcolm Sinclair’s Southern Humates company quarries and powders lignite into products known as humates – including a stock feed and straight humate used as fertiliser. It also provides raw material to other suppliers, such as human dietary supplements. Lignite is a soft brown coal, produced by compression of organic matter, but is geologically young and regarded as half-way between peat and hard coal. That means it remains high in biologically-active humic and fulvic acids – although its low heat and high carbon dioxide output when burnt make it no longer welcome as fuel. Sinclair has been producing humates for seven years. Speaking on his stand at the Southern Field Days at Waimumu, he explained that soils ideally have a 50:50 balance of fungi and bacteria. But Sinclair says fungi levels are natu-

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rally low in New Zealand soils and further depressed by farming methods of added phosphates and nitrates. “The humic acid feeds the fungi and brings them back,” he told Rural News. Although humate use remains controversial in some quarters, it has wide acceptance in organic, regenerative and biological farming.

Southern Humates is BioGro organically-certified and sells from Whangarei to the Bluff, he says. Sinclair says humates give the soil the ability to hold on to nutrients by a process known as chelation. Sinclair says that as a stock feed, humate promotes bacteria in the gut, to sort out spring scours by restoring

the breakdown of the mucous lining. He says the animals regulate their own dosage depending on their needs. “We just feed it ad-lib. One day they’ll eat a lot, next day they won’t eat a lot at all. “Animals are like that - sheep eat soil to get the nutrients and minerals out of it.”

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CONTACTS

Malcolm Sinclair of Southern Humates says research has shown the benefits of his lignite-based humate products

sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

INDUSTRY-GOOD BODY, DairyNZ is seeking a big mandate from feepaying farmers on its upcoming levy vote. The six-yearly vote in April gives farmers six weeks to decide whether to extend the levy for another term. The levy raises about $65 million annually. However, the organisation has only committed to keeping the levy at the proposed 3.6c/kgMS for the first year.

more investment is needed DairyNZ chief executive and we will go back to Tim Mackle says beyond farmers then.” the first year there are no Mackle wants farmers guarantees that the levy to vote early. will remain at 3.6c/kgMS. “Then we will spend “Certainly for first year, less time ringing them up beyond that there are no to vote and spend more guarantees that demands time on the work,” he told won’t require a greater Tim Mackle Rural News. level of investment: we Mackle is hopeful of a yes vote, don’t know right now. “As always, you continuously but wants a huge mandate. “It will be a positive thing for the cut the cloth and look at priorities: investing farmers’ money on things sector if we turn out in big numbers: a weak turnout and getting the result that matter the most. “There may come a time when is not a good outcome for us.

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“We want a strong turnout: a big turnout and getting over the line.” He says the organisation held 34 shed meetings around the country late last year: around 500 dairy farmers turned out to share their thoughts on issues affecting them, get updated on levy-funded research and talk about what the future focus should be for DairyNZ investment. Mackle says the feedback from farmers on the upcoming levy vote has been positive. The last levy vote in 2014 recorded a 60% turnout by numbers and 70% by milk solids production.

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

4 NEWS

Don’t forget Oreti!

Feed budgeting vital to recovery

NIGEL MALTHUS

THE MATAURA River got all the media attention during the big Southland floods in early February, but other areas were equally hit, says farmer Ron Thomson. Thomson runs a dairy operation, with a support block, bordering the Oreti River at Thomson’s Crossing, a few kilometres south of Winton. He lost 75 bales of hay and about 80% of the fencing on the block. “A lot of people lost a lot more,” he says. The hay was piled on a high knob, which Thomson told Rural News had never flooded before, despite being on the river side of the stop-

NIGEL MALTHUS

The Oreti River laps at the top of the stopbank at the height of the Southland floods. SUPPLIED.

bank. The Oreti was lapping the top of the banks in what was believed to be its highest flood since they were built in the late 1980s. Thomson said a lot of people on the Oreti were hit as badly as those in the Mataura catchment, but Mataura got all the

media attention, partly – and understandably – because of the dangerous smelter dross being stored close to the river in the old Mataura paper mill. Farmy Army volunteers were due to visit Thomson’s farm to clear debris from the ruined fences before he could

get contractors in for the repair work. Meanwhile, he was planning on buying in feed to replace the washed-away hay. However, his milking platform, some distance from the river, was unaffected by the flood. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

FEED BUDGETING is the big issue for Southland farmers coming out of the early February floods, according to Ollie Knowles, Dairy NZ regional leader for Southland and South Otago. Knowles said it was hard to describe the level and impact of the floods because they were broadly spread across Southland and into South Otago, yet quite localised in impact. “So, for example, in Mataura Island and the lower reaches of the Mataura catchment – huge impact down there,” he told Rural News. “Then there’s also been quite a

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large level of scouring of the rivers and redepositing of gravel or laneways up in the upper reaches of the Mataura, around Riversdale and Mandeville.” Following the initial shock of the event, Knowles said the discussion was now turning to the longer term effects, around making sure that there’s enough crop on hand to carry stock through winter, or to transition animals onto winter crop feed. “You can’t simply just take an animal off pasture and put them straight onto another food source. You need to actually slowly transition them. “With regards to that feed being taken out by either flood waters or being scoured out by the velocity of the water flying down the river, those crops will need to be replaced or potentially just patched up. “But considering how late the season was already in terms of how wet and cold it’s been for this current season, crops are already behind. Meanwhile, a third meeting was set up by Federated Farmers and FMG at the Waimumu Southern Field Days site, focussed on updates from the Rural Support Trust, the insurance perspective and other concerns around ruined baleage and silage. “We’ve managed to capture a number of farmers’ contact details

Dairy NZ Southern regional leader Ollie Knowles.

who are still interested in follow-up help or services from Dairy NZ’s standpoint,” said Knowles. “Most of that’s actually focusing around feed budgeting. We will try to get out and do oneon-one calls with farmers who are really in need and start understanding where that deficit of feed is, or is starting to occur.” Knowles said the initial effects for the region’s dairy farmers included milk loss, with between 100 and 150 farms unable to have their milk picked up in the first 24 hours. Then there were several days when roads were closed and tankers were unable to make it onto farms. At the peak of the flood, a number of dairy farmers considered drying off, primarily concerned at animal care and welfare. However, those still milking may now be recording lower yields because cows are stressed. Simply relocating stock to a new property would be stressful, said Knowles.

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

NEWS 5

EU talks getting ‘tricky’ PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

AGRICULTURAL ACCESS and geographical indications are high on the agenda as New Zealand enters the ‘tricky’ part of negotiations with the European Union (EU) on a free trade agreement, says a lead negotiator. “We are starting to encounter what we always knew you would be hard issues for the EU around agriculture and access,” says Ali Hamilton, deputy lead negotiator for the EU-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA). “New Zealand is looking for a level playing field to ensure New Zealand products can be traded into the EU. We are working to find a way through on that. Connected to agriculture market access is the issue of Geographical Indications (GI),” she told a Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade (Mfat) briefing in Auckland last week. “GIs are something that the EU really wants. We are pretty upfront to say we know there were we something on GIs in this deal but we don’t yet

know what it will be. “That is why we need to have these conversations and any outcome on GIs will need to be balanced against an outcome that takes into account New Zealand’s interest as well. Hamilton says agricultural access and GIs are inherently connected. The briefing heard that GIs for wines and spirits are already protected under New Zealand law, but the EU wants similar GI regulations for food products. Hamilton says they have now had six rounds of free trade negotiation. The last round was held in December 2019 and they will go into round seven at the end of March. “In the trade negotiation world six rounds since we launched in June 2018 to December 2019 is quite fast. A number of free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations we have had in the past have taken a lot longer to get up to round six so we are pleased with the progress. “That means they are now starting to get into some of the tricky

NZ TO GIVE WAY ON GIs FROM PAGE 1

to stop that because that the Fair Trading Act should step in and put a stop to that. But our legislation regime is about wines and spirits. “The EU wants the protection that applies to wines and spirits in New Zealand, that GI protection, applied to foodstuffs as well.” He says realistically if the FTA negotiations are to progress, GIs on food in some form will be included. “There is always a balance between legitimate reasons to have GIs; legitimate reasons why people from an area should be able to make use of the reputation they have built up on the quality of their product from the area. “On the other side, is it unreasonably interfering with what other people may legitimately want to do and also imposing a cost on the general market so people are uncertain and scared of using names at all?” If similar restrictions to what currently applies to wines and spirits are introduced you could not qualify the use of the word feta by saying ‘feta from New Zealand’. However in Canada the negotiation ended up with feta being protected but you can call the Canadian product ‘feta-style’. The current proposal from the EU is that you cannot challenge a registered GI – it sits there forever. In contrast you can currently challenge a trade mark here.

issues. That is where the GI conversation comes to the fore.” She says the EU FTA is a “really significant opportunity” “We are talking about the world’s largest trader and New Zealand’s third largest trading partner. “Our exporters face a disadvantage compared

to their competitors it do have deals. “So if you are a horticultural exporter from New Zealand and you are selling into the EU your competitor from Chile may have better terms than you do because the Chileans have got an FTA. “We are looking to

level it playing field and get the balance right. Even when we take the UK out we’re still talking about $18 billion dollars of two-way trade. With the UK in it was $22 billion dollars so it is a significant proposition.” @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

Mfat’s Jonas Holland.

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

6 NEWS

Coronavirus situation ‘dynamic’ – SFF PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

SILVER FERN Farms is giving weekly reports to its suppliers to keep them abreast of what it describes as a ‘dynamic situation in China and one that could change very quickly’. Chief executive Simon Limmer says the coronavirus situation has not eased, but believes that it essentially a matter of time before the flow of product to consumers’ returns to normal. He says SFF staff in China report small signs that the country is retuning back to normal with more people starting to come back to work, after their extended Chinese New Year break.

“Our customers in China are working closely with us in an attempt to smooth the flow of product through to them and on to consumers,” Limmer told Rural News. “While some product is starting to move through to the end of the supply chain, things are not back to normal. We are seeing more people return to retail shopping and cooking at home, but it is clear the restaurant/foodservice sector in China will take a while to recover.” Limmer says port congestion in China is having a downstream impact on the shipping lines that don’t have confidence in their ability to unload containers. He says this is causing

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SFF chief executive Simon Limmer.

shipments to fall out of schedule, shipping lines to drop containers at other Asian ports and in some cases to cancel sailings to China. “This is pushing the ‘bottleneck’ back onto NZ ports and exporters,” he says. Limmer says the tourism sector globally has been hit by fewer tour-

ists traveling from China and says this has had an impact largely on beef steak cuts. He says demand is particularly soft for these prime cuts and elevated production levels from here have the potential to further depress pricing and farmgate returns. “Other markets globally have seen increased volumes of product flow through to them. To some extent this is normal for sales immediately following the China New Year consumption period, though the volumes diverted into other Asian markets and the USA have certainly been elevated by Coronavirus. “It’s important to remember that China has become a significant des-

tination for most meat exporters from around the world and therefore many countries are facing the same challenges as we are. The increased volume being diverted into other global markets is putting downward pressure on pricing.” Limmer says, so far, SFF have been able to balance the market disruption with the dry conditions across the country so that its plants can keep running to capacity. He says they have also adapted their market mix and created storage capacity to maximise processing capacity and ensure the fastest flow of product through the system and into markets.

IN FOR THE LONG HAUL THE CORONAVIRUS epidemic is going to have a bigger impact than people think it is, according to Massey University Professor of Agribusiness, Hamish Gow. He says the crisis has only been going for a month and believes that the full impact of the situation has yet to be felt by the country and – in particular – the rural community. Gow believes there is a greater level of financial stress across the industry than what many people perceive. He says it is likely that farmers will put away their cheque books and stop spending to preserve their cash-flow position. “I think farmers are well aware of what is going on in the international market place and reports recently from the field days in the South Island suggest that farmers were looking rather than buying,” he told Rural News. Gow says the coronavirus is most likely to affect perishable products going into China. He says this will tend to affect the meat industry more than the dairy sector. He notes there are reports of farmers have to wait up to three to four weeks to get stock killed at meat works in some parts of the country. Gow says some companies are very exposed to the China market and we will just have to see how this situation plays out. He says it raises the question of how strongly some NZ companies have been focused on the China market.

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

NEWS 7

Banks urged to act sensibly SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

BANKS SHOULD act sensibly when dealing with debt-ridden farmers, says economist Cameron Bagrie. He’s urging banks to “play the long game, as opposed to the short game”. Farmers are paying off debt: Bagrie believes the sector must continue to deleverage. But he warns that farmers’ incomes are under pressure from “a highly uncertain world” and domestic challenges like drought: they loom large on global dairy prices. “The income side of the ledger looks very good, well the banks would want a fair chunk of that cash but we also need to see sensible heads out of the banking sector in regards to how these things unfold,” he told Rural News. “We are obviously in a highly uncertain world at the moment: we are also seeing financial pressure increase in the likes of

“Play the long game,” economist Cameran Bagrie says.

Northland where the drought is starting to bite. “I just hope the banking sector plays the long – as opposed to the short – game.” He believes the dairy sector is going through a relatively orderly debt leveraging pro-

cess: the dairy payout remains the critical part. “Up around 7 bucks, that is keeping the process orderly….if that income side of the ledger gives way, watch out.” Bagrie, a former chief economist at ANZ, spoke last week

at DairyNZ Farmers Forum in Northland on understanding opportunities and managing risks in the sector. Bagrie says dairy sector debt has fallen in 2019 to $41 billion: he wants farmers to slash debt by another $10 billion.

NOT ALL BAD NEWS

“My personal view is that debt needs to go down closer to $30b than $40b: I think we will get there. “Things have gone a bit out of whack but the sector is going through a corrective phase.” Bagrie, who now run his own consultancy, says the coronavirus outbreak isn’t helping the dairy sector and the global economy. The last two Global Dairy Trade auctions have recorded big drops in dairy prices. Whole milk powder price is now below US$3000/metric tonne, from a high of US$3331/MT two months ago. Bagrie believes the global economy is now incredibly vulnerable. “Whether coronavirus is the trigger for some sort of creditrelated event, we don’t know.” Bagrie says China takes over 20% of all NZ exports but for some sectors like dairy, export numbers are higher. China takes a quarter of every drop of milk Fonterra exports.

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CAMERON BAGRIE says he has lot of concerns for the global economy in 2020 looking across all sectors. However, New Zealand is better placed than other countries to ride out the storm. “NZ is a small open trading nation: we are going to get impacted by interest rates, currency, commodity prices and demand for exports. “It’s co-related to what goes around us, we are not immune.” But there’s not all bad news. The NZ dollar has fallen against the US dollar, the Reserve Bank still has “policy ammunition” and government books look in good shape. “We are in a reasonable space to ride out what could be a volatile 2020,’ he says.

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

8 NEWS

Wool still facing challenges PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

THE WOOL Industry continues to face challenges with depressed wool prices for a third year in a row, says Primary Wool Cooperative chair Janette Osborne. “Combined with increased shearing and

associated costs this now means a net loss on wool for many farmers,” she says in the co-op’s annual report “We are also seeing an overall gradual decline in total wool volumes with both lambs and ewes going to the works woolly and lower grade oddments including dags

being used on farm for environmental work.” Osborne told Rural News the wool industry is definitely at a low point after three years of low prices. “A lot of strong wool farmers are getting close to giving up on wool it has now moved to an expense item for many

and will end up on a downhill spiral unless we keep pushing forward.” She says what is needed is Innovation (such as wool and hemp like NZ Yarn/CP Wool or wool deconstruction like Wool Research of NZ), Promotion of environmental and natural attri-

butes, Educating the general public about wool Encouraging and showing farmers how they can maximise the value of their wool – providing good quality pricing information and advice so they can make decisions on shearing cycles, timing and shed Primary wool chair Janette Osborne.

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preparation. She says they are getting some great feedback from shareholders from our monthly newsletters and have had some fantastic suggestions which they will incorporate into future plans. Osborne says they took a strategic refocus last year. The forward focus needs to be on collaboration, innovation, promotion, advocacy, and good governance. Under collaboration shareholders want to see a broken industry work towards becoming whole. Primary Wool Cooperative will work with other organisations both within and outside the wool industry. This collaboration may include strategic relationships with organisations like Wool Working Group, Campaign for Wool, Cooperatives NZ and the Sustainable Business Network. In regards to innovation it will encourage, promote and partner with others to bring innovative ideas to life. Osborne says this includes, but is

not limited to, unique and niche yarns being manufactured by NZ Yarns, wool/hemp products, wool interior design products. Primary Wool Cooperative wants to be recognised as a proactive promoter of wool both inside and outside the wool industry. “In an effort to avoid duplicating what others are doing and create the most effective promotion we will work to seek out promotion opportunities with existing promoters,” the cooperative says. Under advocacy, Primary Wool Co-Operative says it offers growers a seat at the CP Wool table. “We are a strong sheep farmer voice representing our members and representing farmer interests. We will advocate to the public. “Primary Wool CoOperative will be available for people when they want to talk to wool farmers. As a board, we take this representation seriously and work to represent with integrity and honesty.”

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NZ YARN will be producing unique hemp and wool carpet yarn blends which customers are very keen to sample, says Primary Wool Cooperative chair Janette Osborne. “This will be a world first and a completely unique yarn that will be extremely hard to replicate.” Primary Wool has a 50% shareholding in CP Wool which in turn is the majority shareholder in NZ Yarn. Hemp NZ has a 12.4% shareholding in NZ Yarn. The carpet yarn blends will be among a range of new products from the partnership. Osborne says in the Primary Wool’s annual report that time and again we hear cries for “Why aren’t we adding value in New Zealand?”, “Why does it have to go offshore?”, “Why are there no wool processing facilities left in New Zealand. Primary Wool Co-Operative and CP Wool definitely “did something” back in 2014 she says in the report to June 2019, which has just been released.

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

NEWS 9

Mission completed – Carter bows out David Carter’s served 26 years in parliament, including time as the Minister of Agriculture and speaker of the house and now he’s going back to his old job – that of a farmer. Peter Burke reports. RECENTLY 67-YEAROLD Carter announced that he’s ending his long parliamentary career and heading back home to his farms on Banks Peninsular, near Christchurch. Since his days as a student completing an Ag Science degree in the 1970s, Carter harboured the notion of becoming the Minister for Agriculture. “Politics was always in my blood. My father was involved as a politician in local government for 40 years and so we were a political family,” he told Rural News. “But unlike him, I never had any desire to follow his footsteps into local gov-

ernment.” Carter’s political career began when he won the by-election following the resignation of Ruth Richardson in 1994. This was significant because it was the last election under the ‘first past the post’ system – at the next general election MMP was introduced. In 1996, Carter won the newly created Banks Peninsular seat and has been a list MP since 2002. Being a politician, Carter has lived through the highs and lows and political fortunes. The low being 2002, when the National Party was decimated at the polls by Labour.

“We were totally decimated and ended up with a caucus of just 27 members compared with 52 Labour members. The media were questioning whether the National Party would survive,” he says. They did and in the John Key-led government which came into power in 2011 and Carter was granted his long held desire and appointed Minister for Agriculture. It was in the Key led government that Carter championed the cause of water storage and was responsible for setting up the Irrigation Acceleration Fund (which the present Labour govern-

ment abolished). Carter says water storage is vital for the ongoing success of the primary sector. “One thing for certain, the east coast of the North and South Islands are going to become more difficult to farm because of climate change and an area as fertile as the Canterbury Plains in my mind should have been irrigated 100 years ago,” he says. Carter says the biggest challenge that he faced in his tenure as Agriculture Minister was dealing with biosecurity issues and in his case PSA, which effectively decimated the kiwifruit industry for a period of time. Despite the devastating impact of PSA, the government and industry worked together. “It was brilliant because within 48 hours

Leaving: David Cater is retiring from politics after 26 years as an MP.

of the news of PSA, I had got Cabinet to agree to put $25 million into the industry and the industry matched that dollar for dollar. Now that industry is thriving and an amazing success story.” However, Carter says the highlight of his career

in parliament as his time as speaker of the House of Representatives from 2013 until National lost the election in 2017. He says to be speaker of the House was a privileged job although he loved his portfolio of primary industry.

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NO REGRETS WHEN CARTER leaves parliament in September, it will be back to the land. He always wanted to be a farmer and bought his first farm in May 1972. He set up a successful embryo transplant operation based around imported European cattle breeds – such as the Limousin, Simmental and Charolais. “We did very well and exported plane loads of cattle to Australia as well as servicing the NZ market,” he says. Later he sold that farm and now has two properties on Banks Peninsular and another in North Canterbury. All are hill country farms – the North Canterbury one is run by a manager while he and his daughter Laura, with the help of some casual labour, run the Banks Peninsular farms, near Teddington. Carter says he still fit and keen to work

“But when parliament asks you through the Prime Minister to be Speaker, there is no greater honour than the ability chair and have a significant impact in the democratic process.” Carter says as a minister you are absolutely political and focused on delivering the political agenda. But he says a good speaker must be apolitical and respect the points of view of all political parties. You have no friends and can’t fraternise with your former colleagues. Some say it is a lonely position, I would see it more as a very isolated position,” he says. Carter’s time as speaker was certainly not plain sailing and there were some tense situations with various MP’s and factions within parliament.

on the farms. “I run regularly and walk in the hills mustering stock. I have two or three fantastic sheep dogs and I am going to enjoy farming while I am still fit to do so,” he says. But while he will work the farm, Carter says he’s open to offers to work in the wider agribusiness sector. He points to his experience contacts and skills. As well he is planning to do some more international travel and see more of the work. Looking back on his political career, Carter has no regrets. “It has been a physically demanding job and hard on family life,” he told Rural News. “But I have managed to have four kids and stable marriage and I loved every day of it, but I am looking forward to leaving - it’s a strange feeling.”

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

10 NEWS

Meat exports boom to $9b

Tim Ritchie

icantly from tariff reductions into Japan, following the CPTPP agreement coming into force at the beginning of 2019. It calculates a total tariff savings of nearly $25 million on beef and offal exports to Japan over the year. Australia is also an impor-

tant market for the New Zealand red meat sector, including for a number of co-products. It was the NZ meat industry’s 10th largest market in 2019, with exports of $170 million – up 5% from 2018. The major exports to Australia in 2019 were prepared meat products ($80 million),

blood products ($30 million) and hides and skins ($22 million). MIA chief executive Tim Ritchie says the latest figures reinforce the importance of the meat sector to the New Zealand economy. “The meat processing industry is New Zealand’s largest manufacturing sector and employs approximately 25,000 people, many from regional and rural communities,” he says. “That’s why we need to ensure any policy reforms, whether that is climate change, forestry or freshwater, need to be carefully thought through to avoid any negative unintended consequences.” However, Ritchie concedes the outbreak and spread of coronavirus has disrupted the supply chain for red meat in China and says the sector continues to assess the impact of the situation. “Despite the issue in China, the underlying global demand for protein remains strong.”

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MEANWHILE, CONCERNS about the likely impact of Coronavirus on NZ’s primary sector exports to China have seen Rabobank issue an overview of the potential effects. It says first round impact of the Coronavirus will be felt by any business that relies heavily on the food service channel in China. “Especially if product is perishable and requires quick distribution to and within China.” The bank says chilled meat shipments for food service is a risk category and that NZ mutton shipments have already been heavily impacted. “These are predominantly sold frozen, but much of the product goes into the food service industry including many hot pot restaurants.” Rabobank says, at this stage, there is unlikely to see consumption fall in meat and dairy due to the virus outbreak. “People are still eating, and reductions in eating out are offset by increased eating at home,” RaboResearch general manager Tim Hunt says. “Our China team have also noted that the rise of internet shopping in China since SARs means that sales of food are somewhat less reliant on leaving the home.” Hunt says if the virus continued for many months to come, then it’s likely these impacts would start to hit NZ’s food and agribusiness industry. “Incomes may fall in China if the virus is extensive and enduring and there may be an impact eventually on sales on meat, dairy, grain etc.” Hunt adds that an important ‘stabiliser’ is that the NZ dollar would likely depreciate significantly, as the market responded to slowing economic growth and rising risk concerns. “This would offset somewhat any fall in global commodity prices when expressed in our local currency terms.”

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THE COUNTRY’S red meat exports have been booming, but there are concerns how these may be impacted by the coronavirus outbreak in China. New Zealand’s sheepmeat and beef exports leapt 6% to $9.1 billion in 2019, according to analysis by the Meat Industry Association (MIA). It says this growth was largely a result of the growth in overall exports to China, which increased by 57% to reach $3.7 billion. Sheepmeat exports to China grew by 40% to $1.6 billion for the year, and beef exports by 113% to $1.7 billion. Meanwhile, exports to Japan increased by 4% to $367 million for the year. This was mainly a result of an 11% increase in the value of beef exports to Japan during the year, which grew to $183 million in 2019. There was also an increase in exports of beef offals to Japan, which grew by 37% to reach $48 million for the year. The MIA says NZ meat exporters have benefited signif-

VIRUS TO MAKE IMPACT?

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

NEWS 11

Don’t mess with farmers! PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

POLICYMAKERS IN Ireland have learned the lesson about demonising farmers – just don’t do it. That’s the word from a leading Irish scientist, Dr Karl Richards from Teagasc, that country’s semistate organisation that is responsible for R&D, training and advisory services to farmers. Richards told Rural News, at recent seminar at Massey University, that policy makers in Ireland have realised that farmers will react badly to being constantly demonised and are less likely to react positively to improving the environment. He says policymakers and farmers in Ireland are now working collaboratively and policy makers better understand the challenges that farmers are facing and the constraints that they are working under. Richards says there are many initiatives in Ireland to look at ways to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve water quality. He says while Ireland only has 1.6 million dairy cows it conversely has about five million

head of beef, all of which contribute to GHG emissions. He says the dairy industry is expanding and it is becoming more intensive and there is now a focus on the environmental footprint of that sector. “Having said that, the Irish dairy industry still has the lowest carbon footprint for the sector in Europe,” Richards says Ireland has now embarked on a significant knowledge transfer project to educate farmers about the impacts of climate change, and what is agriculture’s contribution to that. He says it’s getting a sense of what policymakers require from the sector. “We are looking at is what practical things a farmer can do on their farm to reduce emissions. Recently we produced a very simple guidance document for farmers, which illustrated ways of improving farm sustainability – primarily carbon and GHG emissions and on water quality.” Richards says Ireland has set up an agricultural sustainability support advisory service, which is a free service to farmers. He says it’s got 30 advi-

sors who do not have clients – so they are free to work with any farmers in selected catchments areas that have been highlighted as having poor water quality and where agricultural is a dominant cause. He says the advisors are there to help farmers and recommend ways to

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@rural_news Irish scientist Karl Richards.

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SIMILAR, BUT DIFFERENT KARL RICHARDS notes that while Ireland and New Zealand have similar goals in dealing with GHG and other environmental issues, there are differences. He says Irish farmers receive payments/subsidies from the European Union (EU) whereas NZ farmers are not subsidised. He also says that the environmental standards in Ireland are set by the EU, but these can be modified to meet local conditions. In the past, there have been complaints that EU directives fail to recognise local conditions and there is now more flexibility for countries such as Ireland to develop regulations that meet the objectives of the EU, but are locally fit for purpose. “If farmers in Europe fail to comply with environmental directives they may not receive subsidies,” Richards told Rural News. “But, at the same time, some dairy companies are offering incentives to farmers to produce milk to a higher standard.” In Ireland, Teagasc offers completely independent advice to farmers. Richards says they are not tied to recommending one product over another or giving advice which may produce a commercial advantage to someone. He says from what he has seen in NZ the advice to farmers often comes from fertiliser reps or feed companies, which could stand to profit by any advice they give. The other contrast he notes is that policymakers and politicians in Ireland are rural based and have a much closer affinity to the land than perhaps is the case in NZ.

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

12 NEWS

Neylon book pulls few punches WELL-KNOWN SOUTHLAND farmer and agribusinessman Keith Neylon – who has carved out an impressive track record in the primary export sector – has just penned a no-holds

Keith Neylon

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recently the sheep milk industry through Blue River Dairy – to name a few. The book also aims some well-earned barbs at a number of leading organisations in NZ primary sector – including Fonterra, MPI, Landcorp, Silver Fern Farms and the current government’s Primary Growth Fund. Neylon accuses Fonterra of being “so arrogant to the point that Government Ministers had to make an appointment to see their top executive”. He adds: “Backed by legislation, the dairy co-op took off around the world investing in China, South America and Australia determined to show leadership and ‘punch above its weight’ only to be stiff-armed, NRL-style, in Aussie, China and South America”. Neylon claims the net effect has seen Fonterra’s farm assets adjusted down in value as the capital gain game took a hit. “Well done all those top-class directors and executives put in place who seem to believe in their own bullshit”. However, Fonterra is not the only target for criticism from the straight-talking Southlander – with the Government, bureaucrats and Landcorp all coming in for a bollocking. “I struggle to come to grips with some of the decisions that come out of Wellington’s bureaucratic ivory towers,” Neylon says. “One case in point is the Government-sponsored Primary Growth Fund. After being encouraged to apply and going through all the required hoops, and seeing large amounts of capital being handed out to consortiums such as Silver Fern Farms, Wrightson’s and Landcorp to help develop a questionable strategy for the meat industry, that did not include the other players, we made an application.” Neylon claims his PGF application was supported by the Southland region and the Alliance Group.

“They could see what we were proposing, an overall benefit to the sheep and meat industry of New Zealand and sheep farmers in general, they wanted to be part of the proposal,” he explains. “Having met with those charged with vetting the application and various government advisors and politicians, we were advised that our application had every chance of success and a person from the Ministry of Primary Industries would visit and critique the opportunity. With that completed, we could expect a capital allocation in the May round.” Neylon then details how the MPI person never turned up on the due date. “Nothing seemed to come out of the Primary Growth Fund investment. When we enquired into it, it appeared that the strategy had changed. The original proposal appeared to have morphed into something called ‘Farm IQ’, that had set itself up in a suite of offices below the Landcorp head office in Wellington. Apparently, they were to develop a software package that would assist all farmers throughout New Zealand.” In the book, Neylon also blasts Landcorp after the state farmer pulled out of the Blue River Dairy and decided to establish its own sheep milking operation “with all the information we had supplied”. “The Primary Growth Fund had seen fit to support their $34 million application to duplicate what we had already achieved,” Neylon adds. “I have never quite come to terms with their need to set up in competition with Blue River Dairy instead of helping to grow the total industry from the base we had already setup.” A Touch of Madness was launched earlier this month and is now available via: www.atouchofmadness.nz . @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

14 OPINION EDITORIAL

EDNA

Answers, please! OVERSEER IS proving to be a major worry. This software was supposed to be the solution for monitoring fertiliser input use and its potential environmental impacts, but concerns have been raised by farmers, regional councils (see page 17) and even the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment. Farmers have long complained that Overseer is a flawed tool. However, the current Government – hell-bent on introducing new water quality regulations – has nailed the success of its proposed freshwater reforms to the use of Overseer as the key monitoring tool. The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Simon Upton, has recently written to four ministers, including Damien O’Connor and David Parker – the main drivers of these new water quality reforms to be imposed on farming. Upton seeks an urgent update on what fixes have been made to Overseer, following his report in December 2018 that found it to be “seriously flawed”. In his letter, Upton quite rightly describes Overseer as: “the accidental black box regulatory tool.” Initially developed by the fertiliser industry to help farmers calculate how much fertiliser to use to maximise pasture growth, Overseer has over time become the default regulatory tool used by several regional councils to manage pollution in waterways. But now those who will be tasked with measuring and regulating the proposed new water quality standards are expressing valid concerns about Overseer’s suitability to do this job. Taranaki Regional Council chief Basil Chamberlain says his council shares the view of many experts and authorities that it is unfit for use as a regulatory tool. “When making rules, we seek to ensure they’re soundly based, fit for the purpose of solving real problems, and able to be monitored and enforced. We want to avoid unjust and perverse outcomes – behaving professionally demands nothing less.” In his letter, Upton calls on ministers to be “open to the possibility that a comprehensive model evaluation may conclude that Overseer is unsuitable for use in a regulatory context.” Even the boffins at Overseer concede that it is only a ‘nutrient budgeting model’, not a ‘realtime nitrogen loss calculator’. So how can farmers, regional councils and others be expected to rely on such a flawed tool to map the success or failure of their efforts to reduce nutrient loss and improve water quality? Farmers, regulators, the PCE and the wider public all deserve answers before any new rules are imposed.

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

“Break my New Year resolution – no way – it must be the Aussie bushfires you can smell!”

Want to share your opinion or gossip with the Hound? Send your emails to: hound@ruralnews.co.nz

THE HOUND Cock-a-hoop

Really?

Earth calling!

No cameras?

Your old mate was delighted to read how a cockerel became an unlikely hero for rural France, winning the right to continue his early morning crowing. Apparently, Maurice, a four-year-old rooster, was taken to court by his disgruntled neighbours in Oléron, an island off the French Atlantic coast. The complainants, a retired couple from the city of Limoges, had bought a second home on the island and were unhappy being woken up by the rooster next-door. The rooster’s case underscores decades-long tensions in France around city dwellers who buy homes in the countryside without properly adjusting to rural life (sound familiar?). “Maurice has won a battle for the whole of France,” said owner Corinne Fesseau who has lived on Oléron for 35 years. The complainants were ordered to pay Fesseau $1700 in damages.

A mate of the Hound reckons despite more farmers growing it and more hectares of hemp in crop these days, it has not stopped the bureaucrats from creating stupid and costly regulations. For starters, farmers must get a licence for the privilege to grow hemp from the Ministry of Health at an annual cost of $511 + GST. This is all because the plant is a cousin to cannabis (which, ironically the current Government wants to make legal) even though anyone would have to smoke about a hectare of hemp to even get a buzz. And to stop all those crazy hippies raiding hemp crops to feed their habit, any farmers growing hemp beside a road must use a cover crop – say, maize – to hide the hemp crop from the prying eyes of any passing traffic. Unbelievable, but true!

Your canine crusader understands the vast majority of those in the acting profession (basically outof-work waiters and waitresses) are show ponies who tend to err on the side of trendy, lefty, woke politics. However, even your canine crusader was taken aback by the weird acceptance speech at this year’s Oscars Awards by the best actor winner Joaquin Phoenix. A weirdo at the best of times, Phoenix’s rant included criticism of the dairy industry and claims people were “disconnected from the natural world”. However, your old mate reckons after listening to Phoenix’s diatribe – which could have been written by another weirdo, Hans Kreik from SAFE – the only one “disconnected for the world” is this self-important tosser.

This old mutt notes that it took the Cuddler-in Chief, PM Jacinda Ardern, a very long time to pay a visit to the flood damaged Southland. After copping heaps of criticism of being MIA from showing support for flood victims, Ardern paid a belated visit to the region, dropping for a brief, flying visit to the Waimumu field days. As a mate of yours truly wryly noted, there were probably more votes for Ardern to be seen hugging members of the rainbow community at the big gay out in trendy, lefty Grey Lynn, Auckland than consoling farmers and homeowners devastated by flooding in the conservative stronghold of Southland. Harsh, but fair!

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 021 842 220 Peter Burke .............................Ph 06 362 6319 Nigel Malthus ...................... Ph 021 164 4258 MACHINERY EDITOR: Mark Daniel ............................. Ph 021 906 723 or 07 824 1190

AUCKLAND SALES REPRESENTATIVE: Stephen Pollard .......................... Ph 021 963 166 stephenp@ruralnews.co.nz

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ABC audited circulation 79,553 as at 31/03/2019

DIGITAL STRATEGIST: Jessica Wilson ......................Ph 027 535 2534

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 25, 2020

OPINION 15 LETTER TO THE EDITOR

MAKE A NOMINATION IN YOUR January 28 issue, the Hound asks a question re how come the “arts” seem to get so many “gongs” compared with the agri sector and blames the Government of the day for this apparent imbalance. The Hound is right, but only to a point. I was blessed back in 2007 in receiving the Honour of being made A Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM). Until then, I had no idea how the NZ Honours system works, but now I have a better understanding of the whole process. As an example, in my own case, I was nominated by my peers or colleagues for services to the community which included 50 years as a volunteer fire fighter, 30 years in marine search and rescue, 40 years in Lions Club plus 15 years as a director of our pre Fonterra dairy company. The important part to note, when reading the NZ Honours system online, is that the potential recipient cannot nominate him or herself. The nominating party can only forward the nomination with background information and cannot stipulate what actual honour should be awarded. That is for the Prime Minister’s department to decide. Back to the Hound’s concern; obviously people involved in the arts – and some protest groups – are fully aware of our honours system and probably are much more at home at researching and forwarding nominations. They are probably more skilled on the keyboard as well. I suggest more people in agriculture and farming should swat up on our honours system and get going and nominate some of their mates who have worked their guts out for their particular industry. To do this is very satisfying, as I know – having successfully nominated two colleagues for well-deserved honours. Rob Godderidge MNZM Urenui

Eradication delights Feds A WAIRARAPA community-wide effort, backed by government, has achieved what is thought to be a biosecurity world first. The complete eradication of the pea weevil from the Wairarapa required a four-year ban on the growing of peas, not just for commercial growers, but for all gardeners. Federated Farmers has been involved in helping growers work through the processes around the biosecurity response and eradication since the beginning of the response, back in 2016. “The pea industry is worth $130 million to New Zealand. Wairarapa growers and farmers were initially

Feds arable chair and Carterton pea grower appointed to the Pea Weevil Governance Group Karen Williams speaks with Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor on her farm.

aghast at talk of a ban on growing, for years,” Federated Farm-

ers arable chair, and Wairarapa grower, Karen Williams says.

Fencing Innovation on show.

“But we realised we needed to pull together. And we’d need the support of the government, and the support of the wider community, which we got. “There were some dark days early on, and a few testy conversations. But I’m proud of the way the farming community and the public responded to this crisis,” Karen says. Federated Farmers is all too familiar with the damage incursions of unwanted pests and diseases can do to New Zealand’s primary sector. “It is fantastic to be able to celebrate a win like this one.” – see story page 22

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

16 OPINION

Farming needs policy certainty SIMON BRIDGES

OUR REPUTATION as a producer of quality agricultural products is well known around the world and the sector contrib-

utes close to $48 billion in export revenue to our economy. The primary sector provides an economic shot in the arm to New Zealand, and we want to see it continue

to grow. If there’s one thing I’ve picked up from the many farmers I’ve spoken to over the past couple of years, it’s that they want certainty. Farmers

and growers already have enough variables to deal with such as the weather, interest rates, disease and international markets. There needs to be a clearly sign-posted direc-

tion of travel from the Government that allows everyone to get on board without adverse effects. The Government has completely failed on this front. Their freshwa-

National Party Leader Simon Bridges.

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ter proposals were rolled out with a serious lack of concrete data and they’re yet to really address the many questions that farmers have on how they will affect their bottom line. At the end of 2019, it was revealed that Damien O’Connor hadn’t even bothered to ask his officials for advice on this important metric. Another big concern is the consistent gobbling up of good pastoral farmland to be planted in trees. It’s important to point out that there is nothing wrong with planting trees, but there is a serious issue with how the Government has been going about it. The perfect storm of rising carbon prices, loosening of the Overseas Investment Act and the Government’s billion trees target has led to this and there needs to be a serious re-think to the approach. The focus needs to be on planting the right tree in the right place, and personally I think farmers are the best judges of where trees should be planted on their land. Water storage is another important area where more needs to be done. As I write this Northland is nearing drought. National helped get the Waimea Dam built and it should be seen as a shining example of water storage done right, with positive impacts environmentally, economically and socially. National recognises water’s role as

one of our key strategic assets going forward, and has proposed the establishment of a Water Infrastructure Fund in our Primary Sector Discussion Document. NZ First tries to position itself as the saviour of the regions, but the reality is that they were sitting around the table when the Government made all these anti-farming decisions. Last election, they promised to carpet all new Government buildings and state houses with wool, but that promise, alongside many others, was forgotten the moment they knew they could settle back into the Beehive. The core difference between Labour and National when it comes to agriculture is that while Labour wants to affect change through applying restrictions on farmers like the freshwater proposals and propositions for a water tax, fertiliser tax, nitrogen tax and capital gains tax, National is committed to helping farmers develop the tools to farm their way to better outcomes. We’ll be highlighting exactly how we will do this later this year when we release our primary sector election policy. Farming has always been a hugely important part of New Zealand’s culture and economy, and while the Coalition Government might see it as a sunset industry, National is committed to helping it prosper.

LATEST STORIES EVERY DAY Get up-to-date news at www.ruralnewsgroup.co.nz

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

OPINION 17

Major concerns with Overseer BASIL CHAMBERLAIN

WE TAKE issue with the Overseer chief executive Dr Caroline Read, who accuses us of misleading statements (Rural News, 17 January). More compulsory and widespread use of OverseerFM as a regulatory tool is among sweeping changes to freshwater management proposed by the Government. We believe New Zealanders must understand clearly the risks involved with this. It’s difficult to believe Dr Read has fully read and appreciated the council’s position. Because after accusing us of being misleading, she confirms our core criticism: that OverseerFM is a nutrient budgeting model and not a real-time nitrogen loss calculator and is not designed to deliver “an absolute pass/fail against an absolute value”. But that’s exactly what’s happening now in some places, with more widespread misuse proposed. We agree that when used properly, OverseerFM can give a farmer insight into improving farm practices aimed at reducing losses. But even then, its limitations and uncertainty should be clearly identified and widely understood. This is especially so in Taranaki, with its relatively high rainfalls and rainfall variability. We are far from alone in our concerns: The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment called for an urgent and fully independent review of Over-

seerFM before any widespread adoption as a regulatory tool. The PCE says: Measuring the scale and environmental effects of nutrient loss from an individual property, as distinct from those of the wider catchment, is ‘problematic in the extreme’. It cannot be done. OverseerFM is a model that uses algorithms to simplify and summarise highly complex natural processes and standardise complex local variability. All models operate with a level of uncertainty. The PCE says its uncertainty and level of transparency is not acceptable in a regulatory setting. Those being regulated need to feel confident they’re getting fair treatment. OverseerFM can’t measure actual nutrient levels or losses, nor what happens to the nutrients after that, nor what happens in the surrounding and receiving environments. Even for farming systems for which it has been calibrated, Overseer-calculated results for losses of nitrogen can be 25% to 30% inaccurate – but even this does not take into account any errors with measurements or uncertainty from data inputs, providing only part of the picture of quantifying uncertainty. Outside of calibrated areas (including Taranaki), the ‘uncertainty is likely to exceed 50%, but could be much higher still’. Dr Julie EverettHincks, legal and scien-

cal processes. “New Zealand is at serious risk of losing its credibility in agricultural and environmental management with the public and from our international colleagues … the science does not stand up to peer scrutiny.”

TRC has a long-standing policy of supporting the use of OverseerFM as a benchmarking tool for the individual farm, as an assistant in reviewing and informing farm management practices, and as a means of education. We’re a successful and

experienced water management regulator. When making rules, we seek to ensure they’re soundly based, fit for the purpose of solving real problems, and able to be monitored and enforced. We want to avoid unjust and perverse outcomes – behaving

professionally demands nothing less. So, we share the view of many experts and authorities that OverseerFM is unfit for use as a regulatory tool. • Basil Chamberlain is chief executive of the Taranaki Regional Council

Taranaki Regional Council chief executive Basil Chamberlain.

tific researcher at the University of Otago, says that ‘Overseer would not likely withstand legal challenge, but more importantly, is it right to burden farmers with regulatory compliance when the tool used cannot reasonably measure nutrient losses? In its current form and governance structure, Overseer is not fit to be a regulatory tool’. Professor Troy Baisden, BOPRC chair in Lake and Freshwater Science at the University of Waikato: “When used to enforce regulation, Overseer lacks the openness and transparency needed for scientists to review model results or develop improvements.” Former IPCC working group director Martin Manning, Massey University Professor Emeritus of Industrial Mathematics, Graeme Wake, Massey agricultural senior scientist Tony Pleasants, and a retired associate professor of mathematics, John Gamlen: Spending millions fixing Overseer’s problems will not be enough unless the underlying mathematical model is ditched and replaced by more sophisticated modelling that can reflect interactions between different biologi-

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

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18 MARKETS & TRENDS

global agribusiness research analysts sharing market outlooks

Bright outlook clouded by uncertainty More red tape and costs

NEW ZEALAND’S primary sector is currently wading through a period of frustration. The industry is dealing with increased regulation, the prospect of more onerous regulation in the future and uncertainty over the timing and degree of what is to come. Rural confidence is

low, which is largely attributed to the policy environment. Meanwhile, farmers face more constrained access to capital. At the same time, while many of the world ‘s farmers struggle to make a margin, New Zealand agriculture is in the midst of an extended run of profitable seasons and are more than halfway through what

looks set to be their fourth consecutive season of profitable market settings.

Dairy

RABOBANK’S FORECAST payout for the 2019/20 season stands at NZ$ 7.60/kgMS. This is at the highest end of Fonterra’s current forecast farmgate milk price range of NZ$ 7.00/ kgMS to NZ$ 7.60/kgMS

and is a profitable milk price for most dairy farmers. Rising cost creep over the coming 12 months will be a factor for dairy producers to manage where possible. As it currently stands, the 2019/20 season is tracking behind last season. Season-toDecember 2019 volumes are lower than last season’s by almost half a percent (-0.4%).

Rabobank anticipates milk production to range between +0.5% and -0.5% YOY for the full season. Dairy farmer confidence is likely to experience a bumpy 2020. Concern over government policy was the chief reason for lingering farmer

pessimism across most of 2019.

Beef

RABOBANK EXPECTS demand strength from China and other parts of Asia to support healthy global beef prices throughout 2020. This will help to underpin

New Zealand farmgate pricing at levels generally similar to those received in 2019. Short-term influences, particularly domestic supply flows and Chinese buying behaviour, will likely see prices still come under some downward pressure for certain periods of the year. Growth in global beef consumption levels will primarily be driven by the shortage of protein in China resulting from the ongoing impacts of African swine fever. Rabobank expects consumption levels in North America will also grow, but at a slower rate than in 2019. Beef + Lamb NZ has forecast New Zealand’s total beef production for the 2019/20 season to lift marginally (+2%), to 643,000 tonnes.

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

MARKETS & TRENDS 19

COUNTRIES

Content supplied by Rabobank - Growing a Better New Zealand Together markets, particularly China, will ensure global demand remains robust in 2020. This should help New Zealand to record a third consecutive year in which average export returns exceed NZ$ 10,000/tonne. Rabobank expects weak demand from China to continue holding strong wool at historically low levels. The outlook for fine wool remains positive, albeit subject to volatility similar to that experienced in 2019.

Sheepmeat and wool

RABOBANK EXPECTS another year of strong returns for sheep producers. Pricing for lamb is set to continue operating within the historically high range experienced in 2019, with normal seasonal price weakening to be expected during peak supply periods. A record low New Zealand lamb crop will

Horticulture

HEADING INTO early 2020, the horticulture outlook bears a similarity to recent years. Continued rising demand for quality fresh produce in export markets is expected, notably in emerging economies and middle classes across Asia. At home, we expect continued production growth in key permanent crops, subject to landuse change regulations and availability of capital. Challenges will remain

further tighten global supplies of export lamb and maintain a strong degree of underlying procurement pressure domestically throughout 2020.Beef + Lamb NZ estimates that the number of lambs available for slaughter in 2020 will be down by over 500,000 head YOY, to 18.26m head, following a record-low 2019 spring lamb crop (22.7m head). Solid consumer demand in key export

related to access to suitable numbers of both skilled and unskilled labour in New Zealand. Progress across a range of trade agreements will remain important for New Zealand horticulture exports and will be a prominent feature of the 2020 landscape. Sustainability will continue to be a focus of consumers in 2020, both at home and in export markets. However, subtle differences do exist in both export and domestic

WE EXPECT the New Zealand dollar to weaken further in 2020, bringing the lowest average NZ$/ US$ exchange rate since the global financial crisis. This will ensure positive support for commodity prices in local currency terms.

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

20 AGRIBUSINESS

Beef group aims to be big player NEW ZEALAND farmers stand out for their willingness to innovate, says the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef executive director, Ruaraidh Petre. He would be keen for them to be involved as the international organisation sets its goals this year. Sustainability is about continued improvement, Petre told Rural News. “That is one of the

things about New Zealand farmers, they have always been open to innovation,” he says. “When we first started the conversation about a roundtable here this was a country where people weren’t resistance to the idea at all. In some other countries there is an innate resistance to change. “In New Zealand farmers are really open to innovation and oppor-

tunity. Typically people talk about Kiwi ingenuity and especially the farmers’ ingenuity to adapt to changing circumstances and I think that is definitely true in the case of sustainability.” New Zealand set up an affiliated roundtable late last year with founding members ANZCO, Beef+Lamb, Greenlea Premier Meats, Fonterra, McDonald’s, Silver Fern Farms, World Wide Fund

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for Nature (WWF) and farmer food producers. A Scot, Petre was involved in the formation of the roundtable and has been executive director since 2012. He moved to New Zealand from the Netherlands in August last year. He worked in New Zealand 30 years ago while studying agriculture. With a background in animal production and farm management, he has held has also held a number of ag management, financial and consulting roles in Ireland, Scotland, Australia, Afghanistan, South America and Botswana. Petre believes the roundtable is becoming a significant player in the global beef industry in the sense that it is an overarching organisation with individual country roundtables. “That is obviously where the real work on the ground takes place and at the moment we have 22 different countries involved. “Some of those are individual roundtables like New Zealand then you have the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework which is a slightly different structure but not that different. You have US, Canada, Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina.” Then there are two regional roundtables, Europe which has six

countries, and southern Africa. Petre says it was a good move for New Zealand to establish a roundtable. “It has a good story to tell about sustainability certainly in the beef industry and it is important to make sure that is being heard,” he says. He has had the chance to visit a few farms here and talk to companies and farmers involved in the roundtable. With animal welfare New Zealand is quite far advanced compared to some other countries and that has certainly changed. “When I was young and studying agriculture I spent a year here in New Zealand. Definitely there’s been quite a dramatic shift in terms of animal welfare. “Environmentally I think the beef industry has never been as open to criticism as the dairy industry. The beef industry hasn’t had the same sort of challenges that the dairy industry seems to have had. “New Zealand has a history of really good grassland management and I think you could get back to some of those best grazing practices. “The animal welfare side is also a positive. Animal welfare here is really pretty good.” @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

Ten Basic Fertiliser Facts You Must Know and Adopt to Meet 2025 Water Quality Limits: Dr Bert Quin

Fact 1. The overuse of soluble P fertiliser is by far the largest cause of P run-off and leaching, and therefore of the decline in the quality of Kiwi waterways. Fact 2. Once you have Olsen P levels that are more than a third of the P retention (ASC), application of additional soluble P is very prone to loss to the environment. Fact 3. If you want to build up your soil P in an environmentally-protective way, simply apply RPR. It does not get leached or lost directly in run-off, but releases P in a sustained fashion for plants. Fact 4. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain. RPR-based fertilisers are even cheaper than super-based products as well! Added sulphur bentonite (sulphur 90) is far more efficient than the excess sulphate in super. Fact 5. Following 1-4 above will greatly reduce P run-off and leaching. This should be done before anything else, and the situation reassessed before spending huge amounts of money! Fact 6. It is nonsensical to give in to pressure to install expensive mitigations riparian strips, excessively large wetlands and ‘phosphorus walls’ when you have no idea of their long-term effectiveness and maintenance costs, and before you have established whether changing to sustained-release RPR is all you need to do! Fact 7. in any case simple fenced-off 3-metre wide grass riparian strips are essentially as effective and vastly cheaper than more complex strips. Both reduce bacterial and sediment losses. Neither will have any significant long-term beneficial effect (on a whole -farm basis) on soluble P and nitrate-N loss. But grass strips can be harvested in summer to be fed out, to improve P and N cycling. Fact 8. In a nutshell, for maintenance of P levels any genuine RPR (not an RPR/Boucraa mix please!) can be used. Just check the Cd content. For low fertility situations or low rainfall, use a blend of RPR and high-analysis soluble P. Fact 9. For N, rather than granular urea, use prilled urea, sprayed immediately prior to, or during, the spreading with urease inhibitor. Use of N can be literally cut in half with big savings. Fact 10. Potash is more efficient, and must less likely to cause metabolic problems, if applied in small doses 4 times a year, adding up to 50-60% of the total annual amount you are using now. Easy to mix with your prilled urea. Leaching of anions like nitrate will be minimised as well. For more info, email Bert Quin on bert.quin@quinfert.co.nz, or phone 021 427 572, or visit www.quinfert.co.nz

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

AGRIBUSINESS 21

Pioneer grain and seed man passes DAVID ANDERSON

WELL-KNOWN SOUTH Canterbury farmer, businessman and philanthropist Alan Annett passed away in January. A third-generation farmer, Annett was to own and run three different properties around South Canterbury in his 35-year farming career. However, on ‘retiring’ in 1981 he took on a parttime role as field representative with the fledgling South Island Export Barley Society. A year later, the newly named South Island Barley Society appointed Annett as its fulltime role as field officer for South Canterbury and North Otago. The society continued to expand, changing its name to Farmlands Grain NZ Society, and moving into the co-operative marketing of wheat and oil seed rape. Another name change – to Cropmark NZ Society – saw Annett appointed as regional controller and the business expanded into additional crops including field peas, turf ryegrasses, fescues, borage and others. After 10 years with the company, Annett left and in February 1991, with the encouragement of arable farmers in South Canterbury he, along with wife Nancy and daughter Chris, started Alan Annett Ltd, Grain and Seed Merchant business. The idea was for the business to be a lowkey operation; trading in grains and peas to flour mills as well as pig and poultry farmers; and exporting peas and lentils to Asia. However, by the late 1990s the business had grown rapidly into barley exporting, agrichemical sales and retail pasture seed. The growth of the ‘low-key’ business saw it move from the Annetts’ Timaru home to premises on State Highway 1 at St Andrews and expanding its farmer base throughout Canterbury, Otago and Southland. When the Government deregulated the

wheat industry in 1987 and stopped the ban on NZ exporting grain in foreign-flagged vessels, Alan was able to use that as an opportunity to significantly lift the price of barley for farmers in the mid-90s. At the time, there was a surplus in the market and any product that could be moved was at a very low price. He lobbied farmers, put together a cargo and did a deal with Australian-based buyer, Joseph and Company Ltd. There was quite the celebration on the day in January 1995 at the Port, as this was the first time a foreign-flagged vessel had left the Port of Timaru. Helping to mark the occasion was Southland MP – and later to become Prime Minister of NZ – Bill English, along with his brother Conor, who became chief executive of the Federated Farmers. Annett was very proud of this deal, which lifted the price farmers received for their barley to $200 a tonne – when the world price was only $120 a tonne. He was even more proud that he managed to convince the bank manager to advance him enough money to to pay all the farmers early, on Christmas Eve, before the ship had even sailed! While freighting fertiliser for clients from SouthFert (later to become part of the Ballance Co-op) in Southland up to Canterbury to make the price viable, Annett saw an opportunity for back loads. He contacted Harraways in Dunedin and the Mainland Poultry farm in Waikouaiti to see if he could supply them with grain in the trucks that were going down south empty, to pick up fertiliser. This was the start of a long and special relationship he had with these companies. In fact, right up until he went into care, Alan could be seen at his local supermarket shifting the Harraways products to the front of the shelves and relegating the Australian-owned competitor’s

product to the back of the shelves! In 2002, Alan and Nancy retired from the business (now having had its name changed to Annett Grain & seed Ltd). However, not before

he’d helped to establish another company, Plant Research NZ Ltd – with the support of Mid-Canterbury Grain & Seed Merchants (Midlands Seed Ltd and Cates Grain & Seed) and also

Adrian Russell, a plant breeder from Crop & Food Research. At that time, the company concentrated on developing new cultivars for the grain farming and milling industries.

Well-known South Island grain and seed man Alan Annett died in January.

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

22 MANAGEMENT

A win against pea weevil NEW ZEALAND is the first country to successfully eradicate a pea weevil incursion. The Wairarapa community has banded together for four years to help prevent pea weevil spreading to other parts of the country. It would have had a serious effect on New Zealand’s pea growing and processing industries if it had spread. When pea weevils were found in the Wairarapa in April 2016, a ban was put in place on growing peas anywhere in the region. As the weevils require peas to complete their lifecycle, removing their only food source would see them die out. Small areas of peas have recently been planted in the area as trap crops to attract any pea weevils, should they be present. Last season, no pea weevils were found in the trap crops and provided no more are found in the region this year, Wairarapa could again be growing peas next season. Dave Yard, principal response manager at Biosecurity New Zealand, says the pea weevil response would not have been possible without the

backing of local farmers and the community. “We’re experienced in running biosecurity responses, but we’re reliant on the support and assistance of the wider community for them to be successful.” Federated Farmers arable chair Karen Williams, a Wairarapa farmer herself, has been the industry representative on the pea weevil response group. No other country had previously attempted to eradicate pea weevil as all discoveries were considered ‘too far gone’. Pea weevil larvae feed on young peas, damaging crops. “The early days were pretty challenging as we looked to find a way forward,” says Williams. “There had been movement of peas and pea straw in and out of the region so there was concern that even if a regional ban was put in place, pea weevil could already have spread to other parts of New Zealand.” However, the group leading the response was optimistic that they had the chance to eradicate pea weevil and wanted to give it a go.

Fed Farmers arable chair Karen Williams.

“Peas are a high-value crop so Wairarapa farmers were hit hard and found it a challenge to find alternative crops with the same returns,” she adds. While Williams valued the experience of being part of the decision making group, she says it was tough being the only one with skin in the game in an environment where everyone wanted to do the right thing, but had different positions. The group supported the ban, but importantly

realised other things needed to be done in addition such as getting compensation and finding alternative crop options. “Biosecurity New Zealand, with the support of industry bodies is ready to take action whenever foreign pests and diseases which could badly damage New Zealand’s primary industries, economy, and unique environments, are detected here,” Yard says. Funding was granted through MPI’s

Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change Fund for an alternative cropping strategy for the Wairarapa so that local growers weren’t reliant on peas. Ex-gratia payments were also made to help ensure farmers were no better or worse off than they would have been continuing to grow peas. Over the past few years, Wairarapa farmers have demonstrated perseverance and flexibility in trying other crops such as maize grain, red clover and hemp. Williams and her husband planted more barley, a crop they were already growing. Although farmers are likely to go back to growing peas, she says rebuilding the Wairarapa pea farming industry won’t happen overnight. It will require the support of the seed companies to bring back the contracts lost as a result of the ban, but the greater challenge will be establishing a new seed processing plant to replace the former plant which closed due to the growing ban. However, Williams remains optimistic about the future beyond the lifting of the ban.

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

MANAGEMENT 23

Biocontrol options explored for nassella tussock TIM FULTON

SCIENTISTS ARE calling on farmers to help in the quest for the biological control of the noxious weed, nassella tussock. The tussock is spread across 1500 properties and more than 524,000ha in Marlborough and Canterbury, and in parts of Auckland, Hawke’s Bay and Northland. The weed is unpalatable to stock and has substantially reduced the livestock carrying capacity in the pastoral sector. The 524,000ha represents only 6% of its potential range and millions of dollars are spent trying to control its spread, with no end in sight to its spread. A three year-project funded by central government and local authorities aims to source biological control agents from the tussock’s native range in Argentina and Australia, as well as within New Zealand. In the search for biocontrol samples, farmers are being asked to look out for dying tussocks with fungi at the base that haven’t been sprayed and are easily pulled from the ground. Lincoln Universitybased scientist, Seona Casonato, said the project would assess the effectiveness of introducing fungi potentially from Australia and Argentina. This keeps reproducing on the plant without intervention – and will investigate the potential use of endemic New Zealand fungi in New Zealand, a bioherbicide that works similarly to a herbicide Endemic fungi would be added to those already on the plant. “We have chosen this approach because evidence from Argentina and Australia suggests that nassella tussock decline occurs when several fungal agents are operat-

ing synergistically, rather than a single organism being involved,” she said. Growing the fungi for inoculation and devising infection techniques to ensure the best disease is achieved on nassella tussock, would potentially require innovative skills. “It will be the first time many of these fungi have been grown under artificial conditions in the laboratory or glasshouse settings, where all initial testing will take place.” Biological control could provide innovative weed management solutions that were highly cost-effective and more sustainable than current control methods. In New Zealand, weed biocontrol had been successfully practised for decades and the country was the world leader in grass-weed biocontrol, Casonato said. The nassella tussock research would continue collaboration between New Zealand, Australia and Argentina that started in the 1990s. The countries would share existing knowledge and use new or existing funding, including a grant from the Sustainable Farming Fund. Casonato said fungal agents sometimes can only infect specific genotypes (genetically different) of the host plant, but not others (high host specificity), reducing their usefulness (for example if New Zealand genotypes of nassella tussock were not susceptible to the fungal agents). To mitigate this risk, genotyping studies of nassella tussock in New Zealand were underway to allow testing for possible differences in susceptibility. Additional fungal strains would be selected if this proved to be an issue. If all the potential overseas biocontrol agents prove to be too host-specific and unable to infect all genotypes of

nassella tussock found in New Zealand, the Argentine and Australian component of the project would cease. If this occurred, all research will be redirected to focus solely on

augmentative biocontrol of the weed, using fungal agents already present on nassella tussock in New Zealand. Conversely, if the agents either from New Zealand, Australia or

Argentina were found to not be host specific and they attacked desirable plants, they would be excluded from the project. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

Lincoln University scientist Seona Casonato.

Sending unsafe to tag animals to the works? AND

Before sending

Mark the animal

Declare the animal is unsafe to tag (UTT) in your NAIT account

Ensure the unsafe to tag animal has a marking so it can be identified at the works

Need help Call the OSPRI Contact Centre 0800 482 463 Note: unsafe to tag animals moved to a meat processor will be subject to a $13 UTT levy (excl. GST) per head. Failure to comply with the conditions of the UTT exemption may result in a $400 fine per animal or prosecution.

If you can help supply nassella tussock samples for the biocontrol study, email seona. casonato@lincoln.ac.nz or ph 03 4230724 or mob 0221 676 290.

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

24 MANAGEMENT

Demand for better water quality grows PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

PUBLIC ATTITUDES are very strong on environmental issues – such as clean water – and that is driving policy, accord-

ing to the director of the Farmed Landscapes Research Centre (FLRC) at Massey University. Speaking at the recent 33rd FLRC annual workshop in Palmerston North, Professor Chris

Anderson says it’s clear the public wants clean water. He believes calls for action on this and other environmental issues are coming from a broad cross section of society and are based on

the situation in NZ, but also other climate related events overseas – such as the Australian bush fires. But he says not everyone in society understands the issues. “We deal a lot with

schools and even there you have got some people there who are really environmentally strong and focused. But some haven’t got there yet and haven’t made that change. It is the same Professor Chris Anderson.

when we talk to public bodies – there is a difference of opinion there as well.” Anderson says the science to deal with such issues has always been there and that a lot of good science has been done over a long period. The themes at the workshop were on GHG emissions, nutrient management, water quality and dealing with carbon. Around 230 people – scientists, rural professionals, policy makers from central and local government and number of international speakers attended the three-day workshop. The sessions were, by and large, highly technical and showcased some of the projects being undertaken both here and overseas to address the multiplicity of challenges being faced by the agricultural sector to prevent damage to the environment. These also drew attention to new govern-

ment policies and the targets that are being set for farmers to reduce greenhouse gases and other new policy directives. Anderson says these are challenging issues, but science is about responding to those challenges and informing the discussion on them. He says science continues to evolve and respond to challenges and says there is a need for educating those in the primary sector about the new regulations and some of the solutions on offer. “The FLRC workshop has turned into a forum where we can share new ideas and experiences and get an international perspective from our overseas speakers,” he told Rural News. “It is very exciting because we are attracting a lot more people from overseas and as well the event is acting as a catalyst to putting on other events either side of it.” @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

FERT SAVINGS SINCE KING Country farmer Laurie Pottinger started using Overseer, his fertiliser costs have dropped by at least $100 per hectare annually. “Any money you save has got to be good, hasn’t it,” he says. “It’s a really good tool, especially for saving money for farmers and getting it right.” Pottinger formerly farmed dairy cows on his Otorohanga farm, but recently sold the dairy herd and some of the land and is now focusing on beef cattle as well as doing some farm consultancy. “We have been using Overseer for about three or four years,” he says. “We are also using Overseer to minimise the cost of fertiliser because there are times when too much might be getting put on the pasture. We are trying to get the whole thing dialled down, to save money and get maximum performance.” Historically, the farm’s spend on fertiliser was around $380 to $400 per hectare annually. “Since we’ve been using Overseer, we’ve dropped that down on the different blocks to about $240$280 per hectare,” he says. “So, it is saving us money.”

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

ANIMAL HEALTH 25

No magic bullet to fly control Facts about blowflies 1 Only a small percentage of the overall fly population affect sheep.

2 These flies are almost always attracted to the breech area. 3 They have a seasonal activity pattern of onset and population increase, so treatments can be timed accordingly. These three factors mean use of a preventive chemical product can be limited to a specific time, to the breech area, and on the most susceptible animals (e.g. lambs at or before weaning).

It is estimated that 2-10% of the national flock is affected by flystrike annually and the subsequent economic effects can be measured in the millions of dollars. facies) Insect growth regulators (IGRs) describe a broad mode of action, rather than a distinct chemical group. These chemicals affect the ability of immature insects to develop through to adulthood. There are two IGR chemical groups relevant to flystrike prevention: 1 – Benzyl phenyl ureas (BPUs) – diflubenzuron and triflumuron 2 – Triazine and pyrimidine derivatives – cyromazine and dicyclanil Neonicotinoids are a relatively new chemical class of synthetic pesticides. There is only one neonicotinoid – imidacloprid – registered for

use on sheep in New Zealand and it is available in combination with triflumuron. Spinosyn Spinosyns are one of the newest chemical classes of insecticides and is a natural non-synthetic compound. The Spinosyn available for use in fly treatment is spinosad. Spinosyn is also available in combination with cyromazine as a saturation jetting formulation. While resistance to chemicals is difficult to avoid altogether, strictly following the application instructions and using well-functioning gear to apply the chemicals can slow its foothold.

Regulation and safer alternative chemicals have seen the use and availability of organophosphates decrease in New Zealand. Only two active ingredients remain on the market: 1 – Propetamphos – flystrike spot treatment and saturation dip available to approved handlers only, and 2 – Diazinon – likely to be withdrawn from the sheep-dip market in the near future. Tips to slow blowfly resistance: • Only use chemicals known to be effective. • If treating twice in a season, rotate effective

chemical groups. • Use a different chemical to treat an active flystrike lesion than used for flystrike prevention. • If using combination sheep dips for flystrike prevention and lice control, consider the efficacy spectrum and resistance status of the products in the combination. • If lice control in short wool and fly control in long wool is required in the one year, use products from different chemical groups. • Information gleaned from the Beef+LambNZ factsheet on flystrike; more next issue

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THERE IS no “one-size fits all” approach, when it comes to effective prevention and treatment of flystrike. Instead, it relies on a multi-pronged approach. Flystrike occurs when blowflies lay eggs in warm, moist areas on a sheep and these eggs hatch into maggots, which then invade the living sheep. During spring, summer and autumn – and especially when conditions are humid – flystrike can be a significant problem for New Zealand sheep farmers. It is estimated that 2-10% of the national flock is affected by flystrike annually and the subsequent economic effects can be measured in the millions of dollars. Farmers spend in excess of $15 million annually on sheep dips, alone. Alongside the economic impacts of flystrike, there are obvious animal welfare issues. There are four blowfly species cause flystrike in New Zealand. In order of prevalence, they are: 1 – Australian green blowfly (Lucilia Cuprina) 2 – European green blowfly (Lucilia sericata) 3 – Brown blowfly (Calliphora stygia) 4 – Hairy maggot blowfly (Chrysomya rufi-

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

26 ANIMAL HEALTH

Preventing and treating FE ZINC IS the only treatment option farmers have when dealing with Facial Eczema. However, there are options in the method of how it can be administered. B+LNZ’s senior biosecurity advisor Will Halliday, says zinc binds to the fungal toxin Sporidesmin in the animal’s rumen, rendering the toxin inactive. So, while zinc doesn’t stop animals ingesting the toxin, it does stop the symptoms of Facial Eczema (FE) developing. He says sheep farmers have two options to get the zinc into the animal. The first is zinc

oxide powder, which can be mixed with water and used to drench sheep either weekly or fortnightly. This is time consuming and can put sheep at risk of developing pneumonia by frequently running them in and out of hot, dusty yards. The second option is a slow-release capsule, which is essentially a bolus of zinc. The capsule provides protection from FE for up to six weeks. Halliday says, ideally, the capsule should be administered one or two weeks before a risk period – which can be difficult to predict. “It relies on people

THERE IS wealth of information about the prevention and treatment of Facial Eczema in the B+LNZ-produced book Facing up to Facial Eczema. It can be downloaded at https://beeflambnz. com/knowledge-hub/PDF/facing-facialeczema

keeping a very close eye on spore counts within their district and talking to vets or other relevant professionals.” He says as a rule of thumb, if it’s warm enough at night to be

kicking blankets off the bed yet there is dew on your windscreen in the morning, then conditions are perfect for FE. Sheep don’t drink enough water to make trough treatment with

zinc an option, but this is option for cattle. Halliday says FE is typically more of a problem in dairy cattle, but it can be seen in young beef animals. Zinc boluses are also an option for cattle, but he says it is important farmers discuss their treatment options with their vet, particularly as there can be an interaction between zinc and copper. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

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STRATEGIC GRAZING management can help farmers manage the risk of Facial Eczema over summer and autumn. Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s senior biosecurity advisor Will Halliday says grazing management starts with keeping a close eye on local spore counts and being prepared to act when these counts begin to rise. He says most farmers know which are their high-risk paddocks, but if they are unsure, they might want to carry out spore counts on suspect paddocks. One option for high-risk paddocks is to sow pastures or forages that are considered lower risk than traditional ryegrass because of their structure.

These include tall fescue, chicory, plantain and brassica crops. If pasture renewal is difficult, Halliday recommends farmers keep a close eye on residue pasture covers and moving animals frequently to avoid hard grazing. “The majority of spores that cause Facial Eczema live in the bottom 5cm of the sward, so preventing animals grazing down to this level will help reduce the risk of stock ingesting these spores.” While there are fungicides on the market that can be sprayed onto pasture to reduce the spore loading, Halliday suggests farmers investigate the suitability of these for their operation before investing in them.

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

MACHINERY & PRODUCTS 27

Holden to bite the dust markd@ruralnews.co.nz

A FEW weeks ago, it told us – with a poker face – that utes and SUVs were the future. However, last week, Holden put its cards on the table, telling us it’s folding by the end of 2021 in both New Zea-

from right-hand drive markets, so it was effectively building vehicles that sold only in Thailand and Australasia – all of which are relatively small markets compared to the rest of the globe. The company has said that it will honour all service and warranty commitments, alongside

ing 1.6 million vehicles. At this stage, it says it is also in discussions to establish a supply chain to support GM badged, specialised vehicles like Silverado and Camaro.

Holden will no longer exist post 2021.

FOR GREAT PASTURE AND CROP YIELD.

Holden has stated that it will continue to trade until the last unit is sold. land and Australia. As the retrieval plans unfolds, it appears that the only staff to remain from the overall headcount of 800, will be those in the aftersales departments looking after service, warranty and parts issues. Citing a global consolidation of the automobile industry, GM operations senior vice president, Julian Blissett noted that GM had worked through multiple scenarios, but ultimately concluded it was unable to rebrand and remain competitive with a product that only sold in two markets. A further consideration was the fact that in other parts of the world, GM had removed itself

making parts available for at least ten years. Existing dealers, 185 in Australia and 31 in NZ, will be offered contracts to become authorised service agents. They will also be helped with compensation packages and ongoing assistance to liquidate current inventories. It is interesting to note that the manufacturing plant in Thailand, that builds the Colorado ute, has been sold to Chinese manufacturer Great Wall, which has already promised new product for the buoyant ute sector in NZ. Holden has stated that it will continue to trade until the last unit is sold, while also ensuring ongoing support to the exist-

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Coronavirus slows JCB GLOBAL EARTHMOVER and telehandler manufacturer JCB, says it has to reduce production levels at its factories, due to shortages from Chinese component suppliers – which have been impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. The company reports that as a result, 4000 workers will undertake a shorter working week, with an immediate cessation of any overtime work. In the UK, the supply problems will result in a 34-hour working week for production workers with immediate effect. Affected employees will be paid for a normal 39-hour week, but will bank hours, to be “worked off” later in the year. The company reports that as of February 17, around 25% of its suppliers in China remain closed, while those that had reopened were struggling to meet production targets and similar issues with shipments. JCB says the ongoing problems of inbound component supply will obviously create disruption, resulting in lower production levels and delivery issues.

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

28 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS

Complete tech solutions MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

TRIMBLE, THE global positioning and precision agriculture specialists began establishing its Vantage distributor net-

work in 2016 to serve the rapidly evolving industry. The company’s solutions cover all seasons, crops, terrains and farm sizes. Its brand-agnostic strategy allows farmers to use Trimble products

on most vehicles in their fleet, regardless of manufacturer From February 1, Agri Optics New Zealand Ltd has combined its staff with those of GPS Control Systems, to become

Vantage’s brand-agnostic strategy will allow farmers to use Timble products on most vehicles in their fleet.

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Vantage New Zealand Agricultural Solutions Ltd. In doing so, it has now joined the international network of Vantage distributors and become the exclusive New Zealand Trimble agriculture dealer. Offering the full Trimble Agriculture product portfolio, Vantage New Zealand will provide growers, advisors, retailers, co-ops and local OEMs with precision agriculture solutions for the entire farm. Solutions on offer through Trimble include; guidance and steering systems for most farm machinery, regardless of make, type or model. Additionally, the offering includes flow and application control systems to increase yield and save on input costs, water management solutions for irrigation and drainage that allow farmers to minimize water costs and efficiently distribute water. On the advisory front, additional services will be available to assess crop health, investigate soil properties and make prescriptive nutrient recommendations – with data collection and management solutions to enable better decision making. Recognising that many manufacturers already offer their own brands of precision agriculture solutions, Vantage NZ says

ultimately farmers will choose brands that they are familiar with. “But, at the end of the day, it’s about making it as easy as possible for farmers to use the machinery they want to, with the technology they want to, to get the best outcome for their individual farming businesses.” The company suggests that by closing the gap between advice previously offered by Agri Optics and the Trimble Agriculture suite previously offered by GPS Control systems – while remaining brand-agnostic under the Vantage umbrella – it will be able to be more solutions-focused for their customers. It says this will be achieved by dedicated support teams in the key farming regions, complimented by additional support from the company base in Methven. “We are excited to be a Vantage partner serving the precision agriculture needs of farmers in New Zealand,” said Jemma Mulvihill of Vantage New Zealand. “Our commitment has always been to help farmers find the right technology solutions that best meet their needs, while providing ongoing support and training so they can experience the full benefit of their precision agriculture solutions.” www.vantage-nz.com

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So if you’re ready to take your operation forward, see your John Deere dealer today or visit JohnDeere.co.nz/NextLeapForward *Conditions apply. PowerGard Protection Plan (Limited Option) available on new John Deere 7R Tractors purchased between 01/12/2019 and 31/07/2020. Year and hour limits include the underlying basic warranty terms. Comprehensive and longer term PowerGard Protection Plan contracts are also available at additional cost. See JohnDeere.co.nz for full terms and conditions of the PowerGard Protection Plan. TRACTA JNDPPA62775_NZ_7R_RN

Read us until the cows come home!

www.ruralnews.co.nz

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

MACHINERY & PRODUCTS 29

A trailer for every situation MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

SET UP in early 2019, Fliegl New Zealand has ambitious plans, to build on the work done by previous importers. The company wants to introduce NZ farmers and growers to the Bavarian manufacturer’s extensive range of trailers, slurry tankers and manure spreaders. Claiming to be the world’s largest manufacturer of such products, with an annual output in excess of 5500 units, the family-owned company takes pride in quality by manufacturing the bulk of its key components in-house. Featuring extensive use of galvanised components throughout, most of its tipping trailers are equipped with a clever three-way tipping system. These can be particularly useful for race maintenance or filling ruts created by travelling irrigators.

Capacities range from 2.6 to 8 tonnes in single axle format, while tandem configurations offer a range from 8 to 20 tonnes. Dedicated dump trailers are available in multiple ranges, with some units manufactured from 450 Hardox steel, allowing lighter tare weights and increased carrying capacity. Of interest its push-off trailers that remove the need to lift high-capacity bodies, which in turn increases instability. This removes the risk of vertical jack-knifing, often created by high volumes of material “sticking” in traditional trailer layouts. The system also lends itself to dealing with delicate cargoes or operating in areas with restricted headroom that limits trailer capacities. National manager Kayla White says the business, based in Milton, Otago, is focussed on providing service back

up for the multiple units already operating in NZ, while also securing greater dealer representation in all the key provinces throughout the country.

Left to Right: Sebastian Smija sales managerAsia and Kayla Wylie Fliegl NZ at the southern field days.

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FIRST SEEN at the 2019 National Fieldays, WorkSafe’s side-by-side training simulator was also in use at the recent Southern field days at Gore. Aimed at giving inexperienced users a realistic feel to off road operation, the set-up highlights potential hazards and pitfalls. Developed by South Island company CoDrivr, which already had experience in creating rally driver /training simulators. The operation is headed by farmer and rally driver Rhys Gardener and general manager Claire Paterson. Having taken around five years to develop, originally with funding from private investors, the original machines were centred on the areas of road safety. Looking at the side-by-side simulator in more detail, the “experience” was filmed on a local farm to produce an exact replica of a typical scenario. Much of the development path was focused around turning what was perceived as a game into a valuable training device that gave lifelike feedback. Gardener reports that whilst queues to ride the simulator are largely teenagers, they quickly lose the gung-ho attitude when they realise the unit offers lifelike training with the risks removed. As part of the technology, the operator can also introduce abnormal hazards and realistic consequences – with a result that users learn from experience. Moving forward, CoDrivr sees its device as having a place to initiate training for wider audiences, with volume production reducing costs, which will eventually see its simulators in retail quad bike and sideby-side retailers throughout the country. – Mark Daniel

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

30 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS / RURAL TRADER

2019 – an unremarkable year MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

AS WE enter the second decade of the 21st century, the Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA) is putting a positive spin on the 2019 tractor sales result. During the year there were 4007 sales, while this was 13.6% down on the 2018, TAMA president John Tulloch is upbeat – suggesting anything over 4000 units is still a respectable result. Raising issues that were causing some concern for TAMA members, Tulloch noted that the practice of “overtrading” in the industry, was giving some customers a distorted idea of what their “trade-ins”

were really worth. The practice is used by some sales teams to make deals look more attractive, or to match the figure the farmer is showing for an item in their management accounts. Tulloch compared the practice with the motor industry, where many dealers used the likes of Turners Auctions or other organisations to determine what the trade will pay. He went on to suggest that in a simplified world, every deal would be a “no-trade deal”— with used items coming in at a pre-agreed value. Further afield, the Australian Association (TMA) was also reporting a shortfall for 2019, with 11,000 sales – a 9% fall compared to 2018. P

Inset: TAMA president John Tulloch.

“It remains to be seen whether the month of December 2019, up 7.5% H

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figures in the 9000 to 10,000 range being predicted – a significant drop from the recent peaks of 12,000 plus. units. Northover also reported that the continuation of the severe drought, water shortages and the crippling bush fires were having

a devastating effect in many states. He said this has led to winners and losers, the former being an increase in baler sales, as farmers turned failed crops into forage, while combine harvester – down 20% -- and selfpropelled sprayers were struggling.

He also noted that a lack of forward orders is compounding the issues of static inventories, some up to two years old, which is clogging up the supply chain as new models begin to hit the market. @rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

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over the same month in 2018, was manipulated to bring tractor sales forward to make the year look respectable,” TMA executive director, Gary Northover said. Meanwhile, expectations for 2020 Australian tractor sales are said to be pessimistic, with

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more than $1 billion in research and development every year. The company claims it has led the way in new energy products and technologies, from biofuels and liquefied natural gas. Recent developments include Shells’ PurePlus range, the world’s first Gas-to-Liquid lubricant, said to be a landmark innovation with increased performance and environmental benefits. TransDiesel, 100% kiwi owned,

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Northland Field Days TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS DARGAVILLE MARCH 5-7, 2020

FEBRUARY 25, 2020: ISSUE 695 www.ruralnews.co.nz

Dry Dargaville ready to shine SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

THE BIGGEST issue facing organisers of next month’s Northland Field Days is water, says vice president Basil Cole. He says normally roads and tracks at the Dargaville site are watered regularly during the event to minimise dust pollution. However, with Northland facing a severe drought and water restrictions in place, organisers are making alternative arrangements for water to keep dust away during the three-day event. “It’s one of the driest we’ve had for a while,” Cole told Rural News. “We are connected to the town water supply…normally we would have no problems watering the roads at the site but not this year. “Everyone is facing water restrictions: while there is no problem with drinking water we won’t be able to use the town supply to douse our roads.” Cole says organisers are making arrangements to cart water to the site to keep dust at a minimum. He says big trucks, with ●● Northland Field Days engine fans, ●● March 5-7 operating within the site create ●● At Dargaville showgrounds huge dust. sites: only Despite the ●● Over 400 exhibitors a handful of big dry and ●● Tickets - $12/adult, $5/child, sites remain water restricfor sale. tions, prepaunder 5- free The commitrations for the tee members are event are in full volunteers, mostly farmers, growers swing. Last week, Cole and his group of and semi-retired professionals. Cole, an engineer, is semi-retired. committee members were marking He says the event is a big part of the site. About 400 exhibitors have booked their calendar year for the volunteers.

Northland field days committee members (from left) Ross Newlove, Gail Cole, Basil Cole, Shane Hanley, Ned Stevens and John Phillips take a well-earned break from marking out the Dargaville showgrounds site late last month.

“It takes up a good three months of our lives every year but we enjoy it,” he says. “There are dairy farmers here who volunteer during the day then go off to their farms to milk cows in the afternoon.” The Northland Field Days kick off on Thursday March 5. Gates open for visitors at 9am daily: on Thursday and Friday, gates

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such as a guide dog or the dog has been authorised, in writing, by the Northland Field Days to be on an exhibitor site. Parking for the event is across the road from the main gate. Cole says tractor trailers will be available for people to travel from the car park to the site. He says despite the drought, organisers are hoping for a great event.

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

2 NORTHLAND FIELD DAYS

NFD loses a stalwart Northland Field Days preparation this year started on a sad note with the death of president Lew Duggan on January 31. This tribute was written by vice-president Basil Cole. LEW DUGGAN first became involved with the field days as an exhibitor, joining the committee in 2005. He was elected president in 2010. Due to the management position he held with Farmlands, he was able to bring skills and contacts to the field days

that were of great benefit. His first move was to go through the field days constitution and change it to fit the present day. He then reviewed and changed the structure of the committee by setting up sub committees. Members were aligned to the committees to fit their own skills or prefer-

ence. Although Lew did not get involved with setting up the field days he placed himself on many of these committees, which meant he attended more meetings than anybody else. Lew had a calm temperament, was competent and could make a decision quickly. He has

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He appreciated that the field days did not “happen by accident” and without the support of the dedicated volunteers involved, the event would not happen.

Sad loss: Lew Duggan

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volunteers have “real jobs” and families and would only give what time was left over. He was concerned that young people were not getting involved. Lew was approachable, a good listener and had a sense of humour; a great people person and a passionate supporter of the field days. He appreciated that the field days did not “happen by accident” and without the support of the dedicated volunteers involved, the event would not happen. The deterioration of Lew’s health did not stop him being involved. He decided that after 10 years the constitution needed review. It is hoped he got fairly well through it so it may be finished as he would want. Lew will be greatly missed by Northland field days and the wider community.

APPLICATIONS ARE now open for the Northland Field Days Study Grants which provide up to $2000 for Northlanders studying in an agricultural or horticultural programme. The applications close on March 30. The Study Grants have been around for a long time. However, before 2014 they weren’t offered annually and it depended on the funds available after an event. From 2014, a study grant or grants have been awarded each year. Candidates must be a Northlander - born in Northland but they don’t have to be living here at the time of application - studying an agricultural or horticultural programme at a recognised training organisation (ie a university, a wellknown training academy etc) and be able to provide references from school and/or any employers. “We have a group of committee members that go through each application and then they make their recommendations as to who will receive a grant and the amount of the grant (anything up to $2,000) to the full Northland Field Days Committee and those recommendations are either approved or declined by the full committee,” a spokesperson says.

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

NORTHLAND FIELD DAYS 3

Magic tonic needed to open wallets PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

RAIN IS the magic tonic in the farming community, says Northland based AgFirst consultant Tafi Manjala. But without it the sentiment going into the Northland field days from the farming community will likely to be “cautious”, he says. “When it is raining and things are going well people are more buoyant and positive about the future,” Manjala told Rural News. “They feel more confident about things, they can justify to themselves why they can have some discretionary expenditure at the field days “If we have some good rain it’s going to smooth the buying decisions. “Whereas with no rain people will be looking for big bargains in small-cost areas rather than capital spending.” He says the mood going into this summer was buoyant. But unless there is good rain; caution is likely on the back of summer developments. “A lot of things have happened, we’ve got the issues around coronavirus and we have the

extreme dry,” Manjala adds. “Both factors have a resulted in a dip in our commodity prices particularly in the sheep and beef space and obviously loss of milk production from the dairy point of view.” Dairy farmers aren’t necessarily drying off. They’re doing the stuff they do every year which is identifying which cows which won’t be in herd next season and getting rid of those. “It is happening a bit earlier than normal and people are getting rid of more cows than what they normally would. I haven’t heard of blanket drying off.” Autumn cows are, of course, dry as they will be calving soon. But Manjala says unless there is significant rain any spending at the field days that has been budgeted and has to happen on farm will still go ahead. “They will be out there bargain hunting to buy the things I am referring to such as compliance expenditure that they need to happen.” He believes that is equipment like cooling refrigeration systems or something around effluent system for a farm business. “Those things will still go ahead regardless of the current challenges we are experiencing.”

Manjala believes that when things are going well, farmers will spend on non-essentials, knowing it is not a necessity, but they can afford it anyway. “I think there is going to be quite a lot of caution in that space. “There will be less of those and that’s likely to be the people who have got some other income from means other than farming.” He says unless there is significant rain or some good news factor farmers are likely to be concentrating on the basics. Northland-based AgFirst consultant Tafi Manjala expects farmer sentiment to be cautious.

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

4 NORTHLAND FIELD DAYS

Dairy big part of economy SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

DAIRY FARMING is worth $668 million annually to the Northland economy, according to DairyNZ. The average farm working expenses in 2017-18 season was $1400 per cow: this included feed, vet services, fertiliser and dairy shed supplies. DairyNZ presented the figures at its Farmers Forum in Whangarei last week. About 100 farmers attended the day-long event. Northland has 947 herds: average herd size is 318 cows. The region has over 300,000 milking cows. There are 763 farmer owners/operators and 221 sharemilkers. Average farm size is 140ha, with average of 2.3 cows

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Dairy farming is worth $668 million annually to the Northland economy.

per ha. Dairy is also a major employer in the region: 2200 people are employed on farms, 600 in milk processing plants. According to DairyNZ, dairy jobs contribute 4.7% of the total employment

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Rural News

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

6 NORTHLAND FIELD DAYS

Bank out to help dry farmers SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

FOLLOWING THE Government’s declaration of drought in Northland, the BNZ has announced its own assistance package for farmers. The bank is offering farmers additional temporary overdraft approvals of up to $100,000 and ability to defer scheduled principal repayments. BNZ general manager agribusiness, Dave Handley says these are challenging times for Northland farmers. “We want to support them and alleviate some of the pressure brought on by the lack of rain.”

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“We’ve been working alongside our agri-customers in the region for some time to understand what we can do to help them as conditions became more challenging. “Temporary overdraft facilities and the ability to defer scheduled principle repayments should take some of the pressure off farmers so they can concentrate on running their business and looking after their stock through this period of dry weather.” The bank has welcomed the government’s official declaration of a drought, adding it will unlock further support.

“We’ll continue to work with our customers alongside these new provisions,” he says. Handley says BNZ is proactively contacting its farmer customers to discuss support options and is encouraging all its farmer customers to contact the bank if they have not heard from their BNZ partner yet. In another move BNZ has launched Mobile BNZ in Kaikohe, Northland: offering banking services back to Kawakawa, Paihia, Rawene, Opononi, Coopers Beach and Mangonui. BNZ chief customer officer, Paul Carter, says Mobile BNZ ensures customers in Northland will

The Mobile BNZ will be out and about in Northland.

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

NORTHLAND FIELD DAYS 7

A big focus on infrastructure for Northland PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

THREE WATER projects, rail and other transport network upgrades, funding for innovation hubs, horticulture initiatives and employment programme will all provide a boost for Northland’s primary industries and agribusiness sectors into the future. So says Vaughan Cooper, Northland Inc.’s general manager, investment and infrastructure. “The really exciting

around horticulture. The park’s location is across State Highway 12 from a geothermal power station being built by Top Energy and due to start producing electricity in mid2020. Low-cost power direct from the new plant is one of the attractions touted for the industrial park. Cooper says there are also some smaller scale initiatives around the Whenua Maori funding with training programmes. There is one called Ecological Warriors

able to land owners and how many. “The design stage could take up to two more years and construction period will depend on the ultimate design whether you build one big

dam or a series of small dams.” There have been a number of announcements on the rail network within Northland. Cooper says rail is one component of an inte-

“You might just want to irrigate your land, you might decide to grow some more feedstock or you might diversify into horticulture and grow areas of kiwifruit or whatever.” thing is the real focus on the region,” he told Rural News. “We are actually starting to see some investment in the region - whether that is in tourism or where it is - it will benefit the region and the rural community.” With water there have been three announcements, he says. There’s work being done around Te Hiku in the Far North, the big Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) water storage project which is planned for the mid North and Kaipara and more work being done in the Ruawai part of the Kaipara. There has also been PGF funding for some ‘water culture’ type business like Maungatapere Berries. The Government is investing $980,000 towards Kaipara Kai – a project that will explore new crop and stock types, and aquaculture opportunities for the region. That includes a Transformation Hub at Ruawai. Plans are also being developed Ngāwhā Innovation and Enterprise Park on what is currently a dairy farm near Ngāwhā Springs, which could create more than 500 jobs. That will look at enterprise and innovation

with training in pest control and farm practices. The Totara project is an ongoing project around using totara as an alternative timber product which could be another potential income source for landowners and farmers. A two-year pilot study has recently finished. Cooper says water storage is about providing opportunity. “Having access to water allows you to have a number of different opportunities in what you want to do. If you have a secure water source you can think differently about what you might want to grow on your farm or you might want to invest in. “You might just want to irrigate your land, you might decide to grow some more feedstock or you might diversify into horticulture and grow areas of kiwifruit or whatever. “The real advantage is water gives you that security in that you know you can do those things and put the investment in.” The planning and design is underway on where they can start collecting and storing water and how far can it can be pumped to make it avail-

grated transport system. “You need roading, you need rail, and you need shipping especially for rural communities because it allows access and ensures products can always get to market.”

Northland Inc.’s general manager Vaughan Cooper.

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RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

8 NORTHLAND FIELD DAYS

Water storage funding welcomed PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

A FURTHER $12.7 million boost for water storage proposals with potential to open up land for high value horticulture in Northland has been applauded by local and national groups. The recent $12 million from the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) comes on top of the $18.5m allocation from the same fund two years ago. The collaborative initiative is led by the Northland Regional Council and involves the Far North and Kaipara District Councils and Northland Inc. Northland Inc chief executive Murray Reade says the project provides a much-needed opportunity to manage a critical resource for the region.

“This water storage scheme would mean I could get the best value out of my land and have confidence that any investment made to develop it wouldn’t be wasted because we could manage the drought risk.”

Oturei farmer Dennis Te Tuhi currently runs a 40ha sheep and beef farm south of Dargaville. He says any opportunity to transition to a higher value land use would bring benefits for both landowners and the wider community. “We have good soils for horticulture in our region but as we’re finding out right now, we’re vulnerable to mother nature if it doesn’t rain,” he says. “This water storage

scheme would mean I could get the best value out of my land and have confidence that any investment made to develop it wouldn’t be wasted because we could manage the drought risk. “It would mean we could employ a lot more people so the effects would flow all through the community.” Initial studies indicate the water storage and use project has the real potential to create hundreds of jobs and grow

Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones says reliable freshwater supply will provide landowners with options and opportunities.

Northland’s economy by tens of millions annually, says Reade. While primarily aimed at storing water for horticulture, it may also provide a valuable supply of water for municipal supplies should district councils decide to invest in the project for this

purpose. IrrigationNZ supports the Government’s decision to inject $12.7m into improving Northland’s water resilience. “It’s promising to see the Government recognise the need for water infrastructure, as the demand for it is only

going to increase in the future,” says Elizabeth Soal, Irrigation New Zealand chief executive. “The dry summers New Zealand now repeatedly experiences are why supporting more resilient water infrastructure is crucial.” Up to $12m through the PGF will go towards the Northland Water Storage and Use Project and a further $745,000 for Kai for Kaipara Project- Kaipara District Council. In 2018, the PGF provided up to $18.5m to Northland Regional Council to progress water storage projects in the Kaipara and mid-North regions through pre-feasibility work. The funding allowed only one of these to move to full feasibility and construction. Regional Economic Development Minister

Shane Jones says a reliable freshwater supply will provide landowners with greater land use options and the opportunity to develop new sustainable agriculture and horticulture markets. He says the PGF can be used to invest in water storage initiatives that will enable Māori land to be better utilised, strengthen regional economies, are environmentally sustainable, have local support and deliver benefits to communities. The $745,000 PGF funding for the Kai for Kaipara project will enable Kaipara District Council to demonstrate a model that will give local landowners and external investors’ confidence that they can transition to high-value horticulture once a sustainable water supply is in place.

“We are really enjoying the HD Vet Crush... It did an exceptional job head bailing 100 cattle for AI. The LIC technicians were impressed.”

Site 175

- Patrick Crawshaw

VERSATILE • AFFORDABLE • FAST Significant discounts available at Northland Field Days on the great range of stock on site. Get in quick to grab a deal!! For further information and videos go to

www. combiclamp.co.nz or contact us on

0800 227 228

™

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

NORTHLAND FIELD DAYS 9

Best of Europe on display MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

THE LATEST offerings from Europe will be on show at the CLAAS Harvest Centre display at this year’s Northland Field Days. Headlining the display at sites 27/29 and 82/84 will be a special edition CLAAS ARION 660 advanced technology tractor. This marks the production of CLAAS’

PTO shaft, axles, hydraulics and management systems. From a control point of view, CLAAS offers three operating systems – CEBIS, CIS+ and CIS – with intuitive, easy to use controls. On the grass harvest front, CLAAS Harvest Centre product manager, Luke Wheeler says the new Disco Move 3600 and 3200 mowers feature a highly manoeuvrable headstock that allows the

Having invested well over $1 billion into tractor R&D and manufacturing capabilities over the past decade, CLAAS now offers more than 30 different tractor models spanning 75 to 530 hp – with well-known names such as Xerion, Axion, Arion and Axos. 150,000th tractor since acquiring the Renault brand in 2003. Sporting a metallic paint finish and commemorative ‘150,000’ decals, the limited edition model boasts CMATIC continuously variable transmission, front axle suspension, fourpoint cab suspension, CEBIS operating system, TELEMATICS and a long list of in-cab features, including leather trim, mobile phone mount, tinted rear window and LED lighting. Having invested well over $1 billion into tractor R&D and manufacturing capabilities over the past decade, CLAAS now offers more than 30 different tractor models spanning 75 to 530 hp – with well-known names such as Xerion, Axion, Arion and Axos. Having picked up a number of awards over the last 14 years, all CLAAS tractors are designed in accordance with the CLAAS POWER SYSTEMS philosophy. CPS aims to optimise every component of the drive train – the engine, emissions control system, transmission, drive assembly,

mower to move independently from the tractor front linkage. The MOVE headstock has 600 mm upward and 400 mm downward travel, making it ideal for uneven fields. It can also pivot up to 30 degrees laterally, further improving its ability to follow contours or swing backwards to avoid obstacles. The headstock includes the ACTIVE FLOAT integrated hydraulic suspension and the low pivot point from the PROFIL range. “This eliminates the need for suspension spring coupling points on the tractor, with suspension pressure adjusted during operation using a single-acting hydraulic service.” The headstock can be coupled either directly to the tractor front linkage or using an A-frame, while also incorporating an adjustment guide to set the front link arms at the right height. The front linkage now remains fixed during operation, with the mower raised and lowered via integrated hydraulics. DISCO MOVE 3600 and 3200 units have operating widths of 3.4 and 3

m, respectively, and are available in mower (F), mower tine conditioner (FC) or mower roller conditioner (FRC) configurations. Options include

hydraulic side covers, foldable lights and warning panel and double wide-angle mirrors for improved visibility on the road.

Headlining the CLAAS display at sites 27/29 and 82/84 will be a special edition ARION 660 advanced technology tractor.

“Levno’s great customer service sets them apart. They’ve always been quick to let me know when an issue needs escalating on farm.” Michael Withers, Southland Farmer

CHOOSE THE PROVEN PROVIDER OF MILK VAT MONITORING SYSTEMS PROTECT YOUR MILK WITH THE LEADER IN MILK VAT MONITORING Levno for Milk monitors temperature through your milk system; plus volume, milking time, and vat agitator action.

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VISIT US AT NORTHLAND FIELD DAYS: SITE 123B

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

10 NORTHLAND FIELD DAYS

Hard yards on family farm pays off SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

HARVESTING 15 tonnes of cabbage in hailstorms and hand weeding paddocks under a scorching sun made a perfect training ground for Austin Singh Purewal. The 18-year-old, who won the NZ Young Vegetable Grower of the Year award two months ago, says the hard work on the family farm is paying off. Purewal, the youngestever to win the title, told Hort News that although growing up on the family farm wasn’t easy, he enjoyed the challenges. “Had we not experienced the hardships of cutting 15 tonnes of cabbage in hail storms, or hand weeding hectare blocks of produce in the scorching sun, my brother and I wouldn’t have shaped up to be the

men we are today. “I wouldn’t have been able to win the young grower award and I wouldn’t be able to accomplish what I already have at age 18.” Purewal recalls having an eye for technology as a boy: looking at inventions for picking and packing produce to make things easy for farmers and workers on-farm. From a young age, Purewal was also introduced to financial planning in business. “The interest in money was my key driving force as from a young age my brother and I ran our own stalls in farmers’ markets. We saw customers buying our hard work. “We were able to experience how to handle and generate income through selling fresh produce which was benefiting the community and

NZ Young Vegetable Grower of the Year Austin Singh Purewal.

teaching us life skills.” Working on the family farm was also fun, like walking the brassica crops and in the orchard with the dog after school and riding quads. One company closely associated with Purewal and the family business was T&G (formerly Turners & Growers), a major global buyer/supplier of

fruits and vegetables. After winning the Pukekohe regional young grower contest earlier this year, Purewal was offered a job in T&G, a dream come true, he says. “I really love working for T&G as I can remember from age four tagging along with dad and dropping off fresh produce at the Mount Wel-

lington floors, then going to McDonald’s afterwards for a mean feed. “I’ve always had a relationship with T&G. Now being part of a business we have been dealing with most of my life is truly special. “I love the fact that working for T&G isn’t working with other employees or employ-

ers. I’m working with other family members, as being an 18-year-old starting fresh in the corporate world T&G has been nothing but a family to me.” He acknowledges T&G’s contribution to his fledgling career. “They’ve made my journey into the company truly special by taking me under their wing, nourishing me with knowledge and nurturing me to success in the horticultural industry. “I enjoy that we supply fresh produce not only here in New Zealand but globally and that’s what touches me in my heart -- that I’m part of a company that is all over the world, supplying fresh produce to people everywhere.” Purewal sees the world as his oyster. He sees himself stepping up

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to a management role in the next five to 10 years. A return to the family farm one day isn’t out of the question. But like most horticulture farmers and stakeholders, Purewal is worried about looming changes to land and water use. He believes the Government should work closely with farmers and should do more to support the younger generations, especially women, to move into horticulture. He sees himself staying in the horticultural industry if the Government “pulls finger”. “If the Government puts plans together to promote horticulture and provide support to our younger generations who want to start their own horticultural businesses and stay in the game.”

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

NORTHLAND FIELD DAYS 11 2020 NORTHLAND FIELD DAYS SITE MAP (this map is current as at 18 September 2019 – it is not to scale and is subject to changeEvacuation ) Emergency/ Gate

Dargaville

LOGGER SPORTS

Start/Finish

LAWN MOWER RACING

TRACTOR PULL

CERVUS EQUIPMENT LANE

11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39

POWER FARMING NORTHLAND PLACE

116 118 120 122 124

Food Court 1

Rural Pavilion 1

168 170 172 174 176 178 180 182 184 186 188 190 192 194

216

225

229 231 233 235

263

297

300 302 304 306 308

YAMAHA WAY Market 303 305 307 Area Stronghold Cutting Horse Demo

Exhibitors Vehicle Exit

Gates B & C

Permanent Toilet Blocks

(Portaloos are also placed all around the outer perimeter of the event site)

Food Court 2

Disabled Toilet First Aid

FORD GO FURTHER

Danger! NO ENTRY

195 197 199 201 203 205 207 209 211

Food & Beverages

238 240 242 244 246 248 250 252 254

Attractions/Entertainment

TOKOROA ROAD

237 239 241 243 245 247 249 251 253

Northland Field Days Office

276 278 280 282 284 286 288 HONDA HIGHWAY

275 277 279 281 283 285 287 289

310 312 314 316 318 320 322 324 NEWLOVE ROAD

Food315317 319 321 323 309 311 313 Food Court 2 Entertainment Court 3 Area 340 342 344 346 348 350 352 354

ROWLAND ROAD

339 341 343 Isuzu D-Max Sheep Dog Trials 364 366 368 DAVE PHILLIPS MEMORIAL DRIVE

GILLATT LANE

Exhibitors Car Park No.1

Lifestyle

294296

265 267 269 271 273 Pavilion 1 Lifestyle Pavilion 2 Lifestyle

259 261

298

TOTALSPAN WAY

Committee and Rotary Parking

Ticket Booths

196 198 200 202 204 206

FIRST NATIONAL REAL ESTATE ROAD

256 258 260 262264 266 268270 272 274

Pavilion 3

Public Car Park

BERTOLINI BOULEVARD

147 149 151 153 155 157

THE GALLAGHER WAY 217 219 221 223

Public Car Park

189 191 193

218 220 222 224226 228 230 232 234

Gate A Disabled Carpark

187c

171 173 175 177 179 181183 185 187

Pedestrian Site Entry/Exit

NORWOOD ROAD

148 150 152 154 156 158 160 162 164

BALLANCE AGRI-NUTRIENTS ROAD

Pedestrian Access from Car Park to Site

Disabled Parking

134 136 138 140 142 144 146

ENVIRONMENTAL FERTILISERS TRACK

Car Park Entry/Exit

41 43 Beer 45 Tent 47 49 51 53 55 57

95 97 99 101 103 105 107 109 111

117 119 121 123 125 127 129 131 133 135 137 139 141 143 145 166

Parking

81 83 85 87 89 91 93

FARMLANDS ROAD

114

Rural Pavilion 2

WELLS ROAD

LELY WAY

61 63 65 67 69 71

What all the symbols mean on this map:

Start/Finish

96 98 100 102 104 106 108 110 112

60 62 64 66 68 70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94

Whangarei

Demonstration Area

Helicopter Rides

EXHIBITOR CAR PARK NO.2 (NEW)

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TR ROTOWIPER

Trailing model towed by a 4 wheel bike

FANTASTIC NEW FEATURES! • Single height adjustment • Roller drive disengagement • Fold-up drawbar • Tank leveller adjustment • New strong design frame

• New stub axle hub arrangement • All covers now stainless steel

See us at Site 069 Rotovacuum: 350lt bin, Stihl BG86 blower motor. Great suction to clean your paddock or garden.

Rotocart: RC270, RC300 & RC500. 3 sizes, super strong rotationally moulded in our factory.

48 Bremners Road PO Box 333 Ashburton www.rotowiper.com P: 03-308 4497 M: 027-311 9471 E: rotowipersales1@gmail.com

See us at the Northland Field Days Sites 140 & 142

www.agriline.co.nz 0800 24 74 54

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

12 NORTHLAND FIELD DAYS

Gear Hub oils wheels for farm-to farm machinery hire A WEBSITE and app-based platform is helping farmers to hire unused farm equipment to their peers. Gear Hub is an online machinery rental platform for farmers and small businesses who have tractors, machinery and attachments. Farmers can list and hire gear on the Gear Hub website and the platform charges a 10% service fee on transactions. Manawatu couple Scott Cameron and Alex Tully hit on the idea when they needed gear to scrape land around their house. They looked at hiring gear, but it was a pain getting to a shop between opening hours. Working in the dairy industry, Cameron was also aware of farmers’ concerns about the rising cost of day-to-day business.

Gear Hub is initially targeting dairy, sheep and beef farmers in Manawatu and Central Hawke’s Bay. Two months after launching, the business has 80 listings, ranging from a silage baler wrapper and tractor, to a mower, chain harrow and palm kernel bin. Cameron said the site was meant for farmers who had gear, like a plough, that they used only occasionally. “They use it three days a year, it costs a fortune and it’s depreciating anyway,” he says. “We’re trying to say, ‘how can you create an income stream for that piece of machinery without putting yourself at a lot of risk?’” Cameron found farmers were often reluctant to lend gear privately to other farmers because of the risk of damage. Gear Hub includes a vehicle register

Gear Hub founders Scott Cameron and Alex Tully (supplied).

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and requires photos of the machine. The contracted parties have to agree on the condition of the machinery, before and after the hire. Gear Hub takes hire payments through online banking so that farmers can transact through business accounts. Once the rental period is over, a farmer is paid for the hire on the 20th of the following month. “The reason for that is they have the security that, if say, you hire a tractor for a week and you turn up and it’s not there, or the seats are damaged and it’s not safe, you can pull out at any time and you get a full refund,” Cameron says. “The last thing that we want is farmers feeling like they have to use a machine that they’re not comfortable with or isn’t safe.”

THE BEST OF 4X4 AND FARM TYRES, ALL ON ONE SITE!

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SEE US AT THE NORTHLAND FIELD DAYS SITE 114

Maitland RD5, Gore Ph/Fax: 03-207 1837 Mobile: 027-628 5695 www.jamesengineering.co.nz

Call in and see us at the Northland Field Days and find out how the right choice of tyres can make your job easier.

SITE #

178

Or find a dealer:

0800 275 897

www.agtyres.co.nz www.agtyres.co.nz

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

NORTHLAND FIELD DAYS 13 SERIOUS ABOUT FENCING!

QUALITY • TESTED • PROVEN Following its success in NZ and Australia, the Handypiece is now finding favour in Europe where it has won over several converts with its ease of use.

Handpiece winning converts MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

HANDYPIECE IS a fully portable shearing handpiece being used by thousands of farmers and ag workers all around NZ and the globe. While the main use is sheep shearing, it is also finding favour for crutching, dagging, cow tail trimming and cattle branding – alongside alpaca and goat shearing, TB testing of deer, grass sampling and plant trimming. The Handypiece Pro has variable speed ranging from 2400 – 3500rpm. Dagging, crutching and trimming cows’ tails operate well at a mid-speed of 2700 rpm. However, anyone wanting to get a nice cut while

shearing can wind it all the way up to 3500rpm. The brushless motor means the battery lasts even longer and it is possible to crutch up to 300-400 sheep from one battery charge. Following its success in NZ and Australia, the company used 2019 to travel to Europe, ticking off the Royal Highland Show in Scotland – where it won over a several converts with its ease of use. During the 2020 regional field days season, the Handypiece kit will come with 12 amp/hr and 6 amp/hr batteries, battery charger, a belt, holster and pouch all made from heavy-duty leather – along with a five metre extension cord and a carry kit bag.

VISIT US AT NORTHLAND FIELD DAYS – SITE 242

CUTS – POWE R AFFO

U CAN YO

RD TH

New Zealand manufacturer of quality fencing tools & equipment

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• Direct PTO driven (no gear boxes or belts) • Heavy duty construction (including drive shaft) • Dials facing cab (one person operator) • Designed and assembled locally for rugged conditions! • Three sizes to suit all sheds: 37.5KVA, 62.5KVA and 93.75KVA • Silent diesel available by pre-order only

Sized for: • Cow sheds • Pump sheds • House standby TRAILER OPTIONS AVAILABLE

See us at

SITE

247B ‘Specialists in Dairy Automation Solutions’ 5 Tasman St, PO Box 16, Opunake 4616, Taranaki

www.corkillsystems.co.nz 06 761 7531 or 0800 10 7006

CSL004

SMOOTH BORE PE LAND DRAINAGE PIPE

Code Explanation

Product code

PE PRESSURE PIPE PE PRESSURE PIPE

PE PRESSURE PIPE

YOUR RURAL PIPELINES SPECIALISTS

PE PRESSURE PIPE PE PRESSURE PIPE

LAND DRAINAGE

PE PRESSURE PIPE PE PRESSURE PIPE

9 STOCK 12.5 WATER Code Explanation

360.40PN9.50 Coil Length (metres) OD (mm)

Code Explanation

20 & 25 BAR - PE 100 PRESSURE PIPE 20 & 25 BAR - PE 100 PRESSURE PIPE

3500.63PN25.100B

PVC CULVERT PIPE

Code Explanation

PE PRESSURE PIPE PE PRESSURE PIPE

RURAL BLACK and BLACKLINE.

Black

Pressure class OD (mm) Coil Length (metres) OD (mm)

Product code

Coil length (metres)

Code Explanation

Product Code Socketed one end Code Explanation

Product Code

Socketed one end

Product Code

Length (metres)

PN 16

Code Explanation

Product Code

ID (mm)

Code Explanation ID (mm) Code Explanation

ID (mm)300-40-50

Product300-40-50 code Coil length (metres)

9pipe FARM DAIRY 12.5 EFFLUENT

360.40PN9.50 360.40PN9.50

Coil Length (metres) Coil Length (metres)

PVC CULVERT3500.63PN25.100B PIPE

Bar Bar

RURAL BLACK and BLACKLINE.

Code Explanation Code Explanation

Pressure Class Black pipe Black

Product Code

PN 16

20 & 25 BAR - PE 100 PRESSURE PIPE 20 & 25 BAR - PE 100 PRESSURE PIPE

Code Explanation

Product CodeCode Explanation Pressure Class Product Code Pressure Class

340.32PN12.5.50 340.32PN12.5.50

OD (mm) OD (mm)

HP HP

Coil Length (metres) Coil Length (metres)

Length (metres) S0E NEXUS110.100

Length (metres)

OD (mm)

PE HEAVY DUTY TWIN WALL SMOOTH PE HEAVY DUTY TWIN WALL SMOOTH BORE CULVERT PIPE NEXUS CULVERT 2005 400-110-100 BORE CULVERT PIPE NEXUS CULVERT 2005 PE LAND DRAINAGE PIPE

Code Explanation

3500.63PN25.100B pipeProduct Code Coil Length (metres)

OD (mm)

Coil Length (metres)

Bar Product code

Length (metres)

Bar

Code Explanation

Coil length (metres)

Code Explanation

ID (mm)

Product Code

300-40-50 360.40PN9.50 300-40-50

2200-90PN8-100 Length (metres)

Pressure class

OD (mm)

NEXUS CULVERT 2005

Product code Coil length (metres) Length OD Product (mm) codeCoil Coil length(metres) (metres)

Bar Bar Bar

16 16

OD (mm)

Product Code

OD (mm)

go with the flow go with the flow

Code Explanation

PE or PVC PRESSURE PIPE

Socketed one end

Length (metres)

Code Explanation Product codeCode Explanation Coil length (metres) Product code Coil length (metres)

NEXUS110.100 NEXUS110.100 OD (mm) OD (mm)

Code Explanation

Product Code

Length (metres)

OD (mm)

Code Explanation Product code

Coil length (metres)

pipe

400-110-100 OD (mm)

FARM MAPPING USING USINGGLOBAL GLOBALPOSITIONING POSITIONING SYSTEMS FARM MAPPING SYSTEMS Code Explanation

Code Explanation

Coil Length (metres)

OD (mm)

Product CodeCode Explanation Length (metres)

Coil length (metres)

OD (mm)

Product Code

CodeExplanation Explanation Code Code Explanation Product Pressure Class IDCode (mm)

16 16

Code Explanation

Socketed one end

550-200-5 S0E

OD (mm)

Length (metres)

PVC CULVERT PIPE

Product Code

Coil length (metres)

2200-90PN8-100 OD (mm)

Pressure class

Code Explanation

Product Code

Socketed one end

550-200-5 S0E

NEXUS CULVERT 2005 OD (mm)

OD (mm)

Length (metres)

Code Explanation

Product Code

Pressure Class

3500.63PN25.100B

OD (mm)

Black pipe

Coil Length (metres)

Code Explanation

Product codeCode Explanation Coil length (metres) Product code Coil length (metres)

PE or PVC PRESSURE PIPE PE or PVC PRESSURE PIPE

Code Explanation

PE HEAVY DUTY TWIN WALL SMOOTH BORE CULVERT PIPE NEXUS CULVERT 2005

pipe pipe

400-110-100 400-110-100

FARM MAPPING USING GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEMS

PIPE Bar Bar Bar

PRESSURE FARM MAPPING USING GLOBAL POSITIONINGLDPE SYSTEMS FARM MAPPING USING GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEMS

12.5 BAR - PE FITTINGS 100 PRESSURE PIPE COMPRESSION for GREENLINE, REDLINE™, METRIC 12.5 BARCOMPRESSION - PE 100 PRESSUREFITTINGS PIPE

Socketed one end

Code Explanation

Product CodeCode Explanation Pressure Class Product code Code Coil length (metres) Product Pressure Class OD (mm) OD (mm)

Code Explanation

OD (mm) 550-200-5 OD (mm)

PE LAND DRAINAGE PIPE Product Code Code Pressure Class Explanation

Code Explanation

300-40-50

Pressure class

Product Code Socketed one end Code Explanation

Product Code

Pressure class

go with the flow

HEAVY HPDUTY TWIN WALL SMOOTH Bar PE BORE CULVERT PIPE PE LAND PIPE Bar DRAINAGE PIPE Bar PE LANDDRAINAGE

Black pipe

Coil Length (metres)

Length (metres)

OD (mm)

COMPRESSION FITTINGS for GREENLINE, REDLINE™, METRIC COMPRESSION FITTINGS COMPRESSION FITTINGS for GREENLINE, REDLINE™, PN 16 RURAL BLACK and BLACKLINE. METRIC COMPRESSION FITTINGS PN 16 RURAL BLACK and BLACKLINE.

Pressure Class

3500.63PN25.100B

ODExplanation (mm) Code

Coil length (metres)

16 9 116 2.5

Code Explanation

S0E(metres) Length OD550-200-5 (mm) OD (mm)

Pressure class

PVC CULVERT PIPE PVC CULVERT PIPE Code Explanation SMOOTH BORE PE LAND DRAINAGE PIPE 550-200-5 S0E Product code Coil length (metres)

2200-90PN8-100 OD (mm)

PVC CULVERT PIPE 300-40-50 HP METRIC COMPRESSION FITTINGS for for GREENLINE, REDLINE™, COMPRESSION FITTINGS GREENLINE, REDLINE™, Code Explanation Code COMPRESSION FITTINGS Code Explanation Explanation METRIC COMPRESSION FITTINGS 550-200-5 S0E Product Pressure Class PNPN16 RURAL BLACK andand BLACKLINE. 16Code RURAL BLACK BLACKLINE. SMOOTH LAND DRAINAGE PIPE FARM MAPPINGBORE USING PE GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEMS 340.32PN12.5.50 SMOOTH BORE PE LAND DRAINAGE PIPE 550-200-5 S0E

Product Code Length (metres) Code Explanation

Coil Length (metres)

PRESSURE PIPE

Coil length (metres)

2200-90PN8-100

Code Explanation OD (mm) Product Code Coil length (metres)

Bar Bar

2200-90PN8-100

OD (mm)

Bar

OD (mm)

Coil length (metres)

NEXUS110.100

Coil Length (metres)

OD (mm)

Coil length (metres)

Code Explanation

Coil length (metres)

400-110-100

PIPEHP

PE HEAVY DUTY TWIN WALL SMOOTH 20 & 25 BAR - PE 100 PRESSURE PIPE TM PE HEAVY DUTY PIPE TWIN WALL SMOOTH BORE CULVERT NEXUS CULVERT 2005 TM LDPE PRESSURE PIPE BORE CULVERT PIPE NEXUS CULVERT 2005 PE PRESSURE PIPE PE PRESSURE PIPE

Black 3500.63PN25.100B pipe Coil Length (metres) OD (mm)

Product code

go with PEthe orflow PVC

Code Explanation

Product Code

OD (mm)

Code Explanation

PVC PRESSURE PIPE Bar BarPEPEorHEAVY DUTY TWIN WALL SMOOTH Bar BORE CULVERT PIPE

Pressure class OD2200-90PN8-100 (mm) 340.32PN12.5.50

COMPRESSION FITTINGS for GREENLINE, REDLINE™, METRIC COMPRESSION FITTINGS OD (mm)

Code Explanation

Pressure Class 3500.63PN25.100B pipe

LDPE PRESSURE PIPE LDPE PRESSURE PIPE

Black pipe

Coil Length (metres)

OD (mm)

Product Code Coil length (metres) Code Explanation Code Explanation Coil length ProductProduct Code Code Pressure Class (metres) 2200-90PN8-100

LDPE PRESSURE PIPE

20 & 25 BARCULVERT - PE 100 PRESSURE PIPE PVC PIPE

OD (mm)

Pressure Class

Code Explanation 360.40PN9.50

Product code Coil length (metres) Code Explanation Coil Length (metres) OD (mm) Product code Coil length (metres)

Code Explanation

Product Code Pressure Class Code Explanation

Product code

Pressure Class

Product code

12.5 BAR - PE 100 PRESSURE PIPE ID (mm)

Coil Length (metres)

Product Code

For more information Phone 0800 800 262 Fax 0800 804 804 www.iplex.co.nz

PE or PVC PRESSURE PIPE PE or PVC PRESSURE PIPE

OD (mm)

PE or PVC PRESSURE PIPE PE or PVC PRESSURE PIPE

Code Explanation

Product Code

Coil length (metres) OD (mm)

400-110-100

SMOOTH BORE LAND Coil Length (metres) DRAINAGE PIPE OD (mm) PE 340.32PN12.5.50

400-110-100 LDPE PRESSURE PE PRESSURE PIPE PIPE LDPE PRESSURE PIPE 400-110-100 OD (mm)

12.5 BAR - PE 100 PRESSURE PIPE

340.32PN12.5.50 Coil Length (metres) OD (mm)

OD (mm)

Code Explanation

Product Code

Code Explanation OD (mm) Pressure Class Product Code

Product Code Pressure Class 340.32PN12.5.50

HP HP

20 & 25 BAR - PE 100 PRESSURE PIPE

Product Code Pressure Class Code Explanation

Coil Length (metres)

Coil length (metres)

400-110-100 Code Explanation

CULVERT pipe

Bar

Coil Length (metres)

OD (mm)

Product code

pipe pipe Product code

20 & 25 BAR - PE 100 PRESSURE PIPE

340.32PN12.5.50

Bar Bar

Coil Length (metres)

Coil length (metres)

Code Explanation OD (mm) Pressure Class

Code Explanation

OD (mm)

Code Explanation

OD (mm) NEXUS110.100

Product Code

PE LAND DRAINAGE PIPE

Coil length (metres)

NEXUS110.100

20 PRESSURE & 25 BAR - PEPIPE 100 PRESSURE PIPE PE

Product Code Pressure Class Code Explanation

12.5 BAR - PE 100 PRESSURE PIPE 12.5 BAR - PE 100 PRESSURE PIPE

Northland Field Days See us on site 197

Code Explanation

Product code Coil length (metres) Code Explanation

Product code

go with the flow go with the flow

Code Explanation

Product code

340.32PN12.5.50 Product Code Pressure Class

Bar

PE PRESSURE PIPE SMOOTH BORE PE LAND DRAINAGE PIPE SMOOTH BORE PE LAND DRAINAGE PIPE NEXUS110.100 12.5 BAR - PE 100 PRESSURE PIPE

Product Code Pressure Class 360.40PN9.50

OD (mm)

Pressure Class

Coil Length (metres)

OD (mm)

PE LAND DRAINAGE PIPE

Bar Bar

360.40PN9.50

OD (mm)

PE LAND DRAINAGE PIPE

12.5 BAR - PE 100 PRESSURE PIPE

360.40PN9.50

OD (mm)

Pressure Class Coil Length (metres)

Coil length (metres)

NEXUS110.100

Pressure Class

Product Code OD (mm)

Code Explanation

Product Code

Code Explanation

Product code

Code Explanation 360.40PN9.50

12.5 BAR - PE 100 PRESSURE PIPE

PIPE PE LAND DRAINAGE PIPE BarPE PRESSURE PE LAND DRAINAGE PIPE Bar

9 12.5 9 pipe pipe 12.5

Code Explanation

Product Code

Bar

PE PRESSURE PIPE

99 112.5 2.5

Bar Bar

Coil length (metres)

NEXUS110.100

BORE PE LAND DRAINAGE PIPEOD (mm)

go with the flow

SMOOTH BORE PE LAND DRAINAGE PIPE

go with the flow

PE PRESSURE PIPE

go with the flow SMOOTH

OD (mm) OD (mm)

Code Explanation Product CodeCode Explanation Coil length (metres) Product Code

Bar Bar

Code Explanation

Product Code

Length (metres)

OD (mm)

Coil length (metres)

2200-90PN8-100 2200-90PN8-100

Code Explanation

OD (mm) OD (mm)

ID (mm)

Pressure class Pressure class

300-40-50

Product code

Coil length (metres)

PVC CULVERT PIPE PVC CULVERT PIPE

COMPRESSION FITTINGS for GREENLINE, REDLINE™, METRIC COMPRESSION FITTINGS PN 16 RURAL BLACK and BLACKLINE.

FARM MAPPING USING GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEMS Code Explanation

Code Explanation Product Code Socketed one end Product Code

Socketed one end

550-200-5 S0E 550-200-5 S0E

Bar

OD (mm)

Length (metres)

Code Explanation

Length (metres)

Bar

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

14 NORTHLAND FIELD DAYS

Tractor helps contractor up his game Left to right: The Sturgeons from Motueka Farm Machinery and the Leas’ from Lea Contracting.

FEED SYSTEMS SINCE 1962

DAIRY FEED SYSTEMS

INNOVATIVE AGRICULTURE EQUIPMENT

• Supreme quality stainless steel feed trays • Exceptional back-up support • Easy to use and maintain first class installations • Robust construction • Skiold Disc Mills • Grain holding siolos • Utility augers / Mobile auger

➤

SHEEP JETTER

❱

Innovative Agriculture Equipment

www.agtek.co.nz

Sheep dipping... made easier!

AWARD WINNER

Serving NZ Farmers since 1962 • Manufactured from stainless steel • Electric eye • 800-1000 sheep per hour • Fantastic penetration • Get one now before price increase

7685

+ GST

SEE US AT REGIONAL FIELD DAYS • Northland Site 248 • Central Districts Sites O11A; O112 • Southern Field Days Waimumu – see us at the Farmlands site

Serving NZ farmers since 1962 INNOVATIVE AGRICULTURE EQUIPMENT

MOTUEKA CONTRACTOR James Lea’s says his new McCormick X6 430 VT drive tractor not only has the traction to go anywhere, it also makes him more efficient. Purchased in May 2019, from local dealer Motueka Farm Machinery for work in his fencing business, the red tractor was quite familiar to James – having previously run several of its Landini stablemates for his company Lea Contracting. Having looked at other brands before buying, the combination of the deal offered by Motueka Farm Machinery – alongside the fact it had taken a Tractor of the Year Award in 2018 and the bonus of CVT – meant it was too good a deal to pass on. The machine has now completed more than 300 hours – much of those hours in steep, rugged country. “I can honestly say it’ll climb anywhere I’m prepared to go,” Lea says. “It’s making us 10 to 14% more efficient than previously – as we’re right on the spot every time.” Mated to the frugal Tier 4 FPT engine, the VT-Drive transmission combines hydrostatic and a mechanical section, where lower speeds of up 4.0 km/h are taken care of. Where the mechanical part of the transmission is progressively taking over as speeds increase to minimise power loss. For driving the tractor, the operator selects either forward or reverse, with a familiar shuttle lever, before using the joystick or accelerator pedal to increase or reduce travel speeds. Engine revs and transmission ratios are automatically balanced by the electronics – according to the load on the tractor. When a fixed engine speed is needed to operate a PTO-driven implement or a consistent ground speed is required, appropriate modes can be selected that control the system to manage the powertrain accordingly. Lea uses his new X6 VT drive to run a heavy-duty post driver for his fencing work and likes the stability of the combination. Additionally, a Manip front-end-loader carries fence posts and a spinning wire jenny. The tractor is particularly well-suited to loader work, as the power shuttle delivers seamless directional changes. Meanwhile, the high output closed centre, load sensing hydraulic system has more than enough flow for the post hitter and loader to work in tandem.

www.pppindustries.co.nz sales@pppindustries.co.nz

0800 901 902

KUHN WAS recently awarded an AE50 award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) for its Optidisc Elite cutterbar. Found on most KUHN mowers and mower conditioners, the innovative cutterbar was deemed as one of the year’s most innovative designs in engineering products for the food and agriculture industries. The new Optidisc Elite cutterbar provides a lower profile with a flatter angle, said to improve cut quality in difficult field conditions while also reducing dirt and ash incorporation. Fast-Fit knives help reduce the time required for routine maintenance and prolong knife life with the ability to rotate 360 degrees to maintain a high-quality cut. The use of high-end components is said to help strengthen the cutterbar to provide endurance and high performance cutter bars for the mowers or mower conditioners that are offered in an extensive range.

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

NORTHLAND FIELD DAYS 15

Industry-first warranty on mulchers! MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

AGRILINE IS a specialist farm machinery company with branches in the North and South islands. The company imports a large range of land development/maintenance and cultivation gear and sells direct to the end user. Taking a close look at machines from many brands, the company realised that mulchers used in New Zealand get a very hard life, with problems in five key areas. Besides breaking drive belts and blowing gearboxes – other areas include cracking of the frame and mulching body, roller bearing failures and rotors getting bent, losing lugs and going out of balance. Working with their European supplier Vigolo, the company has addressed these areas to co-develop a

Agriline’s Mike Hamlin reckons the Vigolo mulchers are the strongest, most reliable and productive he’s ever seen.

series of high-body mulchers to deal with NZ’s unique conditions. Offered with horsepower ratings up to 300hp and featuring and an impressive build quality, these versatile machines can

chew through timber up to 180mm diameter – so it takes grass, thistles, rushes, broom, matagouri and crop residues in their stride. Addressing the NZ conditions,

dependent on model, Vigolo uses rotors of up to 273mm, creating a flywheel effect and increased momentum. The higher capacity machines use up to 12 drivebelts and all units are fitted with

wide skids to prevent scalping. Agriline is so convinced of the Vigolo’s ability to deal with the toughest conditions, it has created an industry first with its 2-3-4 warranty. Offered on the TDF, TDFDT, TST and TSTDT ranges, the frame, gearbox and drive belts are covered for two years. Meanwhile, the roller bearings have three years of cover and the heart of the machine, the rotor, is backed up with four years peace of mind. Without doubt a bold move, founder and director of Agriline, Mike Hamlin says in all his years of selling mulchers, Vigolo is the strongest, most reliable and productive mulcher he’s ever seen. “We are pleased to put in place a 2-3-4 warranty that gives peace of mind to farmers and contractors and confirms their investment is in the best.”

The world’s fastest growing UTV brand is taking NZ by storm! PETROL AND ALL ELECTRIC MODELS A huge success at the Southern Field Days, February 2020 – NOW AT THE NORTHLAND FIELD DAYS

Hisun 500cc Petrol

Hisun have been manufacturing ATV’s and UTV’s for leading household name brands that would surprise you for over 30 years and still do today. In the last 10 years they launched their own house brand. Hisun is now represented in over 50 countries and growing rapidly worldwide. COME VISIT THE HISUN STAND AT THE NORTHLAND FIELD DAYS AND MEET THE HISUN NZ TEAM. We will have ATV’s and UTV’s on display, including the Electric drycell UTV. Soon to arrive are lithium models which advance orders are being taken for. Enquiries from people wishing to become dealers are also welcome to peter@hisunmotors.co.nz. All applications treated in confidence.

15 Eric Paton Way Panmure Auckland Shaun 021-182 0165 or Peter 021-102 1264

Hisun Electric (E1)

Enquire about our field days CASHBACK offer Hisun 750cc Petrol

RURAL NEWS // FEBRUARY 25, 2020

16 NORTHLAND FIELD DAYS

RURAL ONLINE RURAL ONLINE

READING THE PAPER ONLINE HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER.

Like all great ideas the Water Flow Indicator is simple but effective.

GO TO WWW.RURALNEWSGROUP.CO.NZ READING THE PAPER ONLINE HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER.

Find us at Northland Field Days, SITE 263A

GO TO WWW.RURALNEWSGROUP.CO.NZ

HARD WEARING SEAT COVERS FOR UTES, TRUCKS,TRACTORS, QUADS, AND ATV’S

ORDER OVER THE FIELD DAYS AND RECEIV E 10% FIELD D AY DISCOUNT

Find pesky water leaks MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

0800 478 443

RUGGEDVALLEY.co.nz

Postdriver SPECIALS SPECIAL PRICE

FARMERS FRUSTRATED by water leaks might

See us at the Northland Field Days Site 72

NZ MADE FOR OVER 40 YEARS SERIES 2 WITH EXPANDER

25,759 + GST

Includes

Normal RRP $28,610

❱ 3.1 to 5.1 Metre Telescopic mast ❱ 340kg hammer ❱ 6 bank hydraulic valve ❱ Terminator base 900mm side shift

DAIRY DONGER

17,500 + GST

Normal RRP $19,100

www.kinghitter.com •

Includes

❱ Hydraulic folding mast ❱ 900mm side shift ❱ 4.2m beam with 227kg hammer ❱ Hydraulic top link and angle adjustment rams

0800 476 868 • sales@kinghitter.com

want to stop off at the Gallagher site at Waimumu, where the Water Flow Indicator is sure to save them a bucketful of time and many litres of water. In partnership with farmer inventor Murray Jones, Gallagher has developed a Water Flow Indicator to help farmers save time by finding leaks faster. “Like many farmers, I was sick of wasting time going around my farm looking for water leaks,” says Jones. “My wife encouraged me to stop talking about my idea and to make it happen.” That process took nearly seven years and numerous prototypes, before Jones was ready to take it to the next step – that started with a discussion with the Gallagher Group. Installed at important junctions in water lines, the Water Flow Indicator enables farmers to find leaks easily by visually checking for abnormal water flow, indicated by the integral impellor that

makes it easy to see water direction and speed. If the impellor isn’t spinning it means lines are full and there isn’t a leak. Like all great ideas – it’s refreshingly simple. Darrell Jones, Gallagher animal management’s general manager for New Zealand, South America and Asia, says the gadget is a tangible way to demonstrate efficient water use, which will help farmers meet their obligations around environmental and water regulations imposed by local councils. “With water being such a valuable resource, the spotlight is on farmers to prove smart water usage,” he adds – highlighting a 2017 Dairy NZ study that found an estimated 26% of stock drinking water is lost as leakage. “This obviously wastes a precious resource, but can also damage pasture by flooding, while also incurring higher electricity costs with unnecessary pumping.”

ADULT $12 • CHILD (5-16) $5 • UNDER 5 FREE • FAMILY PASS $30

THE BIGGEST OUTDOOR EVENT IN NORTHLAND 5th to 7th MARCH 2020

WHY WAIT IN LINE ON THE DAY? Pre-purchase your tickets via TicketBooth on our website

Proudly sponsored by…

STATE HIGHWAY 14, DARGAVILLE www.northlandﬁelddays.co.nz