Rural News 2 September 2014

SEPTEMBER 2, 2014: ISSUE 568 www.ruralnews.co.nz

RURALNEWS

AGRIBUSINESSWine exports on track to hit $2 billion by the end of 2020. PAGE 29

MANAGEMENTDon’t start spray programmes too early advise FAR. PAGE 34 NUTRIENTS

Various sectors must overcome

differences to develop

common principles.PAGE 16

TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS

GUY GETS HIS GREENSPrimary Industries Minister Nathan Guy was one of many people thanked for helping commercial vegetable growers in Manawatu, Horowhenua and Tara-rua districts. He got his thank you in the form of a box of produce, dished out by George Sue, secretary of the Tararua Growers Association. Guy said the area covered by Horizons Regional Council has huge potential and could double its value of primary exports from the present $1.9 billion to $3.8 billion by 2020. A government study to see how this can be done is being planned. Guy told the growers horticulture offers good opportunities in the region, as do sheep and beef.

No flash in the pan

GOOD PRICES for lamb and beef are not a flash in the pan and should hold for the medium-long term, says Rabobank.

Hamish Midgley, national man-ager food and agribusiness, told Rural News it’s been a good year for the sector with none of the wild price swings of past years.

The steady increase in price throughout the year have been “fan-tastic”.

“We are confident there is a rea-sonable medium long-term shift in the market. The reason is demand for beef in the US is high at the moment, but the herd there is at a 60-year low so they are going through a rebuild.

“Obviously that rebuild will take a number of years to come to fruition, so we expect to see good demand there from the beef side.”

The bank also expects good demand for sheep because China is taking 44% of NZ’s lamb and mutton.

“You also see increasing demand from Europe, so we’re expecting rea-sonable prices for sheep and beef for the next two-three years.”

Midgley says all indicators point to more lambs this season. Higher scanning percentages and weather, so far, favour a higher lamb drop than last year.

Lower ewe numbers may prompt some farmers to hold some better ewe lambs to rebuild their flocks.

PETER BURKE

[email protected]

TO PAGE 3

Payout may go up!FONTERRA EXPECTS dairy prices to rise during the season but advises cau-tion amid very high volatility, says chair-man John Wilson.

Fonterra held its forecast farmgate milk price at $6/kgMS for the 2014-15 season, which has just kicked off. With a dividend of 20-25c, the forecast cash payout for the year is $6.20-6.25.

“We’re cautioning our farmers in their business planning and budgeting that this is a risk around this number,”

Wilson told a media briefing last week.But Wilson later told Rural News the

cooperative expects prices to rise during the season. It is watching this carefully and will update farmers as its gets more information. “But please be very cau-tious, manage your business prudently,” he urges.

“We’re obviously seeing global dairy trade drop significantly but we’ve seen the currency come back which is good.

“We’re three and half weeks into the financial year. Looking at global analysis [by our peers] and ourselves, it is our view that prices will come up during

the season.“This [price] point now is the result

of very high prices about six months ago and the reality of those high prices is that farmers around the world have increased their milk production.”

With very high $4500-5000/t powder prices earlier this year demand fell off in some consumer categories in some emerging markets. Customers and other global cooperatives have seen that as well.

“We now expect with prices coming back we will start to see demand increase at the consumer shelf.

PAM TIPA

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“So the fundamentals we still see are strong, but we undoubtedly have signif-icant volatility at the moment. You’ve seen prices come from $4500 to $5000/t as recently as 10-11 months ago to where they are today at $2800/t.

“Our management team is doing a lot of work to formulate a view going for-ward on the information we have and it’s not just about where prices are today.”

Production has kicked off well around the middle of the country, with Northland and Southland facing some challenges, but it is very early in the season.

The next forecast will be at the end of September when Fonterra will also announce its final milk price for 2013-14.

– Fonterra’s Chinese move page 4

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“With the outlook being more pos-itive than negative some farmers are taking the opportunity to do re-grass-ing and are putting on additional fer-tiliser to take advantage of that uplift.”

Also challenging the sheep and beef sector is the change in land use to dairying or dairy support, Midgley says. The word is that 100 conversions are

planned for this season.“The conversions are going to con-

tinue to play havoc with the flock num-bers, but with sheep farmers banking $100 plus per lamb we’ll see further investment and reinvestment in the farming systems, which will allow them to intensify their production.”

Midgley predicts farmers, especially in dairying, will take a conservative

approach to budgeting.“Our managers in the field, working

with farmers on their budgets, say cash-flows for the season look ok, especially with deferred payments from the dairy sector still coming in.

“But we think things could get pretty tight in March or April next year and it will depend on where the exchange rate and the commodity prices are then. I

think, given things are looking tight at the end of the season, dairy farmers will be reasonably conservative on the way through to try to lessen the impact of any fallout in the 2015-16 year.

“This season is going to be the prob-lem, from a cashflow perspective, unless commodity prices swing up. But it’s only going to be bad in ‘15-16 if things continue to deteriorate.”

Red meat outlook more positiveFROM PAGE 1

Wool levy a ‘dumb idea’ claims former finance minister

THE PROPOSED wool levy on all grow-ers to raise $4.7m for wool promotion and research is a dumb idea says chair-man of NZ Merino Company and a former finance minister Ruth Richard-son.

“What has wool done to deserve having the old and failed idea of com-pulsion visited on it – again?” she asked Rural News.

The fact that the Commodities Levies Act (CLA) allows a tiny fraction of wool growers to impose a compul-sory burden on all is the tail wagging the dog, she says. The CLA does not allow any levy money to be spent on commer-cial or trading matters.

“Rather than fall for the rhetoric ‘if you love wool, you must love the levy’, let’s look at the evidence,” she says in a statement. “Historically wool compul-sion in all its guises – whether compul-sory acquisition, the Wool Board and ultimately the wool financial fiasco – were abject failures and a colossal waste of wool grower funds.”

Public disclosures by the Wool Levy Group so far show the biggest chunk, $2.7m, will be devoted to education and promotion. “The lion’s share of that, $1.4m, will go to the Campaign for Wool, a cause most noted for

being espoused by the Prince of Wales. A worthy cause with a royal seal of approval is faintly quaint – an echo of how business was done yesteryear.

“The next bucket of expenditure is $500,000 for communication and advo-cacy. A voice for wool we’re told and the first point of contact for govern-ment, business, banking and universi-ties. Really? Tell that to the commercial banks, let alone businesses who want to undertake commercial transactions with woolgrowers.

“And even more ‘woolly’ is the claim that this $500,000 is also to be used for consulting ‘key stakeholders to ensure a better understanding of lead markets including the most effective ways to create demand’. Markets are made by those undertaking the hard commer-cial yards not by a levy funded talk-shop putting out press releases.”

Another $500,000 is earmarked for innovation/research and development,

but $500,000 is not going to move the needle, she says.

“Let’s concentrate on the real R&D prize which is to make better use of the $1.5 billion of taxpayers’ money cur-rently ‘invested’ in science by the gov-ernment of the day. If ever there was an R&D tree to be shaken by agriculture it

is that expenditure.”Of the remaining $1m Richardson

says $500,000 is “ominously” head-ing for governance and administration. She says that is a lot of money incurring “dead weight” costs.

“I went in search of the missing $500,000 fearing that it too would be swallowed up in unaccounted-for administration costs. The Wool Levy Group chairman replied that no deci-sion had been made about the quantum of funds sought and that the amount may in fact be lowered.”

Richardson says what the wool industry needs is not more levy, but more market. “The NZ Merino Com-pany, a breakaway from the producer board model, has been profitable from its inception and has demonstrated that facing and making markets from grower to consumer is the formula for moving up the value chain.” Growers are unam-biguously better off.

“The last thing our suppliers want is a new levy charge; it is tough enough competing in demanding and fast changing markets without being weighed down by a feel-good cost. “

Rural News last week sent an email request to Wool Levy Group chair Sandra Faulker asking if any estimates had been done of possible financial returns from each of the types of wool levy investment. We received no reply.

Richardson’s opposition to wool levy:• The proposition that a compulsory levy will advance the profitability of the

wool sector is flawed• It has been tried before and failed• There is no new evidence tabled by the Wool Levy Group to suggest it will now

succeed• Growers would be commercially worse off if they pursued the proposition.

In a nutshell

Ruth Richardson

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4 NEWS

Fonterra to tackle Chinese tigerA GLOBAL partnership with Beingmate to capture a lucrative share of China’s infant formula market will be faster and less risky than going it alone, says Fon-terra’s chief financial officer Lukas Para-vicini.

But the key to the deal is capturing the opportunity to work with a “local giant” in China and having access to that market with such a strong partner, he says.

Fonterra chief executive Theo Spier-ings says it’s a “game changer” provid-ing a direct line into the infant formula market in China.

Beingmate will sell Fonterra’s infant formula brand Anmum into China. The $615m deal also includes setting up a joint venture to take over Fonterra’s Darnum plant.

The comprehensive deal is subject to regulatory approvals which will take a couple of months, says Paravicini.

The deal includes:Up to 20% investment by Fonterra

in BeingmateEstablishing a joint venture in Aus-

tralia to deliver high quality infant for-

mula production to Beingmate for Chinese customers

A distribution agreement with Beingmate for Fonterra’s Anmum infant formula in China

Further joint cooperation including possible dairy farms in China.

Beingmate has 10% of China’s infant formula market. Fonterra wants to use Beingmate’s extensive network includ-ing 80,000 outlets to access the infant formula market. This market, worth NZ$18 billion, is expected to reach nearly NZ$33 billion by 2017.

Fonterra is starting the process to issue a partial tender offer to gain up to a 20% stake in Beingmate with an initial offer of RMB 18 per share. The shares last traded at 14.36 yuan before being halted from trading, according to Reuters data. Fonterra’s total invest-ment in the global partnership will be about NZ$615 million (including pro-ceeds from the JV in Australia), funded through debt.

After gaining regulatory approvals and Fonterra satisfactorily completing the partial tender offer, Fonterra and Beingmate will set up a joint venture to buy Fonterra’s Darnum plant in Aus-tralia and establish a distribution agree-

ment to sell Fonterra’s Anmum brand in China.

The joint venture will manufacture nutritional powders, including infant

formula and growing up milk powder, at Darnum for Beingmate and Fonterra.

Beingmate will own 51% of the JV to satisfy Chinese regulatory requirements

and Fonterra 49%, operating the plant under a management agreement. The JV will be governed by a board, and Fon-terra and Beingmate will each appoint two directors.

Fonterra chief executive Theo Spier-ings says Beingmate is one of the best partners in China – a top player with modern facilities.

With the Chinese Government’s move towards consolidation and focus on food safety and security, within five-six years the infant formula industry will be focused on five-six big domes-tic companies teamed with the same number of multi-nationals, Spierings says. “It’s good that we’re very proac-tive here.”

Fonterra chairman John Wilson says the entire package using New Zealand milk, technologies and assets globally to maximise the return for farmers.

“It is a market for our product which is really important, it creates value out of our technology and assets globally, so both contribute to total payout for farmers,” he told Rural News.

The deal also links in whey specialty ingredients made at Fonterra’s plant in Heerenveen in the Netherlands and in an alliance with Dairy Crest in the UK.

PAM TIPA

[email protected]

Fonterra chief Theo Spierings describes the deal as a ‘game changer’.

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NEWS 5

$555 million vote of confidence

THE $398m Lichfield processing plant for whole milk powder in South Waikato is scheduled for completion in 2016, says Fonterra chairman John Wilson.

The $197m Edendale plant in South-land for milk protein concentrate and AMF will be completed next year, Wilson told Rural News.

Building of the two plants, announced last week, will start immediately.

Fifty more jobs will be created at Lichfield and 25 at Edendale, once com-pleted.

Wilson says this brings Fonterra’s investment in peak processing capacity in the last two years to $755m, including Pahiatua.

Fonterra’s chief executive Theo Spier-ings says these latest investments, total-ling $555m, will allow for more flexible options to better optimise production.

“Our strategy is to increase earnings by driving more milk volume into higher value categories globally by turning the wheel from commodities to higher-mar-gin products.

“By creating more options for our New Zealand operations we are better placed to be able to make the product mix that

delivers the greatest returns to our farm-ers and meet the needs of our consumers and customers worldwide.”

The Lichfield site in South Waikato will be:

Capable of processing up to 4.4m L/day

Similar in size to DarfieldUp to 30 metric tonnes of WMP per

hour and 700 tonnes per day.Three plants at Edendale:Milk protein concentrate plant – up to

1.1m litres a dayReverse osmosis plant which increases

capacity of existing drier by 300,000LAnhydrous milk fat capable of pro-

cessing 550,000 L/day of milk into cream.Fonterra managing director global

operations Robert Spurway says the cooperative has invested at least $1.8m in more processing capacity since 2011.

“We are investing ahead of the milk curve to give us the flexibility to take advantage of relative market prices, including during peak season. It will also accommodate growth from exist-ing farmers and new volume from join-ing farmers.”

He says they have to ensure the right balance to cope with peak season but to avoid millions of dollars of infrastructure standing idle in quieter months.

PAM TIPA

[email protected]

Fonterra’s Edendale plant in Southland will get a $197m upgrade. Westland drops its forecast

WEST COAST milk pro-cessor Westland Milk has revised its payout predic-tion for the 2014-15 season to $5.40-5.80/kgMS.

The 60c drop announced last week is a response to the conditions all New Zealand dairy companies are now expe-riencing, chief executive Rod Quin says.

“While the season is only just underway, we have always maintained a monthly revision process to provide shareholders with the most up to date forecast possible.

“The reduction is driven by the falls in prices across the globe and the continued high value of the New Zealand dollar.”

The last GDT auc-tion saw an overall price drop of just 0.6% but Quin noted that the skim milk powder price – which represents much of Westland’s production – dropped 12%; there is still lacklustre demand from China and stock levels in distributor and customer warehouses was report-edly high, he adds.

“Higher prices last season caused a growth in milk supply growth in Europe, the USA and New Zealand, giving customers more options.”

Quin says the reduced payout will cause farm-ers to review their bud-gets; Westland’s board and management know

the stress this will put on some suppliers.

“We’ll be monitoring the situation and work-ing with shareholders to help ensure they have the resources and tools to manage their way through this,” he said. “Westland will also con-tinue its strategy to grow its capacity to produce higher value nutritional products such as infant formula. Our traditional

reliance on bulk dairy commodities such as skim milk makes us more vul-

nerable to the cyclical swings of the international dairy market.

“Our recently announced investment in a $102 million nutritionals dryer at Hokitika will give us the capacity to shift more of our production to this end of the market where profits are higher and opportunities to lift payouts are better.”

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Westland’s Rod Quin.

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6 NEWS

No news on Lochinver saleNO WORD from the Overseas Investment Office (OIO) on the fate of Shanghai Pengxin’s application to buy Lochinver Station in the central North Island.

Chief executive Gary Romano told Rural News he’s heard nothing. The company has applied to the OIO but Romano has no idea how long their process will take – anything from two to five months.

“They will come back and say either the purchase has been approved or… not. Or they will say ‘we think you need to make some changes to your application’. There is nothing we can do until that determination is made by the OIO and the recommendations are made to the ministers.”

Obviously a lot of people are interested in the out-come, he says, joking about the idea of sending a card to Judith Collins to thank her for taking the controversial sale out of the headlines.

He knows of concern that Shanghai Pengxin may convert some of Lochinver Station to dairy farming, but this is separate from the purchase of station, he says.

“Firstly you have to purchase the farm and to do this you need to get OIO approval. If we get this we still need to apply for consents and even if we do get these there will probably be conditions that may apply to that.

“So is there is a valid concern – yes. And is there a valid process to deal with that concern. The RMA pro-cess is set up to balance economic growth and envi-ronmental protection and stakeholders get a say in the process.” – Peter Burke

Landcorp profit no accident!

A WAVE of change is rolling through Landcorp on many fronts including farm safety where they are working on changing the whole culture of the company.

Likewise the environment, part of the new Landcorp strategy, spanning the whole organisation, largely in dairying, particularly nutrient run-off, Carden says.

“It’s making sure we’re optimising the different land classes we farm, achieving a balance between optimising profit-ability and driving environmental rejuve-nation across each farm.

“It’s not restricted to dairying, but obviously some of our biggest challenges

are dairy farms set in sensitive catch-ments.”

Landcorp’s environmental strategy has a strong focus on sustainable farming systems, but not producing more for the sake of it, Carden says. Rather it is to produce more profitably and sustainably.

“It can even mean reducing produc-tion in certain areas. Certainly with the dairy payout last year there was pressure to [spend more on] winter feed to boost production. But you need a consistent strategy onfarm that you adhere to and not be distracted by payout levels.”

Getting caught in high-cost systems risks these being unsustainable.

The changing environment...

LANDCORP CHIEF exec-utive Steven Carden says he’d hate to think people may attribute the compa-ny’s profit of $30 million this year to an “accident”

of higher commodity prices.

He told Rural News that while prices have been a factor in the dairy side of the business, and to some degree in sheep and beef, much of the increased profit has come from pro-

ductivity improvements across the business. The $30 million profit is up $17 million on the previous year and total operating revenue is up 37% to $241.7 million.

Carden says high dairy prices and success with

partnerships for expanded production increased milk revenue by 70% to $129 million. Landcorp has strengthened its productive capacity and secured economies of scale through new partnerships with landowners like the Hauraki Collective.

“We’re introducing a state-of-the-art farm management software system, and a company-wide initiative to reduce costs and streamline decisionmaking at farm level. We’ve also made solid gains in feed production per hectare and have achieved a 10% lift in dairy production.”

Landcorp has been focussed on initiatives to raise productivity and efficiency across its operations, Carden says.

“In many respects, we’ve been fortunate in species because we

have had a real lift in production. Some of that has come off our new farms in the central plateau region of the North Island and a new farm down in Canterbury.

“We have some ongoing productivity improvements across our livestock businesses. For example, our lambing percentages are going to be 140% for the coming year, which is really pleasing. I’d like to think the operating matrix suggests effective management supported by good commodity prices.”

PETER BURKE

[email protected]

Landcorp chief executive Steven Carden.

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Fert to hit the fan at Ravensdown?

AFTER A nil dividend from $6m profit last year, Ravensdown last month reported trading profit before rebate and tax of $46m for 2013/14 with $15/t rebate and $22.38/t issued as shares.

Ballance’s group trading profit was $89.5m. It paid an average rebate of $60.83/t plus 10c/share dividend, equiv-alent to another $4.17/t.

Ravensdown’s withdrawal from Aus-tralia saw net debt down from $200m to $49m but trade losses, impairments on

product and drops in the book value of assets associated with that withdrawal wiped $20-$23m off profit from continu-ing operations.

Tonnage sold in New Zealand, judging by charts in Ravensdown’s annual report, was up from just over 1mt to 1.2mt, on par with 2010-11 and 2011-12 but behind 2005-06 through to 2007-08.

Ballance’s annual report shows it sold 1.55mt in 2013-14, a 16.5% increase on 2012-13’s 1.33mt.

What all the fuss is about

A MOTION proposing Ravensdown redeems shares in thirds over three years on request seems set to spark debate as its annual meeting approaches.

Currently, a five year “dry” period of not trad-ing with Ravensdown is required before shares will be redeemed to farm-ers continuing to farm, but sourcing fertiliser else-where.

South Canterbury farmer Jeremy Talbot believes that lead time to leave the cooperative is too long and has histori-cally made the board com-placent, hence the motion he’s filed.

“The motion is to remind them [the board] of their duty to sharehold-ers,” he told Rural News.

Large-scale lower

North Island farmer Hew Dalrymple told Rural News his first reaction to the motion was that it’s “a great idea,” though he admitted he hadn’t had time to look into the detail of what’s proposed.

“We put just about all our business through Bal-lance now but we are still a big shareholder in Ravens-down.”

Lack of confidence in Ravensdown’s former senior management was his reason for moving and he says he won’t be moving back just because there’s been a change of guard at Ravensdown.

Hawkes Bay farmer Hugh Ritchie made a simi-lar move to Ballance about a decade ago due to con-cerns about preferential treatment of some share-holders and product qual-ity.

“We’ve finally got our money out but it’s taken

nearly seven years…. Redemption at the board’s discretion is a crazy system.”

He believes the redemption structure of many of the cooperatives needs reviewing.

Charlie Pedersen, who farms near Palmerston North and Ohakune, is also a shareholder in both cooperatives but says he

won’t be supporting the Ravensdown redemption motion.

“I think a coop has to have some glue…. If the capital starts to move out of the busi-ness it

creates a problem for everybody else. It’s

very similar to a dairy cooperative.”

His dual share-holding is more for

logistical reasons than any-

thing else, he says.

“Where we farm in

the middle

of the North Island we can get a better service out of Ballance because there’s a store within sight of our main operation. It makes a big difference to us because it is literally just down the road.

“Obviously there’s some dissatisfaction with Ravensdown’s perfor-mance in recent years, particularly the Aussie losses, and as sharehold-ers we know we have to wear that… but some-times you have to make a bit of a cock-up before you realise you have to change course….

“The thing that makes me not too worried about Ravensdown is we have a very strong cooperative beside it. That more or less ensures there’s a driver for competition.”

Mid Canterbury crop and livestock farmer David Clark, who raised concerns with Ravensdown’s board

at last year’s annual meet-ing over the company’s performance, says he will support the motion.

He estimates being a Ravensdown shareholder, rather than Ballance, has effectively cost him $15,000 to $20,000/year for the past two years.

“Cash-wise we’re $50/t worse off with Ravens-down this year. Yes, there’s been a bonus share issue but that’s of arguable value if you can’t use it until such time as you cease farming. It’s essential to give the shareholders some ability to redeem shares they’re not using.”

Ravensdown chairman John Henderson says the board isn’t supporting the motion in its current form, but a constitutional review, which could include changes to redemption rules, is underway.

ANDREW SWALLOW

[email protected]

Ravensdown chair John Henderson could be in for a lively time at the co-op’s AGM.

@rural_news



8 NEWS

ELECTIONS ARE also being held for 22 Fonterra Shareholders Council wards.

Due to these boundary changes, this year there will be elections for 19 new wards, they come into existence after the elections. Shareholders affected by boundary changes will have the opportunity to vote for their preferred representative for their new ward.

Elections will be held in three wards; central Taranaki, northern Manawatu and Wairarapa due to directors retiring by rotation.

Council chairman Ian Brown says it recently completed review of the

council ward boundaries so all Fonterra farmers have sufficient local represen-tation.

The review has shown a significant increase in Fonterra farm numbers in the South Island, he says.

“So the council approved three recommendations to improve the alignment of councillors to farmers throughout the country.”

The number of wards remains at 35; one councillor will represent each ward. Representation in North Island had reduced by 3 councillors; two extra councillors will be elected in Canter-bury and one in Southland.

... And for the cheap ones

Tussle looms for Fonterra seatsCANDIDATES ARE lining up for Fonterra’s board elections.

Nominations close on Friday (September 5); sit-ting Fonterra directors David McLeod and John Monaghan have confirmed they are seeking re-elec-tion.

Jim van der Poel, Waikato, is stepping down after 12 years. Three candi-dates confirmed by Rural News are Leonie Guiney, South Canterbury, Gray Baldwin, South Waikato and Grant Rowan, South-land.

Nominations must be received by returning offi-cer Warwick Lampp by noon, September 5.

Candidates will be announced on September

23 following assessment by a panel for the purpose of providing sharehold-ers with more informa-tion to help them make an informed vote. This assessment is open to all

candidates but is not com-pulsory.

The assessment panel comprises independent chairman Bill Falconer and two members appointed by each of the Fonterra

board and shareholders council. The panel inter-views candidates who choose to be assessed and sends the results to shareholders with voting papers.

Guiney is a former con-sulting officer who, with husband Kieran, has for ten years built a multi-ple dairy farm business around Fairlie, South Can-terbury. She was often at the forefront of debate on TAF (trading among farmers). She said last month she is standing because of the impor-tance of Fonterra to farm-ers and the wider New Zealand economy.

“Governance is about purpose and direction which is where my pas-sion lies. The co-operative model has given so much to my family…. I by no means claim to have all the skills the Fonterra board needs, but if I can bring something different to the current board I can make a contribution.”

Baldwin, who stood in 2011, has three farms in various ownership struc-tures around Fonterra’s Lichfield factory, Waikato. He’s also on the board of Ballance AgriNutrients, LIC and Trinity Lands, a dairy and kiwifruit farming charitable trust.

He sees the biggest issue for Fonterra as stay-ing relevant globally and

getting more milk.“The rest of the world’s

dairy production is grow-ing significantly and Fon-terra has a large slice of the world trade at the moment but if we don’t grow our milk supply over-

seas in ten years we could be only 10% of that world trade.”

MyFarm director Grant Rowan stood in 2012 and is standing again.

“I’m very positive about Fonterra and believe we need a strong intergen-erational cooperative that adds value to the dairy business of New Zealand for New Zealand dairy farmers,” he told Rural News.

Asked what he sees as the key issue for Fonter-ra’s future, he says inter-nationally it’s staying relevant, succeeding and growing, particularly in emerging markets, but

domestically it’s making sure Fonterra is the coop-erative and processor dairy farmers want to belong to and can afford to belong to.

Rowan has three dairy farms in Southland of his own, and leads farm pro-curement and manage-ment for MyFarm.

Director retiring by rotation and seeking re-election David Macleod was pleased to hear other candidates are standing. “It’s good for the gover-nance of the cooperative that shareholders have a choice.”

Besides his Fonterra directorship, Macleod is chairman of Taranaki Regional Council, man-aging director of Greaves Electrical and a director of PKW Farms, Fonterra’s 13th largest supplier.

“When I stood three years ago I made a com-mitment that if I was suc-cessful I would be there long-term, as long as shareholders want me to be. They’ve invested three years in me. It would be remiss of me not to seek re-election.”

Macleod sees deliver-ing on Fonterra’s strategy as a key issue for the coop-erative.

“When I started, the chief executive was as new as I was but now he has his feet well and truly under the table. It has been an interesting jour-ney over the past three years, almost a baptism of fire you might say with the issues we’ve had to deal with, but we have a clear strategy in place – a strat-egy I’m totally behind and believe in... it will deliver great value to sharehold-ers.”

Gary Baldwin Leonie Guiney Grant Rowan


NEWS 9

Strong demand for dairy specialtyCANTERBURY MILK processor Synlait Milk says it expects strong global demand for its lactoferrin to continue.

According to managing director John Penno, since Synlait began commercially producing and selling the valuable milk protein earlier this year, response from customers about the performance of its lactoferrin in their product applications has been positive.

“Our initial focus on its application in infant formula and over the counter nutraceutical products such as health tablets is paying off. Globally, consum-

ers are increasingly looking for nutri-tious and safe food that contributes to the long-term health and well-being of their families. Lactoferrin can help meet these needs.”

Used in the manufacture of infant formula, health food and pharmaceuti-cal products, the bioactive protein pro-vides anti-inflammatory protection and other health benefits.

“It is an important step forward for the business. We have had interest for some time from customers looking to enhance the performance of lactoferrin

as an ingredient in their infant formula products,” Penno adds.

He says that following the upgrade of its specialty milk dryer earlier this year, Synlait Milk became one of only two manufacturers world-wide with the capa-bility to produce lactoferrin as a spray-dried powder. The company is targeting 15 metric tonnes of spray dried lactoferrin sales in the current financial year.

The market for lactoferrin has grown from 45,000kg in 2001 to 185,000kg in 2012 and is projected to grow to 262,000kg in 2017.

Synlait’s John Penno.

CONSULTANTS and rural leaders say farmers need to do whatever they can to prepare for mating.

The winter has been miserable in Northland, Manawatu, Wairarapa and the West Coast where calves were born into mud and farmers had to cut deep into their supplement supplies.

Forecasters predicted warmer conditions for the north-ern regions in August. But many Northland farmers say they have endured the worst August in a while – incredi-bly low soil temperatures and buffeting winds in the first week of the month and flash flooding of 50-150mm hitting the Far North, Kaipara and Whangarei areas in mid-month.

As a result, most farmers in the region are dealing with a pasture wedge deficit. DairyNZ Northland regional man-ager Tafi Manjala says some farmers could be feeding 50% of their herd’s diet in supplements to put cows on a rising plain of nutrition as they go into mating.

A lot of this feed is being bought in says Rural Support Trust coordinator Julie Jonkers. After four droughts and four floods farm-grown supplements are at best scarce. “People are trying to buy haylage and baleage and there’s not a lot in Northland.”

While forage crops and pasture supplements were likely to be in short supply PKE is more accessible say ana-lysts; spot market prices have fallen to $240 a tonne and other imported feeds may be cheaper because of bigger global harvests.

Mating is likely to start on Northland farms in mid-September and on the region’s west coast soon after, but because Northland herds’ body condition scores are typi-cally only 3.0-4.5, Manjala says farmers should explore sup-plement options now not later.

“It’s been a challenging season and one of the biggest risks we face is getting cows in calf.

“People need to try to contain the impact of this storm to this season and not let it spread over multiple seasons. If they let go of the early in-calf rate it will take a couple of seasons to get back.”

Some indications are this has already happened: profes-sionals and farmers are commenting that calving patterns weren’t as tight this year as in previous years.

GARETH GILLATT

Wild weather puts pressure on mating

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10 NEWS

Farmers keep up fertiliser applications

CONFIDENCE IN better prices seems to have prompted North Island sheep and beef farmers

towards earlier-than-nor-mal interest in spreading fertiliser.

Two fixed-wing and helicopter companies have told Rural News orders are coming in much earlier

than in the past.Neil Miller, Super Air,

says inquiries are higher than normal for this time of year from sheep and beef farmers. He hopes to see this take some pres-

sure off the peak period for spreading fertiliser – late summer and autumn.

“There is general talk that the economics in sheep and beef are going to be better this year and

PETER BURKE

[email protected]

we’re seeing some genu-ine interest in getting in early. While it’s too early to gauge exactly what the year will be like, generally we’re predicting it to be as good as last year, if not better, which is positive.”

Positive signals from the sheep and beef sector are also giving a lift to Alan Beck, who runs a helicopter business in Taranaki. He spreads fer-tiliser mainly for dairy farmers, but says there is now greater interest from sheep and beef farmers.

“We’ve just had an order from a sheep and beef farmer we haven’t heard of for 25 years – he’s ordered 60 tonnes. For us there is no slowdown.

“We probably had our best year last year and this year so far it’s the same. More and more fertiliser is going on and the biggest increase has been in the sheep and beef areas.”

Traditionally much of the fertiliser has been applied by fixed-wing air-craft, but Beck sees a move to helicopters, which are not weather-bound and don’t have to fly off air-strips that can be difficult to access.

“Often farmers want the fertiliser on when the ground is wet and we can do this even though it’s more expensive. We

can put fertiliser on more accurately. The problem for fixed-wing operators is getting large trucks up to airstrips on poor roads.

“In some hill country areas there are times when you simply can’t get a 50 tonne rig to an airstrip.”

Beck says he sees a trend, in the sheep and beef and dairy sectors, to high-analysis fertilis-ers. Farmers are spreading lower tonnages, but the quality is higher.

“For example, we’re now selling a lot of palle-tised lime.

“Where once a farmer would dump 100 tonnes of super on their farm, they now might put on 40 tonnes of triple super or DAP.”

Beck doesn’t agree with suggestions that dairy farmers might cut fertil-iser use because of the lower payout this season.

“The general consen-sus is the dollar will drop and that while dairy farm-ers may not buy the new Falcon or some other luxury items, they will put on at least as much fer-tiliser as they put on last year to try to keep produc-tion up.

“The days are gone when the farmer used to cut fertiliser. Now the last thing they drop is fertil-iser.”

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NEWS 13

Quietly confident in the hill countryTHE NEXT few weeks are shaping up as critical to a good outcome for central North Island and East Coast sheep farmers.

Martin Walshe, from the Hunt-erville Veterinary Club, told Rural News that so far only about a third of farmers in his area have lambed; the rest are about two weeks away from doing so. But the outlook is good assuming the weather behaves, he says.

“The scanning percentages were generally fairly good, partic-ularly for the ewes mated in March. For those mated in April it got a bit dry so there was a bit of loss of body weight in some of these later flocks and the scanning percentages were back a bit. Overall it was probably a lot better than last year, but not as much as people were hoping for.”

Things are picking up in the area and people are positive, the $100 lamb seen as “achievable”.

“Some people have averaged $90-100 or more for their lambs, so things are looking pretty good. The countryside has had a decent amount of moisture, which we needed, and we just have to wait for the snow on the ranges to go and

for things to warm up a bit.” Cold spells have been few,

except in the west of the region where lambs were lost to cold. But soil temperatures are now lower than three weeks ago.

“We need a warm 10 days. We have had the moisture, but after the moisture we’ve had a lot of cloud and some frosts – so we need the

soil to warm back up again and we’ll be away.

“Feed supply is not critical, but no-one has any big surplus and quite a bit of nitrogen is being put on. Nitrogen has come back into the equation because it has dropped significantly in price. It’s a good equation to use a bit in the spring.”

Despite the drop in the ewe flock, Walshe doesn’t expect farm-ers to build up numbers in the flocks. He says there may be some limited retention of ewe hoggets, but this won’t be great. His message to farmers, right now, is maximise the potential of ewes by feeding them well and staying on top of animal health issues.

“Feed now. The next five-eight weeks is so critical – if you under-feed your stock they will underper-form.”

PETER BURKE

[email protected]

ON THE other side of the ranges in Hawkes Bay,

Richard Hilson, VetServices Hawkes Bay, says scan-

ning results, up 10% on last year to 163% for ewes,

indicates lamb numbers will be up.

Hilson says farmers have yet to dock so it’s not

possible to get an accurate number, but the cold

spells have been relatively short and losses low. His

gut feeling is it won’t be a bad lambing.

“The big issue now is high parasitism in the ewes.

And the last three or four weeks of cold dark weather

has really beggared up our spring. Farmers are

saying the grass hasn’t grown at a time you’d expect

it to be kicking in. The animals have been a bit colder

and hungrier so the covers have vanished quickly.

“We’re missing the front end of our spring basi-

cally and that’s affecting ewes: they’ll miss a bit of

that peak lactation and that could have spinoffs in

respect of weaning weights of lamb.”

Hilson says though the East Coast was not badly

hit by the drought, it wasn’t an easy autumn and

winter – the rain coming too late to set things up for

spring.

“While the winter was quite kind, the grass wasn’t

in any state to take off because the weather has been

so cold, dark and wet. If this continues for a bit longer

it’s going to be an abnormally grey wet spring. But

if we get two weeks of sunshine everyone will have

forgotten about this.”

Overall, Hilson says farmers are not too

depressed by the conditions and are just waiting for

the sun to shine.

Let the sun shine!

The $100 lamb is seen as achieveable.

@rural_news facebook.com/ruralnews

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Dave Twaddle, ANZ Northland Agri Manager.He’s made farming in the region his business.

When Dave fi rst moved to Northland he immediately fell in love with the region. In the 8 years since he has spent his days visiting local farmers as an ANZ Agri Manager. The fi rst hand knowledge of farming he has gained in this time has seen him represent

the region as a fi nalist in the ANZ Young Farmer Contest. Dave is part of ANZ’s Agri Business Team of ten dedicated to providing expert local advice to Northland. To fi nd your local ANZ Agri Specialist, visit anz.co.nz/rural or call Dave on 09 430 1623.

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14 NEWS

‘Lambcam’ taking retailers on-farmUNITED STATES retailers can log onto a website and watch ewes and lambs on New Zealand farms go about their business through a ‘lambcam’.

They can also ‘Adopt a Lamb’ in New Zealand for a year and get updates on their lamb’s progress. They also get to name the lamb, and have chosen everything from ‘Lamby’ to ‘Satay’ and ‘Roast’.

It’s all part of getting engagement with the Primary Wool and Elders carpet wool brand Just Shorn. And it’s about educating the potentially huge market about wool.

“We set up a lambcam and a GoPro (camera) on a farm and filmed sheep continuously – people who have adopted a lamb so they can log on and look at a farm. The farm we did the first GoPro on is a beautiful setting. We take a bit of New Zealand to the world,” says Elders head of marketing and communications Jane Carey.

“It works. People have an interest in New Zealand, they have an interest in animals but there is a high perception of ‘golly if you shear a lamb, how long does it take to die?’. They think

you are skinning the lamb. They don’t understand the natural sustainability.

“It’s an engagement piece with New Zealand because people see these stunning farms, look at beautiful oceans… it starts this love affair with New Zealand.”

A tuft of wool at the end of the lamb adoption, monthly communication with retailers and other techniques are part of keeping them talking about Just Shorn. They are also starting digital initiatives to talk with customers in the US and Canada.

The importance of education and training in the US and Canada markets has been emphasised to Carey after returning from two flooring conventions in the US. Just Shorn does a lot of educating through retailers in its partners in the US, CCA Global Partner and J.Mish.

“With the US economy coming out of the downturn and the GFC, there’s new housing being built and an increase in employment. The industry stats and research are saying as those people get back on their feet they are more likely to choose a more ecological product. People will now start

to ask ‘what’s a natural product you can give me?’

“People can afford to make a choice; let’s hope that continues.”

Attending conferences twice a year allows for invaluable feedback which provides insights from a brand perspective.

“The big issue in the US is education about wool and the key attributes of wool. Once retailers are educated we find them saying that it’s an easy sell.

“A handful of New Zealand products in the US and Canada are making their mark and New Zealand seems to be on everyone’s bucket list as a place to come and visit. It is great for New Zealand tourism and New Zealand products. To encourage that we offer sales incentive trips, take people to stay on farms, to

do some shearing… take them through the whole process.”

Just Shorn was launched in Australia through 50 Carpet One outlets “with very positive results and feedback”.

“The Australian market is a little more familiar with wool. Retailers are enthusiastic and keen to get involved – it is new for them. “There’s an emotional story about Just Shorn which is farm to the floor. It’s an all-engaging process.”

The ranges are named after a place, a sheep station, farm or river. “We are trying to encapsulate New Zealand and we go back and educate the retailer about what the name means. It gives retailers something to talk about on the range to consumers.”

PAM TIPA

[email protected]

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primary sector is manag-ing their environmental issues,” Keenan told Rural News.

“It is not as simple as saying other areas of the community don’t have an interest in doing that because they do, for exam-ple Fish & Game choos-ing an allocation approach based on LUC in the Hori-zons One Plan.

“Basically it is better if the primary sector can try to come to an agree-ment on a set of allocation principles and an alloca-tion structure instead of having that determined for them by other parties. That’s what we are seek-ing to do.”

Keenan says plan changes are occurring around the country on managing nutrients, mainly nitrogen, and lim-iting the effects of farm-ing on water quality. The National Policy Statement has also come into play requiring setting limits for contaminants into catch-ments.

“Once those limits are set according to the com-munity’s values, if you are over-allocated you have to phase them out by a cer-tain date.

“The National Policy Statement also requires the development of an accounting system which tells you whether you are managing within a limit which is set within a catch-ment or not. Nutrient allo-cation principles become important. To manage within a limit, that has

to be divided up among farms.

“The initial alloca-tion of those nutrients becomes something of value just like a water right. The way that is allo-cated becomes particu-larly important. Whether you’ve got enough nutri-ents or not to change land use or be flexible in the way rural land is main-tained will have great implications for the value of your property.”

Keenan says for the primary sector to have a conversa-tion, dif-ferent sectors need to establish common nutrient allocation principles.

HortNZ has businesses that leach very little and others that leach more. “The set of allocation principles we’ve developed is reflec-tive of that. Many other sectors don’t necessarily have the significant range we have.”

Keenan says it is a com-plex area of policy so it’s important the gover-nance level understands what will drive discus-sion points with the other primary sectors. “There are significant financial effects that may occur.”

HortNZ spent $1 mil-lion on Horizon’s One Plan including legal fees

through the court system. Last Thursday it lodged expert evidence on the

Selwyn Waihora plan. In the latter case it looks like farmers and growers will have to cut back nutrient use substantially to meet the ECan targets. “There will be a lot of debate over who is required to cut back and the principles that should apply to that cutback.”

Nationally he hopes principles can be applied across the board rather than region by region given that most growers operate outside more than one catchment and many operate across different councils. “If we have a dif-

ferent alloca-tion system for each catch-ment it would be completely unworkable.

The more con-sistency we can

get in the

system, the less transac-tion costs for any of the growers and the easier the system is to understand.

“That’s one of our prin-ciples to make sure the system is easy to operate and is reasonably cheap to operate. In the end the number-one business for farmers is not manag-ing nitrogen, it is growing food. It has to be simple to understand and operate.

“A lot of farmers are getting very worried…. it is driving some decisions the banks are making on the value of their land.

16 NEWSSectors need to aim for common ground on nutrient management principles

THE DIFFERENT primary sectors must overcome differences to develop common principles on nutrient management, or outside parties like Fish

& Game will have undue influence, says HortNZ’s business manager Chris Keenan.

HortNZ has developed a set of its own 13 prin-ciples on nutrient man-agement and is among a number of primary sec-

tors looking to reach a common ground on allo-cation management.

“We are trying to come to a common position on nutrient management given many other areas of the community are very interested in the way the

PAM TIPA

[email protected]

TO PAGE 17

HortNZ’s Chris Keenan has called on differ-ent sectors to overcome their differences on nutrient management.

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NEWS 17

Farmers and growers are seeking leadership from the primary sectors. We’ve been working through a number of issues in a group format to resolve those issues.”

Keenan says there’s an increasing consensus across the primary sector but still some big differ-ences. “The big difference sits around how you allo-cate nutrients in the first place and whether you give the nutrients to the existing land-use activities based on their footprint currently or whether you do it in some other way.

“If you allocate just on the existing footprint and the market changes or you have a biosecurity event, it means flexibility of rural land use is gone and the value of your rural land use might change.

“You need to be able to move nutrients to where the most value is – that’s one of the problems

because we don’t look at nutrients as a transferable quality.

“Often there is land which is not up to its full production potential: do you say it is always going to have an allocation of nutrients which allows for a substandard result?”

There’s another argu-ment about whether people farming on heavier soils should have to com-pensate for the envi-ronmental effects on someone farming on lighter soils, such as in Canterbury, with high nutrient inputs and irri-gation.

“There’s a great range of positions … it’s a pretty complex area to get into and we tread with real cau-tion which is why we are structured on the way we develop policy.

“We’ve spent a lot of money on science mod-elling for catchments to understand nutrient flows and hydrology.”

Complex decisionsDAIRYNZ SENIOR policy advisor Oliver Parsons says DairyNZ is working with the other primary sector organisations including HortNZ, Beef + Lamb NZ and Federated Farmers on suggested principles for a nitrogen management framework.

They are also looking at the information and good process that would be important for making local decisions on allocation frameworks as part of limit-setting processes.

“Essentially, like the other organisations involved, we think discussions will differ from catchment to catchment depending on the local considerations such as the current state of water compared to the limits, and the specific make-up of the current and potential land uses within the catch-ment,” he says.

“The work is aimed at supporting these local conversations by sharing our learnings as a group on how to progress through these complex consid-erations.

“These are extremely complex decisions that will need to be led by people with good local knowledge, as part of local limit-setting processes.”

Along with good local knowledge, the local deci-sion-making will also need to be supported by robust science and cost benefit analyses, he says.

Common groundFROM PAGE 16

New boss for Primary ITO settles inMARK JEFFERIES has been appointed the new head of Primary Industry Train-ing Organisation (ITO).

He has worked 27 years in primary industries in Australia and New Zea-land, including group general manager of LIC, and chief executive of the NZ Meat Board and Meat & Wool NZ.

Most recently, he was chief execu-tive of Agri One, a joint venture between Massey and Lincoln universities. Agri One held a contract with DairyNZ to

facilitate the Lincoln/Massey Centre of Excellence in Farm Business Man-agement.

Jefferies says Primary ITO’s “knowl-edge of skill needs places it in a strong leadership role to advocate for strat-egies harnessing the goodwill among commercial, industry-good and gov-ernment partners. My key focus will be to drive these partnerships, facili-tating cost effective outcomes for the industry.”

Jefferies says the recent MPI report ‘People Powered’, urging a doubling of New Zealand’s primary sector exports by 2025 and 50,000 more skilled people to achieve this, “is where Primary ITO steps in”.

“As the ITO for the primary industry it is our role to deliver the knowledge, practical skills, confidence and busi-ness expertise people need to meet the demands of the global export market.”

Mergers during the past two years

have seen Primary ITO emerge as NZ’s largest ITO.

Jefferies wants to get “all those teams working together, aligning the backroom and our training advisers to leverage our work across different sec-tors”.

Part of the Primary ITO role is to provide NZQA endorsed qualifications and training to people in the agriculture, horticulture, equine, water, sports turf and food processing industries. Mark Jeffries

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NEWS 19

More water resource consents on horizonFARMERS are facing a new level of red tape for water access.

Conditions for water uptake, set four years ago by the Ministry of Environment (MoE) and due to take effect from the end of this year, will require farmers to install water meters and apply for water consents.

MoE requires councils to get ratepayers using over 10 cumecs/day to obtain a resource consent, conditional on installing at least one water meter on the main bore.

And while ‘dryland’ farmers in Waikato, Auckland and Canterbury and other regions with pressures on water supply have monitored their water takes and been working on resource consents for at least a year, most councils have placed legislation in the ‘too hard basket’ though two central government-set deadlines are not far away.

Water standard policy set in 2010 requires farmers with pumps capable of drawing 10-20L/sec to apply for resource consents by this November; those drawing 5-10L/sec must apply by next November.

Northland Regional Council started talking with industry groups early last month to try to guarantee minimum water levels for the region.

Council operations director Tony Phipps says discussions have started in catchment groups. “Farmers who shouldn’t have been were living off permitted activity but it wasn’t something the council wanted to push.

“Council saw a bigger issue in effluent treatment standards and

water quality. Now allocation needs to be given a higher priority.”

Phipps says little is known about exactly how much water is available and how much water is actually used, so consents would be as much a fact-finding tool as a means of improving year-round supply.

Northland Federated Farmers president and Bay Of Islands drystock farmer Roger Ludbrook says he is concerned about the possibility of another level of bureaucracy. “We’ll get a lot more benefit by simply listening than we will standing up and roaring at people.

“What worries me is whether this will create a new level of regulation, then the council will need to employ new regulators.”

Northland farmers who have already applied for consents to draw water for cowsheds have had a mixed experience with the process.

John Greville milks 500 cows on his Kaipara farm southwest of Dargaville on the Pouto Peninsula.

Five years ago he applied for consent to draw 95 cumecs/day for farm supply, conditional on installing a water meter.

While Greville’s normal intake was well below the 95-cumec limit – 30 cumecs in winter and 80 cumecs in summer – twice a ballcock had come off at a trough and the pump drew over the consented amount. “I got a letter soon after I furnished my readings for the year saying I was in breach of the consent.”

He says this is stingy considering how little water he normally uses, and more should be done to find ‘middle ground’. “On the basis of the consent I could take 95 cumecs/day and put it in a tank somewhere but I don’t want to do that.

“There should be some tolerance

for the fact that occasionally a float can come off.”

Unbending council staff have also riled Canterbury farmers says Canterbury dairy farmer and Federated Farmers Environment spokesman Ian Mackenzie. Council staff have called farmers about the lack of information from water meters after daylong power outages. He says farmers can make gains by getting involved in policy discussions while there is a chance to make changes.

The then Auckland Regional Council – now Auckland Council –has worked well with farming sector representatives to come up with a plan which works for ratepayers, says Auckland regional Federated Farmers president and Glenbrook dairy farmer Wendy Clark.

After dialogue with farmers the then Auckland Regional Council set limits of 15 cumecs as of right for

ratepayers. It allowed all farmers in highly subscribed catchments to bring the initial resource consent application for access to more water under the same consent provided they installed their own water meters.

“They wanted to know exactly what people were drawing out of the ground. It’s not punitive, they’re just making sure there’s sustainable use of farm water.”

Mackenzie says all ratepayers have to face these issues and the least farmers can do is to get involved in the discussion to make sure the least-onerous bureaucracy is in place while the environment reaps the most awards.

He commended the dairy industry’s establishment of the Sustainable Dairying: Water Accord which set the goal for 85% of dairy farms to have water meters by 2020. He suggested meat processors take similar steps.

GARETH GILLATT

@rural_news


Fed Farmers water spokesman Ian Mackenzie says farmers can make gains by getting involved in policy discussions while there is a chance to make changes.

Farmers are facing a new level of red tape for water access.

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20 NEWSFonterra denies practicing ‘dirty politics’

INFANT NUTRITION Council chief executive Jan Carey does not believe Fonterra had anything to do with posts on the Whale Oil blog internet site making disparaging com-ments about breastfeeding advocates.

However she says it raises the issue of how things escalate when ‘extreme’ comments are made by both sides.

Some blogs on Whale Oil hit out at breastfeeding advocates after they made comments about the mar-keting of infant formula. The Dirty Politics book by Nicky Hager infers they

could have been requested or paid for by Fonterra.

Fonterra says: “We have never, directly or indirectly, requested or paid for posts on the Whale Oil blog.”

Carey says Fonterra is not a marketer of infant formula in New Zealand and she does not believe they were involved. “I don’t know what Fon-

terra would have gained by doing such a thing and they’d have everything to lose.

“They are a good quality member of the Infant For-mula Council, they adhere to our code of conduct and members would not be allowed to be members of the council if they were engaging in the behaviour

alleged.“I haven’t spoken to

Fonterra about it because they have responded them-selves that they weren’t involved and I would accept that.

“I don’t condone what was in the blog…. As far as this industry is concerned we are all providing the best possible nutrition for

PAM TIPA

[email protected]

infants. Breast milk is the best.

“But there is absolutely no need to be thinking that because you are a breast feeding advocate you are at war with the infant for-mula industry and vice versa. That’s ridiculous.”

Dirty Politics claims a public relations com-pany posted several blogs attacking breastfeeding advocates, labelling them as the ‘breastapo’. Hager implies they were posted on behalf of Fonterra. The book, based on the hacked emails of Cameron Slater who runs the Whale Oil internet site, claims they were among a number posts written by a public relations man under dif-ferent pseudonyms and paid for by food or tobacco companies.

Infant Nutrition Coun-cil members include Fon-terra, Nestle, Synlait and Nutricia and 25 associ-ated members. Carey says members have agreed to uphold the values of the council – to be truthful, ethical and accountable and not bring the coun-cil into disrepute. And the industry supports “breast-feeding as the first and best form of nutrition for

infants”. “All our companies have

agreed to that and do that. We are in the business of infant formula to provide a breastmilk substitute, not to compete with breast milk.”

Members who breached standards would go before the board. “We’re not afraid to kick people out if they don’t adhere to our code.”

Carey says she has worked with Fonterra for years and it is a com-pany with high values that doesn’t engage in dirty politics. “In the whey pro-tein incident they put their hand on their heart and came out and said ‘we might have a problem here’, knowing it would do them enormous damage. That demonstrates they are a company with integ-rity.”

CAREY SAYS she understands some Whale Oil blogs were responding to comments breastfeeding advo-cates had made at a forum about the marketing of infant formula.

Some ideas raised by breast feeding advocates such as plain packaging for infant formula “were not terribly helpful”.

“But I don’t think you then respond to those ideas in a negative or nasty way. They are entitled to their views and beliefs.” But the blog responses were “an extreme response to an extreme view”. “How helpful is that? If someone says something critical of you that’s nasty it makes you react – people get in their corners.

“But there are some good organisations promoting the benefits of breastfeeding.”

There was criticism from breastfeeding advocates and comments made at the forum about women who had stopped breastfeeding amid the earthquake aftermath. Carey felt these comments showed little sympathy for mothers in a disaster situation. She would not hesitate to again donate infant formula under emergency situations.

She does not see any need to get into war with breastfeeding advocates because they are people who care about infant nutrition. “I am a breast feeding advocate myself,” she says.

“Some people as advocates have quite extreme views, then people respond to those extreme views and you get people pushed into their corners and not engaging with each other.”

But she notes that a high quality infant formula is the only recommended substitute for infants not being breastfed.

‘Whale Oil’ not the good oil

Jan Carey


NEWS 21South Canterbury dairy farmer John Gregan was disappointed no-one took up his offer to see his farm in action.

Muck slingers not keen on getting boots muddyA SOUTH CANTERBURY dairy farmer’s invite to newspaper letter writers to see and discuss cow wel-fare first hand has gone unanswered.

Following a string of let-ters in the Timaru Herald last month slamming dairy farmers for having skinny cows, muddy paddocks, lack of shelter, once-a-day milking and/or calf feed-ing, John Gregan invited readers to visit his farm. No-one replied.

“It’s a little disap-pointing because it was a genuine offer,” Gregan, a Fonterra Sharehold-ers Councillor and former regional Feds Dairy rep, told Rural News.

“As a dairy farmer I feel we’re often put under the pump by the public and it would be nice to get them to engage and get a bit more understanding about what goes on onfarm.”

The letters, which also touched on calf euthanasia and ill-treatment of cows by staff, were probably “based a bit on ignorance, and a bit on misunder-standing,” said Gregan.

“I felt enough was enough. I’d never feel I have the right to be critical of a nurse or a lawyer when I don’t understand their occupation.”

Gregan’s letter did not criticise the correspon-dents. Instead he offered to help them contact authori-ties whose role is to inves-tigate alleged animal welfare abuses.

He wrote, “Our industry has no place for those who do not care for the welfare of their animals…. When it is happening we all need to work together to stop it. We need the public to be proud New Zealand has a world-class dairy industry.”

As a once-a-day calf feeder, he defended that practice.

“The calves have 24-hour access to calf meal and our contented, out-standing young stock are testament to how well calves thrive when reared in this manner.”

Gregan told Dairy News it had been very wet in the Waimate area in autumn and early winter which meant many paddocks were muddier than normal. One farm with stock next to the main road had been visited twice by the SPCA

following complaints by passers-by, but the SPCA had found the stock in good condition.

“I admit it’s not a great look to have cows stand-ing in mud but it doesn’t last long and they are often fed twice a day when it is like that. These animals are meant to live outside; we can’t house them all.”

Federated Farmers South Canterbury Dairy chairman Ryan O’Sullivan echoes Gregan’s com-ments.

“It looked bad but by and large – and I’ve had a vet confirm this – cow con-dition across the region is pretty good. We had R1 calves on fodder beet up to their guts in mud at times and they still put on 0.9-1kg/day liveweight over 60 days. Cows on kale have done well too. Most people have been able to feed stock well despite the wet. But it’s been hard work, shifting them two or even three times a day.”

O’Sullivan says in some parts of the region the autumn rains were a 1:70-year event so the conditions had been exceptional. “It’s atypical for South Canterbury. Wintering stock in high densities on crop isn’t normally an issue here.”

ANDREW SWALLOW

[email protected]

“As a dairy farmer I feel we’re often put under the pump by the public and it would be nice to get them to engage and get a bit more understanding about what goes on onfarm.”

As for the lack of response to Gregan’s invitation, he says he’s not surprised. “You’d

never convince the individuals who wrote those letters it is any different anyway.”

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22 WORLD

Cooking at your fingertipsCOOKING RED meat has just got easier, thanks to a new smartphone app from Meat and Livestock Aus-tralia.

The ‘Meat Cuts’ app shows consumers how to best match meat cuts with cooking methods – with just a few taps on their mobile.

MLA’s regional mar-keting manager Austra-lia, Lachlan Bowtell, says matching the right cut with the appropriate cook-ing method is vital.

“An app that helps con-sumers increase their understanding of cuts and their most appropriate cooking method is a step

to filling the knowledge gap, and increasing the number of beef, lamb, veal and goat dishes in meal repertoires.

“We know from research that many con-sumers find the variety of available beef and lamb cuts confusing. Chuck might be called chuck

steak, but works best as a slow cook option and should not be grilled as a steak. No chuck at the supermarket? Try some blade or gravy beef. That’s the type of information ‘Meat Cuts’ can provide,” says Bowtell.

The app has 41 beef cuts, 25 lamb cuts, 21 veal

and 20 goat cuts, explain-ing where on the animal each cut originates, the most suitable cooking methods and why.

The app also has 107 recipes, one recipe for each cut, and alternative cut suggestions for each recipe should the selected cut not be

available at retail.Bowtell says MLA

research found that after price and nutritional value, difficulty in prepa-ration and a lack of cook-ing confidence most bothered consumers buying beef or lamb.

“Providing consumers with a resource like the ‘Meat Cuts’ app to boost their confidence in cooking with different cuts helps break down the purchasing barriers and increases their knowledge about different

cooking options.“Each red meat

meal success will spur their confidence to try something new, but ultimately it’s the information they can find in the app on matching cuts and cooking methods that is essential to their success.”

‘Meat Cuts’ is the third consumer smartphone app released by MLA, joining the ‘LambRoast’ and ‘SteakMate’ app downloaded 44,000 times since last November.

GE impact to be studiedTHE US National Research Council is doing a two-year study of the impact – good and bad – of geneti-cally modified crops.

The council argues that consumers in the US and elsewhere are getting conflicting information about GE crops: proponents tout the benefits while opponents emphasise the risks.

“There is a need for an independent, objective study that examines what has been learned about GE crops, assesses whether initial concerns and promises were realised since their introduction, and investigates new concerns and recent claims,” the council says.

The council is an arm of the National Academy of Sciences created by an Act of Congress signed by Pres-ident Abraham Lincoln in 1863.

A committee appointed by the council will review information on GE crops in the context of global food and farming. It will examine the development and introduction of GE crops in the US and internation-ally, including GE crops that were not commercialised, and the experiences of developers and producers of GE crops in different countries.

It will assess the basis of purported negative effects of GE crops and their technologies, such as poor yields, harmful effects on human and animal health, increased use of pesticides and herbicides, the creation of ‘super-weeds,’ reduced genetic diversity, fewer seed choices for producers, and negative impacts on farmers in developing countries and on producers of non-GE crops.

Purported benefits of GE crops and their technol-ogies will be assessed, such as reductions in pesticide use, reduced soil loss and better water quality through synergy with no-till cultivation practices, reduced crop loss from pests and weeds, increased flexibility and time for producers, reduced spoilage and mycotoxin contamination, better nutritional value and potential, improved resistance to drought and salinity.

The committee is to also review the scientific foun-dation of environmental and food safety assessments for GE crops and foods and their technologies, plus evi-dence of the need for and potential value of additional tests. The study will examine how such assessments are handled for non-GE crops and foods.

It will also explore new developments in GE crop science and technology and the opportunities and chal-lenges those technologies may present, including the R&D, regulatory, ownership, agronomic, international and other opportunities and challenges.

The committee is charged with indicating where there are uncertainties and information gaps about the economic, agronomic, health, safety, or other impacts of GE crops and food. – Alan Harman

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BVD was one of the things in a mix of things it could’ve been. I didn’t know a great deal about it at that time, or how prevalent it was in the area. It was actually my vet who put me on to it and did the testing. We tested 10 or 15 empty cows and… the results came back positive with BVD.

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WORLD 23

MLA cuts out the fatMEAT AND Livestock Australia aims to slash fixed costs by $6 million over the next 12 months.

It expects to shed jobs and down-size some regional offices overseas as it responds to a forecast A$6 million fall in producer levy revenue over two years.

Managing director Richard Norton says this is a response to a 2013 review of levy spending on on-farm R&D, and it responds to levy payers’ criticism via a Senate inquiry.

Norton will visit all the over-seas offices in Brussels, Washing-ton, China, Jakarta, Tokyo, Seoul and Dubai to look for savings and realign MLA’s marketing spend towards new and emerging markets in Asia and away from traditional markets.

Changes announced two weeks ago include revamped R&D and extension to better meet levy payer needs.

“We have listened to levy payers and industry, and [will address] the criticisms of the past and establish a future-looking organisation that will deliver value to the farmgate,” says Norton.

He says the review gave MLA clear

focus and the recommendations were now being addressed systematically.

MLA will overhaul its R&D invest-ment model so that all levy payers can have their say via a more accessible, simplified system.

“We recognise the Northern Australian Beef Research Coun-cil (NABRC) structure is operating more robustly than its southern coun-terpart and that it provides a sound model from which to develop similar industry consultation in the rest of the country.”

Under the new model, producers nationwide will be allowed input at a local level on R&D priorities that feed into regional R&D investment plans. These plans will mesh with a rein-vigorated Southern Australia Meat Research Council (SAMRC) and a new regional group encompassing south-ern West Australia.

The chairs of these groups and rep-resentatives from peak industry coun-cils and MLA will then develop the national R&D investment plan to be informed by the national R&D frame-work and the meat industry strategic plan.

“Having this level of direct consultation – on an annual cycle – will be resource intensive but this structure will allow true two-way engage-ment on the levy invest-ment.”

Norton says indus-try consultation will be a high priority.

The consultation process will be a responsibility of MLA’s onfarm inno-vation and adoption unit, which under the restructure will also include exten-sion.

“This team will drive our new approach to R&D, working with indus-try to identify and develop big, bold projects that address the needs of industry now and into the future, and ensuring our R&D spend is leveraged through strategic partnerships with world leading providers of R&D.”

Livestock productivity and eating quality will also get higher priority and an independent focus under the restructure: a livestock productivity unit will redress the lack of produc-tivity gains in the industry during the

past decade. This busi-ness unit will include MSA, Breedplan, Sheep CRC and genetics.

“The restructure also recognises that MLA must [reveal] how Gov-ernment funds and pro-cessor levies work, and show that sheep and cattle levies are not spent

on processor initiatives,” Norton says.“With most growth likely to come

out of emerging markets, the distribu-tion of marketing resources between our mature and emerging markets will also be under discussion.

“But core to this will be the devel-opment of a more sophisticated, evi-dence-based approach to provide the basis for marketing strategies.

“The strengthening of insight capa-bility or thought leadership will mean MLA provides industry with data and analysis on consumer and retail trends, domestically and globally.”

MLA’s full efficiency and effective-ness review is nearly finished and the new structure should be operating by October.

AS PART of its review, Richard Norton says MLA wanted to acknowledge and address the perceived lack of transpar-ency highlighted in the Senate inquiry.

“In the first instance, we are reviewing specific requests and issues raised by levy payers through the Senate inquiry. We will address each of these individually.

“To address the concerns about the voting entitlement of levy paying members and transparency in how this is calculated, we have begun assessing the automation of levy payments to voting entitlements. With that information, the industry can make an informed decision on costing and implementation challenges of automated voting.”

At a board level, MLA has also faced questions about the influence of different industry players and sectors within MLA on the board selection process. The MLA board is skills-based and embraces corpo-rate governance best practice.

“It is through changes to the board selection committee that we hope to address industry concerns about influ-ence and equity across industry. We intend to work with industry to put forward a resolution to this year’s annual meeting that meets industry expectation regarding the composition of the board selection committee,” Norton says.

Making things more transparent

Meat and Livestock Australia managing director Richard Norton.

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MARKET SNAPSHOT LAMB MARKET TRENDSBEEF MARKET TRENDS


Beef & venison prices are reported as gross (before normal levies & charges are deducted). Lamb & mutton prices are reported nett (after levies & charges are deducted).

BEEF PRICES

c/kgCWT Change Last Week

2 Wks Ago

Last Year

NI P2 Steer - 300kg +3 5.08 5.05 4.70M2 Bull - 300kg +3 5.03 5.00 4.50P2 Cow - 230kg +3 4.13 4.10 3.65M Cow - 200kg +3 4.08 4.05 3.55

Local Trade - 230kg +3 5.13 5.10 4.80SI P2 Steer - 300kg n/c 4.63 4.63 4.35

M2 Bull - 300kg n/c 4.13 4.13 4.15P2 Cow - 230kg n/c 3.25 3.25 3.10M Cow - 200kg n/c 3.20 3.20 2.95

Local Trade - 230kg +5 4.90 4.85 4.50

Slaughter

Export Market DemandChange Last Week 2 Wks

Ago Last Year 5yr Ave

95CL US$/lb +3 2.89 2.86 1.92 1.83NZ$/kg +15 7.58 7.43 5.40 5.29

Procurement IndicatorChange 2Wks Ago 3 Wks


% Returned NI -1% 66.0% 66.6% 83.27% 77.4%% Returned SI -1% 54.5% 55.2% 76.8% 71.3%

LAMB PRICES

c/kgCWTChange Last

Week2 Wks

AgoLast Year

NI Lamb YM - 13.5kg n/c 5.98 5.98 5.56PM - 16.0kg n/c 6.00 6.00 5.58PX - 19.0kg n/c 6.02 6.02 5.60PH - 22.0kg n/c 6.03 6.03 5.61

Mutton MX1 - 21kg -5 3.65 3.70 3.25SI Lamb YM - 13.5kg n/c 5.98 5.98 5.46

PM - 16.0kg n/c 5.98 5.98 5.48PX - 19.0kg n/c 5.98 5.98 5.50PH - 22.0kg n/c 5.98 5.98 5.51

Mutton MX1 - 21kg -5 3.03 3.08 3.15

Slaughter

Export Market DemandChange Last

Week2 Wks


UK Leg £/lb n/c 2.10 2.10 1.82 1.82NZ$/kg +4 8.32 8.28 8.06 8.43

Procurement IndicatorChange 2Wks

Ago3 Wks


% Returned NI -0% 73.6% 73.9% 69.4% 72.4%% Returned SI -0% 72.1% 72.5% 68.2% 73.2%

Venison PricesChange Last

Week2 Wks


NI Stag - 60kg +15 6.65 6.50 7.05 7.74SI Stag - 60kg +15 6.85 6.70 7.30 8.08

Play your part Record all your stock movements in the NAIT system

To find out more go to www.nait.co.nz | [email protected] | 0800 624 843

MatingFarm to farm Events Grazing Gypsy Day From a sale yard

A & PSHOW

NEWS PRICE WATCH


BEEF

How high will NI beef prices go?

With $5/kg the new level for both export bull and steer in the NI, farmers are now questioning just how high these prices will go. Last week saw further increases across the board as competition stepped up. Procurement pressure has been intensified by an increased capacity for processing bobby calves this year, and with individual processors weekly kills resultingly down they are looking for cattle to fill the shortfall. Export bull and steer both ranged between $5.00-$5.20/kg last week, with the local trade range creeping slightly higher with $5.30/kg the top of the range. Schedules in the SI are firming with some attractive spot premiums available on quality cattle. While local trade and export steer can achieve between $4.70-$4.90/kg, bull and cow prices remain significantly behind reflecting the lack of numbers for this time of year.

Imported US beef prices continue to firm

Supplies of imported beef to the US spot market continue to be limited, resulting in a continued lift, albiet slower, in imported beef prices. While we know there are large quantities of imported beef from Australia destined for the US, these have been purchased directly from particular end-users in a bid to secure inventory, resultingly leaving those buying from the spot market short bought and forced to increase bids. The next main indicator for market direction will be after US Labour day holiday in early September.

LAMB

Lamb schedules remain plateaued

Most processors appear to remain comfortable with lamb numbers in both islands at present, though capacity is very limited given the bobby kill is in full swing. While some reports suggest there may be some gaps appearing in the next couple of weeks, there is no hint of schedules lifting in response. It is possible that processors are trying to protect this seasons profits by delaying any schedule movements for as long as they are able. Demand for mutton from China appears to have run its course and processors are subsequently pulling mutton schedules back quickly. Demand for mutton is expected to remain sluggish at least for the remainder of the year while the Chinese work through large inventories.

Solid demand for store lambs keeps prices firm

Low numbers and solid demand have kept store lamb prices throughout NZ firm in recent weeks. In-paddock trades are more limited and most of the action is in the saleyards. In the NI lambs weighing under 38kg are largely making between $3.20-$3.40/kg both in the yards and in the paddock, with heavier lines ranging between $2.80-$3.00/kg. Quality lines of medium ewe lambs sold for breeding purposes have achieved up to $3.60/kg. There has been some competitive bidding at SI saleyards for a limited number of lambs with $90-$110/hd taking the majority of lambs weighing between 32-37kg. In NI regions where lambing is almost over,the ewes with lambs at foot (LAF) market has been solid with $70-$80 all counted taking most offered at both Stortford Lodge and Feilding.

DAIRY

Dairy prices show signs of stability

A hint of stability was seen at the last global dairy trade auction where the overall price index fell only 0.6%. Wholemilk powder prices, the largest category by volume, lifted by 3.4%, however demand is still slow and the market is waiting for activity from China to increase. The auctions downturn, while slight, was lead by skim milk powder which fell by 12%. Economists report that there is still a gap between Fonterra’s current milk payout of $6/kgMS and the prices achieved in the last two auctions and that it will take a period of rising prices, asopposed to stabilised prices, for $6/kgMS to remain achievable.

WOOL PRICE WATCH DAIRY PRICE WATCH

Indicators in NZ$ Change 21-Aug 14-Aug Last Year Indicators in NZ$/T Change Last 2

WksPrev. 2

WksLast Year

Coarse Xbred Indic. -8 5.32 5.40 4.57 Butter -270 3964 4234 4980

Fine Xbred Indicator -8 5.65 5.73 5.01 Skim Milk Powder -254 4112 4366 5754

Lamb Indicator - - - - Whole Milk Powder -447 3552 3999 6125

Mid Micron Indic. -4 7.51 7.55 7.65 Cheddar -282 4952 5233 5444

Overseas Price Indicators Overseas Price Indicators

Indicators in US$/kg Change 21-Aug 14-Aug Last Year Indicators in US$/T Change Last 2

WksPrev. 2

WksLast Year

Coarse Xbred Indicator -12 4.45 4.57 3.62 Butter -238 3363 3600 4025Fine Xbred Indicator -12 4.72 4.85 3.97 Skim Milk Powder -225 3488 3713 4650Lamb Indicator - - - - Whole Milk Powder -388 3013 3400 4950Mid Micron Indicator -11 6.28 6.38 6.06 Cheddar -250 4200 4450 4400

CURRENCY WATCH

vs. NZ Dollar Last Week 2 Wks Ago 4 Wks Ago Last Year

US dollar 0.840 0.848 0.858 0.783Euro 0.633 0.635 0.637 0.587UK pound 0.507 0.508 0.505 0.503Aus dollar 0.902 0.910 0.912 0.868Japan yen 87.24 86.95 87.28 77.53

Euro

May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct

UK Pound

US Dollar

Play your part Record all your stock movements in the NAIT system

To find out more go to www.nait.co.nz | [email protected] | 0800 624 843

MatingFarm to farm Events Grazing Gypsy Day From a sale yard

A & PSHOW


26 AGRIBUSINESS

Milking the goat industryWORK IS underway to lift earnings from the fledg-ling goat industry.

Goat milk products bring in at least $100 mil-lion annually; there is growth potential in key overseas markets.

AgResearch has part-nered with the Dairy Goat Co-operative (DGC) to research the attributes and benefits of goat milk and best practices in formula processing. A new on-farm project, Dairy Goat Supply Systems, aims to develop best practice guidelines for farmers.

DGC formed 30 years

ago and is based in Ham-ilton, with factories at its Gallagher Drive site. The cooperative produces dairy goat infant formula (birth plus), follow-on for-mula (six months plus) and growing up milk for-mula (one year plus).

Most dairy goat farms are in Waikato, and a few in Taranaki and North-land. This season 69 farms will supply about 30,000,000L of milk to the cooperative.

Goat milk infant for-mula is a niche, premium, value-added product with excellent export pros-

pects. It is now exported to 20 countries includ-ing China and Austra-lia, and recent legislative changes in Europe offer new opportunities.

However, dairy goat farming is a small industry compared to cows.

“With cows the best practice guides are on the shelf,” says Dr Warren King, who works in the Innovative Farm Systems group at AgResearch’s Ruakura campus.

“With dairy goats there are no manuals to follow and people with experience in the indus-

try are thin on the ground.”

In the past decade the Gov-ernment has spent $10 mil-lion on dairy goat research, reflect-ing interest in the industry. The Min-istry for Business, Innovations and Employ-ment is funding two AgResearch programmes: $860,000/year for five years to study the health and nutritional proper-

ties of goat milk formula and $1.4 million/year for six years for onfarm goat research. MPI’s Sustain-able Farming Fund has also spent $200,000 over three years for researching

best practices on forage supply.

Over the next 18 months AgResearch’s dairy goat project team will share its research and best practice in articles on,

e.g. different forage types, how to get the best quality and quantity forage, envi-ronmental sustainability and animal welfare.

Ravensdown appoints new managerUSING INNOVATIVE technology as a core platform for keeping in touch with customers is an excit-ing step forward for Ravensdown, claims new national services manager Kimberley Bray.

“Communicating the value of innova-tion has been a key part of my previ-ous work at organ-isations such as the Bay of Plenty Health Board,” Bray says. “Because Ravens-down connects directly with farmers with no retail-ers in between, the co-operative has invested in its customer centre people and technology like Smart Maps.”

Bray believes the fertiliser co-op’s 45 customer centre employees

– spread across two sites in Christ-church and near Napier – do a great job at building strong shareholder relationships.

“Farming can be a lonely profession and our customers like to call in and enjoy it when they feel they know us and we know them,” she adds. “Increas-ingly though, cus-tomers are looking to buy our products online or access their records and nutrient

plans at any hour of the day. This is where our digital channels can help as part of the customer service expe-rience: not to replace face-to-face or over the phone support, but in an integrated way to meet their needs.”

She says a good example of this is

Smart Maps an electronic tool that shows soil test results, nutrient bud-gets and maps where a product has been applied to pasture.

“Putting that kind of data in the hands of customers makes it a pow-erful tool. If customers have any questions, they can use live inter-active chat or phone up directly,” Bray adds.

“It’s an exciting challenge build-ing on the success of the Ravens-down ICT and customer centre teams. I’m looking forward to con-tinuing to develop our resources to meet customer demand and service expectation.”

Bray says she is looking forward to working in the rural sector.

“Especially with an organisation such as Ravensdown – which plays a key role in helping to generate wealth for New Zealand by fuelling a successful agri-sector.”

Kimberley Bray

@rural_newsfacebook.com/ruralnews

This season 69 farms will supply around 30,000 litres of milk to the Dairy Goat co-op.

Call in & see us at 73 Preston Street INVERCARGILL

Ph: 03 215 8558

Email: [email protected] Visit our website www.hecton.co.nz

for a full list of products

HECTON SHEEP HANDLER – FAST & VERSATILE

COVERING HARROWS

A TYRE TRUSTED BY A TYRE PROFESSIONALRemember when washing

machines and refrigerators lasted a generation? And tyres lasted for years too? Things were made to last back then. Now it seems things are made to wear out.

The reason for this is original tyres fitted to new vehicles are made to the vehicle manufacturer’s price. This may result in a compromise on the tyre performance and life.Cooper Tires are better value.

One tyre company, continuing to construct quality aftermarket tyres that last, is Cooper Tires. Drivers choosing quality American made Cooper Tires are finding they are getting a lot more mileage and better value for money than

original tyres. This is because Cooper Tires make tyres that last without compromising on high quality tyre components.

Cooper Tires are only sold through appointed local tyre professionals, so they know your conditions and can advise the right tyre for the job.

TyreLAND are one of the leading independent tyre specialists in New Zealand with 9 stores in the south Island and a store newly opened in

Auckland. Raymond from TyreLAND explains why they trust Cooper Tires for their customers;

If you’re looking for decent tyres for your 4WD call 0800 4 tread for your local TyreLand store. If there isn’t one in your area, call 0800 mileage (0800 645 243) or visit www.coopertires.co.nz to find your nearest Cooper retailer and request your free info pack.

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We keep records of our customer’s performance so they can see the money they save. We had a customer come in for his second set of Coopers; he got 65,000kms out of his first set, while he only got 30,000kms out of the original equipment set.”

“We have been selling Cooper Tires for over 25 years and believe they are the best 4WD tyres available on the market. This is because they have deeper tread

www.gallagher.co.nz

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28 AGRIBUSINESS

LARGE US private equity funds are interested in investing in New Zealand agriculture but few of our businesses are big enough for the US$150-200 million the Americans prefer to invest, says KPMG’s global head of agribusiness Ian

Proudfoot.“The large private equity

funds are interested in buying into New Zealand agricultural assets [because the country] is more stable than many others.

“They want to be able to invest generally more in the underlying land asset rather than the farming business that sits on top because they can generate

the more stable returns they are interested in.”

But New Zealand tends to have one-off farms for sale rather than large transformational businesses.

New Zealand lacks the capital needed to make the “transformative changes” agriculture needs, Proudfoot says.

“The long term future for New Zealand farming [depends on] sustainability and increasing productivity, producing more from less, and that will require a huge amount of capital to be invested in farms in technology and infrastructure.”

Foreign investment will always be required to fund those changes, Proudfoot says.

PETER BURKE

[email protected]

Ag sector interests foreign investors

PM John Key with Brian Eccles after opening of CRS Software’s new building last month.

Cloud software claims to lift farming performanceIMPROVED BROADBAND and cloud software are set to help farmers better manage their businesses, says farm management software firm CRS Software, Masterton.

The company last month opened new offices – Prime Minister John Key officiating – and it now has 600m2 of space for at least 60 staff, says managing director Brian Eccles.

Real-time access to information will lift farmers’ ability to decide their responses to climate, environment and market pressures, Eccles says. Accurate, timely information is the key.

“Our vision is to provide farmers with software tools that assist day-to-day management, including physical and financial indicators, while supporting the ‘big-picture’ plan.

“Armed with good information, farmers are better equipped to deal with variable seasonal and economic conditions.”

CRS Software in 2009 released a cloud-based financial management system especially for farmers. The benefits of being able to access the same information from any PC has surprised everyone, Eccles says. “It’s a success well beyond expectations.”

The company’s next round of innovations will include: enabling data to just arrive – coded and ready to analyse; apps for mobile phones; connections directly to cloud software becoming available to farm accountants; and providing systems needed by large farming businesses.

And despite the intermittent broadband plaguing some farmers, CRS products will deliver the goods.

The new building will house a rapidly growing team of developers and sales staff, Eccles says.

“I am immensely proud of how our team has come together in the past few years to help us become New Zealand’s leading rural financial software company.”

GO-AHEAD IN WAIRARAPA❱❱ Masterton based and established in

1981

❱❱ The first New Zealand-based farm financial software company to launch a cloud product

❱❱ Turnover of farmers using the product at least $10 billion

❱❱ Currently hires 40 staff including sales, developers, help-desk and management personal

❱❱ Double-digit growth during the past five years.

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Creep feeding increases the growth rates of lambs because it:

• Develops their rumen at a younger age, enabling them to start consuming and processing pasture at an earlier age.

• Provides a carbohydrate and starch supplement, increasing rumen efficiency.

An average ration of 200 grams of barley is an adequate feed for creep feeding. This amounts to a cost of 9 cents/day with the barley price at $450/tonne. An investment of 84 days of creep feeding costs $7.54 and can pay for itself many times over with higher liveweights, selling earlier at a higher price and freeing up more of your farm to run more ewes.

Creep feeding is the process of exclusively feeding lambs before weaning

To ensure early rumen development, creep feeding should start before lambs are 4 weeks old.

How does the Creep Panel stop ewes from feeding?The Creep Panel (Patent application number: 2010903466) is a horizontal panel positioned over the trough. It denies ewes access to the feed because their head is too large to fit in the

gap between the Creep Panel and the trough. The Creep Panel can be pivoted up to also allow the feeder to operate as a standard feeder for sheep or cattle.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7e5-P3fj5M


AGRIBUSINESS 29

Wine exports on track to hit $2bTHE WINE industry is on track to become a $2 billion export business by the end of 2020, says New Zealand Winegrowers chairman Steve Green.

This will place wine firmly among New Zealand’s top-five traded goods on current figures, he says. But he warns in

NZW’s 2014 annual report that the rep-utation New Zealand wine has built up over the years must be preserved.

For the year ending June 2014, wine exports rose 10% in volume and value; overseas sales earned a $1.33b.

The average value per litre remained steady at $7.11 for all wine and $8.32 for packaged wine; a solid performance given the deadweight of continued high

currency levels. Australia remains the

leading export destination – 53 million litres or 28%

of total export volumes.But North America

and Northern Europe are fastest-growing; the US grew 16% in

the past 12 months and the hub markets of the

Netherlands and Ger-many were up 33% and 52%

respectively. China includ-ing Hong Kong have slowed

considerably but the potential in these markets is undiminished, says Green.

In the domestic market the story is different: total sales hover around 90 million litres. New Zealand wine sales slipped about 6% as wineries priori-tised export markets. The successful sales year left stocks needing replen-ishment and even greater demand fore-cast; in 2014 445,000 tonnes of grapes were harvested.

“The 2014 harvest may seem like a drop in the ocean compared to major producers, but it was a record for New Zealand and signals the drive for export growth in the year ahead” says Green.

Strong sales have made wine a star performer; wine exports now earn more foreign exchange for New Zealand than butter, finfish or kiwifruit, says Green.

The impetus of the 2014 vintage will likely take wine to about $1.5 billion in exports next year; current growth esti-mates are for exports to climb to $2 bil-lion by the end of the decade.

NZW’s annual member survey shows that strong sales and forecast demand signals confidence among growers and wineries; 80% indicate a positive out-look for the year ahead. This reflects a lift in vineyard and infrastructure devel-opment in the past 12 months.

But Green cautions that investment counts for little without the premium reputation New Zealand wine has built

up. He referred to recent food safety scares.

“The past 12 months have seen some challenges to brand New Zealand and hopefully some lessons learned.

“From the perspective of the wine industry, these challenges [show] that everyone who trades on our national reputation has an obligation to look after it.

WINE ACHIEVEMENTS SINCE 2008❱❱ Export volumes have doubled ❱❱ Export value has increased by 60%❱❱ Export returns have grown by 8% per

annum on average against a national average of 2%

❱❱ Direct contribution to GDP of $700 million annually

❱❱ Wine tourists spent $814 (each) annually❱❱ 7700 people directly employed full time.

Bumper crop for 2014

SUDESH KISSUN

[email protected]


30 OPINION

THE HOUNDWant to share your opinion or

gossip with the Hound? Send your emails to:

[email protected]

EDITORIAL

Seriously?YOUR OLD mate has a big problem with the hoo-ha of commenta-tors and beltway-types about Nicky Hager’s book Dirty Politics. The Hound is flabbergasted that rehashing of emails between a nasty, egoma-niac, unemployed blogger and other nobodies seems to have drowned out media coverage of election issues like poli-cies on health, education, economics and law and order to name a few. But what really concerns this old mutt is how anyone can take seriously the writings of a grown man who still calls himself ‘Nicky’.

AwfulTHE HOUND nominates Labour primary indus-tries spokesman Damien O’Connor as having made the worst pun so far in the election campaign. Your old mate has a fair bit of sympathy for O’Connor, who has a hard job convincing the primary sector voters that a coali-tion of Labour, the Greens et al will be good for agri-culture (yeah, right!), but a bad joke is still a bad joke. On the media release announcing Labour’s fisheries policy, O’Connor says ‘By Hoki! It’s Labour’s fisheries policy.’ Sorry Damien, but that wins the Hound’s ‘hokiest’ media release headline of election 2014.

Really?APPARENTLY THE plan-et’s biggest farming enterprise is purely imagi-nary. According to KPMG agribusiness head Ian Proudfoot, who recently returned from the latest NZ agribusiness boot-camp in Silicon Valley, the largest interna-tional farming business is a virtual farming game called ‘Farmville’, played on Facebook and other social media applications. More tractors were ‘sold’ last year on Farmville than in the entire US. Who says farming is not a game?

Not interested!THE HOUND tips his hat to South Canter-bury dairy farmer John Gregan who, tired of the carping of anti-dairying letter writers in his local newspaper, invited all the poison pens to visit his farm to see real dairying demonstrated. Despite a string of letters in the Timaru Herald slamming dairy farmers for skinny cows, muddy paddocks, lack of shelter, and once-a-day milking and/or calf feeding, no-one took up Gregan’s invitation. Your old mate reckons this accurately portrays how dedicated to finding out the truth these anti-farming types are.

Shrek off!YOUR OLD mate notes the Aussies are at it again, trying to steal another NZ icon. Not content with claiming Phar Lap, Split Enz and Sonny Bill Williams – and no doubt still smarting from the latest Bledisloe Cup pasting – our cobbers across the ditch are now attempting to claim the record for the world’s woolliest sheep Shrek! But now a huge Tasma-nian Merino has appeared on the scene after spending six years in the wilderness. Dubbed Shaun the Sheep. The Aussies believe his fleece would rival Shrek’s 27kg cover.

“Hell no! – I wouldn’t vote for them – it just keeps our MP on his toes!”

EDNA

FORAGERS p r i n g 2 0 1 4

G e r m i n a l S e e d s

GSL

063

4-g1

Aber High Sugar Grass delivers

more digestibility = more rumen energy = more production.

FREEPHONE 0800 171 825 www.highsugargrass.co.nz

The need for high quality pasture that can grow good and reliable yields without irrigation has led to Aber High Sugar Grass being planted on one-third of the Mawle family’s farm at Methven.

About 2,000 cows are grazing the 615 hectare farm owned by John and Jean Mawle where sons Rob and Tom each manage their own half of the farm using separate dairies.

“The Aber varieties suit our needs and climate here. We don’t have irrigation and they hang on when it gets dry and then come back strong once we get some water,” says John, who had farmed in England and was well aware of the highly rated AberHSGs before moving to New Zealand.

“I was a subscription member of NIAB (National Institute of Agricultural Botany) and would look through their magazine; it has a lot of independent information, more so than here.”

NIAB, based in Cambridge, is a not-for-profit research group that publishes an annual ‘Herbage

Varieties Guide’ to show UK farmers and seed merchants its independent assessment of different forage varieties.

The AberHSG diploid perennials consistently score highly for yield, ground cover, digestibility and metabolisable energy and the new variety AberGreen offers a protein-to-energy ratio close to the optimum balance for rumen efficiency.

The Mawle farm has 180ha of AberDart and AberMagic perennial ryegrass and more is being sown each spring because palatability is a key requirement and the grazed Aber paddocks “look like a mower has been over them”.

“The cows look well-fed, satisfied and are enjoying the Aber,” says John.

Rob, an experienced sharemilker before taking on the dual management role at home, agrees that the cows like grazing AberHSG pasture.

“Some other varieties possibly yield more during the season but the cows don’t perform as well on them. They would much rather graze the Aber than any other variety we have tried.”

Rob points out that milk production can be affected by many variables, such as weather conditions and stocking density, but quality feed intake has the biggest impact.

“We feel the Aber varieties offer a dense sward of highly palatable grass which the cows can’t get enough of. Their milk production definitely rises the more Aber we put in them.”

The two brothers have the farm operating at a top level of milk production – the combined herd, stocked at 3.2 cows/ha, averaged 412kg milksolids per cow in 2010-11, 450kgms/cow in 2011-12 and 435kgms/cow in 2012-13 despite a drought.

Tom has observed the dense and even sward of Aber pasture withstanding relatively significant damage from pugging and recovering well.

“The low growth point aids with post-grazing residuals returning more quickly back into production.”

The cows were definitely more content in Aber paddocks, says Tom.

“Even when they have finished what’s there, they don’t seem to want to move on too quickly as compared to some of the other paddocks we have.”

A trial paddock of the new high sugar diploid AberGreen mixed with the high sugar tetraploid AberGain was drilled last Christmas and despite

severe wind erosion and some areas needing to be resown has come through the winter “looking pretty good”, says Rob.

“This trial has had a rough start but it’s usually after some urea and the first grazing round (for the new dairy season) that the Aber kicks into gear.

“It’s from the second grazing round onwards that we need grass at its best for the cows to reach their peak.”

The brothers were recently selecting paddocks to spray out and sow in AberMagic, again chosen for its persistence and recovery after grazing and pugging.

FORAGERH e l p i n g d a i r y , b e e f a n d s h e e p f a r m e r s p r o f i t f r o m f o r a g e

S p r i n g 2 0 1 4

Palatable grass is priority for high producing dairy

Rob (left) and John Mawle are again sowing AberMagic this spring for its palatability, persistence and recovery after grazing and pugging.

Must read:

Caucasian and white clover hybrid is exciting advance.

See page 3

FONTERRA’S PLANS to team up with Chinese infant food manufacturer Beingmate and form a global partnership to chase China’s ever-growing demand for infant formula is a smart move.

China truly is an Asian tiger whose hunger for dairy produce is unlikely ever to be sated. It is a clever strategic move by the co-op to team up with a Chinese partner to tackle this lucrative market.

The partnership will create an integrated global supply chain from the farmgate direct to China’s consumers, using Fonterra’s milk pools and plants in New Zealand, Australia, and Europe.

Fonterra claims this partnership will increase the volume and value of its ingredients and branded products exported to China. The proposal will see Fonterra and Beingmate set up a joint venture to buy Fonterra’s Darnum plant in Australia and make a distribution agreement to sell Fonterra’s Anmum brand in China.

Fonterra chief executive Theo Spierings describes the new partnership as a “game changer” that will provide a direct line into the infant formula market in China – the world’s biggest growth story in paediatric nutrition.

The term ‘game changer’ is used too often these days in referring to political announcements, sporting analogies, business and so on. But in this case it is appropriate, especially if the joint venture succeeds in promoting NZ dairy products as leading in quality and safety standards in China.

The lesson from last year’s botulism botch-up, and the San Lu disaster in 2008, is that Fonterra and New Zealand cannot afford damage to its reputation for providing high-quality, world-leading infant formula to the Chinese market. Hard-fought markets and value can be destroyed overnight.

China is our number-one market and this venture with Beingmate will be important in helping Fonterra drive volume and value and in stepping forward as a globally relevant co-operative.

As Spierings says, “The partnership with Beingmate will show the benefits of an integrated and secure supply chain where we are fast-tracking investment in milk processing capacity to meet global demand.”

Smart move!

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OPINION 31

New York nonsense shows the value of a wool levyNO DOUBT you’ve seen the kicking Aussie and American wool got recently when an old video flashed around the world.

It was put out there by PETA, in the US – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. The animal rights brigade is also keen on testtube meat, the first patty of which cost US$330,000 and no, that’s not a misprint.

Apparently the reviews were mixed so they are planning to add fat cells for flavour. Aside from making Mary Shelly proud I bet they’ll be lining up to buy artificial milk-like stuff called Muufri.

As meat and fibre farm-ers we’ve got to seri-ously lift our game when it comes to hearts and minds. Just look at the way saturated fats – demon-ised for decades – are now being reappraised by sci-entists as neutral and some saturated fats may in fact be good for you.

On social media, I’ve seen eager young things in New York City protest-ing against wool outside retailers, holding placards that’ll make you blood boil. These call on people to boycott wool which means they must be wear-

ing nylon and polyester. Who’d think they’d be

champions of big oil? Of course, no animal has suf-fered in the production of oil and there’s no pollu-tion either. These activists love oil so much they wear it next to their skin.

These protests in New York weren’t just against Australian wool, but all wool. Placards said ‘wool hurts sheep’ and one had a photo of sheep that looked like a stock truck had run over it. This isn’t new.

Our wool exporters will tell you some people overseas think wool is like fur, for which the sheep

has to die. Activists have even carried ‘boycott wool fur’ placards. Some do not realise wool is natu-ral, sustainable and renew-able. This is what we’re up against.

So where were the farmers outside those stores next day demon-strating shearing? And handing out wool to pass-ers-by, the newly shorn sheep alive and well, send-ing a most powerful mes-sage. Nobody there.

This is why we need a collective voice to educate, innovate and invest in wool’s future. Alas not one single dollar is set aside

for what I propose above. There’s not one dollar to counter the lies of activ-ists. This is why we farm-ers need to look at a wool levy.

Wool prices may be up 15% on 2013, but this is supply and demand. With sheep numbers now below 30 million and genetic research skewed towards meat, we are going back-wards.

You cannot celebrate higher prices when wool exports in Australia are expected to fall 7%. This is race-to-the-bottom stuff and we shouldn’t kid our-selves otherwise.

RICK POWDRELL Rick Powdrell believes meat and fibre produc-ers need to lift their game in winning the hearts and minds of consumers.

The wool levy refer-endum takes place on October 10 and asks wool producers, like me, to back a new industry-good body to be funded by a levy on each kilogram of wool, at the first point of sale.

It is rare for me to say ‘yes’ to more spending

but, speaking personally, I will be voting for a levy. Speaking as your chair of Federated Farmers Meat & Fibre this is, of course, your individual business decision.

As wool growers we’re in at the grassroots, but so are some animal rights

movements. These move-ments are better organised and funded than we are.

There is no place for complacency on this and a simple Google search will tell you why.• Rick Powdrell is Federated Farmers Meat & Fibre chair-man.

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32 OPINION

HANDY REPLACEMENTS!

RE TRIPLET calves (Rural News, Aug 19): we also had a set of triplets born this year. They were born the night of Northland floods in mid-July. The attached photo shows the calves at a few hours old. Three lovely replacement heifers, all doing fine now. Howard ColeMaramaruaNorth Waikato

AND 3 MORE!

RE TRIPLETS (Rural News, Aug 19) born to a first-calving heifer: we also had three girls born to a heifer on July 3 this year. My father suggested a phone call to tell Rural News but I felt the poor mum had been through enough. Mark and Lee FletcherNo 7 Road, WaitoaWaikato

I AM pleased we still have people prepared to apply their time and energy to improve the returns from wool. My biggest disappointment, in farming 40 years, is the low return from wool and the total lack of benefit from several schemes promoted to improve the situation.

Millions of dollars have been wasted, which as a wool grower I have contributed to. The articles on the upcoming referendum do not convince me that what is proposed by the use of the fund will be any more successful than previous investments in wool promotion.

To be creditable, there should be at least an estimate of what the likely financial return will be from each of the proposed fund investments. Responsible people and companies do not spend their money without doing this and I think it is even more important to do it when spending the money of others.

I would be delighted to see a convincing estimate of a positive return from each of the proposed fund investments. It would mean the job has been done properly and I am sure it would improve the chance of the levy being supported. John Mackintosh RD 4Whakatane

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TRIALIST TAKES ISSUE WITH COLUMN

RE ANNA Holland’s story ‘Shunned dog gets second chance’ (Rural News August 19): I am disappointed to see her using cadet training farms to try to prove how good she thinks she is at training working dogs.

I spend time, on a regular basis, with a cadet scheme in the North Island, working

with the cadets and supporting them in training their dogs.

I have also supplied dogs to this scheme. This is a free service which I give to and have great satisfaction working with these young shepherds.

I am a dog trialist, a sport

Anna seems to despise. I will put my experience where my mouth is as I have yet to see her front up to a dog trialling contest.

I am also a professional musterer. I back myself and my team of dogs and disagree with Anna Holland’s comments. Colin Bolton

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OPINION 33

Is methane actually a problem?RECENT MONTHS have seen many articles (eg Rural News, August 19) on the need to solve the methane emissions prob-lem of livestock. There have even been calls to cease consumption of ruminant protein alto-gether.

I wonder how many of these people working so hard to save the planet have ever stopped to quan-tify how much warm-ing would be prevented if they stopped our animals producing methane? Or have they just accepted the oft-repeated ‘logic’ that methane is a power-ful greenhouse gas so its effect must be significant?

Let’s unpack the real effect of livestock meth-ane on the climate. The August 19 article repeats the claim that about 45% of New Zealand’s emis-sions are from livestock. Two thirds of these are deemed to come from methane and one third from nitrous oxide.

The only way possi-ble to achieve this figure is by counting all the emis-sions from our livestock. But it is basic science that a constant number of live-stock maintain the atmo-sphere at a constant level of methane or nitrous oxide. For every mole-cule they produce today, one they produced in the past breaks down. If there is no change in the atmo-spheric levels of methane or nitrous oxide there can be no global warming from these gases.

To suggest charg-ing farmers for the emis-sions from our base levels of livestock is similar to charging someone for the emissions from their bio-fuel-powered vehicle. How this gross error was made that includes these base levels of livestock emis-sions in our nation’s total emissions confounds me. Why has this mistake been allowed to persist for years?The only way livestock can possibly cause warming is through the emissions of any increase in the num-bers of animals. The ques-tion is how much warming can they produce? Thanks

to Dr Wilson Flood, a Scottish chemist, I realised it is very little. His paper can be seen here: http://www.climaterealists.org.nz/sites/climaterealists.org.nz/files/The%2520Methane%2520Misconceptions%2520published%2520version.pdf

I have since derived my own figure based on the relative concentration of carbon dioxide and meth-ane and the proportion of methane that comes from livestock.

Two assumptions are needed. The first is the rel-ative warming of meth-ane compared to carbon dioxide. I have used the figure of 25 that will be used in any post-Kyoto agreement. The second is the amount of warming a doubling of carbon diox-ide will cause. I have used a figure of 2oC of direct warming from carbon dioxide and another 4oC resulting from feed-backs. These feedbacks are used by the IPCC in its models of future temper-ature, even though there is a large uncertainty as to what extent these feed-backs exist.

If all the farmers in the world were to double their number of livestock tomorrow and kept them at that level for a century, the amount of warming at the end of the century would be only 0.04oC.

I have circulated this figure to relevant scien-tists in recent months and challenged the recipients to respond with their fig-ures if they disagreed with mine. To date, no alter-native has emerged. This leads to me to a solid con-fidence that these figures are in the ballpark.

I fail to see how anyone could possibly get excited about the need to reduce the amount of methane our animals produce if they knew how small the effect would be.

I also fail to see why any of our farming lobby groups, who know this figure, are not lobby-ing hard to drop any sort of carbon price on live-stock, be it a carbon tax or a carbon trading scheme. After all, if we don’t lobby for the truth, what is there left to stand for?

NEIL HENDERSON• Neil Henderson is a sheep and beef farmer at Motu, west of Gisborne. He says he was at first a global warm-ing believer, but when he dis-covered the intention to ‘tax’ livestock emissions he began reading and learning about

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34 MANAGEMENT

Don’t rush first fungicidesFUNGICIDE RESIS-TANCE means a change to disease control strate-gies in cereals will likely be needed this spring but while disease risk has increased, the answer is unlikely to be spray earlier, the Foundation for Arable Research says.

Starting spray pro-grammes too early will either stretch spray inter-vals, leaving crops unpro-tected at more important growth stages or, if stretched intervals are to be avoided, too many sprays will be required putting margins and chemistry at risk, explains FAR director of research and extension Nick Poole.

“The problem with the T-nought (T0) timing is it starts to dictate other tim-ings. You’re better to ask

‘When is the most impor-tant spray timing for the crop?’ and work back from that,” he told growers at one of two South Canter-bury spring field walks recently.

“We work on the basis that some leaves are more important than others.”

The most important leaf is the flag leaf, the last to emerge. Protect-ing that is paramount to optimise yield, with leaves two, three and four, as you go down the stem from the flag leaf, declining in importance.

From a grain yield per-spective, the leaves below those, the ones on wheat plants now, contribute next to nothing. But they do indicate what diseases are present in the crop which could cause yield

losses later in the season. One that’s increasingly likely to be seen is septoria tritici, and it’s the reason spray strategies need reviewing.

“Last year septoria trit-ici was, wall-to-wall, the most important disease in wheat. It resurfaced in 2011 so last year was the third season we faced it and it took over. The reason, as we now know, is the strobilurin products – Comet, Amistar, Fan-dango etc – weren’t work-ing against septoria.”

Samples of the dis-ease taken from crops in most regions of New Zea-land and sent to Europe for analysis were found to be resistant to the previ-ously highly effective fun-gicide group. (Rural News, April 3).

“It doesn’t mean they won’t work against the rusts or other diseases, it’s just septoria and, as we’ve known for some time, powdery mildew.”

Meanwhile, efficacy of the triazole group of fun-gicides is also waning, though with the triazoles it’s a case of the disease’s sensitivity to the chem-istry gradually reducing, which can be overcome with higher rates, rather than the all, and now noth-ing, septoria control of the strobilurins.

That reduced sensitiv-ity to triazoles undermines the case for so-called T0 sprays, applied before the conventional spray tim-ings for wheat. If they’re to have any impact on sep-toria present at that time, typically about growth

stage 30 of the crop, much higher rates than the 0.2-0.3L/ha of Opus (epoxi-conazole) historically used will be needed.

Where septoria tritici pressure is high, probably because of early sowing with a susceptible culti-var, there’s a case for using a three-quarter rate of tri-azole, 0.75L/ha in the case of Opus. Other than that,

FAR says T-nought sprays “should not be routine” as “yield increases are usually small and can be uneco-nomic.”

However, T-noughts can buy some flexibility with subsequent timings which can be needed if weather or other circum-stances prevent spraying.

At the traditional first spray for wheat, the ‘T1’

at growth stage 31-32, the first of the really important leaves from a yield building perspective is emerging: leaf three. To protect it, a T1 application of triazole at three-quarter rate or more should be considered and where disease pressure is high, a fungicide from the relatively new group of

The Foundation for Arable Research held a series of spring field walks on farms across Canterbury recently. Andrew Swallow relays some of the key messages.

Fungicide included? Strobilurin resistant and increasingly triazole tolerant septoria makes the pre-T1 decision more tricky.

TO PAGE 35


MANAGEMENT 35

RECORD HIGHS of aphids caught in the suction trap at Lincoln during autumn don’t necessarily mean there will be a barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) epidemic this spring, but if numbers lift again soon, late sown crops could be at risk.

“In 2005 some of the worst hit crops were those sown in winter: June and July,” FAR’s Nick Poole notes, recalling the last bad year for the aphid-born disease.

“Then we saw high temperatures and aphid numbers come away in

the spring when crops were still at very vulnerable growth stages.”

The gap between when protec-tive seed treatments such as Gaucho (imidacloprid) run out and when cereal crops reach GS31 is when they need to be closely moni-tored and, if aphids are found, an insecticide applied.

“Growth stage 31 is when cereals become more tolerant to BYDV but there is an exposure there before that,” adds colleague Rob Craigie.

Aphid numbers can vary consid-

erably paddock to paddock and region to region so individual crops should be checked for infestation, particularly as the suction trap only catches winged aphids, not wing-less in-crop second generations.

FAR says normally a few aphids escaping treatment in the autumn is not a problem as they don’t multiply but a lack of aphid killing souther-lies and mild weather conducive to aphid reproduction could allow in-crop populations to balloon and BYDV become an issue.

Aphid alert!WITH SEPTORIA’S re-emergence as a key disease – it

caused severe losses in 2002 then all but disappeared

for a decade – and the growing fungicide resistance

issues, Poole says more use of cultural techniques to

reduce pressure on fungicides is needed.

Choosing disease resistant cultivars is a good first

step, particularly for early sowing, and, from a disease

control point of view, avoid sowing too early, though

there’s a balance to be struck between reducing

disease pressure from sowing later and losing yield

potential.

“These are going to be important components in

how you manage your rates and timings with fungi-

cides.”

Septoria spreads by airborne ascospores so first

wheats are as much at risk as second or subsequent

wheats and good post-harvest hygiene – removing

volunteers and burning or burying stubble – has little

impact.

“You could say it’s a social disease, though not

quite as bad as stripe rust which blows spores all

around the district if you leave your volunteers!”

That’s in contrast to tan spot, another disease

which has caused problems in wheat in recent years,

which depends on spore release from stubble. Conse-

quently second wheats are at much higher risk than

first wheats with that disease.

Poole notes this year’s wheats fall into two distinct

groups: those sown before wet weather in April; and

those sown several weeks if not months later due to

the mid-autumn standstill.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had a season when nothing

was sown in that main sowing window.”

Those sown before the rain will be at much higher

disease risk than those sown after.

Cultural considerations

WHEAT FUNGICIDE STRATEGY

❱❱ Septoria risk high if weather wet.

❱❱ Consider cultivar and sowing date to assess risk.

❱❱ Forget strobs for septoria but may be best bet with rusts.

❱❱ Use robust triazole rates to combat reduced sensitivity.

❱❱ Use mixtures, particularly with SDHIs to reduce resistance risk.

chemistry, the SDHIs, added, says FAR.

Besides Syngenta’s Seguris Flexi (isopyr-azam), two new SDHI’s are on the market this spring: Aviator Pro (pro-thiaconazole + bixafen) from Bayer Cropsciences, and Adexar (epoxicon-azole + fluxapyroxad) from BASF. While both contain a triazole as well as an SDHI, the formula-tions mean a top-up with straight triazole such as Opus (epoxiconazole) or Proline (prothiaconazole) is needed to reach that three-quarter rate of tri-azole.

FAR says that in gen-eral, where rust’s been

absent and the principal disease is septoria trit-ici, Proline has performed better than Opus, particu-larly in South Canterbury and Southland.

Poole stresses it’s important “not to fire this (T1) shot so early you miss that leaf [three] com-pletely.”

If that happens, leaf three can become severely infected with septoria, and infect leaf two before the flag leaf emerges and what is usually the most impor-tant fungicide application of the season, the T2 at GS39, is made.

“Try to keep the gap reasonably tight between T1 and T2. Don’t let it go out beyond four weeks.”

FROM PAGE 34

Don’t rush it

Protecting leaf three is the target for the first main fungicide application, says FAR’s Nick Poole.


36 MANAGEMENT

Pushing south with grazing maize

GRAZING MAIZE is help-ing a South Canterbury and Otago farmer fill a regular summer feed gap, pushing the boundaries for where the crop is con-sidered viable.

Paul Brown farms

320ha at Levels Valley, near Timaru, and 1400ha in two blocks in the Ida Valley, Otago, running up to 6000 cattle. He first tried the crop at Levels in 2010-11, and hasn’t looked back.

“We’ll have 150ha this year, 134ha for grazing and the 16ha or so for harvest-ing which we’ve always done,” he told a Beef + Lamb New Zealand field day last month.

The grazing area will

be split between Levels and the Ida Valley. It will be the third season he’s grown it in Otago, the first having gone well but last summer’s crop was hit by an exceptionally hard and late frost in Decem-

ber. With the growing tip affected, he decided to “cut our losses” and graze it off early.

“For the coming season we’ve got irrigation down there, which will help. Last year it was really dry as

Stock on crops was the theme for a recent Beef + Lamb New Zealand field day in South Canterbury. Andrew Swallow reports.

well as being hit by that late frost,” he explained to Rural News.

It was problems get-ting maize silage harvested off paddocks in the Levels area in the wet autumn of 2010 that got him onto the idea of grazing maize. “We threw the bulls in and they just chewed into it.”

A few enquiries revealed Pioneer sold a special mix of hybrid maize seed for grazing and while it wasn’t rec-ommended for the South Island, Brown decided to try it out. “If you chopped it for silage it would just end up as slurry and slush down here.”

Drymatter yields aver-aging 16-17t/ha in Waikato made him think 15-16t/ha should be achievable in South Canterbury, but he did his budgets on 12t/ha, and it still stacked up. As it

is, it seems yields are reg-ularly beating that budget figure. “All the time we’ve ended up with extra maize left over at the end,” he told the field day.

Metaboliseable energy (ME) content of the crop at grazing is about 10.3MJ/kgDM, “about the same as summer leafy pasture,” he says.

Other than the first year, he’s ignored sugges-tions extra protein should be offered – and advice to do on-off grazing to transi-tion stock onto it – with no ill-effect.

Last year 48ha was sown November 10 at Levels and was “abso-lutely amazing”, nearing deer fence height by mid January. It allowed him to carry 825 in-calf heif-ers from the start of Feb-ruary to the end of April, with 600 of them “solidly

on grazing maize” for that period. “We couldn’t have carried those heifers in the years before we had graz-ing maize.”

Initial grazing leaves stalks littered across the paddock but Brown told field day delegates bulls and heifers “do go back and eat them”.

The maize is followed by ryecorn, sometimes banged in behind a back-fence before the whole paddock is cleared. He reckons to get 6tDM/ha off the ryecorn with autumn, winter and early spring grazing, before putting the ground into fodder beet which he says aver-ages 20tDM/ha. “So we’re getting 12t/ha or more of maize, 6t/ha of ryecorn and 20t of fodder beet in two years.”

Brown presented fig-ures putting the growing

cost of the maize at $1300/ha, giving a feed cost of 10.8c/kgDM at the 12t/ha budget yield. Similarly a 4.5t/ha crop of ryecorn costing $450/ha to grow, including 150kg/ha of seed, tractor work and 200kg of urea, put the feed cost of that at 10c/kgDM.

Across the 320ha farm, with 80ha of fodder beet, 65ha of maize (grazed and harvested), and a few tweaks to pasture species and some lucerne around “rocks and rubbish”, he reckons the whole farm averaged 12,600kgDM/ha last year. That compares to 9500kgDM/ha/year in 2009 when cropping was limited to the maize silage, and a little summer bras-sica. “It’s allowing us to do an awful lot more stock than we could if we didn’t get into these two new crops.”

KEY POINTS❱❱ Sown Nov 7 – soil temp 10oC and rising.

❱❱ Grazing early Jan through to late April.

❱❱ Fertiliser: 300kg superphosphate pre-sowing; 300kg DAP at sowing; 250kg urea later.

❱❱ Budget of 12tDM/ha regularly exceeded.

❱❱ Rainfall only about 500mm/year.

❱❱ Not suitable for silage but can be grazed late.

❱❱ Followed by ryecorn direct sown into stubble.

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MANAGEMENT 37

WHO:

Warren and Andrea Leslie WHERE:

Cave, South Canterbury WHAT:

Fodder beet

Fodder beet tips aplentyRESTRICT SUPPLEMENTS, don’t worry too much about protein, and keep stock on it were just a few of many fodder beet utilisation tips shared with the field day crowd on Warren and Andrea Leslie’s farm near Cave.

“If you really want to push your intakes you’ve got to have beet in front of them all the time,” stressed Lincoln Universi-ty’s Jim Gibbs.

Providing a fibrous supplement such as hay or straw with beet is a must but offering fibre ad-lib will just erode growth rates and increase costs, he warned.

“It’s a common sen-timent that animals will balance their diets them-selves so give them all the hay and straw they want, but they don’t eat to bal-ance the rumen: they eat to make you go broke.”

Hay or straw is easy for cattle to eat and makes them feel full but they don’t realise it lowers energy intake so reduces growth, he explained.

Protein supplements such as blocks in the pad-dock also got a “make-you-go-broke” blast. “The only question is whether they’re the fastest or sec-ond-fastest way to go broke!”

He acknowledged there’s a “grain of truth” that raising protein con-tent of the diet could increase growth rate but the gain is small and doesn’t justify the cost. “If you ever have to supple-ment protein, you’re in trouble, as a rule.”

Bulb and top com-bined is typically 11-13% crude protein and there’s “no class of livestock that won’t support, except finishing lambs,” he explained

Lighter R1s, 180-230kg, can have “a mild protein sensitivity” so Gibbs rules out using hay or straw as the fibre supplement for R1s as it dilutes the diet’s overall crude protein con-tent, recommending grass or lucerne silage instead.

But for R2s or dry dairy cows such feeds are an unnecessary luxury and only add cost: use the cheapest form of fibre sup-plement available – typi-cally hay or straw – and

only at 2kg/head/day. As a rule of thumb, every kg of fibre eaten reduces beet intake by 1.5kg, he pointed out.

Transitioning stock onto beet needs care as too much, too soon, will cause acidosis but such problems are “entirely avoidable”, he stressed.

Host farmer Warren Leslie said they are “very careful” transitioning onto fodder beet and in four years of grazing the crop hadn’t lost one animal.

He admitted to some-

times departing from Gibbs’ recommendation to keep stock on the beet 24/7 once transitioned because he’d put hay feeders in a laneway “so they had somewhere dry to sleep at night” when it got wet in the paddock. “It prob-ably was to the detriment of growth rate but it made me sleep better, knowing they had somewhere dry to go.”

As one of the farms in Beef + Lamb’s Fodder Beet Profit Partnership (FBPP), trials on the farm found heifer weight gains on the crop on par or slightly better than off kale or rape

and grass in 2012.In 2013, trials found

no economic benefit to supplementing beet with lucerne baleage or a protein lick to boost diet protein content, one mob averaging 538g/day, another 321g/day.

This winter Murray Grey beef heifers have done 762g/day over 71 days on the crop, while two mobs of dairy heifers have done 614g/day and 694g/day. “The target liveweight gain [for the dairy heifers] in June, July and August is 300g/day.”

Putting in contrac-tor growing costs, stan-

dardised across all the farms in the FBPP, the beet has cost Leslie $2353/ha to grow, yielding 19-25tDM/ha, to give a feed cost of

8.9-14.3c/kgDM. But as Leslie pointed out to the field day, with some of his own machinery actual cost did not exceed $2100/ha.

Murray Grey heifers on fodder beet: for growing stock the aim is to have 25% left at the end of each day’s allocation.

Establishment (plough, disc x2, maxitill, roll x2, drill

$475/ha

Seed (Brigadier @ 80,000 seeds/ha)

$280/ha

Chemical (5 passes inc knockdown spray)

$845/ha

Fertiliser (3 passes) $753/ha

Total $2,353/ha

As supplied at BLNZ South Canterbury Farming For Profit field day. Assumes contractors used.

Fodder beet growing costs

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38 MANAGEMENT

Getting the silage right for goatsIN FEEDING and forage supply, dairy goat farm-ing is completely different from dairy cow farming.

Most dairy goats are housed indoors and farm-ers provide fresh pas-ture by the cut-and-carry

method. This fresh-cut pasture in a dairy goat system is what makes New Zealand unique, says AgResearch senior scien-tist Warren King.

“Typically one-third to one-half of total forage

supply for dairy goats is fresh-cut pasture,” he says.

However, there are challenges; fresh-cut grass is not available year-round. To help farm-ers achieve the best practices for silage and forage supply for goats, AgResearch is next week holding a silage workshop at Ruakura, Hamilton.

King says most dairy goat farmers rely on grass silage as a large compo-nent of their total forage supply system, more so than dairy cow farmers; some dairy goat farm-ers rely entirely on grass silage. Grass silage offers consistency all season, and is used alongside supple-ments such as maize silage and brewer’s grain.

Some farmers make their own grass silage, others get contractors to make it for them, others buy in silage when they need it, notes King.

“Silage is a way of deal-ing with the massive flush of spring pasture growth in September and Octo-ber, and to ensure good feed resources year-round, especially in February and March when grass dries off.

“There is an extra cost to producing silage but it’s cheaper to make your own than buy it in later on.”

Silage quality can be quite variable, however.

“Over the past two to three years we have stud-ied silage – including silage that dairy goat farm-ers have made themselves, silage they have had con-tractors make, and silage bought in – and there is a wide range in moisture and energy content.”

Researchers visit farms frequently to take sam-ples of grass silage for lab testing. Over the past 12 months, scientists have

looked at four case-study farms to help build a pic-ture of the role of silage in the total forage supply system.

Benchmarks for good quality silage include 30%DM, a metabolisable energy (ME) greater than 10, and a protein level greater than 16%. Testing by AgResearch revealed silage on Waikato dairy goat farms ranges greatly in quality. DM content ranged from 17 to 46%.

“Getting it to the right moisture content is vital,” says King. “If silage is too wet then all this nasty soup drains out the bottom of the silage stack. That means a lot of the goodness drains away.” Farmers can expect losses if dry matter is less than 25%.”

Research also found some silage had less-than-ideal metabolisable energy levels, one below eight and a handful below 10 units of ME. Some protein levels also measured low, with numbers as low as 10%.

“More protein in silage is good. Like all lactat-ing animals, goats require a high quality diet to per-form at their best.”

Silage bale and stack handling is important too. There are some risks with feeding mouldy silage, which can result in goats contracting the disease lis-teriosis, which can be fatal. These plant-soil-based bacteria thrive in spoiled silage, generally occurring when stacks or bales are poorly covered or stored.

To attend AgResearch and the Dairy Goat Coop-erative’s silage workshop at the Ruakura Research Centre, contact Warren King to register your interest: [email protected] or tel. 07 838 5159.

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MANAGEMENT 39

Financial tracking program boosts focus farmers’ profitA CRS financial tracking program has contributed to a Northland monitor dairy farm’s $200,000 lift in prof-its, say its owners Alistair and Lynn Candy.

The Candys milk 320 cows from a 103ha milking platform and 251ha support block and QE11 covenanted farm west of Okaihau. It has been a DairyNZ focus farm since 2011, intending to show the profitability gains possible on a typical Northland dairy farm.

A seven-person man-agement committee visited monthly for three years to look at ways the farm could be improved.

In the first year committee members and Northland farm-ers Peter Flood and David Gray suggested the couple use the CRM program to get a better handle on the farm’s performance.

While the couple used Bank-link to send financial information to their accountant, Lynn Candy says they didn’t review the information themselves more than once a year when doing the books. “We were using it more to get information to the accountant.”

Learning how to use the software was challenging as they had never done that level of financial analysis before. The curve was made steeper

by the couple’s wish to spend time on the farm.

“I don’t really like to spend time on the computer. But I probably would have picked it up faster if I had used it more.”

One thing that impressed Candy was the level of help offered by the company.

The couple received an hour of one-on-one training on how to set up codes and the basics of the soft-ware as well as receiving further training through courses. “That def-

initely wasn’t available through the last system.”

Since picking up the program she has done two more one-day courses. “The same gentleman took both courses; they get to know you and that was helpful.”

While she is reluctant to spend time at the computer Candy says she has got more from the software which has been instrumental in keeping things on track.

“We’ve been able to compare data as line graphs and pie charts; it’s

good to be able to see what is above or below previous years.

“We looked at the costs and asked ourselves why the high ones were so high and noted where we could make savings.”

The results have been noticeable, the software providing the couple and committee with data they need to see what parts of the business needed fine tuning.

A tight rein on costs meant that a 52% rise in production to 111,745kgMS resulted in $200,000 of extra profit.

Initially launched in 1981 by Wairarapa farmer Ian Campbell as a whole-of-farm performance tracking system. CRM records weather, stock movements, earnings and more, allowing farm information to be benchmarked against similar sized operations elsewhere.

While focus farm facilitator Gareth Baynham has been taking care of benchmarking, Candy says she will take over that task, something she is now comfortable doing. “It’s all there, all I have to do is to sit down and spend the time doing it.”

The software can be run com-fortably on Windows 7 from a Farm-side satellite broadband connection. Candy says she is able to complete accounting work without any lag.Tel. 0800 888 707 www.crssoftware.co.nz

GARETH GILLATT

Alistair and Lynn Canday say the program has provided data showing them what part of the business needs fine tuning.

“We looked at the costs and asked ourselves why the high ones were so high and noted where we could make savings.”

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42 ANIMAL HEALTH

Tail docking trial data building

“HAVE I told you anything you didn’t already know?”

“No,” answered 74% of farmers at a Beef + Lamb New Zealand field day in South Canterbury after hearing tail length trial results from Abacus Bio’s Jo Kerslake.

But Kerslake, who’s been leading the trials for Alliance Group and

UK supermarket Sains-bury, was unphased by the answer.

The findings, which show docking has no effect on growth rate but does on dags, provide the scientific evidence which will be needed if overseas buyers start asking ques-tions about tailing practice here, she explained.

There were two parts to the work: quantify-ing current practice and

secondly examin-ing whether docking flush, short, long, or not at all makes any difference to lamb growth, carcase qual-ity, dag score, and fly-strike.

A nationwide survey of sheep farm-ers found 6% dock flush, 59% dock short (about 3cm) and 32% dock long (about 6cm). The remain-der are left intact, though only 1% of farmers leave tails on maternal lambs, compared to 3% for terminals.

The trial to assess the impact of the dif-ferent approaches was run over two seasons on four

farms, two in the North Island and two in the South, and involved 3200

lambs in total.The aim was to see if

claims that leaving tails

ANDREW SWALLOW

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intact enhances carcase quality, and that docking causes a growth check, are born out in practice. With one exception – a farm in Southland which found a 100g better yield/lamb if tails were intact – it doesn’t, Kerslake told the field day audience.

“Are we missing out on any production gains? I’d say no.”

If tails are left on, once skinned there’s 200-230g of possible product in the tail. When docked it’s more like 100g.

Reducing dags and minimising flystrike were the main reasons given for tailing in the farmer survey (see table), reasons which the trial results sug-gest are justified. While no correlation between tail length and flystrike was

found, there was a very low inci-dence of flys-trike overall.

“In other work there has been a direct line between dags and flys-trike,” Kerslake noted.

In the Alli-ance work, which was sup-ported by MPI’s Sustainable Farming Fund and Beef + Lamb New Zealand, intact tail mobs always had more dags than docked, but

there was little difference in dag score between long, short and flush docked lambs.

The time to crutch a full tailed lamb was 36 sec-onds but that rose to 70 seconds for those with high dag scores.

Kerslake told the field day that in light of the results Alliance is simply recommending its suppli-ers follow the welfare code guidelines and it would not be accepting lambs docked flush.

One of the farmers at the field day said that needed to be communi-cated to some breed soci-eties because their rules still stipulate docking flush.

• Official statement soon – see page 43

How low do you go? A survey found docking to about 3cm to be the most common practice, Abacus Bio’s Jo Kerslake told field day delegates.

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ANIMAL HEALTH 43

Results and official statement soon?AN OFFICIAL statement on the second year of results from the three year project is expected from Alliance, Beef + Lamb NZ, and Sainsbury this week.

Alliance general manager live-stock, Murray Behrent, last year said first year findings were “useful early confirmation on the effect of tail docking on growth rates and we will be looking forward to the final results in 2015.

“There is currently a lack of sci-entific information addressing the

productive, economic and wel-fare aspects of docking lamb tails. This situation leaves New Zealand farmers vulnerable to any con-cerns from international markets in regards to the actual length of tails docked.”

Behrent said it’s important wel-fare issues concerning consumers and which could become barriers to exports are addressed scien-tifically with trial data. The study should allow New Zealand to do that. Murray Behrent

Report shows 1080 contractors not to blame for cattle deathsAN INVESTIGATION into two cattle deaths fol-lowing an aerial 1080 drop in May concludes proper control processes were followed by Waikato Regional Council and its pest killing contrac-tors.

The investigation found all 32 resource consent conditions for the drop were met and there was no unlawful discharge of a contam-inant to land or water.

The two cattle, part of a mob of 36, found their way into bush treated with 1080 through a gate inad-equately secured with a wire latch, said the

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44 ANIMAL HEALTH ANIMAL HEALTH 45

Ferrets link to TB raises questionIN MY letter to Rural News August 5, I made the point that TBFree NZ / OSPRI NZ had not informed the general farming commu-nity through the rural newspapers that five Southland herds were infected with TB.

Last June TBFree Southland said three of these herds were infected

by either possums or stoats and two herds by other means. In the South-land Times I questioned Southland TBFree as to the real cause of the TB infec-tions. In their reply TBFree Southland said there were now six TB infected herds. Three were infected by ferrets and three by herd movement. So what

happened to the possums and stoats that were the main culprits in TBFree Southland’s June news release? Once again the possum was a scapegoat but time proved it wasn’t the culprit. As usual herd movement also played a big part in these TB infec-tions.

Why aren’t TBFree NZ

/ OSPRI NZ not targeting the ferret when it is quite clearly a major vector in transferring TB to live-stock?

Being a carnivore the ferret doesn’t eat cereal-based 1080 toxin baits. A July 17 update by TB Action North Canterbury/Marl-borough stated: “In New Zealand, possums are

targeted for control. While ferrets can pass TB to deer and cattle, it is not possible for cost effective control of them.” Why not? They caused 50% of the South-land TB infections.

TBFree Southland’s Mike O’Brien said in Southern Rural Life in November 2012: “Our programme is not focused

on eradicating the possum but eradicating the disease from the possum popula-tion.” What about eradi-cating TB from the ferret population? It appears TBFree is treating the ferret as a farmer does his stock. By virtually

ignoring the ferret TBFree NZ is ensuring the ferret continues the TB infec-tion cycle that, along with public monies, fuels the TBFree NZ / OSPRI NZ gravy train.Ron EddyWairau Saddle

TBNZ responds...

All part of the problem

In response to Ron Eddy, TBfree New Zealand acknowledges ferrets are part of the complex web of bovine tuberculosis (TB) transmission. Various research projects have been completed on ferrets and their role in the TB disease cycle which directs our science-based control plan. TBfree New Zealand undertakes ferret operations, but this is usually for TB surveillance purposes.

Ferrets contract the disease by scavenging on TB-infected possum carcases. Put simply, remove the disease from possums and it will naturally die out in other scavenging wild animals, such as ferrets and pigs. This method has been successful in several areas, most recently in parts of north Canterbury, where TB infection in ferrets was rife a decade ago and has now been totally removed after intensive possum control.

Mr Eddy regularly uses information out of context. In this instance, his comment about ferrets not being “cost-effective” to control omits several other impor-tant pieces of information in the newsletter to which he refers. Namely, independent, peer reviewed studies show that in most parts of New Zealand, ferret numbers decline during winter and, where there are fewer than three ferrets per hectare, TB cannot be maintained in their population.

Possums are the main carrier of TB and source of the disease in cattle and deer. Take the West Coast, which is not a habitat for ferrets, yet has the highest number of infected herds in the country. DNA strain typing of infected livestock links the majority of the region’s herd infections back to TB in possums.Nick HancoxTBfree New Zealand

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ANIMAL HEALTH 45

LEAHY SAYS feral hives, by nature unmanaged and untreated, pose a particular threat now that varroa is endemic.

When such hives collapse due to varroa infestation large numbers of absconding, mite-laden feral bees can suddenly re-infest nearby managed hives.

Meanwhile bees from the managed hive may also rob the weakened feral hive, unintentionally

bringing mites and all their viruses back with them.

“Suddenly the beekeeper has another unexpected infestation problem.”

DWV infected bees can’t fly and forage so repeated re-infesta-tion with virus laden mites “has an obvious devastating effect on the health and strength of the hive,” he adds.

“The effects of deformed wing

virus are easily identified and are a key indicator that treatments are overdue.

“This research (see main story) is very interesting and possibly explains why beekeepers at times witnessed hives succumbing so fast at the critical stage….[But] most beekeepers manage varroa pretty well once the infestations settle down to a more predictable nature.”

Feral threat explained

Varroa links bees susceptible to other issuesA JOINT New Zealand-French study showing varroa makes bees much more susceptible to other problems confirms what beekeepers have learnt from experience, say industry leaders.

“We have been totally aware of the impact of varroa and the subsequent issues over viruses and bacteria in the hive and how they impact bee health,” Federated Farmers Bees chairman John Hartnell told Rural News fol-lowing publication of Otago Univer-sity and INRA, France, pHD student Fanny Modet’s paper in online jour-nal PLOS Pathogens.

“Where trouble starts is if the hive is not treated for varroa, or treated too late and varroa place huge pressure on the bee colony.”

Problems can be accentuated by poor bee nutrition, particularly lack of pollen, adds Hartnell.

“Hence for the last six years we have been driving the ‘Trees for Bees’ programme. If the hive has access to good pollen and nectar sources it has a far better chance of producing new

healthy bees.”Hartnell points out varroa’s size

relative to a bee is like a dinner plate to an adult human. “So it does serious damage to the honeybee.”

His comments are echoed by National Beekeepers Association president Ricki Leahy. “Beekeepers are very aware that the first two years or so of varroa establishing in an area are the most critical.”

Otago University said the study would “provide important insights for future management of threatened bee populations world-wide” as honeybee colonies are dying at alarming rates but the exact cause, and hence how bees can be saved, remains unclear.

Modet studied the interplay of bees, mites and viruses as varroa spread through New Zealand.

Of seven virus species monitored, deformed wing virus (DWV) was the most strongly affected by varroa’s arrival. It can multiply in mites and is thought to be a direct cause of var-roa-induced colony collapse, a phe-nomenon almost never seen in New Zealand pre-varroa.

Another highly virulent varroa-

transmitted virus, Kashmir bee virus (KBV), also showed a close associa-tion with the mite but unlike DWV, KBV abundance peaks two years after an initial varroa infestation then disappears, leaving DWV as the dominant virus in long-term varroa-infested areas.

“The results of this study strengthen the idea that in varroa infested bees, multiple virus species interact to create a dynamic and tur-bulent pathological landscape, and that viruses play an important part in the survival or collapse of honey-bee colonies infested by varroa,” says Mondet.

The researchers hope the study, which was supported by a grant from the New Zealand Honey Trust Indus-try Fund, will highlight the impor-tance of beekeeper awareness, of mite monitoring, and the timing and effi-ciency of varroa control.

But Hartnell says most beekeepers “are fully conversant with varroa and the management practises required” and are “doing a great job”.

ANDREW SWALLOW

[email protected]


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46 ANIMAL HEALTH

Industry agreement on induction ban

FEDERATED FARMERS was likely the last to sign an industry agreement consigning scheduled inductions to the farm management dustbin, it has emerged.

Inductions policy has been managed by a group of signatories to a memoran-dum of understanding including the New Zealand Veterinary Association, Dairy NZ, the Dairy Companies Asso-ciation of New Zealand and Feds.

In 2010 rules were imposed requir-ing non-emergency inductions to be scheduled 90 days in advance, and lim-ited to 15% of the herd. The ceiling tum-bled to 8% in 2011, and 4% in 2012, and has stayed at that level since; about 30% of farms took advantage of that last year.

Feds’ Dairy chairman Andrew Hog-gard says the decision to ban the prac-tice from June 1 next year was made “at a high level” back in February though Feds didn’t sign to it until after an in-committee debate at its annual confer-ence.

“I think we are the last to decide,” he told Rural News last week.

Hoggard says the decision has had “a mixed reaction onfarm” among the 30% of farmers who still used the practice. “A number were disappointed that they hadn’t had the opportunity to speak on the matter through their net-works.”

However, given the sensitivity of the issue in the mainstream, it always had to be dealt with discreetly, he says.

“70% of farmers didn’t induce last year, so we assume they’re not worried and a number have said ‘a good job too’ since the ban,” he adds.

Kimberly Crewther, executive direc-tor of the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand, says the ban was seen as “a logical next step” by the associa-tion. “It reflects that from the indus-try perspective the acceptability of the practice had changed over time.”

When pressed, she acknowledged there were concerns about a public and consequent market backlash against New Zealand product had the prac-tice continued. “There’s potential for that with any of these [animal welfare] issues.”

With inductions gone, she says there are no other common practices on dairy

farms that “spring to mind that are not consistent with the [animal welfare] codes”.

Farmers who’ve been using induc-tions that Rural News spoke to accepted the ban is probably a necessary step, albeit with some hesitation.

“With the internet and media today, perception is far greater than reality,” James Houghton, Waikato, said. “It was

a convenient tool and economic to do, but we just have to accept it’s gone and move on.”

He’s hopeful “getting smarter” in various areas of the business can recoup most of the $13,000 or so of extra milk income inducing 17 cows in his herd of 430 this season is likely to bring.

South Canterbury Federated Farm-ers Dairy chairman Ryan O’Sullivan

also accepts the ban was necessary, but again more because of public percep-tion than reality. He says there will be downsides which the public wouldn’t be aware of.

“The 50 or so we would have had [induced] next year will be in the late-calving mob, calving in October, and they will be as fat-as because we just won’t be able to keep the weight off them calving that late, which means we’re more likely to have metabolic problems – more milk fever.”

As such, the risk to the cow is greater than an induction, and calving so late the chances of her getting in calf in time for the following year are slim so she’s likely to be culled, whereas a one-off induction could have reset the clock for what was otherwise a good cow.

“If the [induction] process was man-aged properly I don’t believe there was a huge animal welfare issue.

“It was quite a valuable tool and one we’re sad to lose but that ratio-nale’s hard for the public to accept. And no-one wants to see a video clip of a premature calf being pulled from its mother and euthanased going viral on the internet.”

ANDREW SWALLOW

[email protected]

A pan industry agreement consigns scheduled inductions to the dust bin of farm management practices.

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WITH SCHEDULED inductions banned as from next season the annual barrage of mating manage-ment advice seems set to be more intense than ever.

LIC fired a salvo earlier this month, saying start planning calv-ing without inductions now, and DairyNZ’s September Inside Dairy, due in mailboxes any day, has mating advice “referencing the new policy”.

DairyNZ has also updated induction information in the reproduction area of its website and regional teams are informing farmers personally, says DairyNZ technical policy advisor, veterinary, Nita Harding.

“We’ve got information out to farmers before the start of mating, so they have time to work with their advisors and can manage mating this year knowing that routine inductions will not be permitted next year.”

Harding says further advice from veterinarians and DairyNZ’s InCalf programme can also help better manage calving pattern (see www.dairynz.co.nz/incalf ).

LIC’s veterinarian and repro-duction solutions manager, Joyce Voogt, says make a robust plan to minimise the number of late calv-ing cows.

“The most natural way to do this is by focussing on the herd’s 6-week in-calf rate, with a proac-tive approach to mating manage-ment, all year-round. For many farmers that needs to start this spring.”

Voogt points out the indus-try target for cows in calf after six weeks of mating is 78% but the national average is 65%, so there’s a big opportunity.

Minda records show many farms achieve the 6-week concep-tion target without inductions and these farms are also substantially closer to target three-week submis-sion and conception rate targets.

While there will always be some late cows, the key is to be proactive in managing them, she says.

“It’s not as simple as pulling the service bulls out early this year. Mating-length decisions should be made with your veterinar-ian or farm management consul-tant. Gathering and using the right herd testing and pregnancy test-ing information will be crucial for making the best mating and culling decisions.”

Analyse which cows will calve late and why, so that underlying causes of slippage in the calving pattern can be addressed.

“The key areas to look at now are heifer liveweight and mating date, cow condition at calving and mating, and early identification and

management of non-cyclers.

“Heat detection is always crucial, but don’t forget the nat-ural mating period too. Farmers with enough pregnancy test data can check out their new preg-nancy rate graphs in Minda repro-duction to see how things went after AB finished in their herd last year.

“Many things can impact a cow’s abil-ity to get in-calf. Now more than ever, as an industry, we need to focus maximising per-formance in the first half of mating.”


ANIMAL HEALTH 47

Mating advice – no more inductions!

ANDREW SWALLOW

[email protected]

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❱❱ Use advice and tools available: LIC’s six week challenge (www.6weeks.co.nz) and Dairy NZ’s InCalf.

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www.ruralnews.co.nz

FEW FARM machines in New Zealand can harvest 100t/hour: South Canter-bury-based contractor Ken Caird has one of them.

It’s a Vervaet Beet Eater 617, built for Europe’s sugar crops but now making short work of fodder beet between the Rakaia and Waitaki Rivers. “We can do 0.8-1.0ha an hour,” he told Rural News.

Depending on the yield of the crop and drymatter content, that can be over 100t/hour piling into the machine’s massive central hopper.

“It’s meant to take 17t but that’s probably with sugar beet which is a bit smaller and more uni-

form so they pack more in. We’re getting about 15t in there with fodder beet.”

Unloading takes about one minute, either direct into a truck driving along-side the lifter so no har-vesting time is lost, or on the headland if it’s too wet to have trucks in the pad-dock.

Alternatively tractors and trailers run alongside the lifter if it’s wet.

The harvester’s able to keep going in all but the stickiest conditions thanks to four-wheel drive and even weight distribution over its R32 800/65 tyres. Mud sticking to the roots, rather than lack of traction or compaction, is gener-

ally what stops it, explains Caird.

“Everything’s adjust-able from the cab so if it’s wet you can drop the tyre pressure to improve traction, then pump it up again for the road when you leave the paddock, without even getting out of the seat.”

At the front of the lifter a flail spits the beet tops to the side, before six pairs of oscillating shares tease roots from the ground at up to 23 tweaks/second, and onto a series of stars or turbines. The turbines tumble the beets around at speed, shak-ing the soil off at the same time as passing them back-

wards under the machine and onto an elevator into the hopper.

Adjusting the height of the turbines allows stones to be spun out the side, though if too-large a gap

is left fragments of small beet escape too.

“Stones in with the beet is no good if you’re putting it through a feeder wagon or chopper, but if you’re feeding them out

whole they’re less of a problem.”

Not surprisingly, given Canterbury’s alluvial soils, Caird’s come across some seriously stony paddocks already and while they’re

hard on the machine, so far it has coped well. How-ever, he advises those thinking of growing crops for lifting to choose their least stony paddocks.

Cultivar choice is another important con-sideration, harder, higher dry matter types being better suited to the cut and carry approach.

“High dry matter keeps the cartage cost down. You can get the same yield without the volume.”

Growing an even crop so that flails take the tops off all beet, but no more, is also important, so go for a mono-germ seed, he says. The lifter can handle either 45cm or 50cm rows but the narrower spacing is preferable as it achieves canopy closure earlier, helping shade out weeds and making for a more even, higher yielding crop.

Besides lifting the beet,


48 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS

Growing trade in lifting beetNot only are more farms turning to fodder beet as a winter and shoulder season feed, but an increasing number are having it lifted for stock located elsewhere. Andrew Swallow caught up with one of the larger machines operating in Canterbury.

Beet Eater Canterbury contractor Ken Caird with his harvester.

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CAIRD’S VERVAET 617 is one of two in Canterbury, and there’s one about to go to a contractor at Clinton, South Otago.

There’s also one of the 617’s predecessors, a 12-T (still a self-propelled 6-row harvester but with 12t bunker instead of 17t) on a farm at Balfour, Southland, and there’s an Agrifac-6, another make of 6-row harvester, also doing the rounds in

Southland, says Marcel van Hazen-donk, of Agritotal, Gore, the New Zealand agent for Dutch manufac-turer Vervaet.

“I believe there’s another [Vervaet] operating in the North Island,” he told Rural News.

Van Hazendonk says he antici-pates there will be at least two more in the far south by next winter, with some looking to chip and ensile crops

for use as a supplement throughout the milking season instead of just as a winter feed.

“When people know there’s a harvester around and possibly more coming they become more interested in the crop and think they will grow more. For example, one farmer I was talking to [last] week had 10ha this winter and is going to put in 40ha for next year now.”

Hard to beet!

Rotating stars carry beets under the machine, separat-ing soils and stones in the process.

the machine’s shares guide it down the rows allow-ing hands-free operation from the Claas built cab. Four-wheel steer means rear wheels follow the front wheels exactly even when turning, minimising tracking and risk of driv-ing on beet.

Monitors in the cab show key points along the lifting line so perfor-mance can be assessed and any problems, such as blockages, spotted early. There’s also a revers-ing camera to eliminate blindspots behind the machine’s massive bulk.

Power comes from a 6-cyl, 430hp DAF engine, delivered hydraulically to wheels and other moving parts. The 1000L diesel tank allows at least a day and a half ’s work with-out refill.

As of early this month Caird’s machine had clocked up 400 hours in the paddock and he hopes to hit 600 hours before the season’s out. Next year he reckons 1000 hours could

be required.“We were busy for

a month or two after it arrived, then it went a bit quiet over the middle of winter and now it’s pick-ing up again as cows come

back onto the milking plat-forms.”

He’s also going to be sowing the crop this spring with a 12-row Kverneland planter expected to arrive any day.

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SATELLITE BROADBAND onseller Wireless Nation (using the Optus satellite service) is working with PGG Wrightson in a new deal for farmers.

As part of PGG Wrightson’s rewards scheme, account holders get a deal on Wireless Nation’s sat-ellite and fixed wireless (rural broadband initiative) broadband plans, chargeable to their PGG Wright-son rewards card.

Wireless Nation’s offer will be promoted through PGG Wrightson’s retail outlets and technical field reps.

“We know how important fast, reliable internet is to farmers,” says Shannon Galloway, general man-ager marketing PGG Wrightson.

“We also know farmers don’t want to have to spend time trying to work out plans and gigs or worry about getting caught with penalties and hooks. Wire-less Nation [can] make the process simple and jargon free.”

Wireless Nation’s technical director Tom Linn says the company offers PGW account holders, regardless of where they live, “a fast consistent inter-net connection”.

“Additionally we offer bespoke solutions to pro-vide coverage to large farms or particularly remote areas, like we’ve done on the Chatham Islands.”

Paul Sheridan, vice president Optus Satellite, says it operates dedicated transponders on its D2 satel-lite that provide line-of-sight to New Zealand’s land mass.

“This means Wireless Nation can be confident in the delivery of quality broadband services to their customers regardless of where they are based.”

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Seeder/spreader suits all seed typesAUTUMN TRIALS of a new version of the Pot-

tinger Terrasem C6 air seeder/fertiliser spreader have shown it can achieve a more consistent finish

on multiple seed types, says the importer Origin Agroup.

Its South Island sales

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manager Darryl Cham-bers refers to the drill’s improved controls and running gear.

He says the maker has improved the unit’s ground contact. Its side frame has been engineered for ‘unlimited’ upward movement and up to five degrees downward move-ment to maintain constant work pressure, with nitro-gen accumulators equalis-ing pressure right across discs.

Chambers says this gives it precise working depth adjustment, and produces a homogenous seedbed and elimination of power peaks.

The unit has aggres-sive discs to offer accu-rate seed placement and to make sure the ground is left in an ideal state for seeding with the small-

est turning circle possi-ble. Individually mounted packer wheels keep the soil level with no smear-ing. Chambers says extra work on the suspen-sion makes it possible for the drill to work effec-tively quickly, resulting in faster seeding times. “The drill can do a good job at 10-12km/h.”

The seeder can handle from rye grass to turnips and fertiliser. Fertiliser and seed are kept in sepa-rate hoppers with a lever underneath controlling the ratio of seed to fertil-iser.

Everything on the seeder can be controlled from a cab-mounted remote control.

Power required is 200-300hp. Tel. 07 823 7582 www.originagroup.co.nz

The Pottinger Terrasem C6 air spreader can handle ryegrass to turnips and fertiliser as well.

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MACHINERY & PRODUCTS 51Electrics safeguard valuable fodder crop

Farm manager Dave Jackways with fence controller mounted on the wall in the background.

ROTOKAIA FARM’S new Gallagher i series fence energiser is effectively protecting a valuable fodder beet crop from overgrazing, say the farm man-agers.

Canterbury farmers Dave Jack-ways and Steve Booker, who manage the syndicate-owned farm, bought an M5800i energiser in June to beef up their electric fencing system on a 230ha runoff between Rakaia and Ash-burton.

This runoff is used for grazing young stock and for wintering many of the operation’s 1950 cows from the 750ha home farm near Dorie.

This year the runoff is growing 70ha of fodder beet for winter feed. While fodder beet can be expensive to grow, its high metabolisable energy content makes it an ideal crop for wintering cows. But cows have to be gradually transitioned onto the crop through careful breakfeeding.

“We don’t want the cows getting too much too soon because that could be fatal,” Jackways says.

This is where the new M5800i energiser comes in, keeping electric fences hot.

Packing 58 joules of energy, the

unit can power fences up to 240ha.“We needed something with

plenty of power, and the M5800i is right for the job.”

The unit comes with a control-ler that can be positioned away from the main energiser. This controller enables the farmer to monitor the condition of the fence and perfor-mance of the energiser. It can also be used to turn the energiser on or off, set alarm levels and fine-tune the target output voltage.

Jackways says their energiser is mounted inside an irrigation pump shed and the controller is mounted on the outside of this shed “where it’s easy to see when you are going past”.

Four monitors spread around the runoff recognise any drop in perfor-mance at their location and imme-diately relay this information to the controller.

The M5800i was also supplied with an energiser remote and fault finder which enables the farmer to quickly locate faults, turn the unit on or off remotely, and test a fence once a repair is completed.

Jackways says the remote saves a lot of time and effort when shifting

temporary fences on pasture or crops.“Most of our breaks are big, long

faces, so if we come across a prob-lem when moving the fence we can turn the power off using the remote, fix the problem, turn it back on again and carry on. “It tells you exactly which part of the farm the fault is in and where it is, so you don’t have to trudge over the whole farm looking for it.”

Rotokaia Farm also bought an optional SMS energiser controller that requests and receives fence per-formance information via SMS text messaging.

This system notifies the farmer via mobile phone if there is any problem with the fence.

“Our cell coverage here is dodgy, but Gallagher is working on getting this up and running for us. It’s going to be useful.”

The M5800i is one of four Galla-gher energisers owned by Rotokaia Farms. Jackways says the opera-tion also runs Gallagher W810 weigh scales, used for monthly young stock weighing. Tel. 0800 731 500www.gallagher.co.nz

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conventional contestant. www.powerfarming.co.nz

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52 MACHINERY & PRODUCTSAttention to detail keeps customers coming back

GOOD QUALITY, up-to-date machinery keeps owner-operator contrac-tor Darryl Isaac, Te Puke, ahead the game, under-lining the old adage: no farmer wants to see you turn up with old gear.

Efficiency and perfor-mance stay high, and over-

heads down, as a result, he says. “Nothing will touch good gear for fuel effi-ciency and productivity.”

He employs no staff. “All my clients appreciate dealing directly with me. Personal service sets me apart from other contrac-tors.”

For six years he has ranged Bay of Plenty from

Kaimai/Ohauiti/Pyes Pa and Oropi in the north to Thornton, near Whaka-tane in the south.

He does ground prepa-ration in the spring for all crops including new grass and maize. In late spring and summer he mows grass for silage and hay and backs up with con-ditioning and raking. In

the autumn he returns to ground preparation fol-lowing crops for new grass, and does large areas of undersowing.

Some of his gear includes Hooper discs with a 4.5m cut, a 5.0m Amazon power harrow and Claas mowers with a 3.1m cutting width.

His two latest pur-chases from Piako Trac-tors, Rotorua, are a Fendt 927 with Vario transmis-sion (the new 900 range) and a Duncan 3000e triple disc for crop sowing and undersowing.

The Fendt is his third, rated at 270hp and a top road speed of 50km. The extra power enables him to operate wider gear more efficiently, the econ-omy of scale passed to his farmer clients. He has front mounted three point linkage and front

PTO. The rear PTO is 540/1000rpm, the front 1000rpm.

Piako Tractors prod-uct manager Nick Pilcher rates the fuel efficiency per hectare and per kilo-metre as the tractors’ most important attribute. “There are many others of course but the lower fuel costs, which make up half the cost of a tractor, put this one well ahead.”

Both men also rate highly the comfort of the cab and its layout aligned with the Vario transmis-sion enabling the driver to

work comfortably and effi-ciently for long hours.

Isaac looked at many drills before choosing the latest Duncan 3000e; the main feature he wanted was 115mm row spacing with 27 rows in its 3.1m working width.

“Most other drills have 150mm row spacing, which requires two passes to give good coverage. With this drill only one pass is needed to get top results.”

Adding to the machine’s efficiency is that its weight is directly over the discs, drills and

press wheels, exerting up to 80kg pressure ensuring optimum soil compaction for seed germination.

Electric drive gives even and accurate sowing rates which can be adjusted at the touch of a button. There is built in radar for accurate area count which is relayed to a cab mounted console.

“I like also that cali-bration can be done with the computer or manually adjusted.”Tel. 027 274 7004 www.piakotractors.co.nz

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Contractor Darryl Isaac (left) believes in the adage that no farmer wants to see you turn up with old gear.

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New baler a hero in Flash’s universeA CONTRACTOR named Flash Gordon needed a super-hero baler – so in November 2013 he bought a Lely Welger 245 Tornado baler/wrapper.

Gordon was named Graham by his parents, but since school he has picked up the name Flash, hence his Winton con-tracting business is Flash Agri.

He decided he wanted a fixed chamber baler, he wanted a combined baler/wrapper, he was impressed with a Lely Welger baler he trialled, and he likes dealing with his local Lely agent JJs, Invercargill.

The main attraction of a combi baler is saving time and manpower. “One man, one tractor and you do the job.

I don’t want to wrap where I stack them. My theory is if you need to do that, then you’re not using the right plastic.”

Flash trialled a Lely variable chamber baler in 2012. “We were impressed with that, and probably would have bought it, but I knew a fixed chamber model was coming out.”

He prefers the fixed chamber as he says it makes a better-shaped bale. “At the start and end of the season, in short fluffy grass, a vari-

able chamber can make an oval bale. I believe a fixed chamber makes a visually better bale – it’s more flat across the top.”

Part of the business is buying and selling bales so good looking bales are important and it’s better for clients having hard-

shouldered bales lined up in a paddock.

Most of Flash Agri’s work is baleage and the Tornado 245 is said to be excellent in dealing with wet grass, even in thick swathes. “It has a huge rotor, and once it picks it up it just swallows it.

Taking out the corners on the headlands is no prob-lem.”

The Tornado also does a good job with lucerne and whole crop. It has the Xtracut 25-knife chopping system. Gordon generally does not use the knives for grass – he says there’s

too much wastage at feed-ing out – but he does cut whole crop. He engages half the knives and can do that in the cab. He also bales hay and straw with the Tornado and it works just as well.

The Tornado 245 has a 2.25m cam-less pick up

with five sets of tine bars. Grass is fed into the rotor and chamber on 18 steel rollers.

Blockages are easily dealt with. The floor is flexible to allow most lumps to pass through but if that’s not enough, it has a drop floor.

The bale is wrapped in two layers of net and slides out onto the wrap-ping platform.

“The transfer from netting to wrapper takes about 10 seconds. It’s not like a table has to slide for-ward and back, so you can keep baling the next one while wrapping.”

He applies six layers of plastic, but the number can be changed from the cab.

The baler can be set to automatically release the wrapped bale, or it can be done manually, for exam-ple on hills when you want to place the bale.

He is often baling on hillsides and says the transfer to the wrapper is just as easy whether going up or down hill. He isn’t interested in how fast he can push the bales out.

“It’s not a slow baler but I want to make every bale a good one, so I don’t talk about how fast I go. Farmers remember the dodgy ones. Clients are happy with the bales the Tornado produces, and I’m pleased with the amount of dry matter in the bales.”

Everything is con-trolled from the monitor in the cab.

“It’s daunting at first but it’s like when you get a new cellphone: the old one was always the best because you knew how it worked.

“But once you get to know the new one, it becomes the new best.”www.lely.co.nz

Southland contractor Flash Gordon says his Welger Tornado 245 combi baler is excellent when baling wet grass and it makes professional quality bales.

www.fairbrotherind.com | 0800 476 868 | [email protected]

SERIES 2 KINGHITTER

• 270 KG Hammer• 4.25 (150 UC)

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• 250mm Super Side Shift

$20,990+GST

Offer Ends 30/09/2014

SERIES 2 KINGHITTER

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and jockey wheel • Hydraulic disc or electric braked front axle

• LED lights • Now hot dip galvanised

BALE FEEDERS

124 Lincoln Road, MastertonEmail: [email protected]

Leaders in farm machinery design

Ph Stuart 0274 387 528Workshop 06 370 1329

TRAILERS

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loading by 15% • Power draw

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SHEEP CONVEYORS



Wide variety in green machine baler rangeA NEW John Deere 800 series mower-conditioner and three new 400 series fixed-chamber round balers, including a wrap-ping baler model, are

among the company’s 2014 offerings.

The European 830 cen-tre-pivot mower-condi-tioner comes in 3m and 3.5m working width, with

a choice of impellers or adjustable rubber rollers for the conditioning pro-cess.

The modular cutter-bar allows high-speed

mowing, and it duplicates the load conditions of a self-propelled machine. Balance and high ground clearance give best pos-sible field performance;

a new floating suspen-sion system allows close following of ground con-tours.

The 830 has six discs and 58 preloaded tines,

giving a marked increase in capacity and crop flow under various harvest-ing conditions. Even in heavy, wet crops and at high working speed, the parallelogram design of the conditioning hood maintains the optimum distance between the impeller tines or rollers and the hood at all times, John Deere says.

The F440R round baler and C440R wrapping baler suit large livestock farms and contractors making at least 3000 bales per season with a focus on silage production. “These are premium specifica-tion balers with long-life components, specially designed to operate well in wet silage conditions,” John Deere says.

There is a choice of 2.0m or 2.2m pick-ups feeding a high capacity inline MaxiCut HC rotor with 13 or 25 knives. In addition to the rotor, these machines use other com-ponents from the 900 Series variable-cham-ber round baler, includ-

ing a five tine bar pick-up with heavy-duty bearings, and a full width drop-floor system allowing “instant” blockage clearances from the tractor cab. Cab moni-toring and control systems include a GreenStar Dis-play 1800 or new imple-ment display 1100.

The F440M round baler is a multi-purpose machine aimed at small-

to-medium size farms. Designed to produce between 1000 and 3000 bales of hay, silage or straw per season, this model offers a choice of 2m Roto-Flow HC or MaxiCut HC 13-knife rotors, and is available in MultiCrop or silage special versions. It also features the 900 series baler’s high-per-formance feeding system, new driveline and rotor, stronger shielding, wider and bigger tyres and other improved components.

All three 400 series machines offer a choice of CoverEdge or edge-to-edge netwrap or double twine wrapping systems. johndeere.co.nz

The F44OR round baler.

The C44OR wrap;ping baler.

“These are premium specification balers with long-life components, specially designed to operate well in wet silage conditions.”

WWW.SUZUKI.CO.NZ

Once you’ve played and worked with the best, there’s no settling for less. That’s why Tony Woodcock kits up on a Suzuki. And just like New Zealand’s most capped prop, the DR200 Trojan has measured up to the test for years. With a tough 200cc engine, greater suspension travel, higher ground clearance, and a lower seat height than any of its competitors, it’s rugged, reliable and easy around the paddock. The 13-litre fuel tank means it won’t be stopping half way through the game. When you add top level details like alloy hand guards, rubber insulated steel footpegs, dual side stands and a large 12Vheadlight it’s clear no other farm bike can compete.

NO.1 PERFORMER ON EVERY PADDOCK

PROVEN TOUGH. GREATER ENDURANCE. NO COMPETITION

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‘Myrtle’ the tractor; world famous in NZ!‘IN THE future everybody will be world-famous for 15 minutes,’ said pop-artist Andy Warhol in 1968.

Myrtle, a TEA Ferguson 28 trac-tor (1952), got her 15 minutes in 2003 when MP Shane Arden drove her up the steps of Parliament during Feder-ated Farmers’ FART (‘fight all ridicu-lous taxes’) protest against the Labour government’s plan to tax methane emissions from farm animals.

She carries the rego number 48 WCP, ‘birth certificate’ number 206476625-00, VIN number 404221 and engine number SC 79067E. Rated engine size is 1274cc.

Her owners since 1975 are Bob and

Doreen Appleton, farming at Eureka, Waikato. He is a self-styled ‘graduate’ of Motuamaho University, Morrins-ville, where they 39% share milked, staying 16 years.

After 10 years they bought 73ha at Eureka and installed a 50:50 share milker. Six years later they had saved enough to buy a herd and shifted to Eureka, farming there 37 years before selling in 1996.

While at Eureka they also bought 17ha and converted it to a deer farm (110 hinds) and a separate 13ha graz-ing block. He trained and raced suc-cessful racehorses, was active in Federated Farmers and was a long-time chairman of the Waikato farm cadet scheme. “Most of the cadets we

employed still keep in touch with us.”After selling Eureka he doubled

his land area, buying at Reporoa, set-ting up a dairy farm and employing a share-milker.

Then with an equity partner he bought a 264ha ex-forestry block, converting it to grazing and eventu-ally running 1400 yearling dairy heif-ers. Health problems prompted him to sell his interest in 2013, the same year buying a 102ha farm with 5ha of riparian rights at Te Poi, Matamata in the lee of the Kaimais. Daughter Carole became farm manager.

Myrtle gets to help out there, start-ing ‘first pop’ even on frosty mornings and still doing faithful service as farm ‘hack’.

TONY HOPKINSON

A member of the family

BOB AND Doreen Appleton bought Brookside Farm, Te Poi, in June 2013 and employed their daughter Carole as farm manager.

Her only stipulation, says Appleton, was she had to have Myrtle.

The first year (June 2013 - May 2014) they grazed 550 dairy yearlings and spent the year re-fencing the farm to mainly 1ha paddocks all feeding into a central race for easier stock control and movement.

Says Carole, “I started farming as a kid two steps behind dad, helping with the cows, and when I was big enough riding his horses doing track work. I’ve always been big on animal health and welfare.”

She employs no dogs, to minimise stress. Most stock are called, two gates being left open if necessary so stock find their own way at their own pace between paddocks.

This season they wintered 400 grazers, 330 Friesian-cross and 70 straight Friesian animals. The straight-breds are charged at $1/head/week

extra. A change this season is 300 extra weaners arriving in November.

All the stock are owned by just three farmers. “We had enquiries from another 25 farmers before the season started”.

Supplements are 400 bales of silage harvested on the farm and some bought-in hay. Owners are welcome and pay regular visits. Extra to paying grazing they are required to pay for and do any drenching needed.

Bob and Carole have planted 5000 mostly native trees and will plant 1000 more this year where animals find it difficult to graze, around new and old ponds and streams, to beautify land and attract birds and bees.

Myrtle gets any required TLC only from Bryce Henderson at Te Poi garage. He alone is allowed to touch her “private parts”.

Apart from that she remains unchanged. “A repaint would ruin Myrtle,” says Carole. “She is part of the Appleton family and always will be.”

Myrtle has been owned by Bob Appleton since 1975.

Carole Appleton sits on Myrtle, while father Bob looks on.

• 2.8mto3.6mworkingwidths

• FullyweldedKverneland cutterbar

• Quickfitknives

• Verticaltransportposition

• Ampleclearanceofswaths duringheadlandturns

• 2yeardrivelinewarranty

Suitable for a quality cut under a range of conditions these mowers feature spring tension breakaway and adjustable working positions. The 2800 series is also centrally suspended for the most perfect ground contour following capability.

2600 & 2800 SERIES MOWERS

www.powerfarming.co.nzContact your local Kverneland dealer for more information

TAARUP DISC MOWERS



Loyal to brand because it keeps delivering on marginal countryREPOROA DAIRY farmers Robin and Annette Broderson have only ever owned Massey Ferguson tractors, find-ing no reason to look at other brands, says distributor Agco.

The Brodersons run a 150ha dairy unit on the central plateau, milking 380 cows. They also have a 46ha runoff and a 190ha dry stock unit they’re breaking out of trees.

Broderson, who is the master of the Taupo hunt, grew up on his moth-er’s farm where Massey Ferguson was always the brand to buy.

“Mum had three MF 35s at that stage before she bought a new 135. I’ve had 11 Masseys myself over the years and we’ve had a good run out of them.”

Today they own a two-year-old MF 7475, an MF 5445, which they’ve had for five years, and an eight-year-old MF 6465.

“They’ve been reliable and user friendly. I just like them. They’re easy to handle and good on the hills, as we work in quite a bit of steep country. The two big tractors have duals. We do a lot

of silage and cultivation and some of the land we drive over is marginal.”

He uses the large MF 7475 for most cultivation work and for mowing and fertilising. The MF 6465 is used to feed out and cultivate, while the MF 5445 is used for feeding out on the home block.

“We do most of the farm work our-selves and the Masseys are good for towing. The new MF 7475 has a Vario transmission and we’re pleased with that. It’s easy to drive and you can do any revs at any speed.

“The MF 7475 also has front sus-pension and is comfortable to drive. It’s meant to be 140hp and I think it’s all of that. We do a lot of steep work and that’s where we found we were running out of power.”

In the cab the MF 6400 and 7400 series tractors offer space, visibility and low noise levels, Agco says. The result is that working long, hard hours becomes less stressful and more productive.

Broderson’s MF 7475 and MF 6465 tractors also deliver high power and torque and give outstanding perfor-

mance in a wide range of applications, with excellent fuel economy.

His 90hp MF 5445 model has Massey Ferguson’s Dyna-4 transmission and T-bar shift.

“The MF 5445 is a general-purpose farm tractor and its transmission is useful. It has a good power-to-weight

ratio. I did all our mowing with it before we got the big tractor and it was surpris-ing how it handled it. It’s a handy front-loader tractor.”

High visibility and generous hydrau-lics make the MF 5445 perfect in dairy applications, the company says. Alter-natively, with its high ground clearance,

stability, powerful engine and robust chassis, it’s an ideal arable tractor. It is straightforward to operate, has easy access and is comfortable.

Brodersons bought their fleet from Terry Cameron at Taupo Tractors.Tel. 0272 708 027 [email protected].

Robin Broderson’s Massey Fergusons keep them on top of their hill country north of Taupo.

Contact your nearest Reese dealer for more information. All prices are exclusive of GST. Freight charges may apply

Reese Agri Ph: 06-357 9323 Email: [email protected] Ph Jon: 021-433 129 www.reeseagri.co.nz

Reese Agri’s range of UFO Mowers are known for their robustness, dependability and honest ability to get the job done. With 8 models

to choose from, there is a mower to suit your every requirement.Built with the quality workmanship you’d expect from a company that has been building and marketing agricultural mowers for more than 40 years, the UFO range consists of 5 drum mowers and 3 disc mowers, from 1.6m up to 3.4m cut. So if you are in the market for a mower, look no further than a UFO Drum or Disc Mower.

UFO DRUM MOWER FEATURES❱❱ Available in manual, hydraulic and trailed models

❱❱ Cutting widths range from 1.6 to 3.4 meters

❱❱ Heavy belt drive system

❱❱ Low maintenance, low cost operation

SPECIFICATIONS UFO1600 UFO2070W UFO2400 UFO2400HL UFO3400Cutting width 1.6m 2.0m 2.4m 2.4m 3.4mNo. Drums / Blades 2 / 6 2 / 6 2 / 8 2 / 8 4 / 12Type Manual Manual Manual Hydraulic Hydro/TrailedWeight 390kg 460kg 580kg 690kg 1180kgPower requirement 30hp 45hp 65hp 65hp 80hp(at 540rpm)

UFO RD DISC MOWER FEATURES❱❱ Available in 3 popular sizes, 2.4, 2.8 and 3.2 meter cutting widths

❱❱ Features a leading European manufacturer cutter-bar

❱❱ Heavy duty Headstock

❱❱ Built tough for New Zealand conditions

SPECIFICATIONS RD2400 RD2800 RD3200Cutting width 2.4m 2.8m 3.2mNo. Discs / Blades 6 / 12 7 / 14 8 / 16Weight 485kg 550kg 615kgPower requirement 45hp 50hp 60hp(at 540rpm)

FROM ONLY

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Boost to speciality tractor marketTRACTOR MAKER New Holland says its newest offering, the T4.105 F/N/V, has new safety and ergo-nomic features.

Claiming a 60-year edge in specialty tractor innovation, the company says this new model “fur-ther enriches its industry-leading range”.

The distributor’s oper-ations manager Kyle Baxter says “the entire T4 F/N/V range has an upgraded hydraulic and PTO offering, and our cus-tomers operating on steep terrain will appreciate the mechanical park lock, which holds the tractor dead still when parked”.

Speciality customers are demanding more and are doing more special-ised work that necessitate a high power output in a compact package, Baxter says. The T4.105 satisfies this requirement.

Power comes from a 4.5L turbo charged and intercooled Nef engine fully compliant with B100, 100% biodiesel. Maxi-mum power of 106hp is achieved at 2300 rpm and a 31% torque rise means the T4.105 is able to tackle the most demanding tasks, such as power harrowing.

Operator comfort is much enhanced by a com-plete overhaul of the cab on the entire range.

All controls have been precision placed: all key tractor functions have been repositioned and grouped on the right hand console for immediate and intuitive operation includ-

ing the rear remote valve controls, together with the front and rear linkage con-trols. The front part of the rear fenders has also been completely redesigned to offer a more natural operating position for the throttle and clutch pedals.

The T4 F/N/V range now features a factory-fit-ted dedicated mid-mount block with up to four remote valves.

The zero-leakage, proportional electronic mid-mount valves are con-trolled by a new electronic joystick which “falls per-fectly to hand” on the end of the right-hand control console.

A dedicated motor con-nection guarantees up to 20L/minute of flow is always available, and it is activated in the cab via an on-off switch; a specific dial guarantees precision flow control.

The T4 F/N/V is good for gradients up to 45%. So for maximum parking safety New Holland has developed the mechanical park-lock to work with the Dual Command transmis-sion. This ensures a 100% lock on the transmission, and prevents any forward or reverse creep when parked on steep inclines, even when a fully laden trailer is hitched. The park-lock is engaged either via a dedicated lever or via a specific ‘gate’ on the creeper lever. The park-lock must be manually deactivated before drive can be engaged.

The reduction in the

PTO operating speeds by as much as 5% has cut fuel consumption. 540 PTO speed is now attained at 1958 engine rpm, whereas 1000 speed is achieved at 2000 engine rpm.

Improved PTO flexibil-ity is a standout, New Hol-land says, as the speed at which maximum engine power is achieved has been matched to that of the PTO for greater flexi-

bility under load. New Holland is

imported in New Zealand by C B Norwood Distribu-tors Ltd. Tel. 06 356 4920www.newholland.co.nz The new New Holland T4-105.

Power comes fro a 4.5L turbo-charged engine.

WHANGAREI Power Farming Northland 09 438 9163DARGAVILLE Power Farming Northland 09 439 3333PUKEKOHE The Tractor Centre 09 238 7179MORRINSVILLE Maber Motors 07 889 5059TE AWAMUTU Power Farming Te Awamutu 07 870 2411TAURANGA Capital Tractors 07 543 0021WHAKATANE Jacks Machinery 07 308 7299ROTORUA Truck & Tractor Services 07 349 6528

GISBORNE Power Farming Gisborne 06 868 8908HASTINGS Power Farming Hawke’s Bay 06 879 9998HAWERA Power Farming Taranaki 06 278 0240FEILDING Power Farming Manawatu 06 323 8182MASTERTON Wairarapa Machinery 06 377 3009NELSON Brian Miller Truck & Tractor 03 544 5723 BLENHEIM Tractor Repairs & Spares 03 572 5173GREYMOUTH Power Farming West Coast 03 768 4370

CHRISTCHURCH Power Farming Canterbury 03 349 5975ASHBURTON Power Farming Ashburton 03 307 7153TIMARU Power Farming Timaru 03 687 4127ALEXANDRA Peter Watt Machinery 03 448 8490DUNEDIN Power Farming Otago 03 489 3489BALCLUTHA Power Farming Otago 03 418 3393 GORE Power Farming Gore 03 208 9395 INVERCARGILL Power Farming Invercargill 03 215 9039

• High output bale wrapping• Capability to operate behind

a baler• Load sensing hydraulics

• Twin satellite dispensers• Reliable cut and holds• Film break sensors

• Patented damper system: eliminates stress to the chassis by gently lowering bales to the ground

• Twin film dispensers

• Transport width of 2.45m and 1900kg weight - a compact unit with minimal power requirements

• Full road lighting kit

WORK WITHTHE BEST

• The V660 is capable of producing a bale between 0.7-1.68 metres in diameter with a soft or hard core depending on individual requirements

• Drop floor for unblocking• Heavy duty drive line• 2 metre wide galvanised

pickup• 15 knife chopping unit

V660 VARIABLE BELT BALER

991T WRAPPER

HS2000 WRAPPER

FINANCE FROM1.95%* *Normal Lending Criteria & Conditions Apply

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ORDERS AND ENQUIRIES

0800 542 542 www.regiscoatings.co.nz

Cretex™ TR

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Epotread™ SL250 EPOXY SCREED FOR ERODED FLOORS Non Toxic, Solvent Free Chemical Resistant Self smoothing, easy to spread Covers eroded & pitted floors

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• Utility Deck Matting

Phone: 0800 80 8570www.burgessmatting.co.nz

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CRAIGCO SENSOR JET

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every six weeks• Available for long term contract

Chicken Litter

Email your interest for discussion to [email protected]

Be ahead of the scramble for natural fertilisers“The world is finally waking up to the long term damages

of artificial fertilisers and the resulting loss of topsoil.”Secure a long term supply contract now.

GRAZINGLong Term Lease44 Hectares available from 1 June

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McKee Plastics, Mahinui Street, Feilding | Phone 06 323 4181 | Fax 06 323 4183McKee Plastics, 231 Kahikatea Drive, Hamilton | Phone 07 847 7788

[email protected] | www.mckeeplastics.co.nz

MOBILE FEED TROUGHS4.5M (3 Wheel) Jumbo Culvert

PK Feeder$3499.00 inc

4M - 800L Budget Drawbar

$2050.00 inc

6.0M (6 Wheel) Jumbo Culvert

PK Feeder$4999.00 inc

6M Culvert (mobile)

$1375.00 inc

2400 Litres

1700 Litres

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Culvert Pipes Phone 0800 625 826

for your nearest stockistNew Zealand’s CHEAPEST Culvert Pipes!

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McKee Plastics, Mahinui Street, Feilding Phone 06 323 4181 Fax 06 323 4183

McKee Plastics, 231 Kahikatea Drive, Hamilton. Ph 07 847 [email protected] www.mckeeplastics.co.nz

300mm x 6 metre ................................ $410

400mm x 6 metre ................................ $515

500mm x 6 metre ................................ $690

600mm x 6 metre ................................ $925

800mm x 6 metre .............................. $1399

1000mm x 6 metre ............................ $2175

1200mm x 6 metre ............................ $3475

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flatdeck utes (2 models)❱❱ Raised floor for insulation

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2) INTERNET: direct credit ASB 12 3039 0893559 00 (your surname as reference) PLUS telephone or email us, saying which product(s) you want.

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McKee Plastics, Mahinui Street, Feilding | Phone 06 323 4181 | Fax 06 323 4183McKee Plastics, 231 Kahikatea Drive, Hamilton | Phone 07 847 [email protected] | www.mckeeplastics.co.nz

PHONE 0800 625 826 for your nearest stockists

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CALF HAY/GRAIN FEEDER

$250.00Includes GST

Feeder on skids

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80L on skids

$630.00Includes GST

160L on skids

$360.00Includes GST

3m Culvert on legs

$530.00Includes GST

3m Culvert on skids

Blackhawk is a Ready BusinessBlackhawk Tracking is ready to take New Zealand innovation to the world – on a quadbike. Developed in conjunction with Honda and Vodafone, Blackhawk’s Farm Angel helps keep ATV operators safe and efficient.

See the full story at vodafone.co.nz/readybusiness

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Aber High Sugar Grass delivers

more digestibility = more rumen energy = more production.


The need for high quality pasture that can grow good and reliable yields without irrigation has led to Aber High Sugar Grass being planted on one-third of the Mawle family’s farm at Methven.

About 2,000 cows are grazing the 615 hectare farm owned by John and Jean Mawle where sons Rob and Tom each manage their own half of the farm using separate dairies.

“The Aber varieties suit our needs and climate here. We don’t have irrigation and they hang on when it gets dry and then come back strong once we get some water,” says John, who had farmed in England and was well aware of the highly rated AberHSGs before moving to New Zealand.

“I was a subscription member of NIAB (National Institute of Agricultural Botany) and would look through their magazine; it has a lot of independent information, more so than here.”

NIAB, based in Cambridge, is a not-for-profit research group that publishes an annual ‘Herbage

Varieties Guide’ to show UK farmers and seed merchants its independent assessment of different forage varieties.

The AberHSG diploid perennials consistently score highly for yield, ground cover, digestibility and metabolisable energy and the new variety AberGreen offers a protein-to-energy ratio close to the optimum balance for rumen efficiency.

The Mawle farm has 180ha of AberDart and AberMagic perennial ryegrass and more is being sown each spring because palatability is a key requirement and the grazed Aber paddocks “look like a mower has been over them”.

“The cows look well-fed, satisfied and are enjoying the Aber,” says John.

Rob, an experienced sharemilker before taking on the dual management role at home, agrees that the cows like grazing AberHSG pasture.

“Some other varieties possibly yield more during the season but the cows don’t perform as well on them. They would much rather graze the Aber than any other variety we have tried.”

Rob points out that milk production can be affected by many variables, such as weather conditions and stocking density, but quality feed intake has the biggest impact.

“We feel the Aber varieties offer a dense sward of highly palatable grass which the cows can’t get enough of. Their milk production definitely rises the more Aber we put in them.”

The two brothers have the farm operating at a top level of milk production – the combined herd, stocked at 3.2 cows/ha, averaged 412kg milksolids per cow in 2010-11, 450kgms/cow in 2011-12 and 435kgms/cow in 2012-13 despite a drought.

Tom has observed the dense and even sward of Aber pasture withstanding relatively significant damage from pugging and recovering well.

“The low growth point aids with post-grazing residuals returning more quickly back into production.”

The cows were definitely more content in Aber paddocks, says Tom.

“Even when they have finished what’s there, they don’t seem to want to move on too quickly as compared to some of the other paddocks we have.”

A trial paddock of the new high sugar diploid AberGreen mixed with the high sugar tetraploid AberGain was drilled last Christmas and despite

severe wind erosion and some areas needing to be resown has come through the winter “looking pretty good”, says Rob.

“This trial has had a rough start but it’s usually after some urea and the first grazing round (for the new dairy season) that the Aber kicks into gear.

“It’s from the second grazing round onwards that we need grass at its best for the cows to reach their peak.”

The brothers were recently selecting paddocks to spray out and sow in AberMagic, again chosen for its persistence and recovery after grazing and pugging.

FORAGERH e l p i n g d a i r y , b e e f a n d s h e e p f a r m e r s p r o f i t f r o m f o r a g e

S p r i n g 2 0 1 4

Palatable grass is priority for high producing dairy

Rob (left) and John Mawle are again sowing AberMagic this spring for its palatability, persistence and recovery after grazing and pugging.

Must read:

Caucasian and white clover hybrid is exciting advance.

See page 3


2 G e r m i n a l S e e d s

Former AgResearch soil scientist Mike O’Connor (right) at a Tokoroa field day with David Kerr of Germinal Seeds.

The deep rooting AberDart and AberMagic varieties are producing high quality silage crops as part of Masterton’s $30 million upgrade to its water treatment plant and nutrient recycling.

Using treated wastewater to grow high quality pasture is now a core business function for many local authorities, particularly those in rural areas, and

Masterton District Council is the latest to embrace this option for recycling nutrients.

In addition to seven new oxidation ponds that treat wastewater, the Homebush site has extensive border dykes for flood irrigation where a perennial grass crop can produce more than 3,000 large rounds of balage annually.

“It is still early days in the lifecycle

of these pastures, but if the average ME value for the first cut of 10.8KJ/kg dry matter is any indicator, the feed quality of the balage will be high,” said Patrick Nelson, an agricultural commerce graduate and experienced farmer who is managing the flood irrigation system.

“A dry matter range between 35% and 40%, and a crude protein level in excess of 100g/kg of dry matter are positive signs for the long-term productivity of the site.”

Patrick was attracted to the irrigation project because it fits with his personal philosophy.

“The main components of treated wastewater are nutrients such as

nitrogen and phosphorus, and water. Using this resource to produce high quality balage makes sense.”

The grass is harvested at about 40 cm in height to optimise its quality and quantity and ensure the balage has a high metabolisable energy value for non-lactating dairy cows, beef stock, sheep and deer.

Meanwhile a recent advisory article from Waikato Regional Council recommends farmers use high sugar grass as a way to lessen the impact of nitrogen leaching during winter grazing.

The council’s sustainable agriculture coordinator, Bala Tikkisetty, said farmers should take special care to

protect both profits and the environment from the effects of increased nitrogen leaching during winter and one of the options is to grow high sugar grass.

“Some of the research on mitigating nitrogen losses has focused on growing pasture with more rooting depth for better take up of nitrates. Other ideas include reducing the amount of time animals spend on pasture and feeding high sugar grasses for reducing the amount of nitrogen excreted by grazing animals.”

Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) has long been a primary goal of the plant breeding team that’s developed Aber High Sugar Grass varieties such as AberMagic and AberDart.

Councils favour high sugar grass for N-use efficiency

The on-farm benefits of AberHSG pasture are well established and now the environmental benefits are being studied in New Zealand.

At the July 2014 conference of the NZ Society of Animal Production, AgResearch scientists reported a methane yield nine percent lower from sheep fed AberMagic compared with sheep fed the standard ryegrass Alto, with the tetraploid Base fed sheep in between.

Ruminant nutrition scientist Arjan Jonker and his colleagues concluded that the methane yield reduction in sheep fed high sugar ryegrass “suggests a potential method for methane mitigation that could be readily adopted by NZ livestock farming”.

The trial verified a lot more water soluble carbohydrate (WSC or sugar) in AberMagic - the WSC was 38

and 57 grams/kg drymatter higher in AberMagic than in Alto and Base respectively, which works out to be a difference of 17% and 28% more sugar.

The extra sugar increases grass digestibility and therefore animal productivity, with less gas exhaust, so it’s a win-win for farmers growing AberHSG.

Finally I want to express our gratitude to Mike O’Connor, a former soil scientist with AgResearch at Ruakura, who passed away this winter.

In his retirement Mike had visited farmers growing AberHSG pasture, compiled detailed farm reports for Germinal Seeds and shared his knowledge at our field days.

Everyone listening to Mike knew that his views were genuine, were based on the research done and were offered for the benefit of farmers.

AberHSG is a win-win for NZ farmingBy David Kerr, Brand Manager, Germinal Seeds


GSL

064

2 - P

E

“You have to go in with the bike to get them out and the

cows will run back”Vaughan Jones, Hinds

Register online at www.highsugragrass.co.nz for a chance to win 5 hectares of Aber® High Sugar Grass*.

*Terms & Conditions apply.

Try your stock on Aber® High Sugar Grass for free!

RicHARd Weld Te Puke

600 Jersey cows: 310kg milksolids/cow/season

AberHSG first sown 2009: Earliest Aber looks dense and growing well on low-lying land that dries out fast but can be under water in winter.

“The AberMagic and AberDart were the green paddocks on our farm during the last drought.”

GRAeme BARR Tokoroa

180 Friesian cows: 410kg milksolids/cow/season

AberHSG first sown 2005: The Aber was able to fully recover from grass grub damage.

“We get an extra litre per cow when they graze the Aber paddocks for 24 hours. They totally nail the Aber.”

VAuGHAn JoneS Hinds

750 cross-bred cows: 469kg milksolids/cow/season

AberHSG first sown 2004: The farm is prone to pugging in winter but the dense growing and finely tillered AberHSG has proven its persistence.

“This (Aber) leapfrogs other paddocks on a 28-day round and is always ready. You have to go in with the bike to get them out and the cows will run back to a high sugar paddock.”

3FORAGERS p r i n g 2 0 1 4


A caucasian clover and white clover hybrid with roots growing deeper than typically seen in clover is the latest advance in more drought tolerant pasture.

Germinal Seeds’ AberLasting is a hybrid clover that combines the rhizomes (underground roots) of caucasian clover with the nutritive and nitrogen fixing qualities of white clover.

The result is a deeper rooted clover that makes the most of the caucasian clover’s strengths, which are its long life, resistance to pests and diseases and ability to tolerate heavy and continuous grazing once established.

Caucasian clover on its own can be slow to establish and has poor seed production while white clover can be limited by its stolons (rooting stems) at ground level being less effective in dry soil.

But the plant breeders behind AberLasting have developed a clover

hybrid that exploits the rooting vigour of caucasian clover while retaining the high nutritive value and year round growth of white clover.

In AberLasting the best of both parent plants are combined to offer farmers the agronomic payback of a reliable clover coupled with an inherent drought tolerance.

A small leaf clover, AberLasting is suitable for use in all grazing systems and particularly in permanent pasture where water is limited – and all Aber clovers are bred to be fully compatible with Aber high sugar ryegrass varieties.

Dunedin-based Farmlands technical field officer Drew Carruthers says the roots and overall growth of AberLasting sown late October at Stoneburn, near Palmerston, look promising.

“The farmer and an agronomist were both impressed by the plant’s establishment and the size of its roots for a relatively young clover plant.”

AberLasting had been distributed in seed mixes by Drew to east and central Otago farms as a pre-commercial release of AberLasting so they could trial the deeper rooting clover.

“In theory, if AberLasting is half as good as its breeding suggests then it should be more tolerant of clover root weevil,” said Drew, a TFO for 17 years who previously farmed sheep and beef near Gore.

Clover root weevil has caused a widespread decline in clover performance and consequently set back lamb growth rates in damaged pasture.

“Anything that can retain a deeper rooting system should be more resilient and that’s got to be an advantage.”

Germinal Seeds says further good news for farmers is that medium and large leaf white clover/caucasian hybrids are in the Aber pipeline to benefit a wide variety of pastoral farm systems.

Caucasian and white clover hybrid is exciting advance

For longer lasting pasture.

Densely tillered and resilient...

with excellent ground cover...

and deep roots for persistence.

AberHSGs are persistent, high performing and proven throughout New Zealand.

David Jones, Hinds Dairy Farm

7 year old AberDart HSG with 32 cm root depth.


GSL

063

4-g2

A Canterbury seed crop of AberLasting performed well into its third year despite clover root weevil damage in the area. Inset: The influence of rhizome genetics is evident in this close-up of AberLasting’s dense root growth.



Former AgResearch soil scientist Mike O’Connor (right) at a Tokoroa field day with David Kerr of Germinal Seeds.

The deep rooting AberDart and AberMagic varieties are producing high quality silage crops as part of Masterton’s $30 million upgrade to its water treatment plant and nutrient recycling.

Using treated wastewater to grow high quality pasture is now a core business function for many local authorities, particularly those in rural areas, and

Masterton District Council is the latest to embrace this option for recycling nutrients.

In addition to seven new oxidation ponds that treat wastewater, the Homebush site has extensive border dykes for flood irrigation where a perennial grass crop can produce more than 3,000 large rounds of balage annually.

“It is still early days in the lifecycle

of these pastures, but if the average ME value for the first cut of 10.8KJ/kg dry matter is any indicator, the feed quality of the balage will be high,” said Patrick Nelson, an agricultural commerce graduate and experienced farmer who is managing the flood irrigation system.

“A dry matter range between 35% and 40%, and a crude protein level in excess of 100g/kg of dry matter are positive signs for the long-term productivity of the site.”

Patrick was attracted to the irrigation project because it fits with his personal philosophy.

“The main components of treated wastewater are nutrients such as

nitrogen and phosphorus, and water. Using this resource to produce high quality balage makes sense.”

The grass is harvested at about 40 cm in height to optimise its quality and quantity and ensure the balage has a high metabolisable energy value for non-lactating dairy cows, beef stock, sheep and deer.

Meanwhile a recent advisory article from Waikato Regional Council recommends farmers use high sugar grass as a way to lessen the impact of nitrogen leaching during winter grazing.

The council’s sustainable agriculture coordinator, Bala Tikkisetty, said farmers should take special care to

protect both profits and the environment from the effects of increased nitrogen leaching during winter and one of the options is to grow high sugar grass.

“Some of the research on mitigating nitrogen losses has focused on growing pasture with more rooting depth for better take up of nitrates. Other ideas include reducing the amount of time animals spend on pasture and feeding high sugar grasses for reducing the amount of nitrogen excreted by grazing animals.”

Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) has long been a primary goal of the plant breeding team that’s developed Aber High Sugar Grass varieties such as AberMagic and AberDart.

Councils favour high sugar grass for N-use efficiency

The on-farm benefits of AberHSG pasture are well established and now the environmental benefits are being studied in New Zealand.

At the July 2014 conference of the NZ Society of Animal Production, AgResearch scientists reported a methane yield nine percent lower from sheep fed AberMagic compared with sheep fed the standard ryegrass Alto, with the tetraploid Base fed sheep in between.

Ruminant nutrition scientist Arjan Jonker and his colleagues concluded that the methane yield reduction in sheep fed high sugar ryegrass “suggests a potential method for methane mitigation that could be readily adopted by NZ livestock farming”.

The trial verified a lot more water soluble carbohydrate (WSC or sugar) in AberMagic - the WSC was 38

and 57 grams/kg drymatter higher in AberMagic than in Alto and Base respectively, which works out to be a difference of 17% and 28% more sugar.

The extra sugar increases grass digestibility and therefore animal productivity, with less gas exhaust, so it’s a win-win for farmers growing AberHSG.

Finally I want to express our gratitude to Mike O’Connor, a former soil scientist with AgResearch at Ruakura, who passed away this winter.

In his retirement Mike had visited farmers growing AberHSG pasture, compiled detailed farm reports for Germinal Seeds and shared his knowledge at our field days.

Everyone listening to Mike knew that his views were genuine, were based on the research done and were offered for the benefit of farmers.

AberHSG is a win-win for NZ farmingBy David Kerr, Brand Manager, Germinal Seeds


GSL

064

2 - P

E

“You have to go in with the bike to get them out and the

cows will run back”Vaughan Jones, Hinds




RicHARd Weld Te Puke

600 Jersey cows: 310kg milksolids/cow/season

AberHSG first sown 2009: Earliest Aber looks dense and growing well on low-lying land that dries out fast but can be under water in winter.

“The AberMagic and AberDart were the green paddocks on our farm during the last drought.”

GRAeme BARR Tokoroa

180 Friesian cows: 410kg milksolids/cow/season

AberHSG first sown 2005: The Aber was able to fully recover from grass grub damage.

“We get an extra litre per cow when they graze the Aber paddocks for 24 hours. They totally nail the Aber.”

VAuGHAn JoneS Hinds

750 cross-bred cows: 469kg milksolids/cow/season

AberHSG first sown 2004: The farm is prone to pugging in winter but the dense growing and finely tillered AberHSG has proven its persistence.

“This (Aber) leapfrogs other paddocks on a 28-day round and is always ready. You have to go in with the bike to get them out and the cows will run back to a high sugar paddock.”



A caucasian clover and white clover hybrid with roots growing deeper than typically seen in clover is the latest advance in more drought tolerant pasture.

Germinal Seeds’ AberLasting is a hybrid clover that combines the rhizomes (underground roots) of caucasian clover with the nutritive and nitrogen fixing qualities of white clover.

The result is a deeper rooted clover that makes the most of the caucasian clover’s strengths, which are its long life, resistance to pests and diseases and ability to tolerate heavy and continuous grazing once established.

Caucasian clover on its own can be slow to establish and has poor seed production while white clover can be limited by its stolons (rooting stems) at ground level being less effective in dry soil.

But the plant breeders behind AberLasting have developed a clover

hybrid that exploits the rooting vigour of caucasian clover while retaining the high nutritive value and year round growth of white clover.

In AberLasting the best of both parent plants are combined to offer farmers the agronomic payback of a reliable clover coupled with an inherent drought tolerance.

A small leaf clover, AberLasting is suitable for use in all grazing systems and particularly in permanent pasture where water is limited – and all Aber clovers are bred to be fully compatible with Aber high sugar ryegrass varieties.

Dunedin-based Farmlands technical field officer Drew Carruthers says the roots and overall growth of AberLasting sown late October at Stoneburn, near Palmerston, look promising.

“The farmer and an agronomist were both impressed by the plant’s establishment and the size of its roots for a relatively young clover plant.”

AberLasting had been distributed in seed mixes by Drew to east and central Otago farms as a pre-commercial release of AberLasting so they could trial the deeper rooting clover.

“In theory, if AberLasting is half as good as its breeding suggests then it should be more tolerant of clover root weevil,” said Drew, a TFO for 17 years who previously farmed sheep and beef near Gore.

Clover root weevil has caused a widespread decline in clover performance and consequently set back lamb growth rates in damaged pasture.

“Anything that can retain a deeper rooting system should be more resilient and that’s got to be an advantage.”

Germinal Seeds says further good news for farmers is that medium and large leaf white clover/caucasian hybrids are in the Aber pipeline to benefit a wide variety of pastoral farm systems.

Caucasian and white clover hybrid is exciting advance

For longer lasting pasture.

Densely tillered and resilient...

with excellent ground cover...

and deep roots for persistence.

AberHSGs are persistent, high performing and proven throughout New Zealand.

David Jones, Hinds Dairy Farm

7 year old AberDart HSG with 32 cm root depth.


GSL

063

4-g2

A Canterbury seed crop of AberLasting performed well into its third year despite clover root weevil damage in the area. Inset: The influence of rhizome genetics is evident in this close-up of AberLasting’s dense root growth.



Blackdale owners Marion and Peter Black.


GSL

064

2 BG

“The ewes are always in very good condition

and the lambs are full of vigour”

Blair Gallagher, ‘Rangiatea’ Mt Somers




BlAiR GAllAGHeR ‘Rangiatea’ mt Somers

10,000 sock units: 80% sheep 20% cattleStud flocks: Perendale & Cheviot Angus cattle: Cows to 20 months, steers finished, in-calf heifers.AberHSG first sown 2007: Grazed evenly, holds quality and seems more palatable.

“The Aber is grazed cleaner and the sheep and lambs are cleaner. There’s no doubt the ewes on Aber are always in very good condition and their lambs are sappy (full of vigour).”

BRenT PATeRSon ‘Glencoe’ napier

800 dairy grazers: Weaned calves and 2-year heifersSuffolk stud ewes: 2,500 Texel-cross lambs finished AberHSG first sown 2007: AberHSG accelerates liveweight gain and is relied on during a summer period of peak feed demand.

“The new heifers (making 330kg in 18 months) grow better on the Aber than the heifers not on it. They can make massive weight gains.”

AndReW WelSH ‘Twin Farm’ Gore

Stud ewes: 1,000 TEFRom, 680 Suftex commercial ewes: 6,000 TEFRom ewes/hoggetslambs: 7,000 (5,000 terminal, 1,500 ewe hoggets, 500 stud rams). AberHSG first sown 2004: A strong grazing preference, solid weight gain and carries more stock – 16 twin-bearing hoggets/ha compared to 10 on other pasture.

“Some of those lambs can pack on over 500 grams a day at times on mum.”

Three Southland sheep farmers fast tracking lamb growth on Aber High Sugar Grass (AberHSG) pasture have won top awards in the 2014 Beef + Lamb New Zealand Sheep Industry Awards.

About 230 people attended the third annual awards dinner in Napier where 10 genetics-based awards and five sector excellence awards were presented.

Within the genetics-based categories, two gold awards were presented and both went to farms in Southland growing their stock on AberHSG pasture.

Mount Linton Station’s Suftex stud at Ohai received the Alliance Group Limited terminal sire overall award.

The Telford dual purpose overall award went to Peter and Marion Black’s Blackdale Coopworth stud at Riverton.

B+LNZ Chief Executive Officer Dr Scott Champion says the awards are already a flagship event for the sheep industry that “highlights the fantastic genetics available to New Zealand sheep farmers and how these can drive improved farm performance”.

Mount Linton Station, which has more than 1,200 hectares in AberMagic and AberDart perennial pasture and is extending its pasture renewal into higher hill country, won the Gold Award-Alliance Group terminal sire award for lamb growth and meat yield and the SIL-ACE terminal sire for lamb growth award.

Mount Linton’s Suftex flock consists of 530 mixed-age ewes and two-tooths that run alongside the station’s commercial sheep operation of 39,000 ewes.

The breeding focus is to maximise returns through increased meat and growth without compromising survival – a goal achieved without the ewe flock having to be drenched.

The Mt Linton management team are seeing more rapid finishing of lambs and an extra 30kg on the carcass weight of Angus steers.

Significant roll-on benefits include an improved flock pregnancy rate and less winter attrition when ewe hoggets have earlier access to prime pasture to

build body condition. AberDart and AberMagic were first

sown in 2008 at Mt Linton and after seeing the positive effect on stock the owners sold their four finishing farms as they were no longer required.

The Blackdale Stud and Blackdale Coopworth first sowed AberDart in 2002 and has received the Gold Award-Telford dual purpose award for reproduction, lamb growth plus adult size and wool production.

Blackdale also won the Primary Wool Cooperative dual purpose for wool award and was a finalist in the SIL-ACE dual purpose for growth (lamb growth & adult size) award.

Blacks’ Coopworth stud is one of five studs within the Blackdale operation, which in total incorporates 2,300 stud and 1,500 commercial ewes.

Blackdale, started in 1971, is an intensively stocked, all-grass, all-sheep operation with a focus on breeding rams with the best genetics to achieve optimal net returns for clients.

Peter and Marion Black’s son Leon was a finalist in the Farmlands award for individual or business making a significant contribution to the New Zealand sheep industry.

Twin Farm at Mandeville, near Gore, won the SIL-ACE dual purpose for growth (lamb growth & adult size) award.

A finalist in this year’s Telford dual purpose award and the Progressive Meats dual purpose for meat yield, Twin Farm is owned by Russell and Pam Welsh and their family.

Their son Andrew, with his wife Katherine, manages the farm where lambs grow at a rapid rate on AberMagic – by as much as 500 grams a day at times

So far 100ha, or a sixth of the farm, is in AberMagic and this spring AberGreen, a new AberHSG perennial, was sown into 15ha as a trial while AberEcho, a new hybrid HSG, was blended with AberMagic for earlier growth in the cooler seasons.

Sheep industry awards won by farms growing high sugar grass



A three year trial has confirmed that Aber High Sugar Grass (AberHSG) varieties are more digestible than standard ryegrasses.

The results scientifically validate in New Zealand conditions the experience of farmers that cows produce more milk when grazing AberHSG pasture while lambs and beef cattle gain weight more quickly.

Research conducted by Lincoln-based Plant Research NZ Ltd at its planting site near Ashburton found the digestibility values (D-values) of AberHSG perennial varieties were averaging at least five extra D-value units across multiple harvests – a gain calculated to produce an extra one litre of milk per cow per day.

Plant Research NZ found the perennials AberMagic and AberGreen averaged 70.4% and 70.9% dry organic matter digestibility (DOMD%) respectively in the trial’s third year while Alto, a standard diploid ryegrass, averaged 65.4% DOMD over five harvests from spring to autumn.

The values were determined independently by Hill Laboratories’ near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) of plant samples and show AberGreen, for example, averaging 704 grams of digestible organic content in 1kg of total drymatter, which is 70.4 DOMD% or a D-value of 70.4.

Drymatter yields were within a 3% difference with Alto offering slightly more drymatter yield in the first two

years but behind AberMagic and AberGreen in the third year.

D-value is an important measure for farmers because it shows the amount of digestible content in a plant – a combination of crude protein, carbohydrates (including digestible fibres and sugars) and lipids (oils) that are essential to the ruminant performance of cattle, sheep and deer.

Each unit increase in D-value equates to gains of 0.26 litres of extra milk per dairy cow per day, 40g per day of extra beef liveweight gain or 26g per day of extra lamb liveweight gain, according to tests by the independent and not-for-profit National Institute of Agricultural Botany in Cambridge (UK).

Higher gains for each D-value unit

increase have been reported by other respected research bodies.

In the Plant Research trial the three-year pattern of perennial ryegrass D-values showed a constant advantage from early October to January and a leap of up to 12 D-value units ahead of Alto in autumn – a result that aligns with AgResearch finding a 10 percent increase in autumn milksolids from cows grazing AberDart compared to cows on standard ryegrasses.

Germinal Seeds Ltd (UK) science consultant Dr Peter Wilkins, who initiated the breeding of high sugar ryegrasses in Wales 30 years ago, says Plant Research NZ’s results confirm the grazing behaviour and production results seen by farmers.

“Digestibility is the key measure. You have this twin benefit of greater intake and greater utilisation of the grass that’s eaten,” said Dr Wilkins, who visited New Zealand farms and trial sites three years ago.

The Plant Research trial also found a consistent D-value advantage in Aber tetraploid and festulolium ryegrass varieties.

The festulolium AberNiche averaged 6 D-value units (6% DOMD) ahead of Tabu for spring and summer harvests over two years while the Aber tetraploid was 3 D-value units ahead of Bealey.

Germinal Seeds NZ commissioned the Plant Research trial as there was little science-based information available in New Zealand on the digestibility of different ryegrass varieties.

Pasture performance is a top priority for Massey University graduate Nick Rayner in his new role as Germinal Seeds’ sales agronomist for the upper North Island, above Taupo.

Based in Hamilton, Nick starts on September 1 and is looking forward to discussing with farmers their ideas on getting more value out of grass.

While studying for his Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in agriculture, Nick worked on farms, designed and

built pivot irrigation systems and designed and built an environment to encourage free range chickens to leave the sheds and venture outside.

“I am very open to better options and the ideas that farmers have about how to make a grass-based system more efficient,” says Nick, who helped run pasture trials at Massey University.

“There is an increasing expectation for grasses to be more productive, more resilient and easy to manage so there’s

an ongoing interest in new pasture varieties like the high sugar grasses.”

The environmental benefits from grazing more digestible forage are a further consideration, says Nick, born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, and growing up at Otaki where his parents sharemilked before buying a dairy farm in Taranaki.

Nick is a keen deer hunter and fisherman.Nick can be contacted at 0800 171 825

or [email protected]

Aber High Sugar Grass leads D-value comparisons

ABER® HIGH SUGAR GRASS

The Dif ference is Digest ibi l i ty

MODERNRYEGRASS

* Mean values across five harvests Oct-to-Mar 2014: Plant Research NZ Ltd.** Animal production gains per D-value: National Institute of Agricultural Botany, Cambridge, UK.

70.9 5.5

0

1.4L 140g 220g

0L 0g 0g65.4

Extra weight

cattle/day

D-value

gain

Digestibility

D-value

Extra milk

cow/day

Extra weight

lamb/day

*

* ** ** **

More sugar

Cell fibre

High sugar grass breeder Dr Peter Wilkins visits the Tapawera Valley (Nelson) 232 hectare dairy farm of Warren (right) and Louise Berry where their Riverina Jersey herd produces an extra 1-to-1.5 litres per cow per milking when grazing AberDart or AberMagic.

New seed representative open to ideas from farmers

Nick Rayner.



Blackdale owners Marion and Peter Black.


GSL

064

2 BG

“The ewes are always in very good condition

and the lambs are full of vigour”

Blair Gallagher, ‘Rangiatea’ Mt Somers




BlAiR GAllAGHeR ‘Rangiatea’ mt Somers

10,000 sock units: 80% sheep 20% cattleStud flocks: Perendale & Cheviot Angus cattle: Cows to 20 months, steers finished, in-calf heifers.AberHSG first sown 2007: Grazed evenly, holds quality and seems more palatable.

“The Aber is grazed cleaner and the sheep and lambs are cleaner. There’s no doubt the ewes on Aber are always in very good condition and their lambs are sappy (full of vigour).”

BRenT PATeRSon ‘Glencoe’ napier

800 dairy grazers: Weaned calves and 2-year heifersSuffolk stud ewes: 2,500 Texel-cross lambs finished AberHSG first sown 2007: AberHSG accelerates liveweight gain and is relied on during a summer period of peak feed demand.

“The new heifers (making 330kg in 18 months) grow better on the Aber than the heifers not on it. They can make massive weight gains.”

AndReW WelSH ‘Twin Farm’ Gore

Stud ewes: 1,000 TEFRom, 680 Suftex commercial ewes: 6,000 TEFRom ewes/hoggetslambs: 7,000 (5,000 terminal, 1,500 ewe hoggets, 500 stud rams). AberHSG first sown 2004: A strong grazing preference, solid weight gain and carries more stock – 16 twin-bearing hoggets/ha compared to 10 on other pasture.

“Some of those lambs can pack on over 500 grams a day at times on mum.”

Three Southland sheep farmers fast tracking lamb growth on Aber High Sugar Grass (AberHSG) pasture have won top awards in the 2014 Beef + Lamb New Zealand Sheep Industry Awards.

About 230 people attended the third annual awards dinner in Napier where 10 genetics-based awards and five sector excellence awards were presented.

Within the genetics-based categories, two gold awards were presented and both went to farms in Southland growing their stock on AberHSG pasture.

Mount Linton Station’s Suftex stud at Ohai received the Alliance Group Limited terminal sire overall award.

The Telford dual purpose overall award went to Peter and Marion Black’s Blackdale Coopworth stud at Riverton.

B+LNZ Chief Executive Officer Dr Scott Champion says the awards are already a flagship event for the sheep industry that “highlights the fantastic genetics available to New Zealand sheep farmers and how these can drive improved farm performance”.

Mount Linton Station, which has more than 1,200 hectares in AberMagic and AberDart perennial pasture and is extending its pasture renewal into higher hill country, won the Gold Award-Alliance Group terminal sire award for lamb growth and meat yield and the SIL-ACE terminal sire for lamb growth award.

Mount Linton’s Suftex flock consists of 530 mixed-age ewes and two-tooths that run alongside the station’s commercial sheep operation of 39,000 ewes.

The breeding focus is to maximise returns through increased meat and growth without compromising survival – a goal achieved without the ewe flock having to be drenched.

The Mt Linton management team are seeing more rapid finishing of lambs and an extra 30kg on the carcass weight of Angus steers.

Significant roll-on benefits include an improved flock pregnancy rate and less winter attrition when ewe hoggets have earlier access to prime pasture to

build body condition. AberDart and AberMagic were first

sown in 2008 at Mt Linton and after seeing the positive effect on stock the owners sold their four finishing farms as they were no longer required.

The Blackdale Stud and Blackdale Coopworth first sowed AberDart in 2002 and has received the Gold Award-Telford dual purpose award for reproduction, lamb growth plus adult size and wool production.

Blackdale also won the Primary Wool Cooperative dual purpose for wool award and was a finalist in the SIL-ACE dual purpose for growth (lamb growth & adult size) award.

Blacks’ Coopworth stud is one of five studs within the Blackdale operation, which in total incorporates 2,300 stud and 1,500 commercial ewes.

Blackdale, started in 1971, is an intensively stocked, all-grass, all-sheep operation with a focus on breeding rams with the best genetics to achieve optimal net returns for clients.

Peter and Marion Black’s son Leon was a finalist in the Farmlands award for individual or business making a significant contribution to the New Zealand sheep industry.

Twin Farm at Mandeville, near Gore, won the SIL-ACE dual purpose for growth (lamb growth & adult size) award.

A finalist in this year’s Telford dual purpose award and the Progressive Meats dual purpose for meat yield, Twin Farm is owned by Russell and Pam Welsh and their family.

Their son Andrew, with his wife Katherine, manages the farm where lambs grow at a rapid rate on AberMagic – by as much as 500 grams a day at times

So far 100ha, or a sixth of the farm, is in AberMagic and this spring AberGreen, a new AberHSG perennial, was sown into 15ha as a trial while AberEcho, a new hybrid HSG, was blended with AberMagic for earlier growth in the cooler seasons.

Sheep industry awards won by farms growing high sugar grass



A three year trial has confirmed that Aber High Sugar Grass (AberHSG) varieties are more digestible than standard ryegrasses.

The results scientifically validate in New Zealand conditions the experience of farmers that cows produce more milk when grazing AberHSG pasture while lambs and beef cattle gain weight more quickly.

Research conducted by Lincoln-based Plant Research NZ Ltd at its planting site near Ashburton found the digestibility values (D-values) of AberHSG perennial varieties were averaging at least five extra D-value units across multiple harvests – a gain calculated to produce an extra one litre of milk per cow per day.

Plant Research NZ found the perennials AberMagic and AberGreen averaged 70.4% and 70.9% dry organic matter digestibility (DOMD%) respectively in the trial’s third year while Alto, a standard diploid ryegrass, averaged 65.4% DOMD over five harvests from spring to autumn.

The values were determined independently by Hill Laboratories’ near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) of plant samples and show AberGreen, for example, averaging 704 grams of digestible organic content in 1kg of total drymatter, which is 70.4 DOMD% or a D-value of 70.4.

Drymatter yields were within a 3% difference with Alto offering slightly more drymatter yield in the first two

years but behind AberMagic and AberGreen in the third year.

D-value is an important measure for farmers because it shows the amount of digestible content in a plant – a combination of crude protein, carbohydrates (including digestible fibres and sugars) and lipids (oils) that are essential to the ruminant performance of cattle, sheep and deer.

Each unit increase in D-value equates to gains of 0.26 litres of extra milk per dairy cow per day, 40g per day of extra beef liveweight gain or 26g per day of extra lamb liveweight gain, according to tests by the independent and not-for-profit National Institute of Agricultural Botany in Cambridge (UK).

Higher gains for each D-value unit

increase have been reported by other respected research bodies.

In the Plant Research trial the three-year pattern of perennial ryegrass D-values showed a constant advantage from early October to January and a leap of up to 12 D-value units ahead of Alto in autumn – a result that aligns with AgResearch finding a 10 percent increase in autumn milksolids from cows grazing AberDart compared to cows on standard ryegrasses.

Germinal Seeds Ltd (UK) science consultant Dr Peter Wilkins, who initiated the breeding of high sugar ryegrasses in Wales 30 years ago, says Plant Research NZ’s results confirm the grazing behaviour and production results seen by farmers.

“Digestibility is the key measure. You have this twin benefit of greater intake and greater utilisation of the grass that’s eaten,” said Dr Wilkins, who visited New Zealand farms and trial sites three years ago.

The Plant Research trial also found a consistent D-value advantage in Aber tetraploid and festulolium ryegrass varieties.

The festulolium AberNiche averaged 6 D-value units (6% DOMD) ahead of Tabu for spring and summer harvests over two years while the Aber tetraploid was 3 D-value units ahead of Bealey.

Germinal Seeds NZ commissioned the Plant Research trial as there was little science-based information available in New Zealand on the digestibility of different ryegrass varieties.

Pasture performance is a top priority for Massey University graduate Nick Rayner in his new role as Germinal Seeds’ sales agronomist for the upper North Island, above Taupo.

Based in Hamilton, Nick starts on September 1 and is looking forward to discussing with farmers their ideas on getting more value out of grass.

While studying for his Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in agriculture, Nick worked on farms, designed and

built pivot irrigation systems and designed and built an environment to encourage free range chickens to leave the sheds and venture outside.

“I am very open to better options and the ideas that farmers have about how to make a grass-based system more efficient,” says Nick, who helped run pasture trials at Massey University.

“There is an increasing expectation for grasses to be more productive, more resilient and easy to manage so there’s

an ongoing interest in new pasture varieties like the high sugar grasses.”

The environmental benefits from grazing more digestible forage are a further consideration, says Nick, born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, and growing up at Otaki where his parents sharemilked before buying a dairy farm in Taranaki.

Nick is a keen deer hunter and fisherman.Nick can be contacted at 0800 171 825

or [email protected]

Aber High Sugar Grass leads D-value comparisons

ABER® HIGH SUGAR GRASS

The Dif ference is Digest ibi l i ty

MODERNRYEGRASS

* Mean values across five harvests Oct-to-Mar 2014: Plant Research NZ Ltd.** Animal production gains per D-value: National Institute of Agricultural Botany, Cambridge, UK.

70.9 5.5

0

1.4L 140g 220g

0L 0g 0g65.4

Extra weight

cattle/day

D-value

gain

Digestibility

D-value

Extra milk

cow/day

Extra weight

lamb/day

*

* ** ** **

More sugar

Cell fibre

High sugar grass breeder Dr Peter Wilkins visits the Tapawera Valley (Nelson) 232 hectare dairy farm of Warren (right) and Louise Berry where their Riverina Jersey herd produces an extra 1-to-1.5 litres per cow per milking when grazing AberDart or AberMagic.

New seed representative open to ideas from farmers

Nick Rayner.



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*AgResearch trial 2007, compared to production from cows grazing a standard perennial ryegrass.

10%MILKSOLIDSIN AUTUMN

*MORE

Persistence starts with hidden half of plant

Persistence remains a hot topic because many ryegrass varieties are failing to meet farmers’ expectations, says Germinal Seeds’ South Island key accounts manager Shaun Neeley.

“It does appear that some plant breeders have focused on plant yield above ground and not given due attention to the other half of the plant hidden under the ground.”

While drymatter yield in varying conditions is critically important, and often given as the sole measure of performance and limited to a short period of three years, it was the plant’s roots that mainly determine its resilience when under stress.

“Hopefully a shift in focus is happening with AgResearch’s decision to look at improving the root function of ryegrass and other forage plants in order to minimise nutrient losses to waterways and develop more sustainable pasture.”

Shaun says the plant breeders behind Aber varieties have long been on the path of plant root development because of the direct link to plant persistency.

“A further correlation is tiller density, as is characteristic of Aber varieties that also have a large root mass to better cope with dry conditions and pest challenges.”

A high level of water soluble carbohydrate (sugar) content, as found in Aber High Sugar Grass (AberHSG), may also enhance plant persistency because it’s the energy reserve for plants needing to withstand adverse conditions.

Those three persistency factors – larger root mass, denser tillers and higher sugar content – are bred into all AberHSG varieties in the market and explain their performance exceeding 10 years on farms throughout New Zealand, says Shaun.

Shaun can be contacted at 027 577 7034 [email protected]

Shaun Neeley.

For the past two years Germinal Seeds GB (Great Britain) has been a big supporter of Movember in England to raise awareness, and much-needed funds, for groups confronting three of the biggest health issues facing men – prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health.

Last November a Germinal Seeds team showed the company’s support by giving England’s world famous Cerne Abbas Giant at Dorset a giant grass moustache, for one day, and it’s expected Germinal Seeds’ next project for the coming Movember campaign will be just as ambitious.

The huge ‘mo’, 12 metres long by 3 metres deep, had been grown off-site and then carefully installed in sections to add a rakish look to the imposing 55 metre long landmark, which is Britain’s largest chalk hill figure.

Germinal Seeds GB Managing Director William Gilbert said he appreciated the National Trust’s help in making the idea a reality.

“Movember is an important charity and with so many men working in our industry it’s one we are keen to back. The giant is an iconic male symbol which fits the campaign well.”

The origins of the Cerne Abbas Giant are uncertain but one theory is that it was intended as a mocking representation of Oliver Cromwell, in which case the grass moustache was

appropriate as Cromwell is shown in portraits to have had a moustache.

To promote the previous year’s Movember, an even bigger grass moustache, measuring 36m by 12m, had been grown on a Somerset farm by Germinal Seeds GB, a family business with nearly 200 years of history and the largest privately owned seed company in the UK.

The Cerne Abbas Giant sports a ‘mo’ for Movember



The new Aber High Sugar Grass variety AberGreen is “looking good so far”, says Winton (Southland) dairy farmer Peter Erb.

Sown during November last year it is difficult to tell how the AberGreen compares with other pasture because most of the farm is now sown in Aber pasture and the split herds’ production all goes into one vat.

“We like the Aber’s persistence and high tillering which down here is a great ally because our paddocks can get soft when it rains.”

At least 70 percent of the home farm, milking 800 Jersey cows, is now in AberHSG pasture while their second farm, which is sharemilked, has 800 Friesians and crossbreeds and is about half sown in AberHSG perennials.

Peter runs a low-cost farming system and he likes the idea of pasture offering cows a free dose of natural sugar to

boost their milk production.“Until there’s a better grass we will

keeping putting in the Aber.”“The cows are more content, they get

their fill and lie around to chew their cud and seem more settled.

“When you drive to a paddock the cows hear the bike coming and head to the gate but in the Aber you usually have to go in there and bring them out.”

Peter says the Aber pasture was first sown on their home farm in 2006, is grazed evenly and doesn’t shade out the clover.

“It’s in balance and we are more than happy with the way it’s going.”

Peter and his wife Maralyn own two 400-hectare farms and have a half share in a 240ha dairy farm with their oldest son Jason, who is regrassing his own dairy farm at Orepuki with AberHSG.

“The right grasses for a farm have huge significance,” says Peter.

AberNiche is the first ryegrass and fescue hybrid from Germinal Seeds to be made available to farmers throughout Australasia and heralds a new generation of stress-resistant ryegrasses.

AberNiche is a festulolium (90% Italian and 10% meadow fescue) and like the new hybrid clover AberLasting, a caucasian clover and white clover cross, is drought resistant and marks the future for grass development.

The goal is to make high quality grassland farming more sustainable and tolerant of climate change and AberNiche ticks both boxes as an Italian-type ryegrass and meadow fescue cross that’s derived from natural hybridisation to increase drought and stress resistance.

Winter hardiness is another strength, as proven in trials in Sweden where AberNiche performed well in comparison to other Italian ryegrass varieties and was the equivalent or better than other hybrid ryegrass varieties.

According to grass breeding team leader Dr Mike Humphreys at the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), based at Aberystwyth University in Wales, AberNiche demonstrates that a transfer of more stress resistant fescue genes into ryegrasses can be achieved without negatively affecting yield or quality.

“Increased drought tolerance is a major objective and we have already recorded an improvement in water use efficiency (forage yield/unit of water consumed) in some festulolium of 88 percent,” said Dr Humphreys.

Germinal Seeds has exclusive rights to forage varieties developed by IBERS where the grass breed programme is working towards the introduction of beneficial fescue genes into perennial ryegrasses.

Meanwhile a new grass to emerge from IBERS’ development of diploid perennial Aber High Sugar Grass (AberHSG) varieties is AberGreen, now available to New Zealand

farmers as a variety offering high yields as well as a near optimum protein-to-energy balance.

This is achieved through a higher level of water soluble carbohydrate (sugar) content without a proportional increase in protein and enables greater nitrogen utilisation by grazing animals – and consequently more production with less nitrogen wastage.

The usual imbalance between energy and protein results in only 20 percent of herbage protein typically used for animal production and the rest excreted.

As achieved for AberHSG varieties, the clover breeders at IBERS are aiming for a better energy to protein balance too and a Aber clover trial currently underway shows a protein level 5-to-10 percent below current varieties on the market.

Different mixes of grass and clover are being tested for the same purpose of increasing rumen efficiency and other projects are aiming for more phosphate use efficiency, to lessen phosphate fertiliser requirements, and lower nitrate leaching.

A major project called ‘Surefoot’ is using the National Plant Phenomics Centre at Aberystwyth to develop ryegrass and fescue hybrids that will lessen the impact of flooding by enhancing root architecture.

AberGreen “looking good”

New generation grasses are more stress-resistant


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WIN5ha Aber HSG

Peter Erb and his son Dwayne, who manages the Erb family’s home farm.

AberNiche – a new generation grass.



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*AgResearch trial 2007, compared to production from cows grazing a standard perennial ryegrass.

10%MILKSOLIDSIN AUTUMN

*MORE

Persistence starts with hidden half of plant

Persistence remains a hot topic because many ryegrass varieties are failing to meet farmers’ expectations, says Germinal Seeds’ South Island key accounts manager Shaun Neeley.

“It does appear that some plant breeders have focused on plant yield above ground and not given due attention to the other half of the plant hidden under the ground.”

While drymatter yield in varying conditions is critically important, and often given as the sole measure of performance and limited to a short period of three years, it was the plant’s roots that mainly determine its resilience when under stress.

“Hopefully a shift in focus is happening with AgResearch’s decision to look at improving the root function of ryegrass and other forage plants in order to minimise nutrient losses to waterways and develop more sustainable pasture.”

Shaun says the plant breeders behind Aber varieties have long been on the path of plant root development because of the direct link to plant persistency.

“A further correlation is tiller density, as is characteristic of Aber varieties that also have a large root mass to better cope with dry conditions and pest challenges.”

A high level of water soluble carbohydrate (sugar) content, as found in Aber High Sugar Grass (AberHSG), may also enhance plant persistency because it’s the energy reserve for plants needing to withstand adverse conditions.

Those three persistency factors – larger root mass, denser tillers and higher sugar content – are bred into all AberHSG varieties in the market and explain their performance exceeding 10 years on farms throughout New Zealand, says Shaun.

Shaun can be contacted at 027 577 7034 [email protected]

Shaun Neeley.

For the past two years Germinal Seeds GB (Great Britain) has been a big supporter of Movember in England to raise awareness, and much-needed funds, for groups confronting three of the biggest health issues facing men – prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health.

Last November a Germinal Seeds team showed the company’s support by giving England’s world famous Cerne Abbas Giant at Dorset a giant grass moustache, for one day, and it’s expected Germinal Seeds’ next project for the coming Movember campaign will be just as ambitious.

The huge ‘mo’, 12 metres long by 3 metres deep, had been grown off-site and then carefully installed in sections to add a rakish look to the imposing 55 metre long landmark, which is Britain’s largest chalk hill figure.

Germinal Seeds GB Managing Director William Gilbert said he appreciated the National Trust’s help in making the idea a reality.

“Movember is an important charity and with so many men working in our industry it’s one we are keen to back. The giant is an iconic male symbol which fits the campaign well.”

The origins of the Cerne Abbas Giant are uncertain but one theory is that it was intended as a mocking representation of Oliver Cromwell, in which case the grass moustache was

appropriate as Cromwell is shown in portraits to have had a moustache.

To promote the previous year’s Movember, an even bigger grass moustache, measuring 36m by 12m, had been grown on a Somerset farm by Germinal Seeds GB, a family business with nearly 200 years of history and the largest privately owned seed company in the UK.

The Cerne Abbas Giant sports a ‘mo’ for Movember



The new Aber High Sugar Grass variety AberGreen is “looking good so far”, says Winton (Southland) dairy farmer Peter Erb.

Sown during November last year it is difficult to tell how the AberGreen compares with other pasture because most of the farm is now sown in Aber pasture and the split herds’ production all goes into one vat.

“We like the Aber’s persistence and high tillering which down here is a great ally because our paddocks can get soft when it rains.”

At least 70 percent of the home farm, milking 800 Jersey cows, is now in AberHSG pasture while their second farm, which is sharemilked, has 800 Friesians and crossbreeds and is about half sown in AberHSG perennials.

Peter runs a low-cost farming system and he likes the idea of pasture offering cows a free dose of natural sugar to

boost their milk production.“Until there’s a better grass we will

keeping putting in the Aber.”“The cows are more content, they get

their fill and lie around to chew their cud and seem more settled.

“When you drive to a paddock the cows hear the bike coming and head to the gate but in the Aber you usually have to go in there and bring them out.”

Peter says the Aber pasture was first sown on their home farm in 2006, is grazed evenly and doesn’t shade out the clover.

“It’s in balance and we are more than happy with the way it’s going.”

Peter and his wife Maralyn own two 400-hectare farms and have a half share in a 240ha dairy farm with their oldest son Jason, who is regrassing his own dairy farm at Orepuki with AberHSG.

“The right grasses for a farm have huge significance,” says Peter.

AberNiche is the first ryegrass and fescue hybrid from Germinal Seeds to be made available to farmers throughout Australasia and heralds a new generation of stress-resistant ryegrasses.

AberNiche is a festulolium (90% Italian and 10% meadow fescue) and like the new hybrid clover AberLasting, a caucasian clover and white clover cross, is drought resistant and marks the future for grass development.

The goal is to make high quality grassland farming more sustainable and tolerant of climate change and AberNiche ticks both boxes as an Italian-type ryegrass and meadow fescue cross that’s derived from natural hybridisation to increase drought and stress resistance.

Winter hardiness is another strength, as proven in trials in Sweden where AberNiche performed well in comparison to other Italian ryegrass varieties and was the equivalent or better than other hybrid ryegrass varieties.

According to grass breeding team leader Dr Mike Humphreys at the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), based at Aberystwyth University in Wales, AberNiche demonstrates that a transfer of more stress resistant fescue genes into ryegrasses can be achieved without negatively affecting yield or quality.

“Increased drought tolerance is a major objective and we have already recorded an improvement in water use efficiency (forage yield/unit of water consumed) in some festulolium of 88 percent,” said Dr Humphreys.

Germinal Seeds has exclusive rights to forage varieties developed by IBERS where the grass breed programme is working towards the introduction of beneficial fescue genes into perennial ryegrasses.

Meanwhile a new grass to emerge from IBERS’ development of diploid perennial Aber High Sugar Grass (AberHSG) varieties is AberGreen, now available to New Zealand

farmers as a variety offering high yields as well as a near optimum protein-to-energy balance.

This is achieved through a higher level of water soluble carbohydrate (sugar) content without a proportional increase in protein and enables greater nitrogen utilisation by grazing animals – and consequently more production with less nitrogen wastage.

The usual imbalance between energy and protein results in only 20 percent of herbage protein typically used for animal production and the rest excreted.

As achieved for AberHSG varieties, the clover breeders at IBERS are aiming for a better energy to protein balance too and a Aber clover trial currently underway shows a protein level 5-to-10 percent below current varieties on the market.

Different mixes of grass and clover are being tested for the same purpose of increasing rumen efficiency and other projects are aiming for more phosphate use efficiency, to lessen phosphate fertiliser requirements, and lower nitrate leaching.

A major project called ‘Surefoot’ is using the National Plant Phenomics Centre at Aberystwyth to develop ryegrass and fescue hybrids that will lessen the impact of flooding by enhancing root architecture.

AberGreen “looking good”

New generation grasses are more stress-resistant


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WIN5ha Aber HSG

Peter Erb and his son Dwayne, who manages the Erb family’s home farm.

AberNiche – a new generation grass.



Nick Walters.

Timaru-based Nick Walters starts as a sales agronomist for Germinal Seeds on September 1.

Nick has a Bachelor of Commerce from Lincoln University majoring in farm management and valuation and after seven years in arable support with another seed company is well qualified to advise on forage and arable crops.

Nick sees an exciting future for New Zealand farm systems as more advanced genetic material becomes available, as

seen in Aber High Sugar Grass. “Like many farmers I am looking

for ways to decrease nitrogen leaching and work towards a more sustainable farming future for the generations to follow,” says Nick, who is involved with a sheep, beef, dairy support and cropping farm.

“It’s exciting to see the science-based work being done on nitrogen use efficiency and with the Aber varieties there’s no detrimental effect on

production. In fact it’s gone the other way - we can get more liveweight gain and milk yield.”

Nick, previously a keen rugby player but now more interested in hunting and fishing, was born and raised in rural Timaru and is pleased to have the opportunity to help Canterbury farmers plan their crop options.

Nick can be contacted at 027 807 0348 or [email protected]

Nick excited by new crop science

Building on its longstanding involvement in the New Zealand agricultural seed industry, the Yates family has established a new company named NZ Seed Houses Limited (NZSH) to represent Germinal Seeds in the local market.

“For Germinal’s retail distribution partners, farming customers and suppliers, it will be business as usual. However, the intention is to further grow and develop the business in New Zealand, building on the solid foundation set by Germinal Seeds NZ Ltd, which has successfully established the brand here over the last ten years,” says Will Yates, who oversees his family’s involvement in the agricultural industry, including its representation of Pioneer Brand Products in New Zealand.

David Kerr, who has worked for Germinal Seeds in the UK and NZ for 14

years, is the Brand Manager-Germinal Seeds for NZSH. David says “the new business will continue to provide the same high quality products and service to the New Zealand market, following on from the good work done by the Germinal Seeds NZ Ltd team since that business began marketing Aber branded High Sugar Grasses (AberHSG) here in 2004.”

Based in Northern Ireland and dating back to 1825, Germinal Holdings is the largest family-owned forage seed business in the British Isles. Chairman John Gilbert, a direct descendant of the founder, says the relationship with NZSH aligns with his Company’s global strategy and positioning.

“Outside its home markets in the UK and Ireland, Germinal has licence agreements in 17 other countries around the world. Accordingly the change to New Zealand Seed Houses is consistent with how Germinal operates

elsewhere in the world. Germinal Seeds NZ Ltd has successfully achieved its goal of establishing the merits of AberHSG on New Zealand farms. Now with promising local research showing the improved animal performance of ruminants grazing AberHSG, it is an opportune time to change how Aber products are represented in New Zealand,” says John.

The Germinal group of companies has the worldwide marketing rights for the highly successful range of Aber grass and clover varieties, through its funding of ryegrass and legume breeding at IBERS Aberystwyth University in Wales. The Company also has significant involvement in key areas of plant and animal research, and works collaboratively through the whole food supply chain from plant breeding to the retail food sector, thus playing its part in the development of sustainable livestock production.

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The Difference is Digestibility


The new name behind Germinal Seeds

Documents

Rural News 2 September 2014