President leading from the front

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President leading from the front

TC180717TCTOKAORATOKAORATrophywinnersWendy andDavid Harker (right) ofWestell Properties, Pokuru andDougCourtman of Otorohanga,a past president and local board representative, who collectedthe second place certificate on behalf of Ngahinapouri coupleDavid and Pip Fullerton.

Holstein Friesian New Zealandboard president WendyHarker of Pokuru was one of

the winners at this year’s AnnualConference held in Central Otago.Mrs Harker, and husband David,

were presented the Tokaora Tro-phy, awarded to the registered two-year old heifer with the highestpoints for classification, fat andprotein, production and BV’s in thecurrent production season.Holstein Friesian New Zealand

(HFNZ) say the conference was ahuge success. The HFNZ Awardsnight was well-attended, there weretwo new board announcements anda range of action-packed activities toshow off the region.Hosted by the Otago Branch of

HFNZ, the conference welcomed 59delegates for the entire four days, 72on both bus trip days and peaked at105 for the Awards Dinner.HFNZ Otago branch president

and conference committeechairperson Judith Ray says it was agreat undertaking for the branchwith a great result.“We’re thrilled with how the

conference ran,” she said.“There was a lot of effort put in

by very dedicated and passionatepeople and we think Central Otagoreally turned it on.”The conference theme was High

Octane: Gold—Wine—Speed and itlived up to expectations with anitinerary including gold panning, jet-boating, wine tasting and race cars— as well as few black and whitecows.HFNZ general manager Cherilyn

Watson says theAnnual Conferencewas great mix of business andpleasure, providing an excellentplatform for hard-working membersto get off the farm and reunite, ormeet for the first time, with like-minded individuals from all over thecountry.“For some of our members it’s

the only time they’ll take off thefarm all year, so to have such a wellorganised conference was great,”she says.“Attendees were in agreement

that Association spending is on theright track and income generationwill be the focus for the upcomingyear.”Board announcements:HFNZ board president Wendy

Harker retains her position. HennieVerwaayen steps into the role ofvice president.The board welcomes a new

director to represent Wards 6 & 7 —Nelson/Marlborough/Golden Bayand Christchurch/West Coastbranches, following the retirementof AdrianWhite of Pukematai Farm.Graham Stewart of Cresslands

Farms No 1 has been elected to theposition, and will have big shoes tofill.Mr White was awarded Honor-

ary Life Membership for his decadeof service, eight as the association’streasurer.Holstein Friesian New ZealandAwards:The 2017ValdenCowof theYear,

awarded to the cow with the poten-tial to contribute to the HolsteinFriesian breed on a continual basis,

Okawa Tony Serenity EX2, OkawaLimited, Te Awamutu (see page 3).The 2017 Mahoe Trophy,

awarded to the New Zealand-bredHolstein Friesian sire whose 2015/16Sire Proof earns the most points fordaughter production, conformation,and management, Maire IGGauntlet-ET, with 587 points.The Boehringer Ingelheim Pro-

geny Competition: Junior Team: Aand N Harvey Family Trust —Ambzed Greenhalgh Wyld on 217.42points. Senior Team winner: HenleyFarming Partnership — FairmontMint-Edition on 407.08 points.The DeLaval All NZ Photo Com-

petition: Senior Cow: Kauri GlenLheros Tracie EX, Kauri Glen; Inter-mediate Cow: Sherraine Congress

Maria EX, Sherraine Holsteins; Jun-ior Cow: Te Hau Windrook Cleo-ETVG87, T and F Bennett; YearlingHeifer: Kauri Glen Atw Duchess-ET,Kauri Glen; Heifer Calf: TahoraMcCutchen Torsi-ET, J, J and DGeddes.Nutritech Performance Awards

overall winner: Robinson DairyFarm— $2,600.57.Semex On-Farm Awards:

Maughlin StormTwo-Year-Old Cow:Champion, Te HauWindbrook Cleo-ET, G and L Deane and T and FBennett, Morrinsville; Reserve:Tahora Aftershk Tootsie, D Berendt,Eketahuna. Comestar Leader Three-Year-Old Cow: Champion:Cresslands Lauthority Dori,Cresslands Farms No 1, Rangiora;Reserve: Velvaleen Gold S Toni-ET,Velvaleen Farm, Feilding. TownsonLindy Four-Year-Old Cow: Cham-pion: Deloraine Wind Pamela,Rowland/McCormack, PalmerstonNorth; Reserve: Rivendell ShamBeatric-ET, Rivendell Farm, Otau-tau. Hanoverhill Raider Five-Year-Old Cow: Champion: CresslandsSeaver Dai-ET, Cresslands FarmsNo 1, Rangiora; Reserve: RichfieldGold Lavana-ET, C and B Cox,Carterton. Conant-Acres JY BrokerMature Cow Class: Champion:Deloraine Niger Vilima, A, B and JSherriff, Temuka; Reserve:Sherraine Fortune Carra, SherraineHolsteins, Kaiapoi. Comestar LaurieSheik Veteran Cow: Champion:Deloraine Talent Vila, A, B and JSherriff, Temuka, Reserve: TahoraBGoldwynTori-ET, J, J andDGeddes,Christchurch.

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Tuesday, July 18, 2017 3

Serenity named top cow of the year

TC180717TCSERENITYSERENITYmeeting her fans at Fieldays with owner TimBarclay.

She crosses thepedigree andcommercial linenicely, with greatconformation,while earning herkeep on-farm andbeing successful inthe show ring.

This year’s top Holstein Frie-sian cow has been found inTe Awamutu. Okawa Tony

Serenity EX2 took out the 2017Valden Cow of the Year at theHolstein Friesian New Zealand(HFNZ) Awards evening, held inCromwell recently.She is owned by Tim and Jo

Barclay of Okawa Ltd, who farm atTe kawa.She was sired by Tahora Talent

Tony-ET and beat out five otherfinalists to claim the title.“We’re very proud to win

Valden Cow of the Year withSerenity,” says Mr Barclay.“It is common knowledge at

home that she’s an exceptionalcow, and for her achievements tobe recognised on a national plat-form as the top performingHolstein Friesian cow in NewZealand is really something,” hesays.The Valden Cow of the Year

title is awarded to any cow thathas completed at least fourlactations and is deemed to havecontributed, or have the potentialto contribute, to the breed on acontinual basis.Calculation of Valden Cow of

the Year includes ProductionWorth (PW), Protein BreedingValue (BV), number of lactations,show results, Star Brood status,recognition for Superior Pro-duction, daughter performance inproduction indexes and daughter-proven sons in AB.The cow must be alive as at

May 1 in the year the competitionis awarded and must have been

born and bred in New Zealandwith all production completed inNew Zealand. A cow cannot winthe Cow of the Year award morethan once.“We’re happy to have a cow

such as Okawa Tony Serenityrepresent the Holstein Friesianbreed,” says HFNZ general mana-ger Cherilyn Watson.“She crosses the pedigree and

commercial line nicely, with great

conformation, while earning herkeep on-farm and being successfulin the show ring.”Serenity’s classification score

of EX2 shows she is very close toideal conformation, and her lac-tation records speak for them-selves. She’s also had embryotransfer (ET) work done.Coming from the well-known

Tahora T family, Serenity is in hersixth lactation, with her best pro-

duction to date completed as afour-year-old. In this she produced10,650 litres, 361kg (3.45) proteinand 363kg (3.4%) fat over 304 days.Her current PW sits at 244 and LW244.Since her four-year-old lac-

tation, Serenity has been consist-ently achieved over 700kg of milksolids, with her best year as aneight-year-old — 9819 litres, 327kg(3.33 per cent) protein and 421kg

(4.28 per cent) fat over 305 days.Serenity is also a successful

show cow, having most recentlywon the Holstein Friesian SixYears and Over In-milk, BestUddered, Senior Champion, andAll Breeds Supreme Champion atthe 2017 Royal Easter Show inAuckland.Further to this, she has found

success in the Semex On-Farmcompetition, winning the four-year-old Townson Lindy class in2012, the Conant-Acres BrokerMature class in 2015, and thirdplace in the 2017 Comestar LaurieSheik Veteran cow class.In June Serenity attended NZ

National Agricultural Fieldays,where she was a hit with thecrowds — young and old, urbanand rural.

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Power Farming site takes Fieldays award

TC180717TCSITEAWARDPOWER FARMING celebrate winning the Fieldays SupremeSiteAward.

The Fieldays Exhibitor SiteAwards are handed outevery year to recognise the

months of planning and weeks ofhard work that go towards creat-ing an innovative site.For many the laborious job of

setting up sites began in earlyMay, and judges said lookingaround the event it was clear tosee.New Zealand Nat ional

Fieldays Society CEO PeterNation says he’s impressed withthe talent and creativity that isdisplayed each year at Fieldays,and hopes to honour those whohave invested effort into theirsites.“These many and varied com-

panies invest many hours inplanning and designing theirsites, they invest huge amountsof time and money in supportingour objectives in delivering aworld class event,” said MrNation.The judging panel for the

Exhibitor Site Awards evaluatesthe sites with criteria such as sitedesign, customer engagement,and entertainment. The judgesalso take into consideration thedegree of agriculture present,such as relevant signage andtopical farming themes.Over the first two days, the

judges undertake the extensivetask of visiting and assessingeach of the sites at Fieldays.The Fieldays Supreme Site

Award — recognition for excep-tional customer service andcreation of a successful agricul-

tural environment — was won byPower Farming Wholesale Ltd,which occupies Site: C27, C29,C31, C33, C35, C37, C39.Judges commented on:Well laid out and appealing

display of their products,designed to draw visitors furtherinto the site;Effective landscaping, fencing

and spotless ag vehicles createdan immaculate overall appear-ance;Consideration taken to pro-

vide an area for staff to engagewith customers;

A key element was the engag-ing friendly staff who created apositive visitor atmosphere;Clear signage and branding;Site was well organised, fully

compliant and safe.Power Farming marketing

director Brett Maber said it was areal team effort.“It’s great to be recognised for

all the work we put into our sites.All the staff have been workinghard, from moving bark tohanding out brochures and it’sjust good to see the hard workgets noticed,” said Mr Maber.

TOPPICKSBest Food Vendor Site Award:Southern Fries (Food Hub North).Clear signage, friendly staff,excellent service, good hygieneprotocols observed, high praisefrom customers.

Best Rural Living Area Site Award:The Rockerman Ltd (Site: R77, R78).Pleasingly displayed products, veryeye-catching, maximum use ofspace, site access ways welldefined, good identifying signage,friendly and engaging staff.

Best Agribusiness Outdoor SiteAward:Matamata Post & Rails(1999) Ltd (Site: C50, M40, M42).High standard of site presentation,excellent use of levels to maximisedisplay of products and overalllayout of the site, on-site

demonstration with excellent safetyprotocols in place, product cleverlydisplayed, clear signage andbranding, welcoming and friendlystaff.

Best International AgribusinessSite Award: Chengdu YichuanBusiness Service Co (Site: EX1).Beautifully designed site withdefined areas and streamlineddisplays, attentive staff, highlyprofessional and friendly, excellentsignage.

Best Agribusiness Indoor SiteAward: University of Waikato (Site:PB49, PB51, PC50, PC52).Innovative and creative site design,interactive and engaging elements,welcoming staff, fresh design fromlast year.

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Tractor pulling popular

TC180717TCTRACTORPULLWEIGHT transfer tractor pulling is a sticky affair.

Tractor pulling in the mud and slush on thepurpose built track at national Fieldays isone of the most popular spectator events

over the four days of the agricultural event.There are two competitions: weight

adjusted — a side-by-side drag race towing aweighted sled; and weight transfer — a singlepull of a tractor adding resistance down thetrack, plus there is a section for modifiedmachines.Results: Weight Adjusted Tractor Pull:Shaun Luxton 1, Robert Kay 2, Iain Lillington3.Brent Garrett Memorial Sportsmanship

winner: James Marshall.Weight Transfer Tractor Pull: 0-6 tonne:Jordon Sinton. 6-8 tonne: Chris Grant. 8-10tonne. Zach Walling. 10-12 tonne: PeterRobb. 12-15 tonne: Jakes Steyn.Overall winner of weight transfer: JakesSteyn.First time entrant: Caleb Anderson.Pre-85 weight transfer: 0-6 tonne:MattAvery. 6-9 tonne: Kevin Mounsey.Overall pre-85 winner: Matt Avery.Modified: Over 4 tonne: Brendon Reymer.Under 4 tonne: Wally Sinton.Overall modified winner: Brendon Reymer.

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TC180717TCSTRAPCHAMPION: Dave Crooks fromStrainrite Fencing Systemswith theFieldays International InnovationAwardwinning Activator Strap.

Award for innovativefarm gate inventionStrainrite Fencing Systems is leading

change at the farm gate with its newActivator Strap, after walking away

with the top honour in the International

Innovation Award category at the 2017 NewZealand Agricultural Fieldays.Maurice Wooster from Strainrite Fenc-

ing Systems said the idea for the ActivatorStrap stemmed from many years of improv-ing the widely used Electric Fence ActivatorSystem.“One of our fencing specialists was

setting up an electric fence gateway andwascontinually encountering broken fence acti-vator installations. It dawned on him thenthat there had to be a better way,” said MrWooster.From there the Strainrite research and

development team designed and producedrapid prototypes for testing before comingup with the insulated strap that wrapsaround the gate post, to create an offset foran electrified wire to accept gate handlehooks.Judges were impressed with the simpli-

city of the design which they described as aclever, well-designed solution with thepotential for significant time and costsavings, commenting that it’s a wonder ithasn’t been done before.Following their win of the prestigious

award at Fieldays, Strainrite Fencing Sys-tems has had enquiries from a new interna-tional customer, as well as sales andrequests for information from distributionnetworks domestically and internationally.After a huge effort by the whole team the

award means a great deal. Now the teamhas the honour of introducing their clientbase to the award winning Activator Strap.“We entered knowing we were up

against some serious competition on aglobal scale. To win such a prestigiousaward really pays tribute to staff and theirdedication and team efforts,” said MrWooster.Fieldays received a total of 77 entries in

this year’s Innovation Awards, with 16 inthe International Innovation Award cat-egory.NZ National Fieldays Society CEO Peter

Nation said the awards are about providinga platform to launch innovations to the nextlevel in the advancement of the agriculturalindustry.“Every year we see some great

innovations at Fieldays and the ActivatorStrap has real potential in the fencingindustry. We’re really proud to have thisplatform to help Strainrite and all Inno-vation Award entrants go to the next level,”said Mr Nation.

Lincoln openeddoors for winner

Young Farmer 2017 winner NigelWoodhead says his time at LincolnUniversity opened doors for him

which contributed to his success.Mr Woodhead claimed the title in the

Manawatu last Saturday, after three days ofcompetition.He was awarded a Bachelor of Agricul-

tural Science degree in 2009 by LincolnUniversity. The 28-year-old Milton sheepand beef farmer said his study has had ahuge influence on his career since.“I chose Lincoln because it has a great

reputation and graduates I had spoken totold me of the huge amount of fun that washad while studying.“Banks and fertiliser companies, and

other businesses were screaming out foragriculture graduates, so I knew I wouldn’thave any issues finding a good job at the endof my studies,” Mr Woodhead said.His degree opened the door for him to

work for Midlands Seed in Ashburton,firstly as a research assistant and then as afield consultant.“It gave me a great background under-

standing of all things agriculture and hasallowed me to be in a great position to learnand understand new ideas.”He singled out the field trips he did while

studying at Lincoln as particularlyrewarding.

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Celebrity chefs heat up Fieldays kitchenSessions tempt taste buds

TC180717TCKITCHEN2/3CELEBRITY chefMichael Van de Elzen started his presentationwith a quick and nutritious smoothie recipe (left), followed by aquick fish dish.

TC180717KITCHEN1FIELDAY visitors had plenty to taste and see in Kiwi’s Best Kitchen, right.

Visitors to the Fieldays hadthe chance to stock thepantry, tempt their taste

buds and attend culinary sessionswith celebrity chefs.Kiwi’s Best Kitchen featured

New Zealand primary productioningredients, products and acces-sories.More than 40 exhibitors wined

and dined visitors with mouth-

watering displays, free food andwine samples.For the true foodies, there

were culinary sessions withcelebrity chefs.The sessions were held in the

Kitchen Theatre and provided aninsight into the chefs’ talents,travels, tips and tastes.Those who attended got the

chance to meet and greet the

chefs, take a selfie or buy a book.Wednesday’s celebrity chef

was Brett McGregor, New Zea-land’s first MasterChef in 2010.His most recent book is called

Chop Chop and features his fav-ourite Asian-inspired recipes.On Thursday, Mark Southon

led cooking sessions with theRural Bachelors.Pirongia bachelor Ken Veen

says his own cooking skillsgreatly improved after the work-shop.Mr Southon is a New Zealand

celebrity chef and television per-sonality.He is the current resident chef

for the New Zealand morning TVShow The Cafe.Michael Van de Elzen was

Friday’s celebrity chef.

You may know him fromTVNZ’s top-rating show, The FoodTruck, which was about tacklingthe fast food industry in an oldBedford truck called Beddy.On Saturday, Karena and

Kasey Bird entertained the crowdson the final day of Fieldays.The sisters from Maketu were

the 2014 winners of MasterChefNew Zealand.

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‘Barriers’ help boost waterwaysBala TikkisettyWaikato Regional Council Waikato Regional Council Sustainable Agri AdvisorSustainable Agri Advisor

Building barriers has been used forthousands of years to protectthings.

That age-old practice is also usefulin the modern context of protecting theWaikato’s waterways, especially as wecollectively move to beef up ourguardianship of lakes, rivers, streamsand groundwater.

The National Policy Statement forFreshwater Management and relatedmoves to change the regional planunderpin existing moves being made toprotect them more from contaminationand degradation.

Well-constructed and planted riparianmargins beside water bodies form abarrier that can help to keep contaminantsout. These margins — strips of landadjacent to the water-bodies — can filterout contaminants such as sediments,bacteria and nutrients from farm run-off,especially from animal dung and urine, aswell as agricultural chemicals.

Pathogens like giardia andcryptosporidium can cause water-bornediseases, which can cause serious healthproblems, while nitrates and phosphatescan also create health disorders forpeople and stock, and contribute to algalgrowth.

Besides cleaner water, an importantbenefit of good riparian management isimproved stock health because stock nolonger get their drinking water fromcontaminated streams. There may also bereduced maintenance effort required forwater systems that draw from surfacewater.

Winter weather can place increasedstrain on the banks of farm waterways,increasing the risk of stream bank erosionthreatening paddocks and affecting waterquality. So it’s particularly timely to look at

the issues involved in erosion and landmanagement practices that can contributeto contamination of waterways.

Some of our rivers, lakes and streamshave eroding banks, silted beds, waterweed infestation and reduced waterquality, as a result of the way the land isused.

Land management practices —whether related to farming, forestry, road-ing or horticulture — can cause soilerosion and a build-up of contaminantsinto watercourses.

They include stock wading in water,poor cowshed effluent treatment,overgrazing, inappropriate fertiliser appli-cation, pugging and poor runoff control oncultivated land, and construction and useof roads and tracks which can all contributeto the contamination of water bodies. All ofthese practices can be managed to reducethe risk of generating contaminants.

In addition to reducing the risks atsource, good management of the banks ofwaterways, with a well-planted riparianmargin, can create that barrier between thefarm system and the water body to help toreduce negative effects by stabilising thebanks and providing a filter forcontaminants washing off the land.

Besides filtering out contaminants, ri-parian strips can increase farmbiodiversity.

Careful selection of the mix ofspecies planted in riparian areas makesit possible to modify what’s happeningwith light, temperature, nutrient andsediment loads, channel and bankstability, carbon inputs and habitat forterrestrial species.

Shrubs and trees with extensive rootsystems, which tolerate moist soilconditions and frequent silt deposits, areideal for stream bank erosion control.

They physically hold the stream bankstogether and some tree roots also protectthe streambed, limiting the scouring effectof running water.

Streamside vegetation provides shadewhich cools the water, improves dissolvedoxygen levels, helps aquatic life andreduces the risk of algal blooms.

Suitable plant species besidewaterways also provide cover for spawningfish, and food and habitat for nesting andjuvenile birds. Streamside trees can linkareas of native vegetation together,extending habitat for native birds.

Besides such environmental benefits,riparian planting can also help a farm’seconomic bottom line.

Well designed riparian fencing can beused to improve subdivision, help withmustering, and protect animals fromdrowning or getting stuck in wet areas.Provision of shelter and shade is also animportant aspect of animal production andhealth.

Improved milk grades are documentedwhere dairy sheds no longer draw waterfrom contaminated streams. On sheep andbeef properties, stock are in better healthand have faster weight gain when watersources are no longer contaminated.

The regional council’s catchment man-agement officers can provide advice ongood riparian management.

Farmers take partin farming censusAll New Zealand farmers are taking part in the

Agricultural Production Census run by Stats NZthis month.

Livestock farmers, orchardists, wine growers, arablefarmers and others running about 60,000 farms receiveinformation packs about the census in July.“The census information will give farmers and other

New Zealanders a complete view of agricultural trends,”says agricultural production statistics manager StuartPitts.“The information from the Agricultural Production

Census gives New Zealanders a very clear picture offarming, and helps farmers make decisions about where toinvest and how they compare with others in the business.“Long-term trends show the changing dynamics of

farming in New Zealand, from ‘peak sheep’ in the early1980s to the conversion of many farms to dairying outsidethe traditional heartland of Waikato, Taranaki, andSouthland.“Stats NZ can combine information from farmers with

export data to show that the average dairy cow earned$2450 in exports for New Zealand in 2016. This compareswith $1550 for the average beef animal, $450 for deer, and$200 for sheep,” says Mr Pitts.In horticulture, the average hectare of kiwifruit earned

$77,000 in exports for New Zealand in 2014. The averagehectare of apples earned $64,000 and wine grapes earned$39,000.The census of all farmers is held every five years. In the

years between each census, Stats NZ surveys farmers fromjust some sectors.“The census can be done online, which was the most

popular way for farmers to complete their questionnairelast year,” says Mr Pitts.The compulsory survey is collected jointly by Stats NZ

and the Ministry for Primary Industries for research andstatistical purposes. Both agencies keep farmers’ individ-ual information confidential.Stats NZ sometimes combines data to increase value to

decision-makers and researchers.Research findings are confidentialised so individuals or

businesses cannot be identified.

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Beef + Lamb lookingat alternative proteins

TC180717TCSAMSAM McIVOR

Beef + LambNew Zealandis leading a

project to assesspotential red meatsector responses toalternative proteinadvances.Chief executive

Sam McIvor said theorgan isa t ion , onbehalf of New Zea-land sheep and beeffarmers, wants tobetter understandthe shifts in food andfood product iontechnology. This willinclude identifyingthe threats and inparticular opportun-ities for the sector —and how to addressthem.“We want to dis-

tinguish hype fromreality and have anobjective view on what’s happening in thealternative protein space.“That will mean better understanding

the technologies, business models andhow quickly advancements are beingmade that could impact the New Zealandred meat sector.”McIvor said the current view from

commentators was that alternative pro-teins were being positioned as a premiumproduct today but that could changetomorrow.

“For example, ifthe price to producethese foods comesdown in the future itcould have an impacton the likes of ham-burger meat. Thatcould be a risk forthe sector, given alarge percentage ofNew Zea landprocessing beef cur-rently goes to quickserv icerestaurants.”Another part of

the project will be togather a deep under-standing of whatconsumers th inkabout alternativeproteins and theiracceptance of them.“We want to

understand theirperceptions, choicesand the tradeoffs

they might make in the future.” MrMcIvor said Beef + Lamb New Zealandwill becontacting other organisationswith food technology and consumerinsight that have a deep knowledge ofwhat’s happening in places like SiliconValley and the Netherlands where proteinalternative technologies and investmentare heavily focused.Beef + Lamb New Zealand expects to

identify its project partners by the end ofthe month.

What’s a casual employee?

Shelley GreerGallie MilesSolicitor

Dan needed a bit of extra help on the farmso he decided to employ Mike on a casualbasis.

Mike signed a Casual Employment Agree-ment.

For a few months Dan called Mike only whenhe needed help and, if Mike wasn’t busy, Mikewould work for a couple of days on the farm.

Over the calving season Dan becameincreasingly busy and consequently Mike wasgiven a roster and was working almost everyday on the farm. Mike gave up his other casualwork as a cook as he had no time for it.

At the end of the year, Dan’s son returnedfrom University and started working on the farm.Dan didn’t really need Mike anymore so he toldhim that his employment had ended.

Dan thought that he didn’t have to give Mikenotice as he was a casual employee. Mike wasannoyed as he did not have another job linedup.

Mike went to see his lawyer and raised apersonal grievance against Dan for unjustifieddismissal. Does Mike have any grounds to dothis?

Many employers employ people who theyconsider to be “casual employees”. However,there can be a fine line between permanent andcasual employment. It is very common for anemployee to start work on a casual basis but forthat work to morph over time to being morepermanent.

It is important that employers and em-

ployees understand the nature of their employ-ment relationship. Because casual employmentis generally unpredictable and uncertain, thepersonal grievance procedures that are avail-able under the Employment Relations Act 2000will not apply to the same extent as they wouldfor a permanent employee. This means that ifyou attempt to terminate the employment of acasual employee who is not truly casual withoutusing the correct procedures, you run the risk ofthat employee raising a personal grievance forunjustified dismissal, among other things. Sohow do you work out whether your employee isa casual or permanent employee?

Casual employment is just that — intermit-tent, with no fixed hours or days of work. Acasual employee is free to say they are notavailable to work a particular shift or day, just astheir employer can choose not to call on them.The relationship between the parties is thecrucial test — not what may be set out in theEmployment Agreement.

Other characteristics recognised by theEmployment Court are:• Engagement for short periods of time forspecific purposes.• A lack of regular work pattern.• The employment is dependent upon theavailability of work demands.• There is no guarantee of work from one weekto the next.• The employment is “as needed”.

What Dan should have done is transferredMike to a permanent employment agreement ashis work became more predictable and certain,or employed Mike for a fixed term over thecalving season. To increase the likelihood thatyour casual employees would be deemed trulycasual by the Court, there are a number ofclauses that can be included and/or modified intheir employment agreements. To review andamend your existing employment agreements,get in touch with us at [email protected] [email protected]

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Managing feed, minimising mudDarren SuttonWaikato FarmWise Consultant

Many farms are not wherewe want to be in averagepasture cover (APC) for

this time of year.Growth rates have dropped

back this winter to perhaps morenormal long-term averages,catching a few out. This combinedwith sodden soils mean that whatgrass is there is hard to utilise.Minimising mud

Soils are wet so it is very easy tomake mud anytime it rains. As hard asit feels, all efforts made to reduce mudwill ultimately be rewarded with betterpasture growth rates for the rest of theseason. Here are a few basic pointersfor reducing mud:• Make pasture breaks square.• Have supplements and breaks set upin advance.• Have bail out options to drierpaddocks where possible. Be pre-pared to change half-way through apaddock to start a new paddock.• Move stock at daybreak.• Stand cows off on cowshed yard and/or feed pad.• Draft out Springers and calving R2swhich can be moved on in area in theevening if necessary. The Latesshould be stood off.• Put cows to the back of paddocksfirst so if standing cows off they walkover the pasture, reducing soil dam-age (yes, some pasture will be sacri-ficed).• Accept BCS what it is now, and focuson conserving pasture with the correctround length and by feedingsupplements.Spring rotation planner

The first 90 days of the new season

is vital to ensure feeding of all thedifferent mobs is aimed at maximisingthe production and profitability of thefarm. If this is not done properly, thenunderfeeding can lead to poor milkproduction, high rates of BCS loss andpoorer reproduction results.

To help avoid this, a spring rotationplanner (SRP) can help to keep you onthe right track through the eight hecticweeks of calving. By using this simpletool you can relax knowing that youare in step with where you need to beat any given date from the plannedstart of calving (PSC) to when feedsupply matches feed demand.Why should I use one?

The SRP does not get used to thesame extent that it has in the past dueto the steady intensification of farmsystems where supplements are moreoften being fed through spring thanwhat occurred 20 years ago. For thesefarm systems where no supplementsare fed through the spring, if youmanage your pasture poorly then youcan quickly fall into a hole of lowcovers and under fed cows.

Even though through there is nowgreater use of supplements in spring,the accurate management and allo-cation of pasture through the spring is

still best practice as this helpsensure that your cheapest sourceof feed (pasture) is not wasted.How does it work?

A SRP allocates more areaeach day to be grazed from thestart of calving from a winter roundlength (eg. 90-100 days), throughto when feed supply (pasturegrowth rate and supplements fed)matches with cow demand. In the

Waipa region, this is usually aroundmid-September. At this stage youwant to be on the round length thatsuits your stocking rate to maintain thisround through October and Novem-ber, which is usually around the 21 daymark.

The most simplistic SRP can becreated by drawing a straight line on apiece of paper from your PSC (eg. July15) to feed balance date (eg. Septem-ber 10). The round length (days) is on

the Y-axis from 1 to 100 days. Thedate is on the X-axis. See the examplebelow.Where can I get one from?

Either create one yourself followingthe examples above, or there is oneon the DairyNZ website which allowsyou to put your own farm details in andprint off the results.

At FarmWise we have a moredetailed version of the SRP that puts inyour calving rate and supplementsavailable for feeding.

This therefore allocates pastureand supplements more accurately toyour dry and milking cow mobs, toensure each mob is being fed at thecorrect rate.

If you haven’t used a SRP before,try one this year to ensure the best useof pasture and feed on farm, and enjoythe benefits of a more relaxed spring,and better feed management.

Firm finedfor breach

AChristchurch customsbroking firm has beenconvicted and fined

$3000 for submitting a falsecustoms declaration thatcould have created a seriousbiosecurity breach.Gateway Cargo Systems

(SI) Limited pleaded guilty inthe Christchurch DistrictCourt to falsely declaring thatthe header unit of a combineharvester imported from theUnited Kingdom was newwhen it had been used.The offending was

detected in December lastyear after the combine har-vester was inspected by aMinistry for Primary Indus-tries quarantine officer.MPI spokesman Steve

Ham says the company cor-rectly stated that the combineharvester was used, but de-clared the header as new.“When the container was

opened, it became very clearthe header was used andwhen it was furtherinspected, it was found to beheavily contaminated.“The header needed to be

disassembled completely toensure it was steam cleanedeffectively. The subsequentcleaning process took 30hours and the waste filledthree 240 litre containers.“If invasive organisms

enter our country the impactwould be incalculable.”

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Spring calving timeMartha CampsVetoraVeterinarian

This year will be my seventhspring in New Zealand, andthe first one in the Waikato.

Last spring I was still working inCanterbury at the base of theSouthern Alps.

Winter, spring and calving lookquite different down there.

During the winter period cowsand heifers are grazed on run-offblocks to maintain pasture coverson the diary platform as growth rates areclose to zero for a few months due to lowtemperatures.

Cows and heifers on the run-offreceive crop diets like kale or fodderbeet.

While on the crop at the run-offheifers will receive a now well-knownpre-calving treatment, “Teatseal”.Teatseal is a product that preventsmastitis around calving by functioningas a physical barrier for bacteria in theteat end.

Although these days a commonlyaccepted and applied management tool,getting teatseal into heifers — while on arun-off with generally no yarding facili-t ies — provided some seriouschallenges a few years ago.

An answer to this was created via aspecial teatseal trailer that allows aboutfive heifers at a time to be bailed upgiving easy access for teatseal inser-tion.

As the girls come up to calving theycome back to the dairy platform, be it inthe truck or they walk home. Once onthe home farm, animals that are close tocalving receive support (pre-calving dietwith additional minerals) to get themhealthy through the transition of a drycow to a lactating animal post calving.

Most herds in Canterbury will be

around 1000 cows and so the springermob can be up to 100 cows at onestage.

On the busiest day about 50 replace-ment calves will be born requiringintensive ‘baby care’.

Quite regularly farm staff will have alimited amount of farming experienceand most activities will be supported byStandard Operating Procedures: basic-ally a description of the activitysupported by discussion, consensus,science and experience ahead of time.

The objective is to get things donerepeatedly and successfully. Activitieslike mineral supplementation, dietca lcu lat ions, (go ld) co lost rumharvesting and calf feeding are crucialelements and, when executed well, setup for a successful spring.

Routine blood tests, both on cows(mineral status) and calves (sufficientcolostrum intake), was a tool used at thePurata Farms to evaluate these proce-dures.

I’ve had a really good time while inCanterbury and enjoyed supporting thefarms in making their systems betteryear on year.

On that same note I look forwarddiscovering the Waikato farms andfarmers and their ways, methods andsystems.

Donated farm will showthe future in agricultureNew Zealand Young

Farmers have been don-ated a 74ha farm in Auck-

land to showcase agriculture toNew Zealand youth.Located between Manurewa

andWhitford, the dairy farmwasdonated by the late DonaldPearson. NZYF CEO TerryCopeland said the farm would bea vehicle into the future and offerexponential opportunities indisplaying a wide range of indus-tries including, horticulture,dairy and sheep and beef oper-ations.“This is not a money-making

exercise for NZ Young Farmersbut rather an amazing opportun-ity to further our emphasis onengaging with students in Auck-land schools to showcase the vastarray of careers available in theagri-sector.”Although details are yet to be

finalised, Mr Copeland said heexpected the farm to be a door-way to innovative technologyand amasterclass in the future offarming.“There are enormous

possibilities and we are excitedabout the partnerships this willbring across the industry tocommunicate the opportunitiesthe sector can offer New Zea-land’s youth.“To have this facility in the

heart of Auckland presented asubstantial asset the industry

needs and will play a significantrole in the Ministry of PrimaryIndustries target of attracting anextra 50,000 employees to thesector by 2025.”Recently Mr Copeland spoke

of the need tomakeAuckland thenext emphasis for attractingyouth into Agri-food careers.“How do we engage with the

next generation in Auckland?“Currently 39 per cent of all

high school students in NewZealand reside in Auckland andonly 29 per cent of all studentsreside in rural areas, so we havea real problem and this farm willgive us a solution.”Mr Copeland said NZ Young

Farmers, through its PGP part-nership with DairyNZ and RMPPfunding, is constantly workingwith urban schools to sell apositive message around agricareers and the farm would addstrong foundations.“We will be able to let as

many students as possible visit,explore and view the incredibleopportunities this sector offers.The gift itself was extraordinary,because Mr Pearson had nochildren of his own and had noformal relationship with NZYoung Farmers,” Said MrCopeland.“But he knew he didn’t want

his land carved up and sold off toresidential housing. His passionfor agriculture and belief in the

organisation to use it to bringpeople into the sector has left alegacy that all of the agri-sectorwill celebrate for decades tocome.”Friends of the donor have

expressed an interest in helpingNZ Young Farmers to set up thefarm because they wanted torealise Mr Pearson’s dream.They said Mr Pearson in-

itially didn’t know what hewanted to do with the farm if hedied, but he knew what he didn’twant to happen — to be sub-divided.NZ Young Farmers

chairperson Jason Te Brake wasexcited about the opportunitiesthe farm afforded the organisa-tion.“The gifting of the farm was

an extremely generous donationby Donald, and one which willplay a significant role in allowingNZ Young Farmers to continueto connect and develop the futurepeople of the primary indus-tries,” he said.“The farm is intended to

showcase the primary industriesto New Zealand youth, and thisaligns perfectly with NZ YoungFarmers strategic direction andcompliments the rewarding re-sults we are already achievingthrough our school based pro-grammes.”The farm willtrade under NZ

Young Farmers from September.


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