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2 Tuesday, February 13, 2018

RWNZ callsfor flashinglights, signs

Now that schools are back for2018, Rural Women NewZealand (RWNZ) is remind-

ing drivers about their legal re-sponsibilities and renewing theircall for mandatory signage andflashing lights on school buses.

“RWNZ urges the new Govern-ment to implement mandatory20km/h signs and flashing lights onschool buses, especially given re-cent trials have proven both arevital to reducing the speed oftraffic passing school buses,” saysnational president Fiona Gower.

“Rural children are especiallyvulnerable when drivers speedpast school buses, and childrenhave been involved in a number ofserious and fatal incidents.

“We are back into the swing ofthe school year, and drivers mustremember to follow the Road Codeand slow down to 20km/h whenpassing a school bus that hasstopped to pick-up or drop-offchildren.

“As advocates of safer ruralroads, RWNZ also asks drivers towatch out for children cycling orwalking to school, particularlyalong highways and main roads,and always remember to slowdown to the speed limits indicatedin school zones.

“It is time to up the game withkeeping our rural children safe –let's just do it,” says Fiona.

Women contest farmer award

TC130218FFLOUISE2YOUNG Farmer Louise Collingwood in action atthe 2004 Waikato/Bay of Plenty Regional Final.

TC130218FFLOUISE1FLASHBACK: 2003 Waikato/Bay of Plenty YoungFarmer of the Year Louise Collingwood collectsher prize Honda CTX200 from Peter GliddenHonda’s Jason de Haan.

A record number ofwomen will com-pete in this year’s

Waikato/Bay of PlentyRegional Final of the FMGYoung Farmer of theYear.

Three of the sevencompetitors in the event,which is being held inRotorua on March 10, arewomen.

It’s one of sevenregional finals being heldacross New Zealand todecide contestants for thegrand final of the pres-tigious competition inInvercargill in July.

And not that there isany pressure on localentrant, and Waipa/KingCountry winner, RachaelPhillips — but the lastwoman to win the Wai-kato/Bay of PlentyRegional Final, and thebest performed femaleGrand Finalist, was localLouise Coll ingwood,representing Te KawaYoung Farmers.

Louise won the Waipa/Waitomo final four yearsrunning from 2001-2004. In2003 she went on to winthe Waikato-Bay of Plentyregional final for the firsttime and placed second inthe Grand Final.

With one more yearavailable due to agerestrictions, Louise madethe huge commitment to

try again in 2004 and took hersecond Waikato-Bay of Plentyregional final title and finished acreditable third in the Grand Final.

Next best female Grand Finalistis last year’s fourth placegetter LisaKendall from Karaka. PreviouslyDenise Brown (1981) and Katherine

Tucker (2012) placed seventh.Back in 2003, after placing

second, Louise said being a femalewas not a disadvantage because thecompetition was a balance betweenskills and knowledge.

She believes the modern femalecontestants have every chance of

going all the way to the top.Louise, her husband Tony and

their teenage children — born aftershe finished competing — continueto dairy farm on their north Otoro-hanga property.

■ Continued page 3

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Young Farmer contest challenges skillsTC130218TCRP

FIRST timeYoungFarmer of theYearcontestantRachaelPhillips, whohas made theWaikato/Bayof PlentyRegionalFinal,pictured onherMangapikofarm.

■ From page 2

A fourth-generation dairyfarmer, Rachael was convinced bytwo-times previous regional final-ist Sophia Clark to give it a go.

“This is the most women I’veever seen make it through to theWaikato/Bay of Plenty RegionalFinal,” says Sophia.

The 29-year-old 50:50sharemilks 270 cows at Waharoanear Matamata and works part-time for a seed company.

Last year she undertook theKellogg Rural Leadership Pro-gramme and explored strategiesfor a 50:50 sharemilker to cost-effectively improve their herd.

“It’s awesome to see almosthalf the finalists are women,” says27-year-old Rachael.

“It’d be great to have anotherwoman take out the regionalfinal.”

Rachael completed her agricul-ture degree at Massey and is in herfirst season 50:50 sharemilking 240cows on her parent’s property atMangapiko. She has previouslymilked 440 ewes in England.

She milks once a day, some-thing started by her father sevenseasons ago, and says it works forher.

“Production is good, the cowsaren’t stressed and I can prettymuch run the farm singlehandedly and have a life off theproeprty,” she says.

“Happy cows, happy farmer.”A member of Te Kawa West

Young Farmers for nine years, shehas helped organsie the competi-

tion plenty of times before actuallyentering.

She says it is a real challengeand a great way to learn new skillsand improve her abilities.

She is also enjoying meetingmore people and extending hernetwork within the industry shehas chosen.

It’ll be Zara Cosh’s second timecompeting.

“It makes me feel proud to see agrowing number of women takingon the blokes,” said the 25-year-oldwho manages a 165-cow dairy farmat Huntly.

The trio will face off againstfour men, who are also all dairyfarmers.

Josh Cozens is a qualifiedautomotive service technicianwho contract milks 350 cows atWhakatane.

This will be his third attempt atclinching a spot in the grand final.

“Each time I’ve done the con-test it’s been different, so thevariety makes taking part quiterewarding,” says the 29-year-old.

Colin Tremain is also a career-changer.

The qualified builder helpedconstruct the Te Mihi PowerStation north of Taupo.

He now manages a 1750-cowdairy farm and support unit inRotorua.

“We milk through two sheds.The farm employs four full-timeand two part-time staff,” saidColin.

“I really enjoy the personaldevelopment aspect of the con-test.”

Eoin O’Mahony contract milks650 cows on a split-calving farmnear Tokoroa.

He came runner-up WaikatoShare Farmer of the Year in the2017 NZ Dairy Industry Awards.

“I like the opportunities avail-able for growth and succession inNew Zealand,” says Eoin who isfrom Ireland.

Andrew Wards grew upwatching the FMG Young Farmerof the Year on television. Heaspired to have a go when he was

old enough.The 22-year-old is in his first

season lower order sharemilkingon a 230-cow farm south of Otoro-hanga.

“I always aim to do the best Ican,” says Andrew, who is study-ing for a Diploma in AgribusinessManagement throughPrimaryITO.

The eighth spot in the contest,which was to be filled by ColbyHarris, will be left vacant as amark of respect following his

sudden death in December.Colby was second-in-charge on

a 300-cow dairy farm at Huntly anda much-loved member of NorthWaikato Young Farmers.

The regional final is being heldat the Rotorua A&P Showgroundson March 10 and the evening show,hosted by Te Radar, is at the city’sNovotel Hotel.

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Environment big focusfor sheep + beef sector

When I joined the Mid NorthernBeef+Lamb Farmer Council sevenyears ago the word environment was

hardly mentioned. Now the environment is amajor focus for the sector, aiming to improveecosystem health on-farm while optimisingland use on the grazing platform andimproving profitability.

B+LNZ’s environment team is to unveil itsnew strategy and new talent.

Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s environmentteam is looking forward to discussions thisyear with key stakeholders about a new draftenvironment strategy as three new faces tothe team bring a range of skills and expertise.

Environment strategy manager JuliaBeijeman says Richard Parkes, LaurenPhillips and Alice Bradley bring with them arange of technical, environmental scienceand legal expertise coupled with a soundknowledge of agricultural systems and com-munication skills.

Their strategy focuses on four clear andtangible outcomes — cleaner water, healthysoils, thriving biodiversity and towards car-bon neutrality. These will underpin theenvironment team’s work. The strategy willbe shared with some key stakeholders aspart of a consultation process before it islaunched later this year.

Beijeman says sheep and beef farmerswork tirelessly in the environment space, so afocus for this year will be to better under-stand, capture, share and support thesefarmer actions. Key activities for the team willinclude working with farmer-driven catch-ment groups, refreshing B+LNZ’s FarmEnvironment Planning resources, and under-taking projects that link farmer actions withcommunity outcomes.

One of the challenges with working withnatural systems is the time-lag betweenactions and outcomes.

“It is massive. While farmers can beworking hard to manage for environment risk,it can be some time before results arereflected in outcomes such as water quality.

“One of the biggest issues that these longtimeframes pose is that our farmers willcontinue to face increasing public scrutiny,even though they’re seeking to managepossible environmental risks,” saysBeijeman.

One of the best ways B+LNZ can supportits levy payers is to help link on-farm actionsto community expectations.

“This year we will be piloting state-of-the-

art tools, to help bring this new dimensioninto farmer decision making, to both bettertarget on-farm actions, and to manageexpectations around the immediate resultsthat will occur.”

Another focus area for the environmentteam will be aligning environmental manage-ment with the New Zealand’s Red Meatbrand and product story, which is underdevelopment.

It will leverage off this country’s naturalfarming systems and unique environment.Beijeman believes Farm Environment Planscan be used to help quantify marketingclaims and allow consumers to see howfarmers are protecting and enhancing theirnatural resources.

While running Farm Environment Planworkshops are a core part of B+LNZ’sbusiness, Beijeman believes there is oppor-tunity to better align resources to the four keypillars of the Environment Strategy, and toprovide on-going support to farmers.

In all of its work, the environment team willbe looking to work with partners to deliverinformation, advice and on-going support toits levy-paying farmers.

Underlying all of B+LNZ’s environmentactivities is work to shape and informGovernment policy and planning.

Sheep and beef farming systems arecomplex and unique, says Beijeman.

“We need environmental policy and plan-ning frameworks that recognise this com-plexity and allow farmers to come up withtheir own innovative environmentalsolutions.”

In addition to the organisation’s flagshipenvironmental projects, B+LNZ will continueadvocating for the sector, and empoweringfarmers to advocate for themselves — asregional councils around the country set theirnutrient limits.

As well as fostering innovation, B+LNZwould also like to see councils taking anatural capital approach to nutrient allocationrather than grandparenting.

This, says Beijeman, allows sheep andbeef farmers to optimise their farming sys-tems, provide greater flexibility to respond tomarket signals, while enabling farming withinenvironmental limits.

B+LNZ’s environment team has grownexponentially over the past three years.Starting with just one person, the organisa-tion now employs seven full-time environ-mental experts. “We are entering an excitingand challenging new year, with strongenvironmental signals coming from the newGovernment.”

But with a new environment strategybeing developed, and a team of experts onboard, B+LNZ is up to the challenge and islooking forward to continuing its work for thesheep and beef sector.”

■ See more at beeflambnz.com/news-views/topics/Environment

Retaining 90-day trialgood for farmers says FFFederated Farmers says new employment

legislation will give farmers renewedconfidence in employing staff with small

businesses retaining the right to use a 90-daytrial.

The Government announced that smallerbusinesses can continue to use the 90-day trialrule for new employees, with larger businesses(20 or more employees), bound by theprovision for employees to lodge a personalgrievance for unfair dismissals.

Chris Lewis, Federated Farmers employ-ment spokesman, says the while the newGovernment had been clear about makingchanges to the current 90-day trial law, thechange of heart was a welcome surprise.

“It’s good to see Labour has listened tosome of the concerns of the business commun-ity and consulted with their key coalitionpartner, New Zealand First,” says Chris.

“Winston Peters has made the pledge tolook after farmers’ interests and we acknow-

ledge his support.“The decision is especially good for small

businesses.“The vast majority of farming businesses

are in this category and they will appreciatethe rationale.

“Many employ few staff but because of thesmall size of the business, they simply can’tafford the situation or inconvenience whennew staff aren’t suited for the job or can’t fit in.

“The number one concern for farmersregarding employment, especially in the dairyindustry, is the lack of available, motivatedstaff.

“Farmers need the confidence to take achance on a potential employee who may haveno demonstrated experience or who may havehad previous social or addiction problems,”says Chris.

“Retaining the 90-day trial for small busi-nesses gives the vast majority of farmers someassurance towards hiring future employees.”

4 Tuesday, February 13, 2018

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Tuesday, February 13, 2018 5

Investing in bettergenetics launched

TC130218OPENDAY1FARMERS listen to presentations onfarming system and genetics at the

Maui Open Day.New Zealand’s dairy sheep industry

took a big step forward when a majorinvestment in genetic improvement

and farm system development wasformally launched at Waikino Station onthe western shores of Lake Taupo.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony wasattended by dozens of potential investorsand distributors from overseas, and anopen day attracted 300 farmers, ruralbankers and accountants.

The investment has been made by theChinese partner in the Maui Milk jointventure with local dairy sheep pioneers,the Waituhi Kuratau Trust, which alsoborders the lake.

The joint venture has milked 3000 eweson that property since 2015 and lessonslearned are being implemented in thegreen-field development at WaikinoStation which adds another 2000 ewes tothe tally.

The new conversion at Waikino Stationincludes two Aztech barns with feedconveyors and a purpose-built lambrearing facility. The location of thedevelopment, so close to the lake,highlighted points made about environ-mental sustainability.

The farm has an even lower NitrogenDischarge Allowance (NDA) than most ofthe traditional sheep and beef farms in thecatchment because some was sold by aprevious owner, but the only role of cattleis controlling pasture quality, so this is noimpediment for the new enterprise.

Waikino Station was purchased toshowcase a system that can beimplemented by others.

General manager Peter Gatley andgeneticist Jake Chardon have beeninvolved from the outset, buying theproperty on behalf of the investors andscouring the world for the best genes tocreate a milking ewe for local conditions.

Peter says there is plenty of interest inthe concept.

“New Zealand needs diversification inagricultural exports and every farmerwants a high value product, stable pricingand environmental sustainability. Weadmire what the dairy goat industry hasachieved, but we want to capitalise on NewZealand expertise in both sheep farmingand pastoral systems for milk production”.

A new breed of milking sheep geneticsis the first focus of attention for thebusiness which has plenty of experienceon board.

Peter spent over 20 years in LIC andfounded Deer Improvement.

Marion Benoit brings a Masters degreein genetics from the centre of the milkingsheep universe in the south of France.

Jake is known world-wide as a genetic-ist and CE of Dutch co-operative CRV, oneof the truly international genetics com-panies.

Peter and Jake met when LIC and CRVformed a strategic alliance in the mid-1990s, and Jake came to New Zealand tosemi-retire on a small sheep farm nearCambridge.

He ended up running the Deer Improve-ment genetic programme and also consultsto the Dairy Goat Co-operative.

In 2017 a large volume of East Friesianembryos and Lacaune semen wasimported from the UK and France respec-tively. These two breeds are comple-mented by the Awassi, another northernhemisphere breed, and all three willcontribute to formation of a specialisthybrid — Southern Cross — selected onperformance in New Zealand.

Jake says until now, sheep milking inthis country has depended on a very smallsample of 1980s East Friesian genetics thatarrived in 1992 to put some milk in ourmeat breeds.

“No one has ever milked a world-classdairy sheep in New Zealand, but we nowhave lambs that carry those genes, andthey will milk in spring this year.”

■ Continued page 11

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The evolution ofpasture assessmentDarren SuttonWaikato FarmWise Consultant

We all know the importance ofmaintaining high pasture utilisation. It isNew Zealand’s main competitive ad-

vantage over other countries, whose maincompetitive advantage is large domesticmarkets and access to far cheapersupplements than New Zealand.

So it makes sense to farm to our strengths;that is to grow as much pasture in our temperateclimate and then get the four-legged machinesto harvest it cheaply for us. Studies on what arecommon among the highest performing farmsshow that pasture harvested per hectare isclosely aligned to profitability per hectare.

This month I want to look at what tools areavailable to help measure and manage pasture.Farm observations

You don’t need to buy anything to do this. Astudy was done in Australia where farmers wereasked to walk to the back of their farm each dayand move a box from one paddock to another.The result was better managed pasture andhigher production.

Why? Purely they observed what washappening on their farm and reacted. Thisshows that this is better than looking at thegrazing list from last round seeing what paddockis next on the list.Rising plate meter

Developed in New Zealand and used fordecades now to give a good estimation onherbage dry matter (DM) based on a ryegrassand clover pasture.

There are different regression formula youcan use, but the most commonly used (andrecommended now) is x140 +500.

The real change in technology is theavailability of software to capture and managethe data.

This allows for instant uploading andretrieval of data, access growth rates and createpaddock ranking to identify the best and worstperforming paddocks.

Did you know you have a paddock rankingreport in MINDA Land & Feed?C-Dax meter

This was developed in response to make themeasuring of pasture easier, faster and moreconsistent between people. It certainly hasdelivered in those areas.

When used by trained people who knowhow to adjust the equations to allow forseasonal changes, they can deliver accuratepasture assessments and provide a goodpaddock ranking. It comes with a high capitaloutlay, but when looked after and understood,can deliver the information you want.Satellite infrared

Two years ago drones were being hailed asthe next big advancement in pasture measure-ment. We are now moving into a time wherepasture assessments are available fromsatellites.

Twenty years ago this was looked at, butcloud cover and lack of satellites flying overmeant this was shelved. Since gaining accessto daily satellite images, LIC have announced alimited release of a satellite measuring option inDecember called SPACE — Satellite Pastureand Cover Evaluation.

When a clear image is taken, it is analysedand a detailed pasture report will be sent thenext day.

The report includes an image of your farmshowing pasture cover variation by colour, adetailed feed wedge and estimated kg DM/hafor each paddock.

The report gets emailed to you and if youuse MINDA Land & Feed it gets uploadeddirectly. How easy will it be to turn on yourlaptop or phone and see a new pastureassessment there waiting for you?

SPACE is currently available in areas inCanterbury and when it’s released to newareas, farmers have the option to trial theproduct for a fixed 6 week period before payingfor the service.Use the Information

Don’t just collect the information — use it!Take the time to think and plan how to best usethe feed wedge you have in front of you. What isit telling you?

There are plenty of other feed allocationapps out there that crunch all the numbers to getto the information you need.

It is far better to use the data to make feedmanagement adjustments in a timely mannerthat is proactive and cheaper rather thanreactive and more expensive.

There is often a disconnect between theperson making the main feeding decisions andother staff that are viewing the results.

It is vital that all feeding decision results areknown and fed back to the main feed-planner toadjust as required to stay within the correctresidual ranges.

Think about what ways this is best done onyour farm.

Again there are ways of sharing data like inMINDA Land & Feed, or other apps to make thisquick and easy.

6 Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Chance to see farmforestry in actionForestry has become a strong interest

to many people, even if only becausethis Government is aiming to plant

so many trees to cover our emissions.For farmers this could be the chance to

diversify and for townsfolk the chance toinvest.

Trees used to cover up to six billionhectares of land around the world.

In New Zealand there was not muchland free of trees pre-human times.

We have modified our environment toour detriment, and now we are beingasked to modify it, to a small extent, backthe way it was.

Each tree is part of a system whichhelps to keep the earth cool and recyclesrain downwind.

They are solar powered, self-building,self-repairing, high rise air coolers andrain makers. The trunks also absorb theenergy of wind helping to slow it down.

Trees are vitally important for ourecosystems allowing other plants to sur-vive by providing suitable conditions, andthey do all this and more for free.

Dave and Sue Forsythe farm at TeKawa, with a large milking herd ofautumn calvers.

The couple have won the North IslandFarm Forester of the Year Trophy fortheir work in integrating forestry withdairy and for their efforts in promotingforestry.

They have built resilience into theirfarm system with trees of many varietiesgiving alternative sources of income. Thisis a carbon neutral farm, that is alsoclaiming carbon credits.

A field-day will be held on theirproperty this Saturday staring at 10am.

Meet at 23 Hinewai Road, Te Kawa tobe able to view their interesting plantingsof pine, eucalypt, cypresses, redwoodsand oaks, learn about carbon credits, andenjoy lunch at the top of Kawa mountainwith its’ magnificent views.

Bring your own lunch, sturdy footwearand weather protection. Much of theviewing will be by 4WD, but visitorsshould be prepared for some walking.

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Young talent arrives at LICTC130218LIC

SOME of LIC’s 2018 Sire Proving Scheme bulls.The busy calving periodis well and trulywrapped up for most

dairy farms, but for thecountry’s largest supplier ofdairy genetics, the annualinflux has just begun with theindustry’s most promisingyoung talent arriving at LIC’sfarm in Hamilton.

More than 200 bulls havearrived at LIC to join thefarmer-owned co-operative’sSire Proving Scheme. Mostare the result of a contractmating between a top cowand one of LIC’s top bulls andall passed inspection by LIC’sspecialised breeding team.

Simon Worth, livestockselection manager, said thebull calves are chosen basedon their potential to producehigh performing, efficientdairy cows that New Zealandfarmers want to milk.

The bull calf’s parentage,DNA profile and physicaltraits are all taken intoaccount.

“We personally eyeballeach and every calf to makesure their physical conditionis up to scratch. These bullcalves could go on to sirehundreds of thousands ofdaughters for the nationalherd, so we need to bestringent,” he says.

The bull calves will nowbe put through their paces inthe scheme, to see if theyhave what it takes to becomepart of LIC’s Premier Sires

team, the elite bulls respon-sible for siring up to 80 percent of the national herd.

They will each be namedand reared to maturity,undergoing health testing,vaccinations and training.Their first semen collectionwill take place at one year ofage, and their first daughtersto be born the following year.

Simon says getting a bullto Premier Sires status is along game and roughly only 1per cent of all the calvesinspected by LIC each yearwill claim that exclusive title.

“It takes four years for abull to become daughterproven, which is when we

can get the first lot of pro-duction and conformationinformation from their two-year-old daughters,” he says.

“If their daughters arehigh performing in terms ofefficiency and productivity,have sound conformationand good workability traits,the bull will have earned hisstripes and graduate toPremier Sires status. It’s noeasy feat.

“It’s a tremendouslyproud moment for farmerswhen their bull calf is initiallychosen, and even more sowhen it achieves the premierstatus. As one of our farmersput it, having one of your bull

calves make the PremierSires team is like having yourson picked to be an AllBlack.”

Calves that enter the SireProving Scheme are formallypurchased by LIC, withbreeders choosing their pre-ferred compensation —either a one-off payment orroyalty payments on a per-insemination basis once thebull’s genetics are madeavailable to farmers.

The Premier Sires teamsare named by LIC in earlyspring, ahead of the peakmating season when farmerswill be choosing bulls to matetheir cows.

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8 Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Rachael BeattieEdmonds Judd Senior Associate

Lucy SimEdmonds Judd Associate

M.bovis — what thefarmer needs to know

The regulation of stock movementwhen buying and selling stock in lightof the recent mycoplasma bovis out-

break in the Hawkes Bay region and SouthIsland.Mycoplasma Bovis (M.bovis) — anoverview

M. bovis is a bacterial disease com-monly found in cows all over the world.

First detected in New Zealand in July2017, it has affected a small number offarms in the South Island and Hawkes Bayregions.

The Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI)is working hard with farmers to control thedisease and if possible eradicate it fromNew Zealand.

M. bovis causes a range of diseases incows including mastitis that doesn’t re-spond to treatment, arthritis, pneumoniaand late term abortion.

Although the bacterial disease affectscows it poses no risk to food safety orhuman health.

M.bovis is mainly spread through closeand prolonged contact between infectedanimals, through the movement of stock,contaminated equipment and the feeding ofuntreated milk to calves.

It is not windborne, it does not spreadthrough streams or rivers and it is arelatively slow-moving disease.Regulating Stock Movement in NewZealand — Farmer and Stock Ownersobligations

M.bovis is an unwanted organism Underthe Biosecurity Act 1993.

Anyone in charge of cows must complywith the National Animal Identification andTracing (NAIT) regulations and all animalmovements must be recorded.

The NAIT scheme provides for cows tobe tagged and registered in a nationaldatabase which records an animals loca-tion, movements, and contact details for theperson in charge of that animal. NAITrecords link people, property and cows inNew Zealand.

The scheme provides traceability andenhances New Zealand’s ability to respondquickly to a disease outbreak such asM.bovis.

Animal Status Declarations must be fullycompleted and retained when moving cowsbetween properties and also when sendinganimals to slaughter (with the exception ofbobby calves).

The outbreak of M.bovis highlights theimportance of keeping NAIT records andensuring Animal Status Declarations arecompleted and retained.Restricted Place Notices and Notices ofDirection

Under the Biosecurity Act, MPI can issuetwo types of notices to control stockmovement.

Any properties that are believed to have,or are suspected to have M.bovis will beplaced under a Restricted Place Notice.

This effectively places them under quar-antine lockdown, restricting the movementof stock.

Notice of Directions are issued to farmswhen an inspector or authorised personconsiders that the movement of stockposes a risk of spreading M.bovis (forexample when animals from infected pro-perties have been moved to a property buttesting has not yet taken place or testresults are pending).Buying stock — the importance ofhaving a written agreement in place andworking with your lawyer

M.bovis can be difficult to detect, there-fore having a written agreement in placewhen purchasing new cows provides pro-tection for a purchaser and their existingherd.

An agreement places obligations upon avendor, providing a purchaser withwarranties regarding the cows being pur-chased, such as information about animalhealth, including disease and treatmenthistory.

An agreement can provide that a pur-chaser may reject cows as at the date ofpurchase on the basis that they do notcomply with the vendor warranties.

An agreement will also provide a pur-chaser with the protection that should thevendor breach any of the warrantiescontained in the agreement, the purchasercan enforce remedies for any loss sufferedby them against the vendor.Conclusion

Farmers and stock owners shouldalways complete their NAIT records andmake sure that stock movement is accur-ately recorded and retained.

When buying or selling stock it isimportant to enter into a written agreementand to seek legal advice to ensure thatadequate protection and remedies areavailable to both vendor and purchaser.

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10 Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Aussie judge impressed by standardCHAMPIONCowBraedeneTargetMollyowned byJustJerseys,Nigel andJulietRiddell.

Te Awamutu JerseyCattle Club held itsannual Agrisea NZ Jer-

sey Classic Show at KihikihiDomain at the end of lastyear.

Australian judge PhilHentschke was stunned bythe standard of the in-milkclasses, particularly Cham-pion Cow Braedene TargetMolly.

Phil is from HomelandsJersey Stud, in Victoria andhas judged many major dairyshows of all breeds, as well assheep.

He studied as a veterin-arian and went on to lectur-ing at Roseworthy Agricul-tural College/University ofAdelaide.

Phil was also amazed atthe number of young peopleparticipating in the localevent and commented thatyou wouldn’t see as manyyoungsters at the major Aus-tralian shows.

He was also complimen-tary about the venue and theway the show was set up andmanaged and said the JerseyClub was lucky to have thecontinuing support of localbusinesses, especiallyAgrisea NZ — The PlatinumSponsors.

Without sponsor supportthe club acknowledged itwould not be in a position torun such a successful event.RESULTS

In milk classes, 2-year-old: C& J Turner, Karaka Zells Lota,1; Ferdon Genetics, FerdonBstone Lacy, 2; Just JerseyLtd, Thornlea Vans Tansy, 3;Just Jersey Ltd, Roscliff GoasDevine ET, 4.3-year-old: Ferdon Genetics,Ferdon Tequila Conita (Exhib-ited by Corey Ferguson & RobBarclay), 1; Ferdon Genetics,Ferdon BS Vienna ET, 2;Ferdon Genetics, FerdonBstone Lill, 3; Just Jersey Ltd,Thornlea Speedy Sheba, 4.Intermediate Champion:Ferdon Genetics, FerdonTequila Conita; Reserve:Ferdon Genetics, Ferdon BSVienna ET .4-year-old: Summit Farms,Mount Cosy Super Kyla, 1;Ferdon Genetics, BstoneLippy, 2.5-year-old: Ferdon Genetics,Ferdon Tbone Lorna, 1; C & JTurner, Karaka Lundy QueenBee, 2; P & M Johnson,Somerton Pioneer Sariah, 3. 6& 7-year-olds: Just JerseyLtd, Braedene Target Molly, 1;Ferdon Genetics, FerdonBstone Rose, 2; Just JerseyLtd, Braedene Lt Margret, 3;Just Jerseys Ltd, ThornleaGoas Tansy, 4. 8+ years: JustJerseys Ltd, Thornlea JosDolly, 1.Senior Champion: Just Jer-sey Ltd, Braedene TargetMolly; Reserve: Ferdon Gen-etics, Ferdon Tbone Lorna.Judges Honourable Men-

tion: Just Jersey Ltd, ThornleaJos Dolly.Agrisea NZ Jersey ClassicChampion Cow: Just JerseyLtd, Braedene Target Molly.Best Uddered: Ferdon Gen-etics, Ferdon Tequila Conita(Exhibited By Corey Ferguson& Rob Barclay), 1; FerdonGenetics, Ferdon BstoneLippy, 2; Just Jerseys Ltd,Braedene Target Molly, 3;Summit Farms, Mount CosySuper Kyla, 4.Genetic Realisation: Just Jer-sey Ltd, Braedene Lt Margret,

1; Just Jersey Ltd, Thornlea SpLeonie ET, 2; Just Jerseys Ltd,Thornlea Goas Tansy, 3; P &M Johnson, Somerton PioneerSariah, 4.Dam & Daughter: Just JerseyLtd, 1; Ferdon Genetics, 2.Three Females (at least twoin milk): Ferdon Genetics, 1;Just Jersey Ltd, 2; C & JTurner, 3; Ferdon GeneticsLtd, 4.Novice Cow: Just Jerseys Ltd,1; C & J Turner, 2; C & J Turner(also Novice Breeder), 3; P &M Johnson, 4.

Young Stock Classes,Senior Yearling: S & E Fitz-gerald, Pampus Lane Anna, 1;Alex West, Paterangi HeadCaramello, 2; C & J Turner,Karaka Kings Miss Queen, 3;Fowlie Family, Ferdon RangerLucy, 4.Junior Yearling: CrystalScown, Somerset Joel Sansa,1; Just Jerseys Ltd, RoscliffTinos Daphne, 2; Fowlie Fam-ily, Fynreath FLR Victoria, 3.Early Calf: Fowlie Family,Fynreath Colton Camila, 1; EllaPirie, Ngatea Ellas Lola P, 2;

Lily Street, Willand QuickMolly, 3; GregoryCapper’Conijn, Oakenhill FRButtons Bling, 4.Late Calf: Caitlyn Turner,Karaka Brahms Linda, 1; AnnaTurner, Karaka BrahmsMaree, 2; Alex West, PaterangiVito Popps, 3; Asarina John-son, Somerton Profit Hilary, 4.Junior Female Champion:Ferdon Genetics, FerdonCelebrity Lily; Reserve: JustJerseys Ltd, Roscliff BbDevine.Bull Calf: Ballinvira EstateStud, Carnmor Cz Cody E, 1;Ballinvira Estate Stud,Carnmor KCS Spiro, 2; S & EFitzgerald, Pampus LaneFabulous Frank, 3.Junior Group of Three: C & JTurner, 1; Paterangi, 2; C & JTurner, 3; Just Jersey Ltd, 4.Junior Members, McGregorTrophy Challenge: CrystalFitzgerald, Pampus LaneFabulous Fiona, 1; Alex West,Paterangi Vito Popps, 2; BenTurner, Karaka Degree QueenBee, 3; Ellie-May Riddell,Thornlea RMG Devine, 4; LiamShaw, Paterangi Integ Milly, 5;Ethan Street, Willand GoldieMilly, 6.Calf: Caitlyn Turner, KarakaBrahms Linda, 1; Anna Turner,Karaka Brahms Maree, 2; AlexWest, Paterangi Vito Popps, 3;Asarina Johnson, SomertonProfit Hilary, 4; Crystal Fitzger-ald, Pampus Lane FabulousFiona, 4.

Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health New Zealand. Trading name of Merial New Zealand Limited. Level 3, 2 Osterley Way, Manukau,Auckland, New Zealand. ECLIPSE® is a registered trademark of Merial NZ Ltd.. Registered pursuant to the ACVM Act 1997 | No’s.A9270, A10640, A11151 | ©Copyright 2017 Merial NZ Ltd. All rights reserved. NZ-17-ECL-135.

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0800 THE VET

Emerging pests, diseases- a new microscopic world

With 2016 our hottest year on recordand this January the hottest monthrecorded, it is difficult to ignore that

our climate is changing.Temperatures are predicted to further

increase, making frosts a thing of the pastfor us in the Waikato.

But unlike our Australian cousins, on thewhole New Zealand agriculture shouldn’tbe negatively affected by climate change,with productivity actually improving in someregions.

According to NIWA forecasts, annualrainfall won’t change too much in theWaikato over the next 70 years — it will justbe hotter and the plants, animals anddiseases around us will change with it.Changes will provide opportunities to usehigher yielding plants and breed animalswith better heat tolerance to increaseproductivity, but there are risks too.

Historically we have done a good jobkeeping diseases out of New Zealand butthe reality is that many pests and diseasesjust can’t survive our climate.

In the future that will all change as ourclimate becomes more suitable for sub-tropical pests. This coupled with increasedvolumes of trade with Asia will accentuatethe risk. Imports from this region alreadyaccount for over half of New Zealand’simports and are predicted to increase.

Unfortunately this all favours the estab-lishment of new exotic pests and diseases

that damage human and animal health,crops and natural ecosystems. Of particularconcern is the establishment of vectors liketicks and mosquitoes that spread animaland plant diseases.

Subtropical insects will have the poten-tial to devastate horticulture and legumecrops. Insects like the glassy wingedsharpshooter and giant sapsucking whiteflywhich is known to infest at least 35 plantfamilies, including New Zealand nativeplants.

Human diseases like malaria, RossRiver virus and dengue fever could becomecommonplace, as well as animal diseasesspread by subtropical insects like Q fever,tick fever, West Nile virus and bovineephemeral fever virus. These diseasessound exotic now, but those names couldbe all too common in a generation.

We already have some pests in NewZealand which are isolated to small pocketslike locusts and armyworms. These areknown as sleeper pests because underwarmer conditions have the potential tospread and multiply, devastating pasturesand crops.

With greater exposure to the world atlarge through trade and tourism, we haveseen more diseases like varroa, theileria,didymo, myrtle rust and mycoplasma in thelast few years and we can only expect moreand more new diseases in the future.

Right now you can protect your farm withbiosecurity measures. This makes goodsense now to stop existing pests anddiseases at the farm gate but will beessential in years to come. We can alsosupport the development and use of novelcrops resistant to disease and better suitedto hotter climates.

As an industry we are aware that changeis imminent and will have to adapt to what’sahead. After all, the only certain thing in lifeis change.

Tuesday, February 13, 2018 11

New breed boosts profitability■From page 5

After a life-long career breeding dairycattle, it is clear that Jake relishes theopportunity afforded by a species than canbe milked as yearlings and have more thanone progeny.

“And our new generation has beensired by progeny tested rams from thebiggest and best breeding programme inthe world, so we are about to leap ahead 40years.”The Lacaune is expected to makethe biggest contribution to the new hybridbecause it has been subject to rigorousselection on all of the relevant traits.These include milk volume, components,udder conformation, temperament, feetand legs, and longevity.Farmer interest in converting to milkingsheep

A hot topic among visiting farmers atthe open day was profitability.

Peter points out that the parallels withother types of farming are strong.

“Once you have decided on your farmsystem, the costs are largely fixed,” hesays.

“We already know what the expenseslook like, but there is a lot of potential toincrease income from milk. In the past,large-scale operators in this country havestruggled with lactation yields per ewe ofonly 100 to 150 litres.

“Barn systems in other countries putout 600 litres-plus, but we look to thehybrid grazing system in France where 400litres is standard.

“Grazing offers us competitive advan-tage in production cost, but it is also key toour product positioning. It is also thepreference of most potential new suppliersin New Zealand.

“They don’t want to spend their life in abarn”.

The system at the Waituhi Kurataufarm is all outdoors. There are no barns.

The system at Waikino is also apastoral system, and the barns are therefor lambing and occasional use when thereare climate extremes.

“Having both systems enables us tocompare the two. We may find that bothwork well, and it becomes a matter ofpreference, just as it is in the dairy cattleindustry,” says Peter.

Payment is expected to be based onmilksolids.

“Like the dairy goat industry wemeasure total solids including lactose, andwe aspire to match the dairy goat payoutat around $17/kg,” says Peter.

“Sheep milk is about 18 per cent solidsso that works out at $3/litre, so theprospect of a ewe earning over $1000 ispossible, but two things need to happen.

“We need to demonstrate a big lift inyield, and our marketers need to performwell to tap into the top end of the market.

“The dairy goat guys have done it, butthey have 30 years head start.”

A milking demonstration impressedeveryone as ewes competed to get on the64-bale internal rotary which was im-ported from France.

At a rate of 1000 per hour with twomilkers cupping, and automatic cupremovers, it was an impressive perform-ance. Several observers commented on theadvantage of having only two teats to dealwith, and all were surprised at howcontented the animals were with so manypeople in attendance and with camerasflashing.

Maui Milk does not expect any newconversions to take place this year, butadvises farmers who are contemplating amove in 2019 or 2020 to first think aboutbreeding the sheep.

“The lowest cost and lowest risk part ofthe whole exercise is breeding the animals,but it takes time, and no amount of moneycan turn back the clock,” says Peter.

“Putting some rams out this year wouldprovide first cross hoggets to milk nextyear, or first cross two tooths in 2020backed up by second cross hoggets.

“We have rams available from our ETand AI programmes, and potential newsuppliers can lease these to getunderway.”

NEWSTALKZB.CO.NZ

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