INSIDE March ‘13
DAIRY AWARDS DAIRY MAIZE AUTUMN FERTILISER RURAL DRIVER HOUSE & LANDSCAPE COUNTRY LIVING EDUCATION
10-11 12-15 16-17 24-25 26-27 28-29 34-39 48-49
Issue No. 151
Bay of Plenty & Waikato Farm, Orchard & Rural Lifestyle news
Ph 07 578 0030
Maize ‘jungle’ ready for harvest David Jensen in a field of maize which has grown taller than him and is soon to be harvested to feed his dairy herd this winter – see story page 16 and 17. Photo by Elaine Fisher.
INSIDE THIS MONTH’S ISSUE
PATENTED INDEPENDENT FRONT BRAKING SYSTEM
The James of Te Kouma pages 4-5
Packhouse round-up pages 19-21
UNIQUE IN IT’S HP CLASS!
Horse of the Year pages 32-33
COAST & COUNTRY
Page 2
Bacteria shaping industry’s future It was a case of good news – bad news for the kiwifruit industry when scientists presented their findings about the vine disease Psa-V at a symposium in February.
Hayward - grafted vines
Italian scientist Giorgio Balestra told the audience the bacteria can infect kiwifruit plants through natural openings like pores in the leaves, as well as through wounds, and once inside can move through the entire Nil treatment = 14% YM2 applied twice = 0.3% system, even into the roots. (see story page The effects of Psa-V is compared between an 18). The only way to eliminate the disease, he said, was the remove the entire plant, roots and untreated leaf on the left and on right a leaf all, disinfect the soil and leave it fallow for at least treated with a new preparation being tested by 12 months. Plant & Food. That’s hard to swallow for growers who are relying on term solution is breeding vines with more tolerance the well-established root systems of existing plants to to the infection and continued attention to orchard grow grafted new varieties, bringing them into produchygiene. tion more quickly than young plants could. In future kiwifruit orchardists might be growing a However, Giorgio was also the bearer of good news number of varieties and continually graft to new ones, because he and other scientists have developed a prodin much the way the pip fruit industry does, in an uct which appears to protect the plants from Psa-V and effort to not only keep ahead of the disease but to also it’s commercially available in Europe. meet the changing demands of the markets. The other good news came from scientist Phil Elmer Psa-V is also likely to cause the demise of the small of Plant & Food who told the symposium that preparafamily orchard and the emergence of large corporate tions made from combination of an elicitor, a fungus ones as the costs and complexity of growing kiwifruit and yeast has shown pleasing results in laboratory trials increases. The innovative individual growers who in controlling the bacterial disease. Orchard trials of founded the industry also started the post-harvest sector YM2 and YM1 are to begin this coming spring and which to is undergoing significant change and amalgaZespri has asked for its commercialisation to be fast mation, largely because of a microscopic tracked. However, the scientific community is not bacteria with the very long name - Pseudomonas claiming these or other products under testing are cures syringae pv actinidiae. for the disease. Psa-V is here to stay and the best long By Elaine Fisher
The winner of last month’s book prize “All About Pig Hunting” by Bill Westwood published by Halcyon Press is Daniel Akkersma of Putaruru. Robert Greaves of Gisborne. Won the two DVDs from South Coast Productions - “The Snowline was Their Boundary” and “Back Country Tales”.
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COAST & COUNTRY
Page 3
Supreme sustainable title to McFetridge Family
The farming family of Judith, Dennis and Gordon McFetridge are the supreme winners of the 2013 Bay of Plenty Ballance Farm Environment Awards.
The McFetridge dairy farming family of Omanawa are supreme winners of the 2013 Bay of Plenty Ballance Farm Environment Awards. Their win was announced at an awards dinner at Mount Maunganui on February 22 when Dennis and Judith McFetridge and their son Gordon also took away four other awards for excellence in sustainable farming. In accepting the awards, parents and son paid tribute to each other. Gordon acknowledged the hard work Judith and Dennis had done in farming the land, especially helping it recover from the disastrous impacts of the collapse of the Ruahihi Canal in 1981. “Dad and I work well together without having to say too much – some people think we have our own language,” said Gordon. In turn Dennis praised Gordon for returning to manage the land bringing with him the benefit of new skills and education. “He’s come back at just the right time as I was beginning to wonder how much longer I could continue. He’s had the education and experience required of a modern farmer and is far better at record keeping than I ever was,” said Dennis. The farming family were also awarded the LIC Dairy Farm Award, the Massey University Discovery Award, the Waterforce Integrated Management Award and the Meridian Energy Excellence Award. They will now represent the Bay of Plenty at a national level later in the year. McFetridge Farms Ltd milks 260 cows on the 70ha (effective) ‘Top Farm’ and 180 cows on 60ha effective ‘Lower Farm’. The rolling to steep contour on Lower Farm is well suited to younger cows while the Top Farm, which has flat to rolling contour, is better suited to older cows (four years and older). Judges said the properties are “aesthetically pleasing and highly productive” and the challenging topography has been wisely developed for dairy farming. Difficult sidlings and gullies have been either left in native bush or planted in woodlots.
MS1389
But 32 years ago it was a much different story. In 1981, one of the McFetridge farms was submerged under millions of tonnes of sludge after a canal on the Ruahihi power scheme collapsed. This was a devastating blow for Dennis and Judith and it has taken many years of hard work to rectify the damage. They now run the operation with the help of Gordon, a Lincoln graduate, who returned to the farm after five years in the rural banking industry. He manages the farms, which are leased from the family trust, with the help of two full-time staff. Casual workers, including university students, are also employed when required. Both farms have extensive shelterbelts. Riparian plantings have been used to protect and enhance waterways. Areas of native bush have been fenced and now contain a diversity of species. An on-going specimen tree planting programme is also in place. BFEA judges were impressed with the McFetridges’ approach to farm management. Instead of increasing cow numbers they aim to run a lower stocking rate while lifting per cow production. This has been achieved through improved feeding, better grazing management and a strong focus on animal health. About 8-10 per cdent of the farm is re-grassed annually with improved pasture species. Poorer performing paddocks are successfully cropped with Turnips. Judges also noted the McFetridges’ excellent financial control, well-kept herd records and sound relationships with staff. They said the family’s experience and acquired skills in areas like rural banking and water management had been of great benefit to the farming operation. The McFetridges demonstrate a good understanding of their soils. Their low stocking rate helps to sustain soils and pasture. Regular pasture walks are used to assist with grazing management and cropping decisions. Erosion issues have been addressed with assistance from the regional council. Judges were also impressed with the family’s “very effective” effluent management system, which utilises pond storage, eco pumps and travelling irrigators.
The McFetridge family have farmed in the district for three generations. Dennis, a JP, and Judith have strong associations with the local community and farming organisations. Other winners announced last night were: Ballance Agri-Nutrients Nutrient Management Award - Ian and Georgina Lawrence of Nukuhou near Whakatane; Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Award - Landcorp Rotomanhana; Hill Laboratories Harvest Award and PGG Wrightson Land and Life Award - Ben and Heidi Rosewarne of Blueberry Corner, Whakatane; Donaghy’s Farm Stewardship Award - Karl and Maggy Buhler of Te Puke; Bay of Plenty Regional Council Environment
Awards - Walter and Mary van Rossum of Whakatane and Jeremey and Sharon Cotter of Te Puke; Zespri Kiwifruit Orchard Award - Jeff and Shirley Roderick of Te Puke. The key objective of the awards is to display to farmers that profitability need not compromise environmental values. Winners of the awards demonstrate that the environment can be both restored and enhanced under profitable farming systems. An open day will be held at the McFetridge Farm, 788 Omanawa Rd, Tauranga at 9.45 am on Tuesday March 26. For more information visit www.bfe.org.nz
COAST & COUNTRY
Page 4
Te Kouma Farm in the family for 116 years For 116 years members of the James family have lived and worked on Te Kouma Farm on the peninsula overlooking the harbour of the same name, just south of Coromandel.
Jenna and Tristan James now manage Te Kouma Farm and their daughter Family and the land are important to Ian and Miranda James, pictured Rosie, 2, is the sixth on the balcony of their home overlooking Te Kouma Harbour with generation of the family to daughter Sarah and her children Blake, 4, and Lucy, 2. live on the farm. Today four generations of the family live on the farm It had originally been covered by kauri forest but most and it is fifth generation Tristan James and his wife of that had been burnt by the early Maori. I think Jenna who has recently taken over its management, Samuel bought it more for the lifestyle than to serimuch to the delight of Tristan’s parents Miranda and ously farm,” says Ian. Ian, who had worried it might not stay in the family. There was no road access to the farm so produce like “There’s not much money in dry stock farming these wool was taken out, and supplies brought in, by boat. days,” says Ian, who returned home from Australia The next owners were Arthur and Emily James. shortly after he and Miranda married to take on the “There was so much kauri gum on the farm, Arthur farm when his father ‘had had enough’. was able to sell it to buy the property off his father, “Dad used to talk about selling up and getting a ‘real who it turns out didn’t really want to sell it.” farm’ like a dairy farm but that would have meant Arthur James was a butcher who raised cattle on Te living in the Waikato and leaving all this,” says Ian. Kouma Farm and neighbouring Rangipukea Island, ‘All this’ is the unique property, surrounded on three which he also owned. sides by water with secluded bays and beaches, mag“Grandfather would row over to the island and herd nificent views and stands of native bush. cattle down to the beach, lasso them around their It was Ian’s gold miner and businessman great grand- horns and then tow them to the mainland with the father Samuel who bought the property in 1896. boat. The cattle were walked to a slaughter house near He also founded the well-known Coromandel busithe beach where they would be prepared to take into ness James & Turner, still in existence today. Coromandel on a horse drawn cart and the meat sold “The land was pretty rough when Samuel bought it. to customers door to door.”
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COAST & COUNTRY
Page 5
Kauri gum helped with farm purchase The woolshed on Te Kouma Farm will again be in use now Tristan James is bringing sheep back to the farm.
Ian’s late father Douglas and his wife Dorothy were the next to take over the farm. “Dorothy still lives here. It’s interesting that in this family the next generation has always been the family member who wanted to farm here, not necessarily the oldest in the family,” says Miranda, who was born in the South Island. Ian was one of the last babies to be born in the Coromandel Maternity Annex before it closed and has fond memories of growing up on the farm, with the sea on his doorstep. “There was no power here until 1955. If you killed a beast, you shared the meat with the neighbours because there was no fridge to keep it fresh. You just hoped the neighbours would return the favour. We also had a house cow for fresh milk.” Not so fond are the memories of biking along a rough farm track several kilometres to the main road to catch the school bus. Doug farmed sheep, livestock lan doesn’t have much patience with. “I don’t like sheep. They are hard work and not very bright.” So when he and Miranda began farming at Te Kouma, they moved out of sheep and began breeding Murray Grey cattle. They also raised six children – Jason, Claire, Vanessa, Kate, Sarah and Tristan – and built a home high on a hill next to a large stand of native bush, with magnificent views over the harbour to Coromandel and the Hauraki Gulf, and native birds in the garden. In 1997 the couple put a proposal to local councils that the property become a public farm park. In return for an annual rental, the family would agree not to sell
or subdivide the land and continue to manage it as a farm and make it available for the wider public to enjoy. It was, they thought, one way of protecting it for all future generations. While the idea met with some interest, it was to be more than seven years before any positive moves by policy makers were taken. Then both Ian and Miranda suffered ill-health right at the time calves needed tagging. “I did what I never said I would and asked Tristan to come home and help out – just for a while,” says Miranda, who never wanted to pressure any of their children to take on the farm. Tristan was working for a manufacturing jeweller in Coromandel but agreed to help his parents through the busy time. Much to his surprise, Tristan found he liked farming and now owns the stock and manages the farm. His sister Kate has also undertaken a re-planting programme to establish wetlands and together the brother and sister told councils they didn’t want the farm to become a public farm park. Tristan is changing the way the 450ha Te Kouma farm is managed. He’s bringing back sheep – despite his father’s warning the fences are no longer sheep-proof – and he’s moving from Murray Greys to Angus. Currently the property carries 170 hoggets and 700 cattle. “I like Murray Greys but there’s a lot more support and marketing for Angus beef, which seems to be attracting a higher profile and price,” says Tristan. Miranda and Ian are pleased to have Jenna and Tristan on the farm, together with their two-yearold daughter Rosie and her soon-to-arrive sibling. Their daughter Sarah and her children Blake, 4, and Lucy, 2, are also living at Te Kouma, so the big family home on the hill is full of the laughter (and occasional tears) of sixth generation Jameses – much to Ian and By Elaine Fisher Miranda’s delight.
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Kauri gum like this piece dug from the land helped Arthur James buy Te Kouma Farm from his father Samuel.
COAST & COUNTRY
Page 6
California - where they use lime as sunblock Brett continues the story of his USA odyssey, this time in California.
ous day, and contains 800ppm of Sodium. That adds up to 1t Na/acre foot per season. The population of the valley is 150,000. The Mexican border town of Mexicali nearby is home to 1.5m.
We arrived at Brawley (annual rainfall, 50mm) which sports USA’s tallest flagpole at 184 feet high, however, the top of the pole is at sea level. Just beyond Brawley lies the Salton Sea, a salt lake with a colourful history. The Colorado River, lying 65m above the Imperial A sugarbeet Valley, normally flows to harvest at work. The Gulf of California. In times of flood it runs into the Alamo River, then into the Salton Sink area of the Colorado Desert. In the mid-19th century, it was proposed to irrigate the Salton Sink area by diverting a controlled gravity-fed flow from the Colorado River through the existing dry Alamo River bed. Helena Chemical Company Between late 1904 and early 1907 a combiWe were met by Bo Shropshire and Curtis nation of severe flooding, excessive silting in Pate, two of the consultants working for Helena the canal, and engineering attempts to both and using the Albrecht-Kinsey soil fertility contain the flooding and allow reasonable programme. After a brief whizz around the yard flows of irrigation water to the newly settled looking at machinery that included the Viper Imperial Valley resulted in periods where the GPS variable rate “Liminator”, it was out of whole of the Colorado River flowed into the the heat into the office for the lowdown on the Alamo Canal and New River. In turn, this company’s operations. A lot of lime is required water formed the Salton Sea. In 1907 the in this area to raise calcium levels and decrease flooding was finally stopped after intervention magnesium and sodium levels. With a sugar by the Southern Pacific Company, which drove beet factory (1955) nearby, sugar beet lime, two trains plus carriages loaded with rocks into with 30 per cent Ca is very useful and cheap the breach at the head works. at only $11/t, provided it has only been used Ongoing provision of water to the Imperial once. More modern beet factories can use the Valley from the Alamo Canal ensured that the lime three times, in which case the quality is Salton Sea would remain intact through the not so good. Ag lime costs $30/t. Lime is added lifetime of the canal. The All-American Canal at 10t/ha for more than one year, to control the was completed in 1940 and is now the sole excesses. source of water to the Imperial Valley which On some soils, Na can be 35-40 per cent. covers 250,000ha. Water is ordered the previWhen that is the case lime can total 28t/ha in
two years. One soil test we saw had 53 per cent Ca, 31per cent Mg and 12per cent Na in 2010, but now it is 67, 20, and 6 respectively and pH’s are over Sugarcane in the high 7’s and beyond fields. 8. Water costs $22/acre foot, with seven or eight feet being needed. It is supplied through 2,500km of canals with a further 2,500km of drainage canals picking up the surplus. Some fertiliser is applied through the irrigation water, a common recipe being 112kg MAP, 168kg urea, 5 litres humic acid, plus a polymer, through three irrigations. With Bermuda grass, each cut will produce 2.8t/ha hay at $300/t, ($250/ha clear.) The priority fertilisers are N, P, K, S, Ca, then trace elements including iron. Wheat yields are 9.25t/ha. Once the correct per cent of Ca to Mg is established, less irrigation is required for the same results. Spinach is one of the salad crops grown in the area, producing 6,700-10,000kg/ha. When trace elements are used, the yields go to 13,500kg, for which they are paid $2.26-2.33/kg. The soil has to reach a certain level of Ca, Mg, K & Na, before trace elements can be retained in the soil. Total Exchange Capacity of these soils varies markedly from eight to 60. An example of a soil with a TEC of 61.5 is that it needs to have 19,834kg of Ca, 1,818 of Mg, 2,685 of K and 950 of Na. Soils will have excesses and deficiencies which all need to be balanced. That is the aim of the game. To add to their worries, iron which is required to be 300-400ppm is usually in single figures. The good news is, the soils do respond to treatment and do produce superior
BASE SATURATION PERCENT Calcium (60 to 70%) Magnesium (10 to 20%) Potassium (2 to 5%) Sodium (.5 to 3%) Other Bases (Variable)
}80%
EXCHANGEABLE HYDROGEN (10 to 15%)
quality and quantity crops when balanced. Lettuces yield 24,600-29,000kg/ ha with the usual chemical approach, 33,600kg at best. That improves to 56,000kg under the Albrecht-Kinsey system, when the major and minor nutrients are all employed. Sugar beet yields around 67t/ha on average. With the Albrecht-Kinsey system, that improves to 78t, at 17-18per cent sugar. Paddock sizes are from 30ha to 60; hay bales weigh 640kg, and alfalfa is cut every 28 days with 9-11t/ha being harvested at each cut. Bales of Bermuda grass and alfalfa are triple compressed for export to the Orient. Some alfalfa is allowed to seed; 3 hives of bees being employed for each acre, at a cost of $52/hive.
Citrus orchards
We next visited a citrus orchard where Minneolas (a Tangerine/grapefruit hybrid), oranges and lemons are grown. They were quite yellow from the excess sodium and iron deficiency. Once major excesses/ deficiencies are sorted, the trace elements will be addressed. Lime is sprayed over the trees to provide sun block, something we also saw at Modesto. That night, Helena Chemical Company very generously shouted us all a genuine Mexican meal that was enjoyed and appreciated by all. Next day we retreated from the heat back to Ontario, just east of Los Angeles, then flew across USA to Atlanta, Georgia; back to Memphis, Tennessee; and then drove across the Mississippi to Alabama, plus a further 3hrs north to Sikeston, Missouri. When asked where we were going while we were waiting for our flight from Ontario, I replied “Missouri”. The reply was, “You’ll love it over there; they talk with a real funny accent”. ” Don’t we all?”
COAST & COUNTRY
Page 7
Enza Gold orchard’s second chance after Psa infection The future of a kiwifruit orchard near Paengaroa was in serious doubt after Chris and Jenny Dunn cut out Psa-V infected vines, leaving only the trunks still standing.
tion to insinuate or infer that this was the case.” Imports have since been resumed of the product, which is manufactured in Italy. “It is essential that new products and technologies are trialled on crops to improve plant health and nutrition, as long as crop and human health is protected at “We cut the canopy out to just above the graft and all times. We are pleased that no residues have been pretty much left the orchard alone while we considered found in any trial fruit that have had Yeti applied. This whether it was worth spending any more money on is what we would have expected, as Yeti F is a natural it or if we should bulldoze the plants and start with fertiliser.” something else,” says Chris. The couple’s determination to seek answers to help Five months later, the Enza Gold vines have protheir lease orchards recover from infection is what duced healthy new growth – one even setting a single drove Chris to visit Italy and research everything he fruit – and the Dunns have decided to give the orchard could about Psa-V and similar infections. a second chance. “We have always managed The change in plant health our orchards in a biological they believe is partly due to way – we are not organic but the use of the fertiliser Yeti we use natural products as F, which Chris now has the much as possible,” says Jenny. New Zealand and Australian They don’t believe the use of rights to import and market, copper or antibiotics are the under the company name long term answer. Perazim Technology Ltd. What’s in Yeti F, Chris says, “I went to Italy to see what is probably the worst kept was happening with Psa there secret in the world of hortiand saw an infected orchard culture. where each alternate row had “It’s silver, some copper Yeti applied and the differand iron. What’s special is ence in leaf size, colour and that it has been developed plant health was immediately using nanotechnology so the obvious.” particles are incredibly small, Chris and Jenny don’t make enabling them to be rapidly any claims that Yeti is a cure taken up by the plant.” or even a treatment Jenny says a human hair for Psa-V but do say is approximately 80,000 to Chris Dunn with the product appears 100,000 nanometres wide, recovering Enza Gold to have an effect on while the particles in Yeti are vines which had been plant health. approximately 6 nanometres. hard hit by the disease “Yeti F is a fertiThe product can be applied Psa-V on an orchard liser, developed to either as a foliar spray or near Paengaroa. improve plant growth injected into the trunk using and health. It is not a an exclusive injection application system. Injecting fungicide or biocide. plants isn’t new. Avocado growers inject their trees with This has never been a different product, to help fight the disease phytophclaimed or intended to thora. be claimed,” says Chris. “We inject Yeti close to the base of the plant because The leaves on this “Results of fertiliser that way the product can move through the roots as kiwifruit plant are large trials in kiwifruit so well as the trunk,” says Chris. and healthy looking. far have shown a huge Chris is a nurseryman by training and together improvement in leaf size and leaf colour with an abunhe and Jenny have grown a wide variety of crops, including apples in the Hawke’s Bay and stonefruit dance of new healthy growth. There is also anecdotal in Australia. Since returning to New Zealand in more evidence that there is an improvement in fruit size and dry matter. When plant health is improved, a plant has recent times, they have managed a number of orchards for owners and packhouses. the ability to resist some diseases. It was partly his background in horticulture that “Yeti has been trialled on more crops than just kiwiled Chris to grow the Turners & Growers Enza Gold, fruit, and has shown very good results.” rather than the Zespri brand varieties. Imports of the product were temporarily halted “I think it makes sense to spread the risk and our earlier this year after media reports, which Chris says industry should invest in several viable varieties to contained several errors, caused the Ministry for Priincrease biodiversity. Orchardists themselves should mary Industries to take action. also be growing at least two or three varieties for the “The media reports contained several inaccuracies that produced the result of a temporary ban on the use same reason.” The other reason was the high cost of buying a Zespri or importation of the product as a fertiliser. Neither Gold license, which was also not available at the time. Perazim Technology, nor the manufacturer, has ever Chris also believed collaborative marketing of other claimed a healing effect on Psa. It was not our inten-
varieties alongside Zespri fruit would happen. “It turns out the regulations are written in such a way that it’s almost impossible to get an effective collaborative marketing agreement to establish a new variety commercially.” The disappointment for Chris and Jenny now is that since T&G was bought by the Germany company BayWa, all the staff who worked with kiwifruit growers have gone and
orchardists have virtually no contact with or information from the new company. While Enza Gold vines appeared to be more tolerant of Psa-V than the Zespri variety Hort16, they did eventually succumb to the infection. “We are left this season with no crop because of Psa-V and no information about the future because of lack of information By Elaine Fisher from T&G.”
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COAST & COUNTRY
Page 8
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HUNT FISH EAT
Page 9
Fine for baiting a boar
Getting ready for the roar Most of the avid hunters out there will know that the roar is coming up fast but have you got your kit sorted especially the rifle? Check to see if it is still shooting the same point of aim as the last time you used it. So get to the range or through to a friend’s farm and test your rifle. I like to sight my rifles in on a rising bullet. What I mean by that is if you sight your rifle in dead on at 50 or 100 yards, after that point your bullet is going downhill, and it is a lot harder to figure out where the bullet is going, when it is dropping. So if you sight your rifle in 1½ to 2½ inches high at 100 yards that means you’re dead on at 200 yards, (depends on calibre and load choice). The advantage of shooting on a rising bullet is that you know exactly where it is going. So basically anywhere from 0 to 300 you just aim straight at your target, takes all the guess work out. A suppressor will help with accuracy. I use one and have tried most brands. I prefer Hardy’s overbarrel suppressors. They are light - only 290gm, hang over is 80mm and can reduce recoil by up to 70 per cent. We now are able to have a seven year old shooting a .308 without being scared of recoil as
it is softer than a .223 being fired. Other essentials are clothing and footwear. Footwear is one of the most import things, as there’s nothing worse than being in the middle of the bush with sore and wet feet from and inappropriate boot choice. Blaze - do not forget it, comes in all sorts including caps, vest, jackets etc. Modern hunting packs should have a blaze rain cover that you can pull out, and pull over top of your pack. I prefer caps as our heads are easier to spot especially through movement, as our heads normally don’t stop moving. Two things you should seriously look at taking into the bush with you are the GPS and your personal locator beacon (PLB) With the GPS the two main brands to look at are the Garmin and Magellan. Garmin has the market in New Zealand, but Magellan is the sole product that the US armed forces are allowed to use. The new Magellans are worth a serious look. Now the PLB in my opinion is a must have, if you injure yourself or become ill such as have a heart attack going after your trophy stag, a PLB will save your life, and believe or not, not only your dog, but your wife or partner will be happy to see you come home. Well that’s all and hope you get to see a big stag in your scope. By Glen Tuck
Handbook ideal for hunters Back in the 60s when Alex Gale started hunting he used a cut down army surplus .303 and ex-military ammunition, left the carcasses to rot, sold the tails to the Chinese and picked up three .303 rounds for the ears from the Government.
“Times have definitely changed,” he says writes in ‘The New Zealand Deer Hunter’s Handbook and Resource Guide’. Alex well remembers meat hunting when people made in a day a week’s pay and live capture when deer were ‘living gold’. “Rather than selling animals, hunters are now looking at other ways of utilising their valuable game. There’s a new world out there in terms of what hunters can do with their meat,” he says. Alex has called on 40 years’
of hunting to put together this spiral bound book which covers topics from New Zealand deer species, to hunting equipment and preparation, first aid, what to do when lost, stalking, shooting to kill, butchering, to preparing meat and recipes. Thanks to publishers Halcyon Press, Coast & Country has a copy of ‘The New Zealand Deer Hunter’s Handbook’ to give away. To be in to win Email ‘Deer Hunter Book Prize’ along with your name, address and phone number to elaine@thesun.co.nz or include these details on the back of an envelope and post to ‘Deer Hunter Book Prize’, Coast & Country PO Box 240 Tauranga 3110 to arrive no later than March 17. The winner will be announced in the April Coast & Country.
Check out page 35 for another ‘be in to win’ hunting book, “Hunting Smarter for Big Game”.
A Waikato farmer was discharged without conviction after pleading guilty to two charges of ill-treating a boar, and two charges of ‘baiting’ a boar, the first time such charges have been laid in New Zealand. 24 year old Logan Dawson was ordered to pay $8,357.90 in reparation and a $500 donation to the SPCA. The Hamilton District Court was told he had encouraged his dogs to attack a number of boars at his property in the Waikato, ostensibly to train them for pig hunting. SPCA Inspectors were alerted to YouTube footage depicting the activity in May last year, and consequently executed a search warrant which resulted in the four charges being laid. The videos showed Dawson encouraging his dogs to attack a boar, then standing by and filming the attacks, intervening to stab the boars but not causing their deaths, thus prolonging their pain and suffering as the dogs continued to attack. He then posted some of the videos on YouTube so others could watch. “These boars were subjected to a protracted and painful death,” said Sue Baudet, Regional Manager of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RNZSPCA).
“The defendant’s actions in failing to quickly and humanely kill the boars once they were attacked by the dogs caused them unnecessary suffering, despite his possession of a firearm. “Once a person has in captivity an animal captured in a wild state, that person becomes the ‘person in charge’ of that animal, and subject to the Animal Welfare Act 1999. That places a number of obligations on that person, including the obligation to protect that animal from unreasonable or unnecessary pain or distress. “Hunting and killing of wild animals is lawful, but there is an obligation on a person who has captured an animal for the purpose of killing it to do so in a manner that does not cause unreasonable or unnecessary pain or distress. We are hoping that the review of the Animal Welfare Act 1999 will provide further clarity around this.” Robyn Kippenberger, National Chief Executive of the RNZSPCA, said, “Whilst Mr Dawson has escaped conviction, this case sends the message that behaviour of this type towards any animal is unacceptable and illegal, and will not be condoned. “We know that the link between cruelty of this nature and violence to humans is very strong. For this young man to stand by watching and filming an animal suffer is particularly disturbing, and suggests an extreme lack of empathy.”
DAIRY AWARDS
Page 10
High calibre of dairy entrants The finalists have been chosen in the Bay of Plenty Dairy Industry Awards, the winners of which will be announced at a gala dinner at Awakeri on March 11. Bay of Plenty conveners and previous Sharemilker/Equity Farmers of the Year and Farm Managers of
the Year Scott and Charlotte Jones of Whakatane say the number and calibre of entrants is fantastic. The 12 Dairy Trainees of the Year entrants underwent preliminary judging in February which involved a practical exercise and interview, from which six go through to the final round of judging. Preliminary judging for the Farm Managers of the Year was also in February and involved a two hour
presentation which covered topics such as farm management; environmental and farm dairy; human resource management; financial planning and management. The six Sharemilker/Equity Farmers entrants under went one round of judging which also involved a two hour presentation covering financial; pasture; livestock; resource use efficiency, farm environment, human resources, making the most of the
property; farm safety and health; farm dairy hygiene. Contestants were interviewed by a panel of three experienced judges from the dairy industry. The Bay of Plenty Awards dinner, will be on March 11 at the Awakeri Events Centre. Tickets cost $65 and are available by emailing Scott and Charlotte Jones scotts1@xtra.co.nz National sponsors of the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards are: Westpac, DairyNZ, Federated Farmers of
NZ, Meridian, LIC, Honda, Ecolab, Fonterra, Ravensdown, RD1. Industry partner: AgITO. Bay of Plenty regional sponsors: Bell Booth, BlackmanSpargo, Business Results Group, Dairy Production Systems Ltd, GPSit, International Nutritionals Ltd, Milk Bar, Planwise, The Wrangler, Bay Vets, Eastern Bay Sprayers, Milfos, NZ Wide Freeze Brands, Pioneer Brand Products, Silver Fern Farms, Te Puke Vets.
Farm Manager of the Year Shaun Bicknell manages a 142 ha farm at Galatea milking 460 cows.
Silke Hackbarth manages a 76 ha Galatea farm milking 316 cows.
Matt Fowlie manages a 157 farm at Whakatane milking 449 cows.
Chris Mexted manages a 140 ha Otakiri farm milking 434 cows
Glen Penny manages a 280 ha Whakatane farm milking 938 cows.
Scott Wilks manages a 178 ha Te Puke farm milking 478 cows.
Rob Bryan is a variable order sharemilker, milking 471 cows on the 127 ha Te Puke farm owned by Shalendy Dairy Ltd.
John DeGroot has the lease on the 245 ha Galatea farm owned by Peter Bannan Family Trust, which milks 643 cows.
Sharemilker – Equity Farmer of the Year
Russell and Nadine Meade are 50-50 sharemilkers on the 69 ha Whakatane property owned by Sullivan Estate milking 220 cows.
Page 11
DAIRY AWARDS
Sharemilker – Equity Farmer of the Year
Jamie and Angela Lanauze are equity farmers on the 63 ha Opotiki farm owned by Kilwaughter Farms milking 183 cows.
Cameron Luxton is working on a 380 cow Galatea farm and has completed an AgITO Modern Apprenticeship L3.
Sam Thompson is working on a 960 cow Whakatane farm and has completed AgITO milk quality.
Brett and Natasha Grindrod are variable order sharemilkers on the 140 ha Whakatane farmowned by Barry and Yvonne Richardson, milking 442 cows.
Jeff and Ryn Going are variable order sharemilkers on the 117ha Te Puke farm milking 385 cows and owned by John and Margaret Scrimgeour.
Dairy Trainee of the Year
Aran Sealy is working on a 340 cow Galatea farm and has completed AgITO Level 3 milk quality and mating and Level 4.
Scott Tenbroek is working on a 422 Katikati farm and has completed AgITO Level 3 Pasture and feeding.
Thomas Chatfield is working on a 506 cow farm at Whakatane and has completed AgITO Level 4
Joshua Cozens is working on a 365 cow Whakatane farm and has completed AgITO Level 3 & 4.
because supporting NEw ZEalaNd dairy farmErs mattErs
Meridian is proud to be part of the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards family We’d like to congratulate Enda and Sarah Hawe on winning the 2012 New Zealand Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year. Seeing our customers do well makes our job all the more worthwhile. We’re wishing all entrants in the 2013 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards the best of luck. If you would like to see how Meridian can help you on your farm, give the Meridian Agribusiness Team a call on 0800 496 444.
ecolab are proud to support the new Zealand Dairy industry awards. We believe in helping farmers succeed and further their careers in the industry and we look forward to a strong working partnership now and in the future.
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Meridian is proud to be a major sponsor of NZDIA
DAIRY
Page 12
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Reduce nutrient loads encouraging farmers to take voluntary DairyNZ has appointed Adrian actions to improve the environmental Brocksopp to manage the largest envihealth of the catchment by improved ronmental good practice project ever on-farm practices. undertaken by the dairy The practices will be industry. captured in an auditable The project aims to DairyNZ Sustainable reduce the nutrient and Milk Plan tailored to sediment loads in the each farm. upper Karapiro catchThe project allows for ment of the Waikato free, one-on-one advice River, as well as encourto be delivered to every age more efficient water farmer involved. use. Project leader and Formerly an area sales DairyNZ environment manager for Ballance manager Dr Mike Agri-nutrients, Adrian Scarsbrook said the will lead the Upper WaiUpper Waikato Sustainkato Sustainable Milk able Milk project had project. He is one of Adrian Brocksopp will three newly-appointed lead the Upper Waikato the full support of the DairyNZ catchment Sustainable Milk project. industry but it was not compulsory for farmers. engagement leaders now He was confident that farmers in the working across the country with dairy catchment would see the value in getfarmers on various key environmental ting involved. projects. The other two leaders are “Most will realise that this project based in Canterbury and Southland. will give them a head-start in terms The three-year Waikato project will of coping with a changing regulatory involve 700 farms from the Huka Falls landscape and meeting any dairy comto the Karapiro Dam. The project has pany supply agreement and new water been co-funded by DairyNZ, central accord requirements. And most will government and the Waikato River be keen to do their part because like Authority. The authority is charged by anybody else, they want to look the government to support projects after their own backyard and the that clean up the Waikato River. wider environment.” Adrian will oversee the project
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my November 2012 article), the selenium requirements of grazing animals in New Zealand are well established. We know that if dietary selenium levels are above 0.03 mg/kg DM, selenium deficiency will not occur. Selenium prills are a proven method for maintaining selenium levels above Herbage tests conducted over the last the critical level. The few years by one laboratory industry standard (and has shown low selenium legislated) application rate levels (below the critical level is 10 grams elemental seleof 0.03 mg/kg DM) in a nium per hectare. The first similar percentage of samples. prills on the market were Anecdotally there is some very short-acting, with a evidence the problem could high spike and rapid dropbe getting slightly worse as off, maintaining levels newer grass species tend to for only a few weeks. The take up less selenium from newer prills are long-acting the soil. Regardless of this, (slow-release) and maintain the key points are: adequate levels for around 1) You need to know one year, so the timing of the selenium status of your application is not critical. property Currently there are two 2) Selenium deficiency will result main selenium prills on the market, but in significant losses in production and unfortunately there is confusion about fertility so it needs to be prevented the correct application rates. Contrary to what some people believe • Selprill Double is a 2 per cent prill, about needing high selenium levels (see so the correct application rate is ½ kg/ha annually • Selcote Ultra is a 1 for a low dose combination drench per cent prill, so the correct application rate is 1 kg/ha annually Selenium prills will $ * prevent deficiency (serum Se levels above 140 per nmol/L) and will in fact Litres achieve levels up to 500600 nmol/L. However if you want to achieve much higher levels (some aim for 1,000 - 1,500 • Oxfendazole and Levamisole nmol/L), you will need • 1ml/10kg dose rate • Meat WHP 10 days, Milk WHP 35 days additional supplementation such as oral or injectable forms as well. If you do this, it is still To order, call 0800 100 123. best-practice to use prills first to maintain a baseline of adequacy.
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Page 13
DAIRY
Addressing Fonterra shares vital to farm sales
If you are entering into agreements for the sale and purchase of dairy farms that supply Fonterra, you’ll find the contractual considerations have been altered somewhat following the launch of Fonterra’s Trading Amongst Farmers (TAF). This article looks at the situation from the viewpoints of both vendor and purchaser. A new dairy farmer supplying to Fonterra must make an application to supply in the usual way. Once Fonterra has accepted the application, a Common Shareholder Number (CSN) will be allocated. The new dairy farmer may then buy co-operative shares or convert any existing units held into shares.
Purchasers
Vendors and purchasers will need to consider whether or not shares will be sold on the sale of a dairy farm and, if so, how many are to be sold to the purchaser. There also needs to be some consideration on whether this has any impact on the agreed sale price. Purchasers will have two options available to them when buying a dairy farm supplying Fonterra. These options are: 1. Purchase the farm with Fonterra shares. A purchaser can agree with a vendor to
buy a farm with Fonterra shares following completion of an off-market transfer form. 2. Purchase the farm without Fonterra shares. A purchaser can agree with a vendor to buy a farm without purchasing the Fonterra shares attached to that farm. Instead the purchaser may prefer to buy the shares on the Fonterra Shareholders Market or to buy privately from another shareholder. The purchaser may elect to also use the three-year entry process available to buy the shares. There’s a requirement for the purchaser to buy a minimum of one-third of the required shareholding each year. This type of purchase must be made by December 1 of each year which is the compliance date each season. If the purchaser elects to use the three-year entry process available, they are then bound to supply Fonterra over this period.
Vendors
A vendor also has two options available to them when selling a farm: 1. The first option is the same as for the purchaser, see 1 above.
2. The second option allows the vendor to elect to sell the farm without shares and to sell their shares over a threeseason exit period. A minimum of one-third has to be sold by the December 1 compliance date each season following the sale. The number of shares required to hold to supply milk from a property will be calculated according to the average quantity of milk supplied over the last three seasons. This is mandatory unless the purchaser chooses to provide their own estimates of future production, in which case the minimum shareholding will be based on their own estimates. Shareholders will receive the dividend payment from Fonterra based on the number of shares they hold at each dividend record date. If the vendor is to receive the dividend, it must be clear that the vendor’s name is on the share register until the dividend record date. If the purchaser is buying the shares with the dividend, then the purchaser’s name must be on the share register as at that date. All parties should therefore ensure that the agreement for sale and purchase of the farm
and any Fonterra shares correctly addresses this issue. If the agreement isn’t recorded correctly there could be unfavourable financial consequences for either (or both) vendor and purchaser. The considerations for vendors and purchasers remain relatively complex. It’s important that all parties reach an agreement that’s clearly understood. This agreement must be correctly recorded and documented in any agreement for sale and purchase. This article was first published in the Summer 2012 issue of NZ LAW Limited’s client e-newsletter Rural eSpeaking. Dorrington Poole is a member of NZ LAW. By Nicola Roberts
Innovative Design Improves Efficiency
Reducing nitrogen/urea bill by 50 per cent With DCDs gone what are the options for farmers using synthetic nitrogen like urea, sulphate of ammonia and DAP? The answer has been out for more than 10 years, for some reason a leading soil scientist from a prominent university in New Zealand did the trials and the results were outstanding - a 30-40 per cent reduction in ammonia volatilisation and a 35-40 per cent reduction in nitrate-nitrogen leaching. These figures basically meant a farmer/ grower using this technology could halve his nitrogen bill, so why wasn’t it publicised? The only other issue with this technology was the cost of the final product that was to be mixed in with the nitrogen, the product soluble humate granules, cost $2500/tonne and the recommended mixing rate was 5-10 per cent- which basically increased the cost of each nitrogen application by $125-$250/ tonne of nitrogen used. Over the Christmas break and into the
early parts of this year Environmental Fertilisers had been working on this costing issue and have secured the rights to the same product (soluble humate granules) and have it available on the market for $600/tonne (saving $1900/tonne). This has significant cost savings by reducing the on-farm costs of nitrogen applications by in excess of 50 per cent. The company has also developed a urea/humate mix for those growers that don’t wish to mix their own soluble humates which is cheaper than urea and is applied at reduced rate of 40-60 per cent of normal nitrogen applications. The key to any nitrogen applications is to apply the nitrogen with a carbon source, and this carbon source needs to be soluble like urea is when you put it into a bucket
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Page 14
DAIRY
‘Cocaine of agriculture’ Stopping the use of nitrogen inhibitors on pastures is good news, not bad news, for the environment says Phyllis Tichinin, a biological agriculture consultant and educator.
“Some news reports have said it’s a blow to the environment that these products have been withdrawn by the fertiliser companies which manufacture them, but the reverse is true. It’s a win for the environment, because their use has been further upsetting the natural balance in the soil,” says Phyllis. Her comments follow reports of the discovery of residues of DCD (Dicyandiamide) nitrification inhibitors in products produced by Fonterra and Westland Milk. Even though the levels in the Fonterra milk powder Above and left - Phyllis Tichinin, biological agriculture consultant and educator. increased by more than 600 per cent were recorded as only in the order of in the last 20 to 25 years, fuelled by a parts per million, this raised concerns push to increase dairy production by among international and national consumers, with some countries asking three per cent year on year. “This is not good for the pocket for more testing. Fonterra and the Government moved books of farmers nor the health of the environment. New Zealand is a long quickly to assure consumers there way from our international markets was no food safety risk but Fonterra and should not be aiming to produce managing director co-operative affairs bulk commodity products but instead Todd Muller says DCD residues in nutrient dense, high quality foods agricultural products may present a which are fit to heal and help people future trade issue. reach their own full genetic potential. Applied to pasture and forage crops “Fertiliser inputs have gone up but to target urine, dung and fertiliser profits have gone down. Water and air emissions, Ballance says the use of quality have been diminished, as have nitrification inhibitors can improve animal and plant health.” water quality, reduce production of Dr Arden Andersen of the USA, an the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide and holistic scientist and physician who increase pasture growth. conducts seminars in New Zealand Phyllis is not surprised DCD has organised by Phyllis, has described shown up in New Zealand milk urea as the ‘cocaine of the agricultural and says if farmers want to increase industry’. production and reduce the risk of “He says it’s like an addiction. You other unwanted substances in their use a little and get a high on the grass milk, they need to focus on driving growth which feels good, but each time grass growth with calcium and trace elements, extend their rounds and back you have to use more to get the same result. All it is growing is weak, watery off use of urea. grass with low brix (sugar) levels.” The real issue, she says, is the overCows which graze on pasture with use of urea on New Zealand farms, high nitrate or crude protein levels which has given rise to a perceived develop a series of physical problems need for DCD to inhibit the leaching including lameness, mastitis, constant of nitrogen, especially into waterways. diarrhoea and eventually infertility as “Nitrification is a natural process in their bodies attempt to cope with the response to excessive levels of nitroexcess of nitrogen in their systems. gen,” says Phyllis. Nitrogen is able to take many forms New Zealand’s use of urea has and as ammonia can reach dangerous levels in a cow’s blood stream, giving them a condition similar to blue baby syndrome in humans which has been linked to sudden infant deaths. Belching out methane gas is another means cows use to expel excessive nitrogen, which Phyllis says has given rise to a whole new field of greenhouse gas research. “However, no-one has gone back to soil and grass to see if what the animals are eating is normal, well mineralised pasture. Farmers have also come to accept that cows with projectile poo are normal too, but in fact they have constant diarrhoea, which is far from normal.” The fertility of New Zealand’s dairy cows has been dropping and between 50 to 80 per cent of cows fail to get pregnant at the first round of insemination. Phyllis believes excessive use of urea on pastures has a part to play in low fertility too as the excess ammonia it creates is toxic to the calf embryo and it is supressing the cows’ immune systems, making them less likely to become pregnant. “Cows do what they can to get rid of urea by peeing and pooing it out, and the other exit point is in their milk.” There are two accepted methods for measuring urea in cows – one is Blood Urea Nitrogen, known by the abbreviation BUN, and Milk Urea Nitrogen known as MUN. Phyllis says in the USA the normal level of MUN is 10mg per decilitre but in New Zealand Dairy NZ has reported levels of 45mg per decilitre as normal. “In the US once a reading of 15 is reached it is considered an infertility (in cows) issue.”
Page 15
DAIRY
DCD ‘slows down but doesn’t kill bacteria’ Warwick Catto, head of research and environment at Ballance AgriNutrients.
Claims that over-use of urea has led to the need for the nitrogen inhibitor DCD and poor pasture and animal health have been refuted by both Ballance Agri-Nutrient and Dairy NZ. The claims have been made by Phyllis Tichinin, a biological agriculture consultant and educator (see story page 14) following the discovery of traces of DCD in exported milk products. Warwick Catto, head of research and environment at Ballance Agri-Nutrients says nitrification is a natural process for dealing with excessive levels of nitrogen and it happens in soils all the time. Dicyandiamide, also known as DCD has been withdrawn from sale following the discovery of the minute traces of the product in milk but Warwick says it is an extremely safe product which has been used for a long time in Europe. “DCD is a synthetic chemical. It is not a biocide and does not inhibit bacteria. It works to slow down bacteria in the soil, not kill them. Its function is a little like the pause button on the TV remote. “Its specificity is to pause the nitrification process for a period of time allowing plants to take up ammonia and nitrate. DCD does not have longevity and lasts in the order of 10s of days but not for years. It is 67 per cent nitrogen and 46 per cent urea and can be used as a nitrogen fertiliser and breaks down to carbon and oxygen.” Warwick agrees that the use of urea on farms has increased significantly but says that increase began from a very low base. “The increased use of urea has been a function of economics and the capital value of land which drives the need for increased production. Urea is expensive and as fertiliser is a farmer’s biggest cost, its use and application is carefully considered. “In the last five or more years, the move to spreading effluent on farms has seen the use of fertiliser drop. As a co-operative we are not solely sales driven and recognise using effluent is the right thing to do.” John Roche, Principal Scientist, Animal Science with DairyNZ says 20 to 25 years ago urea was not used to any appreciable extent as it was too expensive. However, as the returns from milk improved and the price of N fertiliser fell, using N fertiliser became more economically viable. “The use of N fertiliser does not result in lower quality pasture.” N fertiliser improves the quality of the pasture by encouraging the growth of larger leaves and the leaf is the more digestible/nutritious part of the plant. • It has variable effects on sugar content, but this is generally because it allows farmers to maintain a shorter rotation (i.e. pastures get to the same mass in a shorter period of time). Rotation length is one of the key drivers of sugar content. Therefore, if someone used N fertiliser but remained on the same rotation length, they are unlikely to affect pasture sugar content. • Pasture sugar content (brix) is not important to the production or health of the cow – this is because digestible fibre (cellulose and hemicellu
lose) in pasture is as nutritious to the microorganisms in the rumen that we are trying to feed. This has been proven a number of times in NZ and also internationally. • Brix is not strongly correlated with pasture sugar content – it is a measure of how much light is bent through the juice of the plant. Because there are other compounds solubilised in the plant juice, it is not a sensitive measure of pasture sugar content or metabolisable energy content. Provided the N fertiliser is applied at recommended rates, there is no evidence that it causes animal health problems, says John. “Ammonia toxicity in cows is very unusual – i.e. it only occurs if animals consume a large amount of urea very quickly (i.e. get access to a bag of fertiliser or are given too much urea in a mixed ration by mistake). The reason it is very unusual is that generally cows will reduce their dry intake when blood ammonia levels get too high, thereby reducing their intake of N and preventing death.” Nitrogen does take many forms, but all of these forms are converted to ammonia in the rumen. This ammonia is used by the rumen microorganisms to grow, providing the cow with high quality microbial protein. “Excess ammonia is absorbed across the rumen wall and is converted to the non-toxic urea in the liver. This is a very effective process that the cow regulates when she consumes too much protein. “Belching out methane gas is another means cows use to expel excessive nitrogen. Methane gas is a compound containing 1 carbon atom and 4 hydrogen atoms. It does not contain nitrogen. It is the way ruminants expel hydrogen.” John says dairy cows are not suffering from diarrhoea in the true clinical meaning of the term, but the excretion of large quantities of water in faeces. “It is perfectly natural. The pasture being consumed under modern dairy systems, whether fertilised with N fertiliser or not, is an extremely well balanced feed for dairy cows – high in energy, high quality protein, adequate effective fibre, high in essential vitamins,
and with adequate quantities of most minerals. We recommend some mineral supplementation in spring, irrespective of whether the pasture has been fertilised or not.” He refutes claims that cow fertility in New Zealand is dropping because of high urea use. “As a result of recommendations from the USA regarding protein and fertility, the effect of blood ammonia and urea on cow fertility has been investigated both in New Zealand and around the world.
Under grazing systems, blood urea and ammonia have almost no effect on fertility.” The work that has been done on pasture-based systems has shown no negative effect of Milk Urea Nitrogen on cow fertility, he says. “In the USA, MUN above 15 mg/ dL is regarded as contributing to early embryo loss. MUN in pasture fed cows is 40-60mg/dL, yet twice as many cows in NZ get pregnant than cows in the US.” By Elaine Fisher.
PRE-CAST CONCRETE & STEEL CONSTRUCTION SPECIALISTS
John Roche, Principal Scientist, Animal Science with DairyNZ.
MAIZE
Page 16
Latest technology benefits farmer and environment Investing in the latest boom spray technology as well as mobile ‘mixing centres’ and heli-pads, represents not only Skywork’s point of difference, but also its commitment to the environment and to delivering value for money. Aerial spraying is one facet of the agricultural work the 15-year-old company Skywork offers and it introduced the thru-valve boom equipment to New Zealand several years ago. This state of the art technology has been specially designed and developed as an anti-drift spray boom originating from the USA. The spray boom has provided an improved tool over the old traditional standard booms associated with the broken-up droplet particles seen when spraying, commonly referred to as the vortex effect being a consequence of traditional boom methodology used by aerial operators in New Zealand. The TVB allows the operator to accurately apply agrichemicals direct to the target at the prescribed rate with no off-target drift. Drift control is created by the elimination of fine droplet sizes while maintaining the spray pattern and coverage with the
unique wedge nozzle design. The turbulence commonly seen when liquids are applied by helicopter is removed. This unique tool is predominately used by all Skywork pilots for all its aerial farming and forestry applications. Differential GPS is another mandate tool with this type of boom operation due to its high level of accuracy. Aerial topdressing is another area in which the company and its pilots specialise, utilising highly developed equipment designed and proven to maximise the efficiency of aerial fertiliser operations. Skywork offers a choice of loading equipment to suit job type and size, keeping in mind the goal to maximise efficiency, (less time in the air), and also ensuring a farmer’s investment in expensive fertilisers is applied at the right rate by modern calibrated topdressing buckets, delivered only to the target areas given, with the guidance of the differential GPS system. Skywork Helicopters has spent considerable resources researching and developing to achieve precision application of agrichemicals and reduce the potential for environmental threats. One of the more unique innova-
Scenic flights are just one aspect of Skywork’s diverse operations. tions is Skywork’s three “mobile mixing centres” – trucks that can carry up to 12 tons of water, fuel, chemicals, and support equipment with an integrated heli-deck mounted above the tank. These “rooftop” helipads minimise dust movement and the mobility of the trucks enables landing pads to be located often closer to the job site, providing savings for the customer. This method of containment significantly reduces the potential risk of ground seepage or spills of chemicals and fuel. In addition to aerial spraying and topdressing, other services the company provides include frost control for vineyards and orchards, seeding, lifting, pest control, fire control, as well as surveys, aerial photography, charter, search and rescue and scenic flights. Skywork Helicopters is renowned for having a safe and professional reputation. Safety has always been at the forefront of the company’s operations – from being New Zealand’s first Part 135-certified helicopter company, to being awarded the prestigious New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority’s Aviation Safety Award twice.
Maize crop assures winter feed is on hand
JORDAAN
The 700 cows on the Jensen Pyes Pa farm are assured of being well fed with supplements this winter, thanks to silage made from a fine stand of maize grown in nearby Omanawa Road. Every year for the past 15 years David Jensen has contracted Bill Webb Feed Solutions to prepare the land, plant, manage and harvest the maize to make silage to feed the milking herd. “Once the maize is harvested we plant rye grass and use the land as a run-off until it’s time for the next planting,” says David. The nearly flat contour of the land makes it ideal for maize growing and careful management means it has continued to produce good yields year on year. By late February the plants were well above head
From front cover height and when Bill and David checked the cobs they were not too far off being ready for harvest. “Bill has looked after our maize growing for years and I’m very happy with the quality of product he produces,” says David who likes the confidence growing his own maize for his cows brings, especially in light of the dry summer conditions this year.
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Bill Webb (left) and David Jensen check out the maturity of maize David is growing to feed his dairy herd this winter.
Page 17
MAIZE
Preserving stacks Some Waikato dairy farmers are saying they have had less rain now than during the summer of the 2007-2008 drought and they are pretty worried. What made that drought so bad was that it continued into winter and that won’t necessarily happen this time. In fact weather forecasters are saying the current neutral El Nino weather patterns means our weather becomes more varied which “widens the extremes of wind, rain and temperature” – so hopefully there will be more rain sometime soon. The 44.5 mm we had at Paengaroa in February was very welcome and above what little fell in January, giving a much needed boost to maize crops in particular.
More dry weather
That farmers in both the Bay of Plenty and Waikato are preparing for more dry weather is confirmed by the way hay and silage is disappearing from our stores, with one client ordering 700 bales of silage alone during February. We already have had strong interest in any surplus maize silage not contracted and farmers who get in early are wise because it looks like there will be a shortage, and if demand exceeds supply, prices will go up. It’s dry in the Hawkes Bay where some of the feed comes from so supplies from there could be limited. Many farmers have been feeding out what they had been saving for winter so need to replace it now to be sure they can keep cows in good condition not only for milking but also through the winter, so farmers will need to get in early as poor planning can lead to pitiful performance. Maize is a good supplementary feed as it is high in starch and has high ME to keep cows lactating and condition on until the rains come and grass begins to grow again. Farmers who have maize harvested for silage should be planning the stack site now because poor planning can lead to costly hold ups and problems down the track with getting it out and high wastage. The site should not be in a hollow where water will drain and it’s worth putting down some pumice to
provide a dry hard surface in winter for machinery to feed out the silage. The stack must be well covered and sealed from air. It’s a bit like grandma’s jars of fruit preserves – if you don’t seal them properly, they go bad.
Keep stacks safe
The edges of the stacks should be sealed and the tyres touching. Netting can be spread over to keep pukekos off if they are a problem because these birds can peck holes in the covering and ruin a whole stack in no time. Rats are another pest and rodent bait stations need to be placed and kept full, around the stack too. There’s little point in spending time and money on putting aside supplementary feed, only to find it’s gone off and has high losses or is not very good quality just when you need it. The same is true of buying in or making feed. We’ve heard from disgruntled farmers who have bought feed (not from us) or made their own only to find the quality is not sufficient to keep their cows milking. Get a lab test done if you are unsure. While maize crops are looking good, some may begin to suffer stress from lack of rain if the dry weather continues much longer. However, the harvest will be underway from late February to early March and many of our customers are ringing to ask how soon they can expect a delivery. This is also the time when trucks transporting maize and tractors and machinery are on our rural roads so drivers should take care, especially on the narrow back roads.
The rip in this cover was caused by pukeko which pecked holes all over the stack causing the silage to deteriorate.
Greenhouse gas research The Ministry for Primary Industries has committed NZ$1.6million to a multi-partner call for agricultural greenhouse gas research through the Joint Programming Initiative on Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change. The FACCE-JPI is an intergovernmental initiative of 21 European Member States and Associated Countries who are committed to addressing the global challenges
of agriculture, food security and climate change. The challenge of growing more food (and more climate-resilient food systems) without growing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture requires a global strategic approach and cooperation between international research programmes. The research call brings together research consortia to enhance international collaboration in the face of the global issue of climate change mitigation across 11 countries of FACCE – JPI as well as Canada, New Zealand and the United States.
Page 18
HORTICULTURE
After the rain arrives is time to feed supplements
Bacteria may help control Psa-V
Regular measures over a number of years from properties where nutrient programmes are based on DoloZest and CalciZest, show rapidly growing spring pasture to be around 20 per cent dry matter, which is why what appears to be quite large volumes of pasture can be devoured in a short space of time by hungry stock. Dry summer pasture can be a little over 30 per cent dry matter, with most of the available feed within 10cm from ground level. Unless weighing and drying is undertaken regularly the eye can be easily fooled, (one of the few times that actually happens). During prolonged periods of dry weather pasture changes colour, there is talk of impending drought, and what is observed reflects the thinking. You see what you think is there, not what actually is there. I’ve been across a number of properties in January where the farmers were quite concerned about the amount of feed on hand and how stock might be adequately fed. Their immediate thought was that supplement should be fed. Dry standing feed is likely to be higher quality than the feed conserved in spring, and there is usually a lot more than might first appear, particularly if there is a genuine 30 day interval between grazing - the recommended interval from mid December onwards. It is after substantial rain arrives that there is the greatest demand for supplementary feed, and it is also the time when it is best to encourage animals to eat supplement. The really dry feed in the base of the pasture will deteriorate rapidly and feeding high quality supplement at this time will ensure production is maximised and weight loss minimised. The longer fresh young re-growth has time to grow the quicker it will be able to obtain the optimum grazing length. The first substantial rain makes pastures turn green but it is the second rain usually 10 – 14 days later before substantial growth starts to occur. In between energy goes into the decomposition of the decaying pasture and dung on the soil surface, decaying root, and that demand can be substantial. For this process to occur rapidly there must be both the bacteria and fungi suitable for the task and the best environment for them to work in. CalciZest and DoloZest from Eco-Logic Soil Improvement contain a wide range of soil friendly fungi and bacteria including those that rapidly breakdown organic matter, as well as those which help plants obtains nutrient and moisture. The best soil environment is one that is calcium rich and both CalciZest and DoloZest contain appreciable amounts of calcium, the element that is most beneficial during this phase. Fertiliser nitrogen applied during this time is likely to be counter-productive. Nitrogen strips calcium from the soil and although it may speed initial degradation excess nitrogen will find its way into groundwater. Fertiliser nitrogen is also likely to increase plant nitrate levels with feed becoming highly unpalatable and exiting the animal soon after being eaten. Stock surviving on this feed will also lose weight rapidly. Pasture stimulated by CalciZest and DoloZest will contain more energy and full protein. Animal weight loss will be minimised, feed will be more fully digested, production losses will be less and animals far more content.
A bacteria which competes with Psa for nutrients has reduced the incidence of the vine disease Psa-V in kiwifruit in Italy, Italian scientist Giorgio Balestra says. Trials of a product containing the bacteria had shown a reduction of disease incidence and an increase in the health of vines he told the New Zealand Plant Protection Society Psa symposium at Mount Maunganui in February. The findings were the result of four years of studies by scientists from the University of Tusci, both in the laboratory and in the field on plants of different ages and in different climatic areas as well as different soil types. Bacillus amyloliquefaciens subsp. plantarum (Amylo-X) was initially tested during flowering to protect flowers and pollen but has proved effected throughout the growing season. It can be used with copper but is not resistant to antibiotics. It is able to compete with Psa-V – Pseudomonas syringae pv actinidiae, for space and nutrients in kiwifruit plants. “It has the capacity to well colonise flowers and pollen and reduces the Psa organism by forming a biofilm. It can well-colonise and protect the phyllosphere (leaf surfaces or total above-ground surfaces of a plant) of kiwifruit plants through the whole season and maintains an effective preventative prolonged protection. “It has no negative effects on large organisms such as bees and no phototoxic effects
on plants. “It will protect kiwifruit during blossom time and during the whole season. It is a unique organic pesticide and is registered for use against Psa.” If preceded by appropriate agronomical approaches, the bacteria can cohabit with Psa-V and enable vines to produce kiwifruit of quality in quantity. However, Giorgio said Amylo-X and other promising Psa-V control products were just part of the answer to the disease and much still needs to be done worldwide to bring it under control. He stressed the importance of continuing to maintain good orchard hygiene, including sterilising pruning tools and controlling the movement of plant material. Psa has multiple points of entry into kiwifruit, not just through wounds made by pruning, picking, girdling, insects, hail and wind. It can enter through natural openings such as the stomata in leaves and once inside the plant it can multiply rapidly and occupy and force its way through intercellular spaces, breaking or digesting cell walls. It can move through the plant, even to the roots, and survive in the soil for some time. In the case of an orchard with just a few infected vines, Giorgio said the best solution was to remove the entire plant, including roots, disinfect the soil and not grow kiwifruit in that position again for at least a year. However, he acknowledged that was not a practical or economically viable solution for growers with large numbers of infected vines. There is a need to acquire more knowledge on worldwide Psa populations and
The vine disease Psa-V probably arrived in regions outside the Bay of Plenty six to 12 months before it was discovered and was most likely transported there on plant material or orchard equipment. Kiwifruit Vine Health CEO Barry O’Neill says investigations show it is unlikely wind carried the disease to areas such as the Waikato and Hawke’s Bay and the fact that contaminated equipment, tools, and plant material may have
COSIO COSIO
been the vectors gives hope that infections can be contained. “Growers need to remain vigilant. The high risks are plant materials such as budwood and rootstock and the movement of orchard equipment. Growers should continue to carry out good orchard hygiene as a matter of course, in part because Psa-V is not the only biosecurity risk we face on our orchards.” While it is disappointing the disease has been found outside the Bay of Plenty,
By Elaine Fisher
Barry says that does not mean it will necessarily spread the way it has in the Te Puke area, where 1058 orchards now have at least some vines with the disease. The industry has learned a lot about the disease since it was first identified in Te Puke in 2010 and there is much growers can do to minimise the impact on their orchards. “We have a far better understanding in relation to the disease and orchard set-up, including shelter belts, low lying, cold or frost prone areas and the varieties growing. We also know more about minimising the impact by using protective sprays, including copper.” A hot, dry January has slowed the disease, which thrives in cold wet conditions, but growers are well aware they will see more signs of its presence again come autumn. Barry says how Psa affects different varieties is also becoming clearer. “We have seen quite a lot of bud rot in the new green variety G14 and also in some Hayward vines and we believe Psa was involved. “This may mean that for G14, thinning might be best done post rather and pre-flowering and we are currently reviewing what advice to give growers next season.” There were concerns last year that Hayward males were succumbing to Psa, raising the possibility of limited pollen supplies. “The impact on Hayward males was patchy, with those in cold wet, low lying or elevated areas most affected. Orchards that didn’t have mature Chieftain males seemed worst affected. “However, there was adequate pollen for the season and some growers have been collecting their own flowers and having pollen milled to use next spring.”
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Psa-V may not hit other regions so hard
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Page 19
HORTICULTURE
Kiwifruit harvest begins late March Post harvest companies are gearing up for harvest with the first kiwifruit expected to be picked late in March. Despite the aggressive vine disease Psa-V they report pleasing volumes and quality of fruit, with the exception of the gold Hort16A which is particularly susceptible to the disease. However, many growers who have removed vines and grafted to new varieties will not have fruit to harvest this season and face all the costs of managing their orchards with no income. Most growers are tightening their spending and this is impacting on employment and contractors who rely on orchardists for their income.
Aongatete Coolstores- Hinga Marsh & Nicki Paget Technical Manager / Horticulture Operations Manager
The team at Aongatete Coolstores are looking forward to starting the 2013 harvest season. Our horticulture department has been busy summer pruning and trunk girdling as well as continuing with rigor-
ous Psa hygiene and management. The long period of fine weather over November 2012 to January 2013 has seen a reduction in the level of primary Psa symptoms and spread. However, orchards that already had secondary infections in spring 2012 continue to have die-back and cankers being regularly cut out and incinerated. We are seeing some signs of vine stress due to a lack of rainfall; this also means many growers (who are without irrigation) will find it hard to size their fruit to its full potential. In general, 2013 Hayward production is reasonably good with the total production slightly down compared to 2012. Hayward supplied fruit will be slightly smaller compared to last year, in part due to the drier summer and higher flower numbers. The Hort16A variety has been severely impacted by Psa in the wider Tauranga area. The supply of Hort16A fruit has reduced dramatically compared to the 2012 fruit season and the future of these vines appears limited at best. However, there are a handful of growers still considering another season of growing Hort16A irrespective of the Psa challenges. The Hort16A fruit is also smaller than usual for the
same reasons as Hayward. New varieties, G3 and G9, are currently performing very well and should provide a reasonable volume of fruit for the Aongatete facility. There are some new challenges with the husbandry of these cultivars these include propensity to have high flower numbers, the variability in dry matter and fruit size. The advice to growers is to monitor your crop load carefully as higher flower loads mean greater spread of flowering time which increases the dry matter and fruit size variability.
Kiwifruit Growers Work Plan for 2013 Through January we have been reviewing our work plan and establishing what our key priorities are for 2013. This article reports on the key aspects of that plan. NZ Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated strength is that its policy and all key decisions are made by its 37 member grower forum. This allows the industry’s 2,662 growers to have a direct say in the conduct of the industry through their NZKGI Forum representative. NZKGI’s Forum is a “melting pot” of diverse views and opinions held by growers throughout the industry. These views are “harnessed” through NZKGI’s Forum meetings into a consolidated grower position on all key grower and industry issues.
NZKGI Forum Elections
Elections for members of NZKGI’s Forum will be held in 2013. These elections are held every three years. NZKGI’s Forum meets six to seven times a year. Additional meetings are called if there are important industry issues. NZKGI’s Forum members are our direct link to kiwifruit growers, with each member representing a constitute grouping of growers in two ways. Firstly, by taking issues NZKGI is working on to their growers to get the growers’ views and then representing those views back to NZKGI’s Forum. Secondly, by being the champion for grower issues and raising them at NZKGI’s Forum. Nominations for NZKGI’s Forum members open in mid-March and postal voting will occur in June. The newly elected Forum members commence their three year term at NZKGI’s AGM on July 24, 2013.
to be one step ahead of the next pest or disease that affects our vines. The immediate focus here is the Biosecurity Government Industry Agreements for pest and disease monitoring and incursions. Along with HortNZ, has been part of the pan-industry drafting team that has created a draft deed to put this new arrangement in place. We have been particularly focussed on ensuring that what is developed is workable, and also gives the industry input into the whole biosecurity system. We need to have a direct say in how the pre-border and the border is managed. Importers and tourists also need to pay their way. It is not fair, or reasonable, to expect the agricultural and horticultural industries to pay for inadequate pre-border and border protection and to give
exacerbators (the importers and tourists) a free ride.
Fruit Fly
For kiwifruit, our focus has been on fruit fly as the first cab off the rank. The impact of a fruit fly incursion on the Bay of Plenty kiwifruit industry has been estimated to cause a potential loss of more than 3,400 jobs and $820 million in lost earnings. This is the impact on just kiwifruit and from just one incursion. Our aim is to ensure the industry is prepared for a fruit fly incursion, so we can quickly respond by eliminating the fruit fly population, without undue interruption to our exports and without the above quoted job and financial losses. These are some of the main industry issues NZKGI is currently working on. In future articles we will cover many others and elaborate further on some of the above topics.
Psa-V
Our activities with our two areas of focus: first, grower and community support; and second, implementation of the Psa-V National Pest Management Plan were both covered in last month’s article.
Other Biosecurity Issues
Psa-V is our key focus. However, this does not mean as an organisation, or as an industry, we have lost sight of the other biosecurity threats to horticulture in general, and kiwifruit in particular. Late last year the kiwifruit industry decided Kiwifruit Vine Health should take on a wider biosecurity role. (KVH is the organisation the kiwifruit industry established to manage Psa.) As an industry, we want
My Name is Neil Woodward. I am a director of Z-Contracting- we are family run business, our team consists of three, being myself, my son and my brother. Our organisation has been established for over 18 years. I have been involved in applying crop protection programmes within the horticultal industry since 1966. We specialise within the kiwi fruit industry, We have the equipment to spray orchards with our two Atom sprayers and one recently purchased Tracatom Formula tractor which is also available for mulching and mowing.
Our Atoms are set up with radar speed sensors, this combined with fully automated sprayer controllers and three nozzle rings enhances application efficiency and accuracy. We also use a quad bike for strip weed spray applications. We hold all certificates needed to meet Globalgap compliance. We look at all challenges to help ensure we protect your crop with excellence.
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PACKHOUSE ROUNDUP
Page 20
Hort16A volumes continue to decrease The ability to grow new varieties successfully will be dependent on a managing the plant’s physiology and its environmental influences. Psa will also continue to present challenges to the establishment of any of the current new cultivars. It is crucial to understand how the vine and fruit work together in unison to produce fruit with high dry matter of acceptable size. The relationship between the developing fruit and the carbohydrate ’factory’ (leaves) is the key to producing top quality fruit. The leaf canopy, once fully formed, will provide all the carbohydrate needs for the developing fruit. However, later in the season this carbohydrate is diverted to the roots for storage and is used again the following spring. Girdling the phloem (just under the bark) will temporarily stall this root storage pathway and provide an extra carbohydrate loading of dry matter in the fruit. The response to girdling will be dependent on the variety, time of girdling, crop load and vine health. Girdling is best done in spring for fruit sizing effects and late summer for dry matter. Varieties do differ in their response to girdling. In addition, the availability of water during the mid-late summer is absolutely critical and without significant rainfall or irrigation fruit sizing will be compromised.
Aongatete is committed to maintaining high standards of hygiene for Psa management. We will also be using bin liners for main pack product and with our Hort16A fruit. This will be an added benefit for long term fruit storage. This decision was made with the full support of our grower trust, after successful trials were undertaken over the last few years. The 2013 harvest season has seen our key stakeholders face many challenges but we are happy to report that it is shaping up to be a positive fruit season for our growers.
DMS- Director Paul Jones
The 2013 crops are looking very good in terms of both volume and quality, following an ideal pollination season for most orchards. DMS is on target to pack appreciably more volume than in 2012. Although our gold volume has been significantly reduced, there is an ongoing increase in new variety volumes, and a very pleasing increase in green volumes for 2013, as growers evaluate the benefits of the DMS fruit loss/ storage earnings guarantee. This is a unique product offering that growers are appreciating, following several years of DMS fruit loss being only a small fraction of industry loss, across all varieties.
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Our first crop estimate for the Hort16a variety is approximately 150, 000 trays, down significantly from the 700,000 trays packed last season. The new varieties are performing very well. DMS experienced no problems in 2012 in packing or coolstorage, and look forward to handling increasing volumes of these exciting new products. Growers are learning how to grow new varieties well. It is critical to grow high dry matter fruit, and our advice to growers is to heed the science- ensure crop loads are not excessive, take advantage of the hot and dry weather to keep the canopies open, and thin off small fruit. The hot summer conditions are slowing Psa, but don't be fooled, the beast is only sleeping and will reawaken in the autumn. It is essential that a spray programme is maintained, especially on rapidly -developing conversion canopies. Kiwifruit vines love the summer heat, but if dry conditions are prolonged fruit size is likely to be affected where the crop loads are high. Irrigation should be used when available, prioritising conversion blocks.
East Pack- Matt Hill, general manager for grower services and orchard management.
EastPack has just completed its first round of reject rate assessments and its January crop estimate. Based on these observations fruit quality is looking very good again this season. Crop volumes seem to be up and down depending on the growing area, quality of male vines and susceptibility to Psa. Due to Psa the Industry has seen decreases in Hort16A volume and on some Hayward orchards this season. However, from EastPack’s perspective this has been somewhat offset by approximately 1.5 million trays of new volume (Grower/Kpins that have joined EastPack for the first time for the 2013 season) and additional new variety volume coming on stream. At this early stage we would estimate similar volumes of fruit year on year. Hort16A fruit will be among its product mix this season and we hope that it continues to be for as long as possible. New Varieties are generally performing well. Specifically: G14 has improved shape and numbers this year however, “bud rot” issues need to be overcome. The few remaining blocks of G9 are doing well. G3 and G9 should have been thinned and
girdled in February to maximise dry matter. ExHort16A blocks that have been redeveloped to G3 had a disappointing graft take in spring, but the successful grafts appear strong with minimal progression of Psa symptoms. To maximise G3 dry matter, growers could utilise an autumn girdle and ensure their canopies are kept open. They should avoid cropping at excessively high numbers, the use of Benefit and avoid growing small fruit. Expression of Psa symptoms across all varieties has been negligible over summer despite “high risk” weather events over Christmas. We do recognise that autumn may be a more critical time for Psa infection than summer. We are particularly wary of the increased protection that will be required through this time. Irrigation management has extremely important this summer. Most growers with irrigation available have been relying heavily on this. Young vines, orchards on shallow soils and grafts will be the most at risk of drought stress. The effects of drought stress on fruit is generally a smaller fruit profile and advanced maturation. The prediction is that the first fruit will be harvested in late March,
Mount Pack & Cool Ltd- General
Manager Murray Gough
The crops for all five kiwifruit varieties are generally looking good from both a volume and quality perspective although the remaining crops of Hort 16A are a smaller average size than usual this season Our crop volumes will be similar to those in 2012 however the mix of varieties will be different. We are expecting a significantly reduced level of Hort 16A offset by an increase in both G3 and G9 and we are expecting a similar yield and volume of green to last season Hort 16A will be part of our mix for 2013 but at a reduced volume compared to last season - it is unclear how many more seasons our remaining orchards will be able to produce a crop G3 and G9 crop loading is heavy in more mature canopies. Thinning has been carried out when where required to remove smaller fruit. G14 crops are also relatively small and a change in weight bands is causing small fruit to be thinned.
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All Growers Welcome Due to the wide interest and positive feedback these field days are now open to all growers. Each field day runs for a couple of hours. They are facilitated by Trevelyan’s with input coming from independent industry experts along with plenty of opportunity for growers to add to the discussion including Q & A time. Contact us to find out the date and time and topic of the next event. Call reception on 07 573 0085. 310 No 1. Road, R.D.2, Te Puke, 3182 · Phone (07) 573 0085 · www.trevelyan.co.nz
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Page 21
PACKHOUSE ROUNDUP
Big lift in new variety volumes as vines mature dry conditions, and this has allowed growers to cut back in the use of preventative sprays. The crops are looking excellent at this stage, with the rain in early February certainly welcome by orchardists. A number of growers have being using irrigation, however kiwifruit vines have very deep root structures and are able to keep drawing water up during long, dry periods. Seeka has a strong focus on Kiwistart and we will have our packhouses up and operating to supply the first ships leaving for Asia and Europe over Easter. To ensure high dry matter particularly in G3 fruit growers should keep an open canopy, remove reject fruit and seriously contemplated trunk girdling vines in mid-February to stimulate an increase in dry matter. Kiwifruit enjoys warm weather and is currently thriving. Psa is less tolerant of dry conditions and the infection rates have slowed down. Growers who have irrigation have been using it particularly on the lighter soils around eastern Te Puke. We are expecting to receive our first fruit in the last half of March
Seeka- CEO Michael Franks
In most orchards crop volumes and quality are looking excellent. We have had a good growing season, and our orchardists have been working hard to manage their vines and crop. Obviously Psa has had a significant impact on some orchards, but through careful management a number of Hort16A growers will be able to bring their crop through to harvest. Our current crop volumes based on signed contracts have already met our production forecasts for 2013. Our industry is going through a rapid period of change, and orchardists have
been looking to get the best service at the best price. In intense competition, Seeka has managed to sign over a significant number of growers. This has helped replace some of the volumes lost to Psa in 2013. As new variety orchards come into full production, and growers cut over infected vines, we are looking forward to further growth in volumes over the coming years. Unfortunately Psa is prevalent throughout our catchment and our experience with Zespri Hort 16a is that it is very susceptible to the disease. In the absence of a cure then we would expect the Zespri Hort 16a volumes to continue to decline. New varieties are continuing to progress, and we are expecting a big lift in yields as more orchards come into full production. As with any product, careful orchard management is important to get the right crop loading, and Seeka has been holding field days and working with growers to help them get the right crop profile and the best returns from their orchard. There has also been a focus on canopy management to promote healthy vines and minimise risk from Psa infections. Psa does not visibly progress in hot,
Trevelyan Pack and CoolAlister Hawkey CEO
Hayward crops generally look excellent with good numbers and size. Some orchards however have been challenged by Psa and have lower fruit numbers. Total crop volumes are 10 per cent down on last year.
Hayward crops are up on 2012 but Hort 16a gold is significantly down with no crops being supplied from the Te Puke region. All Hort 16a crops for us now come from Hawkes Bay and Katikati. It is unlikely we will see Hort 16a grown in Katikati for 2014 but it is unknown what will happen in Hawkes Bay. G3 is growing well with strong canopies developing. G9 is growing better this season with good crop loads. G14 has been affected by flower drop but this is site specific and there are still some good crops. Good cane spacing ensures adequate light levels to enable fruit to achieve high dry matter which is important for quality and taste. Very little new Psa symptoms have developed over summer but the bacteria is still there and will become active in the autumn when temperatures drop. Some growers have been irrigating but recent rainfall was timely. The harvest is expected to begin at the end of March.
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Page 22
EFFLUENT
Most Waikato farmers use effluent as a resource In the Waikato region, applying effluent to land is a permitted activity. This means farmers can apply effluent without having to get resource consent, as long as they follow a set of conditions:
• No more than 150 kilograms of nitrogen can be applied per hectare, per year (1.5 applications at 25 mm deep and 0.04 per cent nitrogen). • The farmer/contractor must have contingency measures in place in case there is prolonged wet weather or a pump breaks down.
• Any ponds or effluent holding facilities must be sealed to reduce leakage. • The farmer/contractor must spread effluent and sludge in a way that reduces odour and spray drift. • Each effluent application must not be more than 25 mm deep. • Effluent must not run off the land into waterways. • Effluent must not pond on the land surface after application. If asked by Waikato Regional Council, the person applying the effluent must be able to show that they have met these conditions. Around 90 per cent of 4,600 dairy farms in the Waikato region discharge effluent to land under the permitted activity rule. The remainder are currently working under consents to discharge treated effluent to water.
Farm dairy effluent is a natural, dilute liquid fertiliser. It contains nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), sulphur (S) and trace elements farmer would normally pay to have applied to pasture. The council encourages farmers to think of dairy effluent as a resource, not waste. The average dairy herd (244 cows) produces the same amount of effluent as a town with about 3400 people, such as Otorohanga. When spread over land and applied in timely fashion, council estimates the effluent of 100 cows can save farmers up to $2200 in fertiliser a year (based on 2010 fertiliser prices). This saving could be significantly higher for high input farms (for example, farms feeding supplements). The soil acts as a living filter, treating the applied effluent. Source www.waikatoregion.govt.nz
Design and build effluent service Bowers and Son Ltd is a family owned business located in Te Awamutu which has been serving the rural and building sectors in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty for the past 60 years.
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With a new factory and award winning kiwi technology, Bowers & Son Ltd is taking concrete tank making into a new era. It is the only company in the central North Island to secure a license to construct Duracrete tanks. These tanks use self-compacting concrete technology which has changed the way tanks have traditionally been made for more than 50 years. The company says the benefit to the customer is a very high strength durable product with a very high quality finish. Self-compacting concrete is used in the manufacture of other products including water troughs, stone traps, concrete walls, and septic tanks. Bowers & Sons also manufactur-
ers precast 25000ltr circular effluent sumps, designed with anti-floatation foot to help prevent tank from rising out of the ground. Customers have the option of having sumps without roofs to suit floating pumps, or with roofs for long shaft pumps. Bowers sumps combined with its precast stone-traps make effluent storage easy. The company now offers a design and build onsite service for effluent requirements using precast panels and invites clients to talks to its friendly and knowledgeable specialist for all their effluent enquires.
Precast 25000ltr circular effluent sumps, designed with anti-floatation foot to help prevent tank from rising out of the ground
PASTURE RENOVATION
Page 23
Top-10 tips for pasture renewal 1. Identify the paddocks that need attention, where the grass is not growing to expectations. 2. Decide whether to go through a forage crop scenario, as this will determine the timing – whether renovation starts in spring or autumn. Soil test. Correcting any problems with fertility or pH identified at this stage is well
worth the money. 3. Analyse pros and cons of using minimum tillage or cultivation. Direct drilling is much cheaper but there may be other reasons for wanting to cultivate, eg to do some contouring or smoothing out in the pad dock. 4. Identify any pests and talk to specialists about remedies.
5. Talk to the seed rep to dis cuss when you want the growth – early maturing/ late maturing/dry tolerant/good winter growth. Have a feed graph on hand to try to match with the cultivars. Also obtain advice on clover varieties – large leaf/highly digestible/showing maximum persistence. 6. Organise the contractor
well in advance and have a low residual with the paddock well eaten out when the contractor comes to spray it out. 7. Have the seed ready mixed for drilling (three to four days later) and ensure the correct seeding rate. 8. After drilling – don’t go to sleep on it. Monitor the crop for bugs and weeds. Quick action is
needed because bugs can cause significant damage. 9. New grass care – treat it like a new baby. The first grazing should be very light – sheep are the best for this but calves are the next best option. 10. Don’t let it get too long. First grazing should be when there is complete green coverage and it passes the pull test, usually at around 9-10cm high. Apply the first round of nitrogen, at a low rate of 25kg/ha, after this first grazing http://www.pasturerenewal.org.nz/article/76.html
National training for nutrient advisers Sixteen primary sector organisations have so far committed to the Nutrient Management Adviser Certification Programme commissioned by DairyNZ and developed by the Fertiliser Association of New Zealand. The certification programme is part of a Primary Growth Partnership, funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries and is overseen by an industry advisory group which sets standards, manages certification and continuing professional development and operates a registration system. The programme, which will begin to formally invite advisers to apply for certification early in 2013, will ensure New Zealand nutrient management advisory standards are maintained to the highest level internationally. It will give confidence and credibility to the increasingly important role of managing nutrient cycling and nutrient loss within environmental limits on farms. It will also give assurance to central and regional government regulators, local and international markets and the public at large that the primary sector
is managing its nutrient footprint consistently nationwide. To become certified, nutrient management advisers will have to demonstrate they have appropriate qualifications, or equivalent field experience, with a suitable training record for a range of subject matter prescribed by a standard setting group. Advisers are also required to have successfully completed the Intermediate and Advanced courses in Sustainable Nutrient Management in New Zealand Agriculture delivered by Massey University, plus demonstrate their skills and knowledge meet required standards through a competency assessment. The programme will give recognition to work undertaken by the fertiliser industry to train its fertiliser representatives. The certification framework will be extended to all in the primary sector who provide nutrient management advice to farmers, or who are involved in the broader field of farm management. To maintain certification a nutrient management adviser must complete specified continuing professional development each year. It is anticipated that approximately 20 per cent of New Zealand’s nutrient management advisers will have completed their comprehensive
certification competency assessment by end of 2013 and approximately 50 per cent will be certified by midway through 2014. For more information on the Nutrient Management Adviser Certification Programme go to www.nmacertification.org.nz Source Fertiliser Matters newsletter
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Page 24
AUTUMN FERTILISER
Rescuing cows, pouring concrete David Beck enjoys installing power poles and pouring concrete – from the air.
“It’s a challenge and real precision work but it’s also very satisfying,”
says David who is a pilot with Beck Helicopters of Eltham. He’s been flying with the company his father Alan founded for 17 years now and while not all jobs are as mentally taxing as putting in power poles or pouring concrete
for lifts on the Turoa ski field even the ‘routine’ ones provide more excitement than a desk job. The day I caught up with David he was taking a Bell Iroquois out of the hangar and gathering the equipment needed to lift a cow
Flying has taken father and son Alan and David Beck to some of the most spectacular parts of the world, including New Zealand’s Central Plateau. from where she had fallen down a cliff on the coast. “It’s not the first time we’ve rescued a cow. In fact one time there were eight which had gone through a fence and over a bank.” With the chopper, equipment and crew ready to go, David waited for the call from the farmer to say the vet was on hand and the cow sedated ready for the lift. “Cows are pretty valuable now so it’s worth getting in the chopper to pull them out if there’s a chance of them surviving.” Turns out this one did survive and was soon back to her normal high milk production. David has been around helicopters all his life and never really thought of doing anything else other than flying. His dad Alan founded Beck Helicopter 40 years
ago, making it the first Taranaki-based helicopter operation and the longest surviving helicopter business in New Zealand. Formed in 1972 to meet an increasing need for helicopter services in the province, the business began with a single Bell 47 helicopter, a small hangar and small staff base. Now it operates three Bell Iroquois and one Bell Jet Ranger helicopter across New Zealand, and carries out maintenance for clients on four continents. The company employs up to 15 staff including contractors and part-time employees. Further expansion is on the cards, with the future looking rosy. Both Alan and David enjoy flying the Iroquois which David says are far from outdated. “Almost every major part on our Iroquois is replaced on a regular
Enterprising women awards open Entries are now open for the RWNZ Enterprising Rural Women Awards 2013, and there are even more opportunities for rural women to be recognised for their success. “This is the fourth year we’ve run the awards, and we encourage all women running small rural businesses to enter,” says Rural Women NZ national president, Liz Evans. The supreme Enterprising Rural Women Award will go to the winner of one of the following entry categories: ‘Love of the Land’ sponsored by Agrisea Limited – covering all land-based businesses, from animals to agriculture. ‘Help! I Need Somebody’ sponsored by Telecom – for businesses with a service-focus. ‘Making it in Rural’ – for women involved in manufacturing or creative enterprises. ‘Stay, Play Rural’ sponsored by Access Homehealth Limited – covering businesses engaged in rural tourism and hospitality.
The awards are a real opportunity for women to boost their media profile and grow their businesses, says Liz. It’s been a whirlwind year for Rose Voice of The Real Dog Equipment Company since she won the RWNZ Enterprising Rural Women Award in May 2012. Booked for speaking engagements through to October, she has also taken on extra staff to keep up with increased demand for her specialist dog products. Winning the RWNZ Enterprising Rural Women Award 2011 was also a huge confidence boost for Marlborough cheese maker Lisa Harper, who says it was a stepping stone towards her being awarded a prestigious Nuffield Scholarship at the end of 2012. To enter the awards, women have to own and operate a small business, with less than 10 full time equivalent staff, based in a rural area. The business must have been running for at least two years. If in partnership, women must be an active partner of 50 per cent or more in the business. Entries close Friday March 15, and entry forms are available on www.ruralwomen.org.nz.
AUTUMN FERTILISER
Page 25
Rural pilot’s 35 years of adventure Landing on a road and filling their aircraft’s fuel tanks from a service station during a 23 hour flight across Australia is among the highlights of John and Janet Spence’s aviation careers.
All in a day’s work sphere to operate basis as parts are still Restricted Catreadily available so egory Iroquois the machines are far for commercial newer than their date operations. of manufacture might Through the suggest,” says David. company’s 22 Beck Helicopters year involvement is the only company with Search and licensed for overhaulRescue, Alan says ing Iroquois engines they also had the and airframes in New opportunity to Zealand. In 2000 the give back to the company diversified Taranaki cominto maintenance and munity, having now helicopter parts participated in from New Zeamore than 500 land and off-shore rescues. regularly arrive at the “It has really put Eltham workshop for Beck Helicopters repair and mainteon the map,” says nance. Alan who received Over the years the the Queens Service type of flying work Fighting fires from the air is the company carries rewarding for Becks Helicopter pilots Medal for services to Search and Rescue out has changed. when flames are extinguished. in 1989, but he says “We no longer do the honour goes to the volunteers who as much weed spraying as we used to put their lives at risk. “We only flew the because farmers have got much of the helicopters.” weed problem under control. We still Originally hailing from Rotorua, do fertiliser spreading and farmers have spraying company Alan had worked for realized that it cost very little more to get us to cover their whole farm, than to since school, sent him to Taranaki. In Eltham he met Margaret and they marjust do the bits too steep for trucks.” ried 1969. They settled and raised three Frost protection for vineyards in the children. Alan says, “The rest as they say Hawkes Bay is another significant part of the work and flying at night brings its is history”. At 65, he admits to thinking of retirown challenges. ing, having son David to take over the “It’s not too bad as generally there’s reins, but apart from a bout of “having a moon because frosts occur on clear had enough of flying 20 years ago”, he nights but once you start flying you says it still gives him a thrill. It has taken can’t stop until the sun comes up so it him across the world to far-off places can make for a very long night,” such as Nome in Alaska, and involved says David. him in projects such as the Queenstown The company has a long list of firsts, including being the first helicopter oper- bungee, the removal of the tree on One Tree Hill in Auckland, and pouring ator in New Zealand to utilise a new concrete for the new chairlift at the Jet Ranger on agricultural operations, Turoa ski field. and the first in the Southern HemiBy Elaine Fisher
aircraft including a bright yellow Cessna Agtruck which originally operated in Alaska and had been fitted with skis and a Fletcher 300 which was one of only two left in the world. Today the company operates a Fletcher 400 which was the first New Zealand built Fletcher. The couple work as a team with Janet driving the loader to fill the aircraft hoppers. The couple, who own Airfarm Conscious of the high cost of Limited and are today based in Tirau fertiliser and flying for farmers, they made the more than 3000 km jourendeavour to deliver the most effiThe first Fletcher ever built in ney from Wycheproof in Victoria New Zealand is the aircraft John cient and effective service possible, to Moora in Western Australia in Spence of Airfarm flies when he including camping on airstrips for 1997 to carry out several weeks of spreads fertiliser on clients’ farms. jobs which will take more than a day. spraying. “That way we reduce the need for They had loaded their Fatman long ferry flights and it means we aircraft hopper with gear and 100 lt can begin operations much earlier of fuel in jerry cans but still needed a and at times fly later in the day. refuelling stop along the way. Big jobs which require 200 to 300 Janet says landing on the road, filltonne to be spread can take several ing up and then checking for vehicle days.” traffic before taking off again was Being on site also means they know particularly memorable. exactly what the wind and weather It’s just one of the many experiis doing and can often carry out ences for pilot John who has 35 work for several farmers one after the years’ experience in the aviation other. industry, both in New Zealand and “There are a number of farmers Australia. who are happy for us to leave our During two different periods aircraft on their strip which is excelin Australia, John and Janet ran lent,” says Janet. operations spraying crops including Airfarm is one of the few indetomatoes, cotton, sugarcane, wheat, Airfarm team work – Janet pendent aerial top dressing barley and pea, as well as spreading Spence drives the loader to fill the companies left in New Zealand and fertiliser. hoppers of the Fletcher 400 flown it has built a strong relationship with John has also helped fight bush by her husband John. many of the fertiliser and transport fires, including one period of 12 days companies. non-stop fire-bombing in the Victoria Alps. John and Janet apply fertiliser for clients through the “We also had a contract to spray mosquito larvae Coromandel, Waikato and Bay of Plenty and pride from the air in Townsville. Locals didn’t mind the spray themselves on friendly, reliable, honest service. because it reduced the risk of Dengue Fever which “Our aircraft is fitted with the latest GPS Track map mosquitos spread around the coastal areas.” system and that’s combined with plenty of good old Over the years John has owned and flown a number of experience for a top job.”
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T H E C A R S AYS YO U ’ V E M A D E I T. manager, Chris Churchward, in late 2010 after receiving many requests from buyers to ‘dress up’ their new T H E P R I C E S AYS , W I S E LY. Hilux SR5 with alloy wheels, sports
bars and so on. “It’s not easy for a customer to choose a set of accessories that enhance the look of the Hilux without taking it ‘over the top’, and then they have to arrange all the fitting and so on,” says Chris. “It seemed to me that the best option was to just create a customised limited edition package which we could brand and market to the public at a value-added price.”
and around 50 have now been sold to happy customers throughout New Zealand. The added value exterior accessories on the Outlaw include chrome sports bar and nudge bar, hard lid, tuff deck, bug guard, custom decals, Outlaw badge and 18” custom alloy wheels. Inside, leather seats and a reversing camera are added to the already comprehensive array of features that come with every new Hilux. They are produced in limited numbers to protect the exclusivity of the brand and are available in both manual and auto.
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Page 27
RURAL DRIVER
Four wheel-drive in comfort and safety Subaru's new fourth generation Forester offers more all-wheel drive technology for greater rough road and off road capability. The new X-mode all-wheel drive transmission with active torque split combined with the introduction of the latest Lineartronic automatic gearbox to the Forester model range includes a hill descent control function for greater stability when the going gets tough. “We are sticking to our roots,” said Wallis Dumper, the Managing Director of Subaru of New Zealand. “While other SUV manufacturers are offering 2WD models, we are staying 100 per cent all-wheel drive all the time and improving the technology to offer a wider range of capability. “Kiwis with an active life style can be even more assured of reaching and returning from that remote hiking, fishing or hunting spot and the top of the road to the remotest ski field.” Wallis is quite certain Forester’s everyday usability and practicality has not been compromised either, with its strengthened suspension and more all-wheel drive focused transmission. An increase in size offers more interior room for greater comfort and convenience and a bold new look
will not see it look out of place in the school drop off zone, supermarket carpark or at weekend sports events. "For many customers Forester represents the ultimate kiwi family car. With clever new features like the electronic rear gate and improved legroom, combined with Subaru's safety credentials and a good deal of style, it's the ideal practical vehicle for seven days a week use, whatever your lifestyle is.” “Given the lifestyle use most New Zealanders subject SUV’s to, we reckon the Forester is up to those kiwi challenges, ‘It can if you can,’ says it all for us in our advertising.” Other standard features on all models include Bluetooth capability, a reversing camera, USB and auxiliary cable connectivity, cruise control with buttons on the steering wheel, roof rails and headlights which automatically switch off, when the ignition is turned off. Extra features on the 2.5 litre Sport, Premium and XT models include SI Drive with paddle shift, front fog lights and privacy glass. The Premium and XT models also come with satellite navigation, heated front seats, leather upholstery, rain sensing wipers, xenon headlights with automatic operation, electric sunroof, adaptive cruise control and
The Forester designed for the Kiwi lifestyle.
electrically adjustable front seats. Forester has been launched with a range of prices from $39,990 for the two litre, with the 2.5 litre versions
between $44,990 and $54,990 depending on specification. The diesel manual is $49,990 and the range topping turbocharged XT, at $59,990.
Distinctive ‘all black’ appearance Toyota team have also customised and re-branded the double cab manual 4WD Hilux as the ‘Hilux SR4’. This ute has been accessorised with alloys, towbar and custom decals and falls between the entry level Hilux and the higher spec’d SR5. Owners who want a smart-looking Hilux for work are enjoying the higher range of features offered with the SR4 at a great value price of $39,990 +GST and on road costs. For more information about the range of exclusive vehicles at Pacific Toyota, please phone one of the new car sales team to
Last year, the Outlaw brand was taken to another level with the creation of the Outlaw Xtreme brand, which is produced with a distinctive “all black” appearance, with the bars, rear bumper, door handles and front grille all treated with a specially designed matt black paint. In addition to the interior features outlined above, the Outlaw Xtreme Hilux also comes with sports-style leather seating emblazoned with the Outlaw Xtreme logo for an added touch of class. To build on the success of the Outlaw brand, this year the Pacific
arrange a personal demonstration, which can be at the showroom in Tauranga, or at a business or home if required.
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Restful, restoring sleep is just a new mattress away In an economic climate which has seen other bedding stores shut their doors, Westlife “The Bed store” has been expanding and now has 11 stores in the North Island. “We started out in Henderson, which is why we called ourselves Westlife because we were in West Auckland, never thinking that in just three years we would grow so fast.” says CEO Andy Sher. “The company has eight stores in Auckland, and further afield in Papamoa, Rotorua and Hastings. We now have more than 7000 customers happily using our products. “The quality of our product is part of the key to our success, as is the service from our staff and our competitive prices. You will find our staff well trained to find the
right bed to suit your budget and comfort level. We have around 15 different models which each come in four to five different sizes and there are beds which range in price from a $500 bed for a spare room to a top of the range bed for luxurious night’s sleep. “That restful, restoring sleep that a new mattress provides can eliminate aches and pains and open the door to living at your highest. “You can rest assures as most of our beds come with 60-night comfort guarantee. If between 21 and 60 nights the bed is not right, we will exchange it and find one that is (some conditions apply). “So don’t put up with your old saggy bed anymore come to your local Westlife “The bed Store”. Let us help you find the right sleep system,” says Andy.
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It's important to know how the council works. It seems a hobby farmer on the outskirts of a city sought council permission to erect a horse shelter. Permission was denied, leading to a typical protracted negotiation with council. Exasperated the property owner wrote; “I suppose you wouldn’t even allow me to put a table and chairs out there...”. “Of course a table and chairs are permissible,” replied council. So that’s what the farmer erected.
HOUSE & LANDSCAPE
Page 29
Swinging make-over for buoys They are designed to hold up to 400 kg of mussels in rough or calm seas and survive sun, rain and wind but when their useful life ends some mussel buoys undergo a ‘made-over’ by Christine Chappel of Te Mata on the Thames Coast. Christine makes them into swing seats, carving them with patterns of dolphins, seas horses and stars and selling them from her seaside home ‘to pay for my golf ’. She has an agreement with North Island Mussels Ltd (formerly Sanfords) to return any buoys she finds in good condition and the company gives Christine buoys which are no longer suitable for use in the ocean, to create her unique seats. “Before I began making the seats I used to collect the buoys and the company would make a donation to the SPCA for every one handed in, which was a good arrangement, and they still do the same for anyone who finds buoys, Dolphins are one of making a donation to a charity or local organisation the patterns Christine Chappel carves into of their choice.” seats made from Christine says the hardest mussel buoys. part of making the seats is water blasting them to clean off barnacles and other sea life. She’s perfected the process of cutting the heavy plastic floats into the right shape and uses a stencil to cut the patterns into the sides. “They are pretty popular and I’ve even been asked to make one for a dog.” Campbell Barr of North Island Mussels Ltd in Coromandel says the company is always grateful to have buoys which wash ashore returned but won’t buy them back because that could encourage people to take them from mussel farms. “However, quite a few people along the coast recover buoys and, through the Coromandel Marine Farmers Association, we pay a recovery fee to non-profit organisations such as local schools,
SPCA, fire brigades and the like.” The buoys are most likely to come loose from the mussel farms when a storm or strong winds follow a period of settled fine weather, says Campbell. “The buoys are most secure when they are under tension but it’s in fine calm conditions that the weakest point – the ropes which attach them - are most likely to work loose or weaken.” Made from high grade plastic and moulded specifically for the industry, buoys can last up to 25 years so they are worth recovering. “They are in fact a pressure vessel designed to hold air and keep the mussel droppers afloat.”
Christine Chappel with a seahorse mussel buoy seat she has made. Campbell says all of these buoys are branded to identify the owner (usually a three or four letter abbreviation) so if the owner asks for a “found” buoy they are legally entitled to it. “People mightn’t be aware that there is such a thing as ‘theft by finding’,” he says. Anyone who finds buoys washed ashore should contact NIML in Coromandel on phone number 07 866 8853 to help arrange a pickup. By Elaine Fisher
HOUSE & LANDSCAPE
Page 30
Museum celebrates local Anzacs Sixty of Katikati finest left their home to fight for ‘King and Country’ in the First World War, a contribution and sacrifice greater, per head of population than the country’s as a whole. At the time Katikati had just 400 residents, and of the 60 who enlisted, nine were to die in action or of injuries and 19 were wounded, often more than once. Those who escaped physical injury suffered emotional trauma, as did all who served, from being involved in warfare. The sacrifice of those men and the service men and women who have followed them in the years since the 1914-18 war will be remembered and honoured by a month of exhibitions and events, including an Anzac Biscuit making contest, at the Katikati Heritage Museum in each Sunday in April. “Together with Sue Sisley and the faithful museum volunteers, we are getting the museum ready for Anzac April which will be the first in a regular series of special exhibitions and events at the museum,” new museum manager Paula Gaelic says. “We are creating a special exhibition room in the museum for the Anzac display which will feature a diorama assembled by Rob Hicks and a collection of artefacts from World War 1. Katikati Theatre Group members are making sound recordings of readings from letters written by Katikati service men and women and there will be photographs and battle maps.” Every Sunday in April military vehicles owned by Katikati man Nic Flegg will be on display at the museum. “One special vehicle will be New Zealand’s own unique Trekka owned by Peter Andrews and we are hoping to have battle re-enactments staged by MOTAT volunteers.”
Preparing for Anzac April - Museum manager Paula Gaelic (left) with volunteers (back) Eris Boyak, Sue Sisley, Margaret McClymont and front Linda Carter, Peter Jerram and Isabel Jackson. Each Sunday a different section of the Anzac Biscuit Bake off will be held and entries are open for primary school and college age students, plus adults including a special section for Gold Card holders. Entry forms, which include the biscuit recipe to be followed, are available from the museum. For the first time in living memory, Katikati will host magic lantern shows too. The museum has several magic lanterns, (very early projectors), and a collection of images to show through them, so to bring this technology alive there will be Saturday night shows on April 13, 20 and 27 when admission costs $12 and a light supper will be provided. “The theatre group will be providing music, entertainment and narration. It should be a very special and novel evening. I don’t know of anyone who has ever been to a magic lantern show,” says Paula. The Katikati Heritage Museum is owned and operated by a trust on behalf of the Katikati community. For more information visit the museum website www.katikatiheritagemuseum.co.nz/
Turning trees into tables Trees-for-tables is the offer The Spruceup Company at Mount Maunganui is making to rural residents who have macrocarpa trees which need removing. “As we now have our own mobile mill we are looking for trees and are keen to talk to landowners who have trees they are felling,” says Richard Knaggs, who with wife Elodie owns the company which makes a wide range of indoor and outdoor furniture, small buildings and play equipment. “If it suits the owner, we will make them an outdoor table from their tree and take the balance of the timber in payment. That way they can enjoy the sentimental value of a table made from their own timber. “We are interested mainly in macrocarpa because it is timber which doesn’t have to be treated for use outdoors but will consider other species, so long as they are not protected natives. We will also discuss options with owners anywhere in the Bay of Plenty,
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Waikato and Coromandel.” The Spruceup Company is known for its well-crafted and designed range of indoor and outdoor furniture, much of it made from macrocarps. It also makes planter boxes to any size. The range they call `Kids Stuff ’ is extensive from play houses to swings and slides, climbing walls, forts and castles, all of which can be custom designed and manufactured. The range even includes a whare. Wooden garden sheds in a range of sizes come complete. “We can put them in place by hi-ab or crane and no assembly is required.” Pets aren’t left out in the cold thanks to kennels for dogs of all sizes, and chook houses too.
and much more in store or online
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HOUSE & LANDSCAPE
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Shedding light on the vital roles of vitamin A Vitamin A is essential for the integrity of the epithelial tissue (cell wall), and functions in its protection, and thus its preservation against disease. Vitamin A’s progenitor or precursor is carotene, a yellow substance found in plants especially carrots and from which it acquires its name. Vitamin A belongs to a group of vitamins that are termed fat soluble, in that, it requires the presence of fat as well as activator ions or minerals for proper absorption through the digestive tract. This vitamin can be stored in the liver, and need not be replenished daily. Vitamin ‘A’ is found in two forms, one called retinol (found only in foods of animal origin, including butter, and fish liver oils) and pro-vitamin A, or carotene, found in plants as mentioned above. The rods in the retina of the eye contain a substance called rhodopsin, referred to as visual purple. Rhodopsin is made up of retinene, derived from vitamin A, and a protein, opsin.
normal. In advanced cases of deficiency, the eye forms a dry horny film over the cornea, resulting in a characteristic type of blindness called xerophthalmia or pink eye. This vitamin protects the cell wall and is also the first line of defense against infection it is sometimes termed the antiinfection vitamin. Too much NPN (Non Protein Nitrogen) in the diet or too little carotene has the same effect. In the case of too much crude protein or NPN, the conversion of carotene to true vitamin A ceases or is severely restricted. This results in symptoms akin to a deficiency, even in the presence of sufficient carotene. Nitrates are particularly harsh on this vitamin, and also on vitamin E. which assists in the healing processes. Carotene is rapidly destroyed by sunlight and air, and especially high temperature. Hay over one year old, regardless of colour, is usually insufficient in vitamin A activity. In contrast, ensiling preserves carotene, however, the availability of carotene in maize silage may be low.
Pink eye
Young animals
Its deficiency is commonly seen as eye conditions known as pink eye. Rhodopsin is split into retinene and opsin by a chemical reaction triggered by light, which stimulates the receptor cells to send a message to the brain, resulting in the sensation of light. Ordinarily, rhodopsin is hastily re-synthesized in an energy requiring reaction, however, in a vitamin starved system; the re-synthesis of rhodopsin is retarded. Eyes so affected can usually be restored to normal by feeding stress doses of this vitamin. As mentioned, vitamin A is necessary for the healthy maintenance of the protective layer of the cells of the skin, it also functions in the protection of the eyes, digestive tract and respiratory system. In the event that vitamin A becomes deficient, these cells become flat, brittle and have less resistance to infection than
Evidence of the inability of the cattle beast to convert carotene to true vitamin A can be seen in our butter; it is bright yellow confirming that much of the carotene has passed right through the digestive tract and into the mammary glands unaltered. Pure vitamin A (vitamin A ester) is a clear or opaque substance, whereas carotene is yellow, thus the colour of our butter in contrast to the
The younger the animal, the sooner the vitamin A deficiency symptoms will occur. Mature animals may store sufficient vitamin A to sustain them for up to six months. When deficiencies appear, they can be corrected by increasing the carotene intake, or by supplying vitamin A by drench or injection. Vitamin A should always be administered in conjunction with vitamins D and E, and the element selenium. These are termed synergistic or agents which enhance each other’s performance. It should also be noted that vitamin A is required for the normal functions and maintenance of nerve tissue, and for the growth of bone and the enamel of teeth. Deficiency signs in animals include: pink eye; reduced feed intake; rough hair coat; edema of the joints and brisket; lacrimation (secretion and discharge of tears); xerophthalmia; night blindness; slow growth; diarrhea; convulsive seizures; improper bone growth; blindness; poor conception rates; abortion; still births; blind calves; abnormal semen; reduced libido (sexual appetite) and an increased susceptibility to respiratory infection.
Convert
Carotene appears as two molecules of vitamin A hooked end to end. In theory, the animal should be able to convert this substance into two molecules of the vitamin A, unfortunately and all too evidently this is not the case. Based on research using the ability of the rat to convert carotene to vitamin A, and giving that animal a score of 100, the bovine or cattle beast can only attain about 24 per cent conversion, less than man who can attain 33.3 per cent efficiency. Sheep have the same conversion potential as the cow, 24 per cent, pigs 30 per cent and horses have the same as us humans 33.3 per cent unless they are pregnant where the conversion drops to 20 per cent. Ref: Ensminger Feeds and nutrition.
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butter from animals fed a more balanced diet where the butter is almost white. All of the above is based on the animal being healthy; throw in a damaged liver – too high a protein – too little energy – minerals out of balance – too watery a feed, and you have set the scene for facial eczema and all the other maladies that follow. We have a free DVD which will explain all this and more, just call us toll free on 0800 85 77 33. Or write to us on info@quantumlab.co.nz.
HORSE OF THE YEAR
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Riding helped Izzy focus on recovery
Australasia’s best compete at Horse of the Year With Australasia’s top showjumping combinations, the world’s best mounted games riders, equestrian ‘royalty’ and 2500 horses, the Hawke’s Bay-hosted 2013 New Zealand Horse of the Year Show on March 12 to 17 promises to be one of the best. The jewel in the crown is the JB Olympic Cup, for show jumper of the year. With a $200,000 prize purse experienced combinations of horses and riders are lining up from both sides of the Tasman to vie for the honours. Defending champion Katie McVean (Mystery Creek) is on the cusp of creating history once again. With three consecutive wins already to her credit this talented Olympian and World Champs representative is poised to take the glory with any one of the three mounts she plans to enter. Fellow Olympians Maurice Beatson (Dannevirke) and Samantha McIntosh (Cambridge) are just two of a raft of Kiwi riders who could upset Katie’s plans. But there are some serious Australians to consider as well, with nearly 20 combinations lured to New Zealand on the Long White Cloud Tour and the promise of hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money if they can win the classes. Alison Rowland probably leads the Aussie charge – she and her team will compete at the Horse of the Year Show then head straight to Europe to start their 2014 World Championships campaign. Also likely to feature is Rory Hovell, who will also head on to Europe with Alison after their Kiwi adventures.
HORSE OF THE YEAR 2013
Regular trans-Tasman visitor Billy Raymont can never be discounted, nor Annabel Wigley and can Jamie Kermod or Jamie Frog Rock in full flight Winning. Sir Mark Todd is flying during the cross country of the three day event at in from the UK for the show, and will compete in the 2012 NZ Horse of the Year Show. Photograph by the New Zealand Speed KAMPIC/Sarah Alderman. Championships on Sunday afternoon, just before the JB Olympic Cup. He’s also scheduled to be part of the Friday Night Extravaganza and will no doubt be having a close look at the cross country course for the Bell Tea three day event. The dressage includes the GJ Gardner Kur on Sunday – it’s a chance to see a more refined side of horsemanship, garnered from many hours of training. At the other extreme – with no less training – is the 2013 NRM Mounted Games World Team Championships which sees teams from 10 countries battling it out at break-neck speed for top dog honours. There is so much to take in at the Horse of the Year Show – with 17 disciplines over the six day show, and the nation’s top titles at stake, it is a feast for the eyes, with dedication and commitment set to inspire anyone who visits. The 2013 New Zealand Horse of the Year Show is on March 12-17, at the Hawke’s Bay Showgrounds, Hastings. For more information www.hoy.co.nz
A celebration of all things equestrian www.hoy.co.nz
ALL now has a 90 per cent chance of One day while out riding her horse, remission, compared to only 50 per Izzy Klough got a nose-bleed that cent in the 1970s. wouldn’t stop, so her mum Suzanne Izzy’s connection with Horse of took her to hospital, and that day the Year began when she begged her their lives changed forever. mum Suzanne to take her to the “I told the kids we would be back event, even though she was hospitalfrom hospital in an hour, but we bound on treatment. didn’t make it home for eight weeks,” “It was organised for her to have Suzanne recalls. chemo at the local hospital so we “The oncology unit at Dunedin loaded up the ponies – including Hospital became Izzy’s second home Brookfields Dream Maker – and for two years.” went to Horse of the Year. Izzy missed a year of school – and she lost all her hair We didn’t want Izzy’s illness to take over twice. She battled her life, and even acute lymphoblastic though doctors leukaemia endurtold her to give ing hundreds of up riding, we procedures includwanted her to ing debilitating have something chemotherapy to look forward and losing friends to,” says Suzanne. made in hospital. This year Izzy is One thing the feisty progressing from Dunedin eightpony to park hack. year-old took solace Izzy Klough will represent in was riding her the Horse of the Year’s official Over winter she horse. And they were charity Cure Kids at this year’s will train on her 155.5cm Angloan award-winning event in Napier. Arabian horse duo, winning many Masquerade, who placed in the park supreme champion ribbons. hack section at the 2012 Horse of the Now in remission, Izzy, 17, was a Year, ridden by Kelsey Duncan. clear choice to represent Horse of the “It is fantastic that she can be the Year’s official charity Cure Kids at this Cure Kids ambassador for Horse of year’s event in Napier. the Year. “It’s fantastic that Horse of The charity funds research into a the Year is helping raise funds to help wide range of children’s life-threatenkids like Izzy have the best chance to ing illnesses, including ALL. Thanks survive and thrive.” to medical research, a child with
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HORSE OF THE YEAR
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Transporting horses in comfort and safety The Boeckmann family owned business has been building horse floats and vans in Germany since the 1950s. Their extensive experience in various equestrian disciplines is reflected in the safety and high quality of all of their products, says Robert Charles, of Boeckmann, New Zealand. “Boeckmann horse floats and vans are acclaimed world-wide for their technologically advanced engineering and innovations where the primary focus is on one thing: the well-being and needs of your horse,” says Robert, whose business is based in Katikati, in the Bay of Plenty. “From the unique independent sprung suspension to the four-wheel mechanical braking system, Boeckmann have considered every detail to ensure a bump-free ride and smooth, safe slow stop for both you and your horse - important on New Zealand‘s roads.” The spacious bright white interior has a height of
2.3m and a swivel, fully removable centre partition with a clear PVC divider that creates an illusion of even greater space, to make loading your horse easy and provide plenty of head room while travelling. The height and length adjustable stall bars ensure a snug fit whether your horse is a 14hh pony or an 18hh warm blood, while the padded sides and padded front chest bars make travel even more comfortable for them. External rapid release chest and rear bars are standard. Robert says the tinted safety windows pop open directing airflow into the float and along the flank of the horses for maximum comfort. “The aerodynamic roof line of the lightweight Boeckmann horse floats eliminates the vacuum and sway created when towing conventional horse floats, so smaller engine vehicles can tow these floats and be more fuel efficient in doing so. Boeckmann produce an extensive range of models using different materials and finishes - all of them rustproof and absolutely quiet with no rattles.” Boeckman floats are designed with the comfort and well-being of horses in mind.
What is it that your horse needs in a float? Safety, comfort and stability. And what is it that you need in a float? Quality, safety and durability. For more than 50 years, Boeckmann have been leading the European market by keeping these needs front of mind, and we‘re proud to now make these high-quality horse floats available in New Zealand. Your peace of mind is also assured as all Boeckmann floats come with a two-year warranty. And, we deliver nationwide. Treat your horse and yourself to a Boeckmann float and you will both arrive safe and relaxed, however far and rugged the destination.
Page 34
COUNTRY LIVING
Surveillance demonstration truck ‘hijacked’ Being ‘hijacked’ in a jewellery heist was so much fun the Smartway Security Services team will use their new demonstration truck in next year’s Coromandel Cannonball Run Rally. In the meantime it’s back it the serious business of using the truck to show off the benefits of the better quality HD IP cameras, against cameras of lesser quality that most people are used to. Smartway Director, Roger Bull, says, "The feedback we have received from our clients is amazing, they have climbed It’s not a SWAT into the back of surveillance the mobile showvan – it’s room and liken it to something out Smartway’s new demonstration of a James Bond truck. movie. The screens inside demonstrate differences in picture quality and people can see exactly what they are getting before they buy. "One customer said it looked like a SWAT surveillance van and we have had an inquiry by a TV company to use if for a surveillance show." The Smartway team recently took part in The Cannonball Run Rally around the Coromandel where they were used in the role of 'an Armoured
Car carrying jewels' and it was one of the 'missions' of the rally to hijack the vehicle and have a photo taken with the jewels, or for more points they were required to take a photo of the crew tied up. As it was so much fun the staff at Smartway have decided to make it an annual event, says Roger. The vehicle is fully set up with cameras and even boasts a 10m mast for a Hi Def PTZ camera. The screens show comparisons between different makes of DVR, NVR and Hybrid Records which show the software in operation along with ease of use. Cameras are installed around the roof of the vehicle and these provide a better understanding of "views" and also allows clients to see exactly what they will get before they have those cameras installed. “This eliminates problems later with the wrong types of camera being chosen - a choice often based on price alone. “The flexibility of this type of demonstration has already proven that this vehicle can eliminate some of the false concepts that surround CCTV and help show the benefits that can be achieved with a well-designed system. “Bookings are constantly filling fast so if you would like to talk about cameras, alarms or any other security products for your business or home, call Smartway to book your demonstration now.”
COUNTRY LIVING
Machinery auction a winner The Katikati Rotary Club’s February plant and machinery auction was so successful plans are underway for the 2015 event and the Cambridge Rotary Club is considering organising a similar event too.
“The funds raised will go to help Athenree Homestead purchase a mower, which is also being partly funded by Waihi Beach Lions. “We’ve learnt a lot and will perfect our systems for the 2015 sale. “We had fantastic support from the community including Alan Dawson of Aongatete Coolstores who made the auction site availKatikati club president Don able and Linich Engineering Fraser says the auction took of Katikati which provided some organising but the funds a truck and lifting gear to raised and the community transport the auction items.” response made it all worth“All our members enjoyed while the auction and special men“There were lots of bargain tion should be made of the but probably the best buy of efforts of Chris Yandle for the day was an orchard tractor putting together the on-line which sold for just $2500, catalogue, Tom Impey, Rod around half what it was worth. Dylan Moore (4) hoped his dad might buy The auction was a great suc- this large Ford tractor for him at the KatiKati Calver and Peter Mackay for their organisation skills and cess and Rotary raised around Rotary plant and machinery auction. Bruce Duske for sorting the $7,000 for the community.” finances.” Very little remained unsold thanks to the Many of the 228 lots were donated but others were efforts of volunteer auctioneers Stuart Longdon and sold on behalf with a commission going to Rotary. Peter Furness and many lots went with no reserve. More than 300 bidders registered to take part in the Visitors from Cambridge Rotary Club also attended auction which was held in Sharps Rd just south with a view to holding a similar event in their district. of Katikati.
By Elaine Fisher
Hunting changes lives Thanks to publishers Halcyon Press, Coast & Country has a copy of ‘Hunting Smarter’ to give away. To be in to win Email Hunting Smarter along with your name, address and phone number to elaine@thesun.co.nz or include these details on the back of an envelope and post to Hunting Smarter, Coast & Country PO Box 240 Tauranga 3110 to arrive no later than March17. The winner will be announced in the April Coast & Country.
To hunt smarter, you have to be smarter by having a broader knowledge base about your outdoor pursuit, believes Hans Willems, author of “Hunting Smarter for Big Game”. In a re-print of his popular book, Hans sets out to help hunters at all levels, but especially those starting out, to improve their hunting results and enjoyment. ‘Hunting Smarter’ has proved so informative it’s used by polytechs where out-door related courses are taught. “In many more than just a few cases, one’s first steps on the pathway of becoming a
TOGETHER, WE’RE BUILDING NEW ZEALAND
hunter-provider proves to be a life-changing experience because nowhere else, but when pitting yourself against the outdoors with all its vagaries, will you learn so much about yourself and those who regularly accompany you on that rocky road,” writes Hans. His book discusses why it is someone wants to be hunter, deer behaviour, outlines the characterises and ranges of New Zealand many deer species, how to skin a deer and prepare a carcass, trophy scoring, outdoor safety and ends with the dairy of a young hunter.
Page 35
Items old and new were up for sale at the Katikati Rotary plant and machinery auction.
COUNTRY LIVING
Page 36
Environmental protection for subdivision Rather than clearing land and draining natural wetland to create more pasture, farmers are increasingly protecting these features for the benefit of the wider community and picking up subdivision benefits along the way. Thames-Coromandel is proposing to really open this up through its Proposed District Plan, where (in the draft document) there are no minimum
sizes specified for these features to be protected. It appears that they propose to allow subdivisions based solely on the ecological value of these features. This means that you may only need a very small amount of wetland or bush in some cases. Western Bay, Franklin, Waikato, Waipa, Hauraki, South Waikato, Matamata-Piako, Whakatane and Opotiki Districts all now recognise the benefits of protecting these ecological features to some extent. All their rules are similar but differing areas of feature are required to be set aside. For example, in Western Bay, an area as small as half a hectare of restored wetland can be enough to justify the subdivision of an additional lot. If you have a stream through or bordering your property with native vegetation adjoining it, there is a good chance that you can get a credit for a subdivision – you need 500m of stream with a 20m strip of vegetation along one side. Then there is established forest or regenerating scrubland that also qualifies with various size limits of several hectares. Franklin has moved in its Proposed District Plan to require an area of one hectare of ecologically significant wetland or bush in order to qualify for a subdivision, from an earlier size of half a hectare. As in Franklin District, in Thames-Coromandel the restoration of these features is encouraged where the land has earlier been drained and cleared for farming. This is an excellent way to convert marginal land
back into a natural ecosystem, picking up some financial gain along the way. It is great to see all councils recognising the public benefit of retaining these environmentally significant features and giving the custodians of the land some financial reward to recognise their contribution to the ecology of the region. Councils will often recognise historical, cultural and landscape features in a similar fashion. If your land has a feature similar to those mentioned in this article and you want to subdivide your property don't hesitate to give me a call. I am happy to discuss the situation with you to see if it is worth pursuing. Brent Trail, Managing Director of Surveying Services, specialises in resource consent applications for subdivisions across the Waikato, Coromandel and Bay of Plenty. For further information call 0800 268 632 or email btrail@surveyingservices.co.nz
The pain that is joint inflammation This issue we look at inflammatory problems, other than arthritis, which affect joints and surrounding tissue. The most common are bursitis and tendonitis. Bursitis is a very common often debilitating joint problem. Our mobile joints such as knees, hips, shoulders and elbows have little fluid filled sacs called bursae. These allow for smooth joint function especially in the parts of joints that are subject to a lot of friction. They allow tendons, bones and muscles to move freely. Bursitis occurs when the bursa membrane becomes inflamed and can swell to a larger size. Sometimes bursitis can be caused by a bacterial infection and will need treatment with antibiotics. The standard non-infective bursitis usually responds well to anti-inflammatory medication.
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Sometimes though it can become a chronic condition and cause semi-permanent joint pain. I find that bursitis responds very well to nutritional therapy. Another form of inflammatory joint pain is tendonitis. Tendons are the tough form of connective tissue that attached muscles to bones and are very important in joints. Tendons can become inflamed from overuse or injury. Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) is often caused by repetitive straining of the tendon. Once inflamed it can be a difficult condition to deal with. Carpal tunnel syndrome can be cause by inflamed flexor tendons which causes swelling in the wrist which compresses the median nerve. I was once an inflammatory right arm train-wreck with bursitis in my elbow, right hand carpal tunnel and severe inflammation of right hand tendons. At one stage my right hand was so swollen and painful that it probably would have been more comfortable to be without it. Fortunately these have all resolved and it is wonderful to have my hand back. The key to nutritional therapy is to make sure you ‘starve’ inflammation from your diet by avoiding high omega 6 plant oils while maximising omega 3 rich fish, fish oil and some seeds. The one exception to the omega 6 rule is evening primrose oil that while high in omega 6 is very anti-inflammatory because its gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) restricts immune system generated inflammation. My favourite anti-inflammatory nutrients are OPC’s, resveratrol, curcumin (turmeric extracts) and of course omega 3 fish oils. With supplements it is all about covering as many anti-inflammatory bases as possible and to get maximum anti-inflammatory benefits from every dollar you spend. Give me a call if you need more information. To join my weekly newsletter go to www.johnarts.co.nz and visit
www.abundant.co.nz John Arts is the founder of Abundant Health. To contact John phone 0800 423 559. To read more go to www.sunlive.co.nz
COUNTRY LIVING
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Masterchef at Fieldays Green Ribbon awards open Celebrity chef Josh Emett will be returning to his Waikato roots in June for four days of cooking demonstrations at NZ National Fieldays.
“I’m very excited about taking the Chef Series range to Fieldays, I think Kiwi’s Best Kitchen is a great place for us to be showcasing the product,” says Josh. The acclaimed Michelin star chef was bought up on a farm outside Hamilton and has very fond Josh, who is currently memories of visiting the on television screens Fieldays event when he across the country in was a boy. the fourth season of “My father used to New Zealand, will be work in a burger van at providing several cookFieldays, with Ohaupo ing demonstrations Lions Club, so I’d go every day in Fieldays’ every year when I was Kiwi’s Best Kitchen. young and I absolutely The Kiwi’s Best adored it. It’s a hugely Kitchen occupies iconic New Zealand a prime location at event that has gone from Fieldays and provides strength to strength. visitors with a unique I’m very exciting about New Zealand food, coming to Fieldays beverage, cooking and and looking forward to kitchen experience. meeting some good rural The specially designed people; it’s going to be venue showcases qualspectacular.” ity food, beverages and Masterchef ’s Josh Emett. With daily demoncookware from New strations, there will be Zealand and features plenty of opportunity to catch Josh’s a themed cooking demonstration area sizzling shows in the Kiwi’s Best Kitchen with grandstand seating plus a Kiwi’s Theatre, as he teaches audiences how Best Kitchen cafe and bar. to create delicious dishes from ingrediJosh appears at Fieldays as the 2013 ents sourced in the Kiwi’s Best Kitchen Kiwi’s Best Kitchen Celebrity Chef and marquee. will also be exhibiting his own range of New Zealand National Agricultural slow cooked meats, Chef Series, in the Fieldays will be held June 12- 15. Kiwi’s Best Kitchen marquee.
Time to get to know the neighbours Turning strangers into neighbours and streets into neighbourhoods, that’s the aim of Neighbours Day Aotearoa, back for the third year as a national celebration of neighbourliness. Neighbours Day Aotearoa on March 23-24 will give all Kiwis a great opportunity to connect with others in their immediate neighbourhood says organisers who predict it will be bigger than ever. It is hoped that during the week-
end, thousands of neighbours all around the country will gather together to get to know each other, and forge connections and support systems that will continue to enrich their lives long after the weekend has ended. The Neighbours Day website (www.neighboursday.org.nz) features NDA success stories to help inspire New Zealanders to participate in Neighbours Day.
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EXCELLENCE IN DERMATOLOGY
Nominations are open for the 2013 Green Ribbon Awards, which honour the work of people, communities and businesses in protecting and improving the environment.
“Tackling environmental issues is not easy. It takes initiative and dedication, and the awards pay tribute to the incredible work being undertaken all over New Zealand to address the environmental challenges we face,” says Environment Minister Amy Adams. “Nominations should show how work has provided significant environmental benefits, is innovative, goes the extra distance and has raised awareness of environmental issues.” The categories in this year’s awards are: • Protecting our biodiversity • Reducing our greenhouse gas emissions • Caring for our water • Minimising our waste • Protecting our coasts and oceans • Communication and education • Community leadership • Small business leadership • Large business leadership • Public sector leadership • Green economy Winners of the Green Ribbon Awards will be announced on World Environment Day on June 5.
For more information on how to enter the Green Ribbon Awards go to: http://www.mfe.govt.nz/ withyou/awards/green-ribbon-nomination.html
MULTICULTURAL COUNTRY LIVING
Page 38 14TH TAURANGA
MULTICULTURAL
SATURDAY 16TH MARCH 2013
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SATURDAY 16TH MARCH 2013
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Colourful cultural celebration Delicious traditional food, stirring dances and music and ethnic goods are among the many attractions on offer at this year’s upcoming Tauranga Multicultural Festival. Festival committee chairwoman Ewa Fenn is encouraging people to keep Saturday March 16 free – saying the 14th festival promises to offer something for everyone. “Each year the festival gets bigger and better and we are hoping it will keep growing this year.” A highlight is always the wide range of tasty everyday ethnic food offered at affordable prices, which Ewa says prompts some festivalgoers to skip breakfast to leave more space for eating. Along with ethnic options – from Indian samosas, German sausages, to traditional Filipino fare, Polish cakes, and more - there will be standard market food such as coffee, ice creams and candy floss. The festival will include on-going cultural performances with
singing and dancing throughout the day, and a ‘parade of cultures’ with representatives from about 20 ethnic groups parading in their traditional costumes with national flags. There will be performances by more than 20 cultural groups including Indian, Nepalese, Kiribati, Flamenco, Tongan, Korean drums, belly dancing and “many other exciting groups”. Ewa says ethnic arts and crafts will also be for sale, including clothing and jewellery from Ecuador, toys from Korea, and handcraft items from the Cambodia Trust. There will also be children’s activities and information about support available for new settlers. The day, which will also promote Race Relations Day the following week (March 21), is aimed at both the general public and the Western Bay’s ethnic communities. “We have got two aims. We want the new migrants to connect with others in the city and to showcase the cultures to the wider community.” The festival will be held at the Historic Village in Tauranga’s 17th Ave on March 16 from 10am-4pm. By Hamish Carter
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New owners for adventure company NZ Adventures 4x4 Tours has new owners. Malcolm and Nancye Langley have sold the business to Alexandra based Robbie and Connie Crickett.
Robbie has had a long association with NZ Adventures having assisted the company founder John Nicholson back in the late 1990s when the operation began. Robbie and Connie originate from Putaruru in the South Waikato where on marrying in 1977 they sharemilked before buying their first farm at Rerewhakaaitu. In 1995 they joined the dairying exodus south and converted a Western Southland sheep property to dairy. They sold out of their farming operations in 2007 and moved to the outskirts of Alexandra where they have been operating a small accommodation business and an even smaller motorcycle tour operation. Robbie and Connie have four adult
children and presently eight grandchildren. Having assisted Malcolm and Nancye over most of the tours and developing over time a knowledge and love of the South Island high country and its people, Robbie and Connie say they are excited and enthusiastic about their move into the four wheel drive tour business and the opportunities this business presents to show people such a beautiful and interesting part of our country.
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The brain at work The food we eat affects our mental productivity
A healthy brain is an efficient brain and will ensure you are more productive at work. While we spend considerable time on the health of our bodies, we spend little time on the health of our brains. What can we do to keep our brains healthy? The foods we eat have an impact on our brain. A bad diet can have a major impact on the brain’s ability to function properly, making you less apt to think clearly, pay attention, and cultivate neuroplasticity. Some foods enhance your brain’s ability to thrive whereas others slow it down, not only making it difficult to rewire your brain but adding to the risk factors for dementia. To achieve optimum brain performance throughout the day, you will need to consume a smart balance of foods at each meal.
For example an optimum breakfast is an egg (protein), whole-grain toast (carbo hydrate) and spinach (vegetable). For lunch eat a meal that is higher in protein than carbohydrates, this will contribute to a less tired feeling in the afternoon. Processed foods are not good for the brain. Eat fresh unprocessed foods and avoid foods that have been significantly changed by humans. An idea diet for the brain includes plenty of organic, locally grown vegetables and fruit, fish, nuts and seeds and lean meats. Walnuts and blueberries are particularly good for the brain. Keep the brain hydrated with water.
Minimize alcohol consumption and have completely alcohol free days each week. A high sugar intake is bad for the brain and results in significant impairment of your ability to think clearly, maintain even moods, and behave effectively in a social situation. Further, high sugar consumption is associated with depression. If you would like to know more about foods are good for the brain, contact me and I will email you a free document on this topic.
The information in this article is not intended to replace professional advice. It is always advisable to seek professional assistance when dealing with employment matters, before taking any action. Wendy Macphail operates an employment law and HR consultancy in Mount Maunganui and can be contacted at wendy@accordservices.co.nz or by phone 07 574 2360.
Top AgriKids will be found in May The grand final of AgriKidsNZ Competition will be held in May following a round of competitions throughout the country involving more than 600 Primary School children. New Zealand Young Farmers organise the competitions which take place alongside the ANZ Young Farmer Contest Regional Finals and TeenAg Competitions from February to March. During each round teams of three were be tested on their knowledge of all things farming and all things New Zealand. “The energy, enthusiasm and teamwork these kiwi kids demonstrate is wonderful and proves they love the outdoors and being active,” said AgriKidsNZ Project Leader Josie Hampton. “The competitors are always so keen to get stuck in and give the tasks a go.
Sometimes they’re off farms and know exactly what they’re doing and sometimes they’re just there to learn and try something different. The competition caters for everyone; for some of these children the Competition is their one chance a year to have a rural experience.” AgriKidsNZ Regional Finals start at 8am and launch straight into the preliminaries where teams must complete a series of practical and theoretical modules before they can progress through to the fast paced Race-Off to determine which teams qualify to compete at the Grand Final in Auckland on May 17. Competitors also have the option to join the AgriKidsNZ Club – a network of over 1200 children; most of who have competed in the regional finals within the last couple of years. AgriKidsNZ Club Members are kept up to date with all the latest information on the competition and receive four AgMag Magazines a year; packed with all sorts of fun farming facts, stories and puzzles.
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Incentives to encourage recycling New Zealand’s leading rural recycling programme is again offering $5000 worth of rewards to encourage more farmers and growers to get recycling.
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Quakes making you nervous? Don’t be without power for your vital electrical appliances! Fridge, Freezer, Water Pump, TV, etc
The Agrecovery container programme provides free recycling for empty, triple rinsed containers, sized 60 litres and under, from 59 supporting brand owners. Containers are shredded and recycled in New Zealand into a compliant end-use; a far better outcome than burning or burying on farm. While the programme is already well utilised by thousands of farmers and growers, Duncan Scotland of Agrecovery suggests that the chance to win one of ten $500 vouchers may be just the nudge that others require to get started with Agrecovery, especially in the pastoral sector which has not seen the same uptake as in horticulture and viticulture. “Last year’s promotion saw a substantial increase in the volume of container plastic collected during the two month initiative, as well as an increase in the number of new members and people visiting the Agrecovery website to find out more about the programmes on offer. It was a huge success.” The slower uptake of recycling in the pastoral sector has recently led both Federated Farmers and Beef + Lamb New Zealand to call for those in their sectors to adopt greener, more sustainable methods of disposal of their used plastics by using the Agrecovery programme. “Environmental stewardship is critical. Recycling is the one way we can turn a perceived environmental negative into a big positive,” said Connor English, Federated Farmers Chief Executive. “Federated Farmers enhanced involvement with Agrecovery continues a strong record of environmental leadership and supports our strategic plan which seeks profitable sustainable farming. “It is a big challenge but the work the Agrecovery Trust does provides a practical solution for farmers to improve their environmental stewardship which Federated Farmers strongly supports.” According to Agrecovery an abundance of available land and the distance required to travel to dedicated
landfills has meant the convenience of burning or burying has been the traditional method of waste disposal for the majority of farmers. Burial pits and burning piles are commonplace on many farms with all manner of waste materials, both household and farm related, included in the mix. However studies show there is clear evidence of the health risks and negative environmental impacts of this habitual behaviour, specifically in relation to waste plastics. But it’s not only the environmental impact that farmers and growers need to be considering. Beef + Lamb General Manager Farm, Richard Wakelin says our clean-green image and reputation is at stake every day. He says the goalposts are continually shifting, with consumers increasingly concerned about animal welfare and how goods are produced. “Keeping the farm tidy and operating to its full potential includes careful and considered disposal of contaminated materials and hazardous substances. “Simply put this is good management practice to support sustainable farms for future generations and it can also contribute to positive market drivers.” To take advantage of the Agrecovery promotion, simply take eligible containers to any of the 70 plus Agrecovery collection sites nationwide during February and March 2013. The promotion is open to new and existing members in all rural sectors and the turf industry. The Agrecovery Container recycling programme is funded by 59 of New Zealand’s leading manufacturers and distributors of agrichemicals, fertilisers, dairy hygiene, animal health and biological products. Empty triple rinsed plastic containers (60 litres and under in size) from these companies are eligible for free recycling. For more information visit www.agrecovery.co.nz or call 0800 AGRECOVERY.
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MACHINERY & EQUIPMENT
Bike accidents not all on farm With ACC claims for occupational quad bike accidents falling by 17 per cent and serious harm down 10 per cent, a combined Government and industry focus on health and safety is working says Jeanette Maxwell, Federated Farmers Health & Safety spokesperson. “Over the Christmas and New Year period there was a spike in accidents but many of the high profile ones were recreational and not occupational,” says Jeanette. “While quad bikes are mostly used on-farm, not all accidents are farm related. That distinction is an important one because farm-related quad bike injury and death remains thankfully rare, especially when compared to the road and drowning tolls. “With some 100,000 quad bikes in New Zealand they easily outnumber the number of registered motorcycles too. “That is why Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) research affirms what we in the industry know; farmers are adopting health and safety as good business practice. “This MBIE survey reports that 16 percent more farmers reported some or all riders wearing helmets than in 2010. Quad bike helmet sales almost doubled in the year to June 2012 so the message is get-
ting out there and is being acted upon. “And it is not just quad bikes but general farm safety. Agricultural ACC claims in 2011 were 15.6 percent lower than what they were in 2009. “Federated Farmers recommends farmers go over their farm hazards with all visitors as a way to continually refresh their own understanding of them. “Federated Farmers also offers a plain-English Occupational Health and Safety Manual. This is written for farm employers by farm employers in order to meet legal obligations relating to health and safety. “This costs next to nothing for our members and is available via 0800 327 646 (0800 FARMING) or from Federated Farmers shop at www.fedfarm.org.nz. “While we fully support the Ministry’s quad bike and safety messaging, farmers can also do things to help themselves out. “We heavily recommend farmers working alone should brief family or staff about where they are working and their expected arrival time back. “And always carry a radio telephone, a mobile phone or if you are in an area of little or no radio coverage, a GPS-equipped Personal Locator Beacon,” she says.
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Peanut butter lures possums to baits Peanut butter is the perfect possum bait, something the furry forest pests regard as a real tasty treat, making it an ideal lure to tempt them to a far more deadly meal. The taste preferences of possums was explained to members of the Katikati Rotary Club when they were quests of the Aongatete Forest Restoration Trust for a barbecue and bush walk in the Kaimai ranges one recent evening. “We can’t bring back the huia, it’s extinct, but we can bring back the birdsong and make Aongatete Forest healthy again,”’ says Basil Graeme, a passionate, focussed and knowledgeable member of the trust. It was a quiet time in the forest. The birds were malting, but our forests will remain silent if we do not do something about the pests. All the Kaimai forest suffer from unchecked pests, but Aongatete is particularly vulnerable and a skeleton of its former glory. Its lowland plants are the favourite food of possums. Stoats and rats thrive and eat the birds, lizards and invertebrates Basil told us. It was a mellow evening when we walked into the Aongatete forest, and there was tremendous excitement after one of the volunteers identified not one, but four riflemen within 50m of the lodge. Basil’s face lit up
with delight at the spotting, his enthusiasm infectious. “This is what our work is all about,” said a thrilled Basil, “the return of the birds and seeing a rata in flower for the first time in 50 years.” Basil told us that Aongatete Forest is very special as it is a meeting place of the forests. The northern forest elements of the kauri meet southern beech forests together in one place – our place. Basil also commented that the beautiful puriri, a coastal species was nearly all felled and burnt because of farming. The Aongatete Forest Restoration Trust was established seven years ago by the Rotary Club of Katikati and Tauranga Forest & Bird with the support of local landowners and Ngai Tamawhariua. There are nine trustees but the hard leg work is carried out by a dedicated group of some 80 volunteers. The aims of the trust are to restore the native wildlife and plant life which will include reintroduction of some lost species. Members are keen to enhance the public experience and pleasure of this special forest with easy access walkways for enjoyment of the forest. They want to expand the area of protected forest by working with other groups and to promote the restoration of the whole conservation park for the future. Their commendable long term aim is to be
like the Whirinaki Forest within 200 years The single biggest focus of these committed volunteers is the eradication of ship rats, possums, stoats and ferrets. Possums love peanut butter and there are 40km of bait lines that the volunteers regularly walk with bait bags and 1000 bait stations to attend to. Combatting the intelligence of the possums is a constant test of kiwi ingenuity for the volunteers and they demonstrated many examples of how they are controlling the vermin. They estimate that ship rats destroy more than 26 million New Zealand birds every year. Domestic cats are now becoming a further problem to solve for these hardy volunteers. Aongatete Forest Restoration Trust needs help • To maintain the pest-controlled forest sanctuary • education and public awareness • monitoring of forest health • volunteer activities • pay for rat bait The public can help with donations, but volunteers are very welcome to help bring back the birds and protect our Aongatete Forest. Basil tells me looking after bait lines is a very nice sociable walk in the bush along with doing something useful. You can choose an easy or difficult line. I for one will be signing on the dotted line in support of this enthusiastic worthwhile organisation.
Email restore.aongatete@gmail.com go online at www.restore-aongatete.net or the traditional method of financial donations is also welcome by phoning 07 548 3238. By Gabriella Fraser
ag tractors
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CONTRACTORS
Ground water is not inexhaustible Where does groundwater come from? In a previous article we looked at how groundwater moves and where it goes to. This time we’ll look at how it gets into aquifers.
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The first thing you’ll probably notice about a change in groundwater levels is that a local spring is running low, or the water level in your well has dropped from its expected level. Ok, it’s midsummer and everything is somewhat dry, even if there have been regular showers. But where we really need to look is at rainfall levels last winter. Did we have a dry-ish winter, as we did in 2007 which then led into the drought of 2008? Winter is when aquifers get their main recharge. It generally rains a lot, the soil is always damp, and there is little evapotranspiration. And when the rain falls on pasture, rather than forest, more of it hits the ground. The pasture plants don’t need as much at that time with little evapotranspiration and already damp soil, so it sinks lower into the soil and moves down to an aquifer. But if the ground is already saturated, and possibly trampled or pugged, then quite a lot will ‘pond’ or run off slopes instead of sinking into the underlying porous rock, and this can also reduce the aquifer recharge. We also need to remember that it’s not an immediate ‘in-and-out’ process. What goes into an aquifer from a recharge area will push along the water already there. But it may be a very long time before that same water comes out somewhere else. And the recharge area may be a long way from the outlets, so the rainfall round your place may have little relevance to local groundwater levels of deeper aquifers, but will be important to shallower aquifers or groundwater levels further away. Just because we’ve had an unexpected week of rain during summer, doesn’t mean that everything underground will suddenly ‘come right’, because the actual recharge area for an aquifer may have had little or none.
Another reason for summer rain being less effective is that what does fall is first used up to correct the ‘soil moisture deficit,’ and secondly the heated air above ground is causing considerable evapotranspiration, and putting any moisture straight back into the atmosphere. And the latter effect is made worse when it is windy as well as hot. Having been lent an interesting book on groundwater, I spent time studying the phenomenon of ‘artesian’ wells. These occur when a well/bore is drilled into a ‘confined’ aquifer at a level much lower than the original recharge area water table. The effect is that the groundwater is pressurised, and moves upwards in the bore tube to equalise the pressure with the original water level. I remember when I was young that people seemed to put down ‘bores’ and the water came up by itself and didn’t need pumping. These days with far more wells/bores in the region, particularly in the Waikato and Hauraki Basins, the pressure in some aquifers has already been eased, and the water now has to be pumped up. For very shallow wells a surface pump may be strong enough, but for deep ones the pump has to be ‘down the hole’. Many people seem to think that because we get ‘adequate’ rain in our region, that groundwater must be inexhaustible. But the timing, the amount, and where it falls in relation to our aquifers, can make huge differences in the actual recharge rates. And with an extra 400 wells being added to the total every year, and dairy herds and farm dairies getting bigger, plus all the urban people who expect water to always come from their taps, unless the Regional Council has rules which enable them to ‘manage’ it all, our precious resource could get severely depleted. And we haven’t mentioned Climate Change yet. By Sue Edmonds
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DESIGN – SUPPLY – BUILD
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CONTRACTORS
The benefits of fully planting waterways
Full planting involves re-establishing grasses, shrubs and trees in a fenced strip alongside the waterway. Both exotic and native species can be used. Typically a strip at least five metres wide is required. This re-vegetation provides benefits beyond those offered by simple fencing and low planting. It can offer shade and shelter for stock along paddock edges (good for animal health and milk production) and provides an attractive asset for the farm. And by shading and cooling waterways, it helps protect freshwater life and improve local biodiversity. Depending on the extent of waterways on the farm, riparian planting could be a long-term project. You’ll want input from professionals to help you do it right, but the following principles and practices can serve as a general guide. Take the zone approach. A waterway margin can be divided into three zones for planting purposes. The wet zone in the centre is for lowgrowing plants that tolerate wet or flood conditions. They also lie flat in a flood event and will not restrict water flow. The trees and shrubs zone on higher
ground will eventually provide shade and cover. The pasture zone is a grassy area about a metre wide between the plants and the fence. Replanting requires 5 to 10 metres of waterway margin. Local biodiversity gains the most where waterway margins link existing pieces of bush and wetlands. Getting the site ready. Important steps prior to planting include planning, fencing, and weed and pest control. (These issues are all addressed in separate DairyNZ Farmfacts.) Going for shade. Shade keeps water temperatures down for stream life and prevents nuisance weeds and algae from growing. There will be an interim ‘adjustment period’ during which weed control may be needed as shade is grown. If you want to replant banks with natives but keep them stable, it’s important to maintain a good cover of grasses on the bank edge. You can do this by planting less densely so you don’t shade out grasses and sedges on the very edge of the bank that often do the most to hold them. Using trees to stabilise banks. Where active stream bank erosion is occurring, exotic willows can be effective. However, get advice and avoid using invasive species such as crack willow.
Here are a few planting tips when going for bank stability: • Pair-plant opposite sides of the waterway along straight reaches, so roots interlock under the streambed. • Plant trees closer together at critical points, such as the outside of bends where erosion is greatest. • Go for grasses on the inside of bends, as shrubs and trees will tend to trap sediment and force current against the outer bank. • Avoid planting narrow channel reaches where trees might impede floodwaters. Native species, particularly those with large root systems, such as cabbage trees, can also be used. An option could be to use fast growing willows to stabilise the bank, then cut these back and establish natives to gradually replace them. Finally, it’s important to be realistic. Putting in the plants is the beginning of the process not the end. Don’t underestimate the time and effort required to maintain planted areas. Plant losses in well-planned projects could be as much as 10-20 per cent in the first couple of years. Plan for a regular schedule of weeding and replanting as needed. This article is adapted from the fifth in a series of nine DairyNZ Farmfacts on managing waterways on farms. They can be viewed at www.dairynz.co.nz in the Farmfacts – Environment section.
Plant selection workshops for Waikato water ways A series of upcoming workshops will highlight how careful selection of riparian plants can help with waterway issues in the Waikato. DairyNZ is hosting three on-farm workshops in June and July to help farmers and rural professionals select plants best suited to the unique conditions of waterways throughout the Waikato River and Waipa River catchments. The workshops will focus on using the best practice “Plant Selection Wheel for Waikato Waterways”, which helps select riparian plants to enhance bank stability, contaminant runoff, fish habitat and biodiversity. The workshops will take place on June 24 at Upper Karapiro, July 1 at Newstead and July 8 in the North Waikato. Developed by environmental consultants Boffa Miskell with funding from the Waikato River Authority, the ‘Wheel’ can help farmers meet
specific Variation 6 (water allocation) consenting requirements related to riparian management. Use of the wheel will help ‘plant it right the first time’. Variation 6 requires some farmers to undertake riparian planting as part of their consent conditions (e.g., if you are taking more than 15m3 of surface water per day for milk cooling and dairy shed wash down – equivalent to a dairy herd of 215 cows). Workshop attendance is free and will involve the wheel’s designer, Louise Clark, going through the process of identifying issues on waterways and how to select appropriate plants to resolve these. Farmers and rural professionals working in the Waikato River and Waipa River catchments are encouraged to register. To do so, please contact DairyNZ’s Tom Stephens (ring 07 858 3750 or email tom. stephens@dairynz.co.nz).
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Page 44
EARTHWORKS
New equipment gives Katikati company a boost
Earthworks are just part of the service Fotheringhame Contractors offer.
New earthmoving equipment is being imported from Europe and the fleet of trucks up-graded as Fotheringhame Contractors of Katikati give the company’s 15 year-old business a new boost. The upgrades coincide with a return to health of company founder and director John Fotheringhame after months of intensive chemotherapy. “While Dad has been unwell he’s continued to play an important role in the business, though not a handson one. Now he’s getting better he’s keen to do even more,” says son Tom, who with sister Amy, their uncle Peter and staff have kept the company running in recent months. Tom, who had been driving heavy machinery in Western Australia, returned when his father became unwell and is happy to be back home and involved in
the company which has a strong reputation for service and quality. “We’ve put a lot of thought and effort into the rebirth and re-boost of the company and have purchased the best equipment possible to enable us to continue to offer a top service now and into the future. “We have the equipment, staff and knowledge to carry out virtually all the site work clients need, no matter how big or small,” says Tom. Amy says Fotheringhame staff offer free quotes and are able to take care of permits and consent issues where required. “Because of our upgrade we also have a number of vehicles for sale so welcome inquiries to purchase those,” says Amy. The company operates excavators from 4.5 ton to 12 ton in size, graders, rollers, loaders and numerous truck and trailer units. All aspects of earthmoving are done, including contouring, sealing, right of ways, tree removal, cartage of metal and other materials.
Plethora of renewable energy options With power prices seemingly ever going upward, a day organised by SMASH to learn about renewable energy was well attended at Karapiro recently. Stephan Heubeck of NIWA described the plethora of alternatives now available. These included wind, ocean, geothermal, solar, biomass, biogas and micro-hydro. However, as he explained, some of these were somewhat site specific (ocean and geothermal), while others like micro-hydro were probably more suited to the hilly terrain of sheep farming. Manufacturers building windmills seem to have opted for large size only in recent years, possibly due to the economies of scale realisable with larger turbines. This has further complicated the use of
wind energy in the farming sector. However, in Denmark groups of farmers have opted for a co-operative ownership of large windmills, sharing the investment costs, power and profits generated but running it as a separate business. In Germany they are making a lot of use of solar power, both as a thermal source and also to produce photovoltaic power. In New Zealand both are a mostly untapped resource, although our sunshine hours in the Waikato are one third a year more than in Germany. While solar thermal energy is highly efficient, substituting around 30 per cent of dairy shed energy requirements, the industry has not got its act together either here or globally to produce a standard technology package. Thus each
installation is still rather site specific as to cost and variable as to efficiency and profitability. Photovoltaic (PV) system manufacturers are getting their acts together, and costs have reduced by two-thirds since 2006. A well set up system can not only provide for all dairy shed energy requirements (not only hot water but plug and play electricity too), but on overseas experience can do it for an equivalent of 18-26 centsNZ/kWh. Automated biomass systems are probably too large and costly for individual farms. However, with a ready supply of firewood on a farm, all it takes is to light the fire before every milking to heat the hot water at a cost of around 4 cents/kWh. There was limited enthusiasm from the audience to that one.
KEVIN WADE
FARM DRAINAGE & EARTHWORKS
Phone 0274 968337 or 07 884 6784
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EARTHWORKS
New owners for Otorohanga company Thomson Concrete has new owners now that Lawrence and Pauline Holden, who also own Holden Earthmoving Ltd, have bought the well-known Otorohanga company as a support business to Holden Earthmoving.
The couple plan to make some changes to the original on-site manufacturing plant, while increasing the range of stock in-store to become a “one stop shop” for all their customers. Established about 75 years ago, Thomson Concrete has become a renowned concrete manufacturer and rural plumbing product supplier throughout the central North Island, delivering to customers as far away as North Auckland and Hawke’s Bay. So well-known is the brand, the Holdens will continue to trade under the name “Thomson
Concrete” despite changing the company name to “H20 Products and Services Ltd.” The Main North Rd business has seven employees including four concrete manufacturers. Manager Dave Hamilton is responsible for sales, marketing and customer support. The company manufactures a wide range of concrete products including, a range of water and feed troughs, cesspits, footbaths, pavers and other concrete products, as well as a wide range of rural water and plumbing supplies. “Barry Staples and Ken Millar
have a wealth of knowledge in concrete manufacturing, and we are pleased to have them on board. Any special requests for specific concrete products, just call in and discuss with Barry, Ken or Dave. “Our goal is to continue providing the same exceptional service that all Thomson customers expect. We will also increase the amount of stock in-store, to make sure whenever someone comes in we have what they’re looking for,” says Pauline. “We want this to be a one stop shop for our customers that will provide them with what they want, when they want it.”
The Thomson Concrete team from left rear Barry Staples, Cory Taylor, Dean McPhee. left Front, Ken Millar, Dave Hamilton (manager), Lawrence Holden (owner), Eli Hitchens, (absent Pauline Holden – who is behind the camera).
Biogas most versatile of all Biogas, using what comes off the effluent pond, was touted as the most versatile renewable energy resource. NIWA have been experimenting with covered ponds that recover biogas, separating out the solids first. As biogas is not just methane (63 per cent), but also contains carbon dioxide, water vapour and small amounts of ammonia and hydrogen sulphide, the covered pond system has reduced both odour problems and GHG emissions by not allowing methane to reach the atmosphere. Apparently the system is simple and cost effective, with probably no purification required for hot water heating
and an efficiency of >90 per cent, and Fonterra have been substituting it for natural gas boiler fuel at their Tirau plant since 1984. When connected to a motor-generator it can be converted to electricity as well as providing hot water, and such generators can be synchronised with the national grid, and by storing some gas under the pond cover can keep a farm operational for several days in prolonged power cuts. However, as usual, large dairy farms will profit more from novel energy systems, and those operating off-grid and new dairy conversions have real scope for cost savings using these technologies. By Sue Edmonds
Thomson Concrete A division of H2o products and services ltd
UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT
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FORESTRY
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Fine for unlawful harvesting A Rotorua forestry company and a Coromandel forestry contractor have been fined more than $50,000 in total for carrying out forest harvesting unlawfully at a remote Coromandel farm. The case, brought by Waikato Regional Council, related to a forestry harvest operation where earthworks had been carried out without appropriate erosion and sediment controls between February and May 2011. During the harvest, two steep gullies were left with forestry debris in circumstances where waterways could be blocked and
one gully in particular was choked with soil and vegetation. Professional Harvesting Systems of Rotorua was convicted and fined $29,400, while contractor James McCulloch was also convicted and fined $21,388, after both defendants pleaded guilty to a charge under the Resource Management Act. The matter was heard in Hamilton District Court before Judge Melanie Harland. The farm, situated on Colville Road, straddles the divide between the west and east coasts of the Coromandel Peninsula, with Colville Bay to the west and Kennedy Bay to the east.
Streams at the site all flow to Colville Bay, which is an area of significant conservation value in the Waikato Regional Coastal Plan. “The concern with excess sediment in waterways is that it decreases habitat for aquatic life and can adversely affect plants, invertebrates and fish to the point that they will not survive,” said council land and soil manager Grant Blackie. “In this case the court has sent a clear message to all parties involved in woodlot harvesting that they must go about their activity in a responsible manner, particularly so in more sensitive areas like the Coromandel.”
Work ethic part of Germany’s strength I have been fortunate to live in an era and in a country without wars and civil unrest. I have also been very privileged to be able to travel extensively and we recently spent a month staying with a German family who we befriended when they resided at Waihi Beach. As always, my focus is on the economics of a country and Germany has a very strong economy which holds 27 per cent of the EU bail-out funds to other countries. Germany also has the lowest unemployment in 20 years resulting in a strong domestic spending because of better wages. Germany is still paying reparation to Russia, Poland and Ukraine from the various wars it was involved in. Germans save 10 per cent of GDP and have no national debt. They hate losing money and keep themselves in a strong and liquid position. Angela Merkel, their Prime Minister is well thought of and is managing the 80 million population very well with good public support. GDP per capita is around $44,000. New Zealand is not too far behind so we are not faring too badly with that comparison. Thank goodness for our major renewable resource – grass. Germany’s power-house is manufacturing. Out of Hamburg there is an industrial estate 150km by 150km with four lane highways, two of which are full of big trucks transport-
ing raw resources in and finished product out. Their number one export is cars. The world wants luxury motors including BMW, Mercedes, VW and Audi as the most popular brands. It is all about producing something and produce the Germans do.
They must be left plugged in when not in use. Why? Because at peak times the authority will draw electricity from that massive resource, all measured by computers of course. Then when supply exceeds demand, the car batteries are fully charged-up again. They foresee that new appliances will have a chip in them. They will be able to turn their washing machine on at any time, but it will only operate when peak demand drops.
Energy
There is a move away from nuclear power following the Japanese tsunami and the consequent flooding of the nuclear power stations. Germany is looking to renewable resources and expects to have two million electric cars on the road within five years.
Weather
Winter starts in October/November and by December there is often a lot of snow and in January it can be -10 degrees in many places. During the winter days when we were there the sun rose at 8.30am, stayed very low on the southern horizon and it was dark (black) again by 4.30pm. Spring starts in April and there is a beautiful short summer where the sun hardly sets, with temperatures up to 30 degrees. Housing and keeping warm is therefore a major factor. Many houses are multi-storey with 300m thick concrete walls and floors with small windows which are all triple glazed. House heating is done by an electrically powered boiler and hot water is pumped around the house with radiators in every room. Power consumption is annualised and divided equally into months so that they do not get huge winter power bills.
Work ethic
One can only be impressed at how hard, diligent and productive these people are. As our host said, “Germans get up in the morning and do a number of jobs, then have a coffee. Some other nations may only get up and have a coffee!” It is great to see that their own people are employed everywhere. They are courteous, but often abrupt with little eye contact and in the area we were staying in, which was under Russian rule prior to the wall coming down there was very little English spoken. It did not appear to be “cool” to chat to unknown people, particularly two very forward Kiwis. Almost without exception it was those who had travelled who were happy to chat to us.
Transport
ABLE TASMAN FORESTRY SERVICES LTD
One can only ogle at the infrastructure of public transport. There are trains and tram lines everywhere. The main cities are all criss-crossed with full trams and trains transporting people in every direction, not to mention long hinged busses sliding quietly in and out of stops. Fares are cheap, transport options are very frequent. The equipment is all as new because at the end of the war the Russians took most of the rolling stock as reparation. High speed trains dash from city to city at 300km an hour getting you there as fast as flying. Transport allows rapid and easy access to all corners of cities and the country. Trains and trams seem to run every 10 minutes.
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FORESTRY
Selling standing trees removes uncertainty Just how much they can earn from their woodlot is often uncertain for landowners but there’s one company which buys trees before they are felled. “The owner sells the tree to us which removes all the risk and worry for them,” says Sam Sun of DNS Forest Products. The company, which exports logs to China from Whangarei and Tauranga with plans to use other ports in future, is interested in economical woodlots, he says.
“Some landowners have stands of trees which are too small to be worth our while, because of the costs involved in harvest and transport of logs. We are looking for good sizes stands of radiata pine, poplar and Douglas fir which is either ready for harvest or one to two years away from harvest.” The company operates throughout the North Island and will inspect any good sized prospective woodlots, agreeing with owners on a price to purchase the trees. “We take care of all the harvesting, including building roads within the forest if necessary and when the trees have gone,
Selling standing trees can remove the market risk for owners says Sam Sun of DNS Forest Products. will leave the site in a condition ready to be re-planted.” Sam says up to 95 per cent of owners of woodlots are unsure of what return they can expect from their trees because of uncertainties around the costs of harvest, transport and final export price. “We can take all that worry away as we carry all the risk and ensure the owners are getting a fair deal,” says Sam.
Well-run, organised savings economy
Family
For the future
Germany will be seen to shoulder a lot of the EU problems, stumping up with money and support. Angela Merkel is facing elections later this year as well and will be seen to navigate Germany and the
These are the opinions of Don Fraser of Fraser Farm Finance. Any decisions made should not be based on this article alone and appropriate professional assistance should be sought. Don Fraser is the Principal of Fraser Farm Finance and a consultant to the Farming Industry. Contact him on 0800 777 675 or 021 777 675. A disclosure document is available on request.
S
BER TR TIM E
We’ll get you
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NT ME AT
German people put a lot of emphasis on the family unit. Children appear to be compliant and happy. I am sure they put them on some sort of push bike the day they can walk. Kindy kids can be seen six to a cart being towed around in minus 3 degrees fully kitted out in coats, gloves, scares, boots and hats, all smiling. You never see tantrums and rage in shops with kids as you often do in New Zealand.
EU through these difficult times. Provided China and the emerging economies need branded cars, Germany’s future looks strong especially given their sturdy financial position. In summary, Germany is a stand-out example of a well-run, organised savings economy. People appear proud and hardworking and we can only be envious of their infrastructure and desire to succeed.
PEPP ER
This makes up only 2 per cent of GDP. Main crops appear to be potatoes and grain. Soils are good to the south of Germany where crops are grown. The extremes in weather give great fruit production. Hangovers from the war are visible in many areas particularly where people grew all their vegetables on small plots away from the city. Livestock are held in barns over winter and glass houses appear common. There are few animals, if any, visible outside in fields in winter.
Be prepared — call 0800 96 63 63 now to talk about your trees with Peter Harington, your Regional Manager.
EDUCATION
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Exceptional opportunities for boys and girls The liberating sense of space you get when entering the 40 hectare, park-like campus of St Peter’s is just part of what makes our school such a remarkable place for young minds to be educated. In a secure and inspiring rural setting, our students are encouraged to strive beyond the conventional benchmarks of educational success and to pursue their individual interests and talents – be they creative, intellectual or athletic. Our aim is to provide a multitude of pathways for our students and to empower them to make good choices, with emphasis on their all-round development and growth. The vast selection of programmes and opportunities we offer is testament this philosophy. We provide a choice of over 65 subjects, 30 sports, 25 music options, a comprehensive range of art, drama and dance opportunities and many more unique experiences including an extensive outdoor education programme. St Peter’s is one of New Zealand’s largest boarding schools, with more than 400 students making our boarding houses their home away from home. Our extensive pastoral care network ensures that each student receives the support they need and St Peter’s boarders form enduring friendships and share experiences which
Pastoral management software company, Farmax, will provide one Lincoln University postgraduate researcher a $5000 scholarship in 2013.
from over 65 subjects 25 music options 30 sports
extensive art, drama and dance opportunities and more…
...a school of exceptional opportunities l
Years 7 – 13
will be remembered for the rest of their lives. With world-class facilities, a progressive curriculum, small class sizes, superb staff and excellent support structures, St Peter’s
offers an unparalleled student experience designed to help each pupil fulfil their unique potential. St Peter’s next open day is Saturday April 7 from 1.30pm. By Jo Stephenson
Post grad scholarship offer
Choose…
Boys & Girls
St Peter’s park-like campus is enjoyed by students for study and sports.
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Day & Boarding
www.s tp e te rs .s ch ool. nz
The scholarship is open to all people eligible to perform postgraduate research at Lincoln University in Canterbury whose research project will utilise Farmax software products. Farmax General Manager, Gavin McEwen, says the scholarship will be awarded to, “someone performing agricultural research that can make use of Farmax’s decision support and modelling tools which allows for planning, monitoring and performance reporting about farm systems - in particular pasture management and animal intake. “The selection committee will award the scholarship to a student whose research has potential to ultimately benefit New Zealand farmers, as this objective aligns with our core company values.” The scholarship application period closes on March 31. The scholarship
covers a period of 12 months and will start in Term 2. It is open to both current students and those intending to apply to study at the university. Mr McEwen says the company’s backbone is based on decades of research and it wants to encourage the country’s next generation of agricultural scientists and rural professionals. “The formation of Farmax as a commercial company in 2002 was the culmination of over a decade of research performed by AgResearch scientists who developed one of the world’s leading decision support systems and software for the pastoral industry. “Our staff, farming clients, ag consultants and even industry good entities have all witnessed first-hand how great research can translate into huge benefits for farmers. That’s why we’re committed to investing in the next generation of agricultural scientists,” he explains. An application form can be downloaded at www.lincoln.ac.nz/scholar or obtained by phoning the Lincoln University Scholarships Office on (03) 3252 811, extn: 8748.
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EDUCATION
Old kitchen gadget This month’s mystery item from the Katikati Heritage Museum looks like it belongs in a workshop but in fact it was used in the kitchen. If you think you know what it is or have a story to tell about memories of using it, you could be in to win a museum visit for two. Send your entry to elaine@thesun.co.nz or post to Mystery Item, PO Box 240 Tauranga 3110 to arrive no later than March 17. The winner will be announced in the March Coast & Country.
Saturday 2 March
71st Awaroa Sports Day At Sports Ground at Hauturu (on the Kawhia Harbour) on Hauturu Rd. It is a country family fun day out with horse events (starting at 9.30am), chopping events (starting at 10am), athletic events and novelty events (lunchtime onwards). Food available plus Hangi at lunchtime and BBQ tea. Ph Murray 07 871 0730
Tuesday 12 March
Smart Water Use Ideas Exchange – Matamata At Ralph Gore’s, 12 Glenrowan Rd, Matamata SN77534 10.30am – 12.30pm. Improving water efficiency use in the farm dairy. Information includes: Practical ways to be more efficient with water in the farm dairy; water meters and monitoring options; Results of DairyNZ’s water use study. Prize draw and BBQ lunch provided. Ph Aleisha 0274 743 258 or email: Aleisha.broomfield@dairynz.co.nz
Monday 26 March
Last month’s mystery item brought back memories for at least three Coast & Country readers who correctly identified it as part of an early kerosene refrigerator. “In the late 1950s my family moved to Honikiwi and my Dad bought a Nightingale Fridge, with it we made our own ice blocks and ice cream, it was a real novelty and a great treat,” writes this month’s winner Andre de Haan of Otorohanga who went on to explain how the fridge operated. “The tank has a rocker cleat, off centre, so that when you slide the tank (the mystery item) into position under the fridge, (after lighting the wick in the glass) the glass will locate into a chimney that goes up
the back of the fridge, by tilting the front of the tank upwards. When in position the tank sits flat on the cleat. The handle raises or lowers the wick in the glass to regulate the temperature in the fridge.” Fay Horan of Tauranga had memories which were not quite so happy. “We have a beach bach where there’s no power. For over 25 years we used a kero fridge. It was dreadful for smoking. At times all the family woke in the morning covered in black soot and the ceiling would be black as well. It was very temperamental and we were happy to get rid of it when domestic sized gas fridges became available.” Ron Payne of Morrinsville says the item is the tank from an Australian Silent Knight kerosene fridge.
Pistol club holds open day
The public will have the opportunity to learn about the sport of target shooting with firearms when the Kaimai Pistol Club holds an open day on Sunday March 17. It’s a rare opportunity as the club seldom opens if range to the general public but secretary Jim Anderson says its members are keen to share their sport with others. Established 27 years ago on a piece of privately owned land in Hot Springs Rd just south of Katikati, the range is high in the hills, adjacent to the Kaimai Forest Park. The facilities are purpose-built to enable the safe firing of pistols, rifles, revolvers and shotguns in a controlled environment which includes four separate ranges able
to be set up with different courses to test marksmanship skills. Jim says the sport appeals to men and women of all ages from teens to senior citizens and from all walks of life who enjoy the challenge of improving their speed and accuracy with their chosen firearm. The open day, which begins at 10.30am and ends at 4pm, will use three ranges with displays on each by senior club members at 11.30am, 12.30pm, 1.30pm and 2.30pm. Following a safety briefing, and under the direction of qualified range officers, members of the public will have the opportunity to try their hand at shooting too. An information tent will be set up with a display of equipment including guns and leather gear, as well as information on firearms safety and licencing from the Police. Club members will be on hand to answer
Kaimai Pistol Club senior members will give shooting demonstrations during the open day on March 17. questions. One of the founding members of the club says while regular club shoots are competitive, the appeal of the sport is in fact competing against yourself. “You are continually striving to improve on your last score, which is a combination of accuracy and speed, and it’s a sport you can enjoy at any age.” Kaimai Pistol Club is in Hot Springs Road about 5.5kms from State Highway 2. There is a sign at the farm gate entrance to the range, which is just below the carpark at the start of a walking track into the forest. To find out more about the sport of pistol shooting, go to www.pistolnz.org.nz
Tokoroa HR Workshop At South Waikato Sport & Events Centre, Mossop Rd, Tokoroa 10.30am – 1.30pm. Do you want to: Attract and keep good employees? Get the best from your team? Then this workshop is for you. Lunch provided. RSVP essential by March 20. Email: andrea.clayton@dairynz.co.nz or ph 07 858 2768 with name, supply number, position on farm, email and cellphone number. Mark and Measure Governance Seminar At Bayview Wairakei Resort, SH 1, Taupo March 26 and 26 9am – 5pm. Designed for farm owners and 50:50 sharemilkers who would like to develop better governance practices in their business. Explore the principles, disciplines and relevance of governance for your business; Undertake a governance assessment of your business; Develop actions for your business with support from skilled professionals. www.dairynz.co.nz To list your rural event please email: julie@thesun.co.nz with Rural Event in the subject heading.
COAST & COUNTRY
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COAST & COUNTRY
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Tauranga Central Office – 07 578 0879 Cherrywood Office – 07 576 8770 Bethlehem Office – 07 579 2206 Mount Central Office – 07 575 6384 Papamoa Office – 07 542 9012 Te Puke Office – 07 573 4754
COAST & COUNTRY
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COAST & COUNTRY
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Pictures and details can be emailed (high resolution jpgs) to sarah@thesun.co.nz “Country Camera” or posted to Coast & Country, PO Box 240, Tauranga. Please include a name, address and phone number with every entry.
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