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Bay of Plenty & Waikato Farm, Orchard & Rural
Lifestyle
March 2014 Issue No.163
Bay of Plenty & Waikato Farm, Orchard & Rural
Lifestyle
Hydrangea hype Patrick and Deb Thorp proudly grow hydrangea,
often known as grandmas fl owers, in a range of vibrant and subtle
colours for export to the world. See their story on pages 4-5 Photo
by Elaine Fisher.
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Mellow thoughts of autumnPage 2 COAST & COUNTRY
Mellow thoughts of autumn
The winner of February Coast & Countrys book prize, Wapiti
Hunting in New Zealand by Simon Gibson, published by Halcyon Press,
is Maryann ORourke of Matamata.
Autumn is one of my favourite times of the year. The evenings
are cooler, but the days still warm. The garden is bursting
with
fruit and vegetables. Trees put on a vibrant, short-lived colour
show. Theres something mellow about this transition from summer to
winter.
However, for farmers, contrac-tors and orchardists, theres not a
lot of time to contemplate the beauty of the season. Theres maize
to harvest, silage to make, paddocks to re-sow for pasture, feed
budgets to prepare and for kiwifruit growers, fruit to pick.
Harvesting and storing autumns bounty goes back to the very
beginnings of human existence; early cultures were so skilful at
preserving foods and seeds, some have survived intact for thousands
of years.
Ancient honey found in an Egyptian tomb in the 1800s was still
edible, and famous egyptologist Howard Carter is said to have
planted grain seeds found in a pyramid in the early 1900s; and 20
per cent of them germinated.
In 2005 preserved, long, thin
yellow noodles were found inside an overturned sealed bowl at
the Lajia archaeological site in northwestern China.
Of course its not just humans who store food for winter. In 2003
archaeologists found a hoard of nuts in Germany, believed to have
been stored 17 million years ago by a large hamster.
The fact the Chinese and Egyptian foods survived so long is
probably because particular attention was paid to prepara-tion, by
excluding air.
According to Bill Webb (see page 26), making a successful modern
day maize silage stack relies on the same principles; although, of
course, its designed to last just a few months - not several
millennium.
The kiwifruit industry is gear-ing up for harvest (see pages
40-41), and with a reduced crop, thanks to the effects of the
disease Psa-V, competition among post-harvest operators is
strong.
However, with new varie-ties rapidly maturing, predictions are
crop volumes will quickly reach and then
exceed pre-Psa fi gures. Amid the preparations for winter, some
of the countrys top young (and not so young) farmers have taken
time out to enter the 2014 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards (see
page 13), which showcase the very best in the industry.
Autumn truly a time to harvest food and expertise.
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Page 3COAST & COUNTRY
Growing the message of embracing change
Doug Avery, the Marlborough farmer brought almost to ruin by
drought, no
longer worries about the weather.I spend my time thinking about
things I can
infl uence in my business, says Doug, who people call The
Drought Man and The Lucerne Man for the dramatic change he made
from grass to lucerne pastures in an effort to save his family
farm.
It wasnt easy, but the turnaround in the farm and Dougs own
thinking has been so impressive, hes been sharing his story with
farmers nationwide the country through his Beyond Reasonable
Drought workshops.
If you run a corner dairy, a swish car yard, farm or a hotel in
Queenstown, the principles of business are the same, Doug told
Coast & Country.
What happens with farmers is they work in isola-tion, and they
get occupied in stuff that isnt going to help them in their
future.
DramaticI call that their areas of concern. When I stopped
wasting my time on my areas of concerns, and started looking at
the dot inside the big circle of concern, called your circle of
infl uence, my life started to change dramatically.
A lot of my talk is around these sorts of strategies and that
applies to dairy, beef, sheep, deer, goat any farmers and the
service industries that support them.
Doug says people leave his seminars they dont leave talking
about lucerne; theyre talking about thinking about themselves.
My message is about change; and a lot of people just dont
understand what the steps are.
I didnt either at fi rst; I went through them, and change is
hard, says Doug, who is 2010s South Island Farmer of The Year and
2013 Landcorp Agri-cultural Communicator of the Year.
In 1998, a depressed and disillusioned Doug had just about given
up on his 1500ha farm.
Years of prolonged droughts had Doug and his wife working
endlessly, unable to pay the bills and feed
their family off Bonaveree the farm in their familys ownership
since 1919.
It had got to the point when I realised this has gotten beyond a
joke. We had the driest decade since records began; and it was a
desperate battle for survival.
In desperation, Doug attended a fi eld day where professor
Derrick Moot spoke about lucerne.
That hour changed my life, says Doug. He promoted the concept of
using lucerne as a primary grazing plant, when we had a ryegrass
and clover-based system.
Knowing change was the only option, Doug took a risk and during
the next four years implemented Derricks theory on his farm.
Things got worse before they got better; I was doing it in
isolation and had no support. The only reason I kept going is I
knew the road Id been travel-ling was no longer a viable
option.
Doug and his family changed their entire farm process an effort
not received well by the farming community.
LunacyThey called me the Lucerne Lunatic, they said:
The mans gone crazy. But few people would call it lunacy
now.
From 2008-2010, Bonaverees performance dou-bled. And it has
doubled again since then.
For every drop of water his farm receives, Doug gets twice the
energy from the water that a typical grass-land farmer would. Dougs
lambs fatten at 400 grams per day signifi cantly more than the
national average of 178g. In 2002 Bonaveree had 3700 sheep and
produced 25 tonnes of meat in 2012 with 500 more sheep the farm, it
produced 85 tonnes of meat.
I have huge gratitude to the system and processes that saved my
life. There was a lot of emotion and heartbreak tied up in those
terrible years; and Im so scared of ever returning to that place
again.
At age 59, last month Doug undertook a mission to spread his
message of success.
I want to live in a country with higher wealth and wellbeing for
its habitants. I want to be personally
involved in taking NZ agricultural systems to a higher and
better place.
LegumesDoug says he had no choice, being
at the end of the barrel, but to adopt change. I believe the
changes we went through are relevant to a huge number of farmers I
enjoyed putting them out there in workshops and obviously, people
are interested in that process.
Doug says his fascination is legumes not just lucerne.
Im pushing legumes because they fi x nitrogen naturally. Legumes
effectively double the value of water, in terms of its ability to
produce basic elements, like soil fertility and water into
dollars.
Lucerne, if you can grow it, is the most effective one.
Doug says growing the plant, you do run into problems because
theyre dif-ferent. For a lot of people, because they require a
different approach, they back off and go back to grass.
In NZs case we still need nitrogen, so we put it on artifi
cially; and my drive with my farm performing in the top fi ve per
cent in one of most diffi cult and dry areas of the country is Ive
found a way to do this stuff and as a natural part of the farm.
To learn more about Doug, visit
www.beyondreasonabledrought.co.nz
By Corrie Taylor and Merle Foster
Marlborough sheep farmer
Doug Avery, in a paddock of
lucerne.
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Page 4 COAST & COUNTRY
They fi gured the weather, pests and diseases and fi ckle
markets would be challenging,
but Deb and Patrick Thorp didnt factor in pukeko as a risk when
they ventured into
the cut fl ower business.It was so disheartening. Id spend all
day carefully
putting in young plants, only to have pukeko rip them out, time
and again, says Deb.
It wasnt until they discovered a fi sh-based smelly spray, which
the plants liked but the birds didnt, that the pukeko problem was
resolved.
That was six years ago and today it would take a bird the size
of a moa to uproot the 5000 hydrangea bushes the couple has
planted. However, theres always a small plot of young, new
varieties which need pukeko protection.
Patrick and Deb were living on Waiheke Island when they decided
to make the move to the Bay of Plenty and begin their own
horticultural business near Katikati.
Patrick, who has a diploma in horticulture, was Debs boss when
they both worked in the Auck-land Domain, where Deb had completed
an apprenticeship in horticulture.
We knew we wanted our own business working outside, not in glass
houses; and because of the cost of land at Waiheke, that wasnt
going to be possible there, says Pat-rick, who still consults for
the Auckland Councils parks department.
AvocadoAfter much research, and talking
to other fl ower growers, the couple decided to plant hydrangea
under shelter on two hectares of land at Katikati. The balance of
the 4.5ha block includes 150 mature avocado trees, left from those
removed to make way for the fl ow-ers. Like many avocado orchards,
it has been inconsistent in cropping. Flowers provide a more
reliable income.
People often say we are growing grandmas fl owers because theyre
considered old-fashioned, but we dont mind. We love them and
hydrangea are enjoying a return to popularity, says Deb.
The Thorps export 99 per cent of their fl owers under the
business name Growing Edge. About 50 per cent goes to the Middle
East, 25 per cent heads to America and 25 per cent goes to Japan.
New markets are opening up in India and China, which
offer promise. There is not a very big market for the fl owers
in New Zealand, as everyone seems to have them in their gardens,
says Patrick.
However, Katikatis Flowers on Main often uses the white blooms
for wedding arrangements and bou-quets. Deb says it took about two
years until the fi rst commercial fl owers could be cut for
market.
One of our biggest learning curves was how to pack them. We were
asked to put up to 50 stems in a box and just couldnt fi gure out
how that would
work. In fact, hydrangea are remarkably tolerant of being gently
compressed.
HydratedOnce taken out of the box, so long as they are
well-hydrated, they will spring back to shape, says Patrick. The
name hydran-gea comes from the Greek word hydor, meaning water,
and
angos, meaning jar or vessel; and perhaps refers to the fl owers
need for
water and its ability to come back from wilting when given a
drink.
Water is essential to grow top quality fl owers, so the Thorps
plants are irri-
gated. While they need sunlight, too much burns or bleaches
them, so the shade structures protect from both wind and sun.
The plants receive regular fertiliser and spraying is carried
out by a contractor to control insect, pests and disease.Initially,
we grew a lot of
plants from cuttings; and while the fl owers were good,
exporters told
us we would be better off with named varieties because then
customers would
know exactly what to expect when they placed an order, says
Patrick.
Today, they grow all colours from the well-known blues to pink,
deep red and white.
One of the appeals of hydrangea is the longevity of the blooms,
which can be left for up to two
weeks before picking.We pick as many as we can for
fresh blooms, because you never know whats going to happen later
in the season.
But then there is a market for the antiques which come later,
says Patrick.
AntiqueAntique blooms are those which begin to gently
fade or even change colour late in summer, creating an even more
old-fashioned look for the classic blooms.
Grandmas flowers enjoy revivalDarryl Isaac LtdDarryl Isaac
LtdDarryl Isaac Ltd
TOGETHER, WERE BUILDING NEW ZEALAND
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Page 5COAST & COUNTRY
Hydrangea are native to China, Japan, Korea, the Himalayas,
Indonesia
and the Americas. Most plants grow between one and three
metres
high, but some are small trees. Those called lianas and are more
like vines, climbing trees up to 30 metres tall. Different
varieties produce different-shaped blooms.
Best known are the mophead globe-shaped fl owers, but theres
also cone-shaped fl owers known as pani-cles and the lacecap, which
has a fl attened centre of tiny fl owers surrounded by a fringe of
typical fl owers.
Traditionally, the hydrangea is the fourth wedding anniversary
fl ower and is said to represent anything thats sincerely
heart-felt.
Autumn antiques find favour in marketsTheres a strong export
market
for these fl owers too, but prepar-ing them needs extra
attention as any damaged or brown petals must be removed.
Debs parents Brian and Noeline Crook often lend a hand with
quality control and packing, as does Patricks dad,Tom, on
occa-sions.
More regular hands in the pack shed are the couples children
Nathaniel (26), Zac (23), Lewis (17) and Gemma (14).
Its a real family business and the older two have often earned
their university holiday funds working with the fl owers, says
Patrick.
As much as they enjoy the fl ow-ers and the outdoor nature of
the work, Deb says growing hydran-gea means no summer holidays. Our
busiest time is through summer, when everyone else is on holiday.
Its lucky Patrick loves fl y fi shing, but I may need to learn how
to ski to get the most out of a winter holiday.
Flowers are picked in the early morning and at night, as it gets
too hot past 10am to before 5pm. This season the couple has
invested in a small chiller; and each night a courier truck
arrives
to collect the blooms to take to the exporters in Auckland,
ready for air-freighting off to market.
InsectsFlowers for the USA must be
stripped bare of leaves; and for all markets blooms are
inspected carefully for any insect pests. However, as some are too
small to be seen by the naked eye, they are again checked by
entomologists
before shipment. Growing Edge has not had too many problems with
insects on fl owers. But several years back, when a moth was found
in one consignment, 15 boxes of blooms were destroyed.
Pruning is a crucial part of man-aging the plants. Sometimes
were asked why we dont cut them with a hedge cutter because the
plants seem so hardy, but if we did we couldnt get the number of fl
owers
or length of stem we need, says Deb.
So each of the 5000 plants must be individually and care-fully
pruned in winter.
Growing hydrangea fl owers has by no means been a get rich quick
scheme for the Thorps. The start-up costs, including the extensive
shade structures and irrigation, are signifi cant; it is at least
three years before the plants begin
to produce a commercial size crop; the work is labour-intensive;
and markets and currency rates can fl uctuate.
We started just before the global fi nancial crisis which didnt
help, but it
did mean exporters began looking for other markets and those in
China and India are looking promising, which is a good thing for
the future, says Patrick.
Symbol of sincerity
By Elaine Fisher
Hydrangea are quite easy to pack when you know how, as Deb
Thorp demonstrates.
A cool room has been built to house fl owers.
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Drench resistance and testing to manage worms
Page 6 COAST & COUNTRY
No one has yet fi gured out what the small (about 12cm long),
thin brass cylinder is. It has a screw top, which opens to reveal a
wad of rolled-up fabric inside.
On the side of the cylinder is a mounted hollow tube, which can
be moved up and down with a hook at the top and what looks like a
fi tting for a small hose at the other end.
If you know what it is, and have a story to tell about its use,
wed love to hear from you and you could win a visit for two to the
Katikati Heritage Museum. Send your entry to: [email protected]
or post to: Mystery Item, Coast & Country, PO Box 240,
Tauranga
3110, to arrive no later than March 17. The winner will be
announced in Coast & Countrys April issue. The museum,
just south of Katikati, is open seven days a week 9.30am-4pm. To
fi nd out more, visit: www.katikatiheritagemuseum.co.nz or phone 07
549 0651. Last months mystery item has been cor-rectly identifi ed
by Trevor Mitchell of Tokoroa, as a hand-operated domestic ice
cream maker. Trevor believes a mixture of crushed ice and brine was
put in the outer bucket while the beater was used to churn the ice
cream mix in the inner bucket.
Isobel Nicol of Opotiki was close with her suggestion that the
device was a
butter churn.
an ineffective drench decreases lamb carcass value by 14 per
cent, compared to using an effective drench.
To maximise productivity in the short-term, it is important
worms are adequately controlled, but what is good for worm control
often selects for drench resistance. Alternatively, what is good at
slowing the development of resistance may compromise worm control.
So are you managing worms or managing resistance? For long-term
sustainability, the ideal posi-tion is somewhere in between.
The industry initiative called Wormwise sets out agreed
principles (facts about worms that most experts agree on), identifi
es high risk activities that speed up drench resistance and
outlines strategies for sustainable worm control.
In short this means: avoid or minimise known high-risk
activities; for example, routine drenching of adult animals, using
long-acting products, drenching at less than 28-day intervals.
Maintain refugia; for example, avoid drenching onto clean pasture,
leave some animals in a mob un-drenched. Know your drench
resistance status and only use fully-effective drenches.
Many experts state a fully-effective drench should be a
combination drench. However this is an over-simplifi cation, as
single-active drenches can have their place if theyre still working
100 per cent. The drench resistance status on every property is
different, and drench resistance is a farm-specifi c and not a fl
ock/herd-specifi c issue because the majority of the worm
population is on the ground.
To determine what drenches are fully effective on your property,
two tools are available; a simple drench check to check the
effectiveness of a drench (usu-ally 7-12 days after drenching); and
a full Faecal Egg Count Reduction Test (FECRT), which looks at
several drenches at once. Talk to your animal health adviser to
discuss further.
There is no doubt internal parasites, commonly referred to as
worms, are a major cause of lost productivity in NZ
agriculture.
Costs, estimated at hundreds of mil-lions of dollars per year,
include lowered production, illnesses, deaths and costs
of drenching (product and labour). It is estimated 30 per cent
of sheep produc-tion are reliant on worm drenches.
Now, with various worms becoming resistant to the chemicals we
use, costs will only increase further. There are many fi gures
quoted; for example, using
Mystery of the mystery itemThe Katikati Heritage Museum is
appealing to Coast & Country readers to help identify an item
which is a mystery even to its well-
informed staff and volunteers. On the side of the cylinder is a
mounted hollow tube, which can be moved up and
3110, to arrive no later than March 17. The winner will be
announced in Coast
just south of Katikati, is open seven days a week 9.30am-4pm. To
fi nd out more, visit: www.katikatiheritagemuseum.co.nz or phone 07
549
Mystery of the mystery item
Straightforward, to the rewards of simplicityHaving spent the
last 50-odd years
tearing around creating havoc with ideas, being inventive and
lateral as I am, it is now time to refl ect on what was/is really
important and what was/is not. I guess the single most important
discovery is that we need to keep things simple. Our lives are far
too compli-cated. Particularly as we age, we want things to be
clear cut and trouble-free.
A great friend of mine advises me the most important thing in
life is to spend less than you earn. An old saying, basic but
true.
We rush off to the accountant every year to fi nd that after
income, less expenses and drawings and tax, we are barely making
headway.
Maybe the smell of a new cars interior or the fl ashy ad for
another world trip is too much for us mere mortals to resist.
Yet with some resistance, and a better fi nancial position, we
do actually feel better. Better because we feel more secure with a
sense of achievement, not to mention the
marked reduction in fi nancial stress.Simple also includes
everything we do. Some people love to make things
complicated, which then become dif-fi cult to manage both fi
nancially and time-wise. What was simple is now convoluted
and at times hard to understand. A rural example of this might
include
going from simple all-grass farming to high input and output
farming.
It has great output, but do the inputs of not only money and
time give you a
commensurate reward? Or have you taken a simple dairy
operation
and made it complicated?I am not knocking high input farming;
I
am just questioning whether it is economic and simple. The best
operators make it fl y, but the average to poor do not.
In my own orchard there are many variables and opportunities. I
have made decisions that have complicated a simple system.
I admit Im in the process of unwinding all of those decisions to
go back to a simple input/output avocado orchard.
The results will not only be more profi t-
able, but much less cluttered in time and that word again:
simple.
Another example includes involvement with bureaucracy. They add
layer upon layer until nobody knows what is really happening, and
to get anything done is a mission and must be signed off by all and
sundry.
When dealing with people who are working for me and with me, I
encourage them to make a simple executive decision and then take
action.
I am a great fan of the KISS principle keep it simple
stupid.
So, with the passage of a lot of time, which is refl ected in a
lot of experience, the single most important thing I have learned
is to keep it simple.
In everything we do, we need to strive for straightforwardness;
and the rewards of more time and resultant happiness will lead to a
more enjoyable and balanced life.
These are the opinions of Don Fraser of Fraser Farm Finance. Any
decisions made should not be based on this article alone and
appropriate professional assistance should be sought. Don Fraser
is the principal of Fraser Farm Finance,
and a consultant to the farming industry. Contact him on 0800
777 675 or 021 777 675.
0800 843 80907 362 7288 or go to
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sample only and accessories may not be available on NZ models.
-
Page 7COAST & COUNTRY
When paediatric nurse Julie Nicol thought shed like to make
cheeses, she bought some milking goats then
borrowed library books to learn how to take care of them as well
as the art of
cheese making. It was a steep learning curve,
as I got the goats before I had all the fences in place and I
lost many trees to their browsing.
Today Julie produces a range of soft and hard cheeses from the
milk of her Anglo-Nubian goats,
which graze on her half-a-hectare of land at Kina in the Tasman
District.
The Anglo-Nubian goats are quite rare in New Zealand; and their
very creamy milk with a high fat content means it is ideal for
cheese making.
Julie, who has lived in big cities for most of her life,
considers her-self a townie, but says she fell in love with the
rural lifestyle when she visited a friend in the Tasman region.
I thought the area was magic; and [I] had an immediate sense
that this was where I wanted to live.
The decision to buy a piece of land was quite a change of
direc-tion for Julie, who had spent two years nursing in Saudi
Arabia prior to settling in Tasman.
But its a decision she has no regrets about making.
She is still nursing in Nelson and fi ts once-a-day milking of
Petal around her shifts.
Petal is the only goat in milk at present; and after shes been
milked, her kid Lavender spends some time with her and the other
goats Rosebud and Lilly.
From Petals milk Julie can make feta, haloumi, brie, blue cheese
and hard cheeses which she enjoys
Learning goat farming by the book
By Elaine FisherJulie Nicol enjoys milking Petal, the
Anglo-Nubian goat; and turning her rich milk
into cheeses. Photo by Ross Brown.
eating and sharing with friends and family.
Theres no shortage of milk as Petal can produce up to fi ve
litres of milk a day and is quiet and easy to milk.
Julie admits to spoiling her goats, which not only have shelters
to keep them warm in winter and cool in summer, but also receive a
daily ration of hard feed made up of a mixture of lucerne hay,
clover hay, goat pellets, bran, garlic, molasses, cider vinegar,
seaweed meal and minerals.
Anglo Nubian goats are not as hardy as some breeds and do need
extra care. They need to be kept warm, as they dont have thick
coats like the Swiss breeds, and are susceptible to worms. I do
drench them when I need to because they dont cope with stress very
well, such as that caused by giving
birth. They need their feet trimmed too, but they are lovely
goats to have.
The goats share their home with two kunekune pigs, chickens, a
cat, a dog and Julies horse, which grazes the property. Julie has a
big garden and orchard to tend as well.
It is amazing to have all of these animals in my life; it has
been crazy, so much fun, and they have taught me so much about
life, says Julie, who loves the Tasman district.
I can walk to the beach and I look at the mountains every day
out of my windows.
This is a truly beautiful place; I feel it is such a privilege
to live here.
#The Anglo-Nubian goat breed was originally developed in England
by crossing traditional milking goats with those
from Africa and the Middle East. They have large, long ears and
what is often described as a Roman nose.
The Bay of Plenty Regional Council is inviting residents to have
their say about
how councils should manage the potential impacts of natural
hazards, such as
earthquakes, fl oods, tsunami or geothermal eruptions, in the
region.
BOPRC regional planner Martin Butler says everyone is invited to
attend the Living with risk community sessions in Tauranga,
Rotorua, Whaka-tane, Paengaroa and Opotiki during the week of March
10.
A natural disaster could happen in the Bay at any time. Fewer
than 27 per cent of us are adequately prepared for that, so its
important to think carefully about how we can minimise the damage
of such an event to our lives and livelihoods, says Martin.
The Natural Hazards Policy of the Bay of Plenty Regional Policy
Statement will guide district and city plan rules that infl uence
where people live and work, and how they develop land and
infrastructure.
Were currently reviewing that policy and we need information
from the community to do so.
Information gathered from the community sessions will help us to
ensure a good balance between indi-vidual and shared responsibility
in the policy.
For session details and to register, contact Marie Radford at
Bay of Plenty Regional Council; phone 0800 884 880 or email
[email protected] Light snacks and spot prizes will be
provided. Visit www.boprc.govt.nz/livingwithrisk to fi nd out
more.
More information about how you and your family can be better
prepared is available at www.bopcivildefence.govt.nz
Living with risk community sessions
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Page 8 COAST & COUNTRY
Somewhere nestled in a Coromandel valley live the
quirky characters, both animal and human, who also populate
the pages of a delightfully funny and beautifully
illustrated
book called When Chocolate Fish are Flying.
The author of its poems, Jan Hill, says: Some of these tellings
are true; some could have happened and some we wish had hap-pened.
Just like real life, some of the strangest tales are the truest,
and some of the sweetest are wishful thinking. We can promise you
the funniest are truly true [or should be] and we leave you to make
your mind up which is which.
Her poems are illustrated by Lynda Vugler, who has captured the
magic and mischief of the sometimes slightly-revenant poems theres
more than a few references to farts and bums, and its guaranteed to
make youngsters and adults alike laugh.
Intended for bedtime reading aloud, this hardback book is a
delight and
sure to become a favourite for its catchy rhymes, enchanting
colour drawings and more than colourful (and sometimes badly
behaved) characters.
Thanks to Aries Publishing, Coast & Country three a copies
of When Chocolate Fish are Flying to give away.
To be in to win, email your name and address, with Book Prize as
the subject, to: [email protected] Or put these details on the
back of an envelope and post to: Coast & Country Book Prize, PO
Box 240, Tauranga 3110, to arrive no later than March 17.
The winner will be announced in Coast & Countrys April
issue.
Sweet tales from a secret valley
The fi rst thing most experienced hunters check
when preparing for the roar is their rifl e - but
clothing, footwear, a GPS and personal locator beacon should
also be high on the
list of what to take.
A personal locator beacon, in my opinion is a must have, if you
injure yourself or become ill or have a heart attack going after
your trophy stag. In fact, a PLB will save your life - and believe
it or not, not only your dog but your wife or partner will be happy
to see you come home.
With the GPS, the two main brands to look at are the Garmin and
Magellan. Garmin has the market in New Zealand, but Magellan, the
sole product that
the US armed forces are allowed to use, is worth a serious
look.
Footwear is one of the most import things on a hunt, as theres
nothing worse than being in the middle of the bush with sore and
wet feet from an inappropriate boot choice.
Blaze - do not forget it, comes in all sorts including caps,
vest, jackets etc. Modern hunting packs should have a blaze rain
cover that you can pull out and pull over top of your pack. I
prefer caps, as our heads normally dont stop moving and are easier
to spot especially through movement.
Now to your rifl e. Go to the range or a friends farm to check
to see if it is still shooting the same point of aim as the last
time you used it.
I like to sight my rifl es in on a rising bullet. What I mean by
that is if you sight your rifl e in dead on at 50 or 100 yards,
after that point your bullet is going downhill,
and it is a lot harder to fi gure out where the bullet is going
when it is dropping.
So if you sight your rifl e in 2.54cm (1.5 inches) to 6.35cm (2
inches) high at 100 yards that means youre dead on at 200 yards,
(depending on your calibre and load choice).
The advantage of shooting on a rising bullet is that you know
exactly where it is going. So basi-cally anywhere from 0 to 300
yards, you just aim straight at your target, taking all of the
guesswork out what youre trying to do.
Things that can help with accuracy is a suppressor. I use one
myself and have tried most brands out there. I prefer Hardys over
barrel suppressors. They are light - only 290gms, hang over is 80mm
and can reduce recoil by up to 70 per cent. We now are able to have
a seven-year-old shooting a .308 without being scared of recoil, as
it is softer than a .223 being fi red.
Getting ready for the roar boots and all
By Glenn Tuck
-
Page 9COAST & COUNTRY
Demonstrations of big machinesOne of the big attractions at this
years Grasslandz show was the CLAAS Harvest
Centre site, where farmers and contractors could see and drive
the new 350hp Class Axion 930 tractor
and the new JCB 435 Farm Master loader.
CLAAS Harvest Centre BOP managing director Vern Bates says the
new CLAAS tractor range and the range of other CLAAS and JCB
machinery and equipment on display at the companys site attracted
a
good deal of attention.There are a number of agricultural
shows throughout New Zealand now, but Grasslandz is unique in
that people can get in and drive these machines or at least observe
them in action, rather than just a static dis-play, says Vern.
The CLAAS Harvest Centre team took full advantage of the ability
to take customers for a drive in the machinery and to demonstrate
it in action, with Glenn Davidson and Vaughn Carson there to show
custom-ers the attributes of the CLAAS and JCB machines and
equipment on display, along with the Amazone range of cultivation
equipment.
The demonstration team also included a CLAAS Jaguar
technical
manager from the CLAAS factory in Germany, who was able to pass
on technical information and tips to drivers and owners to get
maximum productivity out of the big harvesters.
Also on-site was the JCB product manager from Australia, who
came to promote the full JCB range of machines, including the
Fastrac and the number one selling JCB Loadall range of telescopic
loaders.
He held live demonstrations of the JCB 435 Farm Master, the new
model from JCB, which is a loader purpose-built for silage stacking
with a new transmission for more power and improved fuel
consumption.
Glenn Davidson, sales specialist with CLAAS Harvest Centre BOP
on display at Grasslandz.
Thirty New Zealand Land Search and
Rescue Search Dogs will be wearing hi-tech behavioural
monitoring devices when they are on search and rescue duties,
thanks to a partnership with Wellington-based
Heyrex.Heyrex manufactures
monitoring units that fi t on to a collar and track the daily
behaviours of a dog, so owners and handlers can keep a close eye on
their overall wellbeing.
Heyrex CEO Nathan Lawrence is pleased to be able to donate 30
Heyrex monitoring devices to such a deserving cause. The Heyrex
device will offer the LandSAR Search Dog handlers the ability to
make sure their dogs are in optimum condition, so they can perform
challenging duties.
LandSAR Search Dogs chairman Graeme Hill says the organisations
dogs are highly trained to provide search and rescue support for
lost, missing and injured people across New Zealand. Often, they
work in severe and uncompromising conditions; in alpine, remote
wilderness environ-ments, and we need to make sure they are fi t
and well to be able to perform.
Using Heyrex products will help our handlers, who are all
volunteers, make sure their dogs wellbeing is never overlooked or
compromised.
Graeme says the donation of 30 Heyrex dog monitoring units, and
additional Torus water bowls, which allow the dogs to have a
continuous supply of fresh, fi ltered, clean water, will defi
nitely be appreciated by them.
Nathan says hes delighted with the collaboration between LandSAR
Search Dogs and Heyrex.
These highly talented dogs help save many lives across New
Zealand every year; and its our job to make sure we look after
them.
The Heyrex devices have the potential to extend the working
lives of the LandSAR Search Dogs; including their tracking
activities, fi tness levels by helping act as a safeguard from
exhaus-tion and performance-related injuries.
Heyrex can operate effectively in conditions that vary between
-10 and up to 55 degrees Celsius. They are also completely
waterproof and durable, says Nathan.
They will help the LandSAR Search Dog handlers collate data
related to their dogs behaviour, allowing them to identify
behavioural changes and improve or indicate underlying health
problems. Each handler will be able to read and interpret the data
and take decisive action, if an issue arises.
Heyrex will also donate $20 to Land-SAR Search Dogs for every
monitoring unit sold through the volunteer-run organisation and $10
from every Torus bowl sold.
Hi-tech monitoring for search dogs
Odins health and behaviour will be electronically monitored by
his handler,
when hes on a search.
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Page 10 COAST & COUNTRY
Like an archeologist on a dig, Terry Smith carefully sifts a
sample of fi ne powder to
reveal fi sh teeth and bones that are millions of years old.
Its easy to fi nd the remains in the massive pile of phosphate,
explains Terry, who is the chemical and process manager at Ballance
Agri-Nutrients Tauranga, because its from the vertebrae and teeth
of those ancient marine creatures that phosphate is largely
formed.
This particular shipment arrived at the Ballance facil-ity via
the Port of Tauranga, shipped from Morocco where it is mined from
what was an ancient sea bed, now 100km from the coast.
Phosphorus is vital for plant growth and health, but in this
form plants cant use it, says Terry. The amount of phosphorus it
contains is also inconsistent.
Creating a plant-available fertiliser, which contains a
consistent amount of nutrients, is what happens at the Ballance
Tauranga plant.
Every day thousands of people drive by and others fl y over the
facility on the Mount Maunganui-side of the harbour bridge, but few
have any idea what happens there.
According to Terry, the facility is part of the food industry
and he makes a pretty compelling argument to support his claim.
Much of what we eat, he says, relies on animals cows, sheep, deer,
even goats converting grass into protein in the form of milk or
meat. To do that they need to eat grass, which is itself
well-nourished by fertilisers.
We cant keep taking from the soil without replacing what plants
extract. Each year we export hundreds of tonnes of nutrients in
milk and meat which will never be returned to our soils, so we have
to replace them.
Its not just through exports that nutrients are lost. Every day
New Zealanders are depositing phospho-rus in our sewerage systems
or septic tanks, which dont generally end up back in the soil.
One litre of adult human urine contains about 1.4 grams of
phosphorus salts, which amounts to about
Sea creatures which lived eons ago nourish todays soils
0.11 grams of pure phosphorus so thats a lot of phosphorus that
is out of reach of pasture plants.
New Zealand soils are also defi cient in a number of elements
needed for healthy pasture growth.
Terry is fascinated by the history and chemistry behind
fertilisers. He recounts how it was German scientist Henning Brand,
who in 1669 discovered phosphorus when he boiled urine until it
produced a liquid which gave off a pale green glow and he
called phosphorus a Greek word for light-bearing.He was looking
for the philosophers stone, to turn
base metals into gold, says Terry, who reckons the scientist in
fact discovered something much more valuable. At the Ballance
facility its another element, also with a distinctive colour, which
is required to help make phosphorus into a form which plants can
use. A mountain of high-visibility yellow sulphur, this time mainly
a by-product of the Marsden Point oil refi nery, fi lls a
bunker.
It is destined to be heated in a furnace to produce sul-phuric
acid, which once combined with the phosphate forms the fertiliser
known as superphosphate.
How to make superphosphate was discovered in the 1840s and
though its been refi ned, we pretty much use the same principles
today, says Terry.
Converting sulphur to sulphuric acid produces extreme heat more
than 1000 degrees Centigrade and water is used to cool the gases
produced.
As a by-product of the process, Ballance runs steam turbines
which produce electricity for the plants own consumption and also
feed power back into the grid enough to supply 2000 homes.
The superphosphate formed from phosphate rock and sulphuric acid
passes through a further stage to refi ne its particle size for
easy application by ground or aerial spreaders.
Terry, more correctly Dr Terry Smith, who has a number of
degrees including a Doctor of Philosophy, Chemistry and
Environmental Chemistry from Wai-kato University, says without the
petroleum industry, the worlds food supplies would be under
threat.
Sulphur is mainly a by-product of the petro-chem-ical industry.
Some comes from volcanic sources [like the long defunct mine of
White Island] but thats rare. While its easy to say we could stop
producing so much meat and milk, the fact is much of our farmland
isnt suitable for cropping, so we need to grow pasture to feed
animals who collect nutrients for us.
Even if we all turn vegetarian and grow and eat lots of crops,
we eat because the food is nutritious; and to produce nutritious
food you need nutrients, and that is what fertilisers provide.
An aerial view of the Ballance facility at Mount Maunganui.
Finding fossils - Terry Smith, chemical and process manager
at
Ballance Agri-Nutrients Tauranga sifts fi sh teeth from
phosphate.
Fish teeth, millions of years old, are easy to fi nd in
phosphate imported from Morocco.
By Elaine Fisher
Powerco is your local distribution network provider. Many power
cuts are caused by things outside Powercos control such as storms
and vehicles hitting poles. But we also need to occasionally shut
off your electricity supply for network maintenance or upgrades.
These are planned power cuts. You receive advance notification
about them from your energy retailer allowing you to make alternate
plans. They are necessary to keep our networks up to standard to
provide you with reliable supply.
We understand that all power cuts are frustrating planned or
not. We always try to schedule planned power cuts at times that
suit the majority of affected customers. Thats never easy because
all customers are different. Of course, we have absolutely no
control over the timing of unexpected power cuts. But the work we
do on the networks during planned power cuts significantly reduces
the risk of unexpected power cuts.
WIN a $3,000 credIt ON yOur eNergy bIll*We want to know what you
think about planned power cuts. It will take only about 10 minutes
of your time to give us feedback. To say thanks were giving you the
chance to win a $3,000 credit on your energy bill*.
HoW?Watch a short video explaining why we have planned power
cuts and the process for scheduling them, then complete a quick
survey.
Visit www.powerco.co.nz and click on the Planned Power Cuts
survey. Watch the video and complete the survey before 1 April 2014
and your name will go in the draw to win a $3,000 credit on your
energy bill*.
Help us to Help youWe work hard to keep power cuts unexpected
and planned to a minimum, but they are a fact of life. Please take
the time to provide your feedback about planned power cuts. The
better we understand your expectations and priorities, the smoother
the process will be.
*See website for terms and conditions. Powerco Limited 2014. All
rights reserved.
Powercos electricity networks are in the Western Bay of Plenty,
Thames, Coromandel, eastern and southern Waikato, Taranaki,
Whanganui, Rangitikei, Manawatu and the Wairarapa.
If you are not prepared for power cuts, they can affect the
bottom line your livelihood. Lost production, demerit points,
electric fence breaches, animal welfare issues and veterinary bills
the list goes on. The modern farmer is heavily reliant on a
reliable supply of electricity.
pOWer cuts tO FarMers tHeyre MOre tHaN Just aN INcONVeNIeNce
-
Page 11HORSE OF THE YEAR
When NRM Horse of the Year Show director Kevin Hansen promises
to
raise the bar, hes not joking.The 2014 show is lining up to be a
cracker, with New
Zealands best onshore riders keen to claim crowns, the Mitavite
Trans Tasman test match, the Country TV Tri Nations including
Australian, New Zealand and emerging equestrian nation China, the
return of Sir Mark Todd, VIP volunteer Te Radar, fashion icon Annah
Stretton, the Hall of Fame Dinner, a slew of media, plenty of
celebrities and more.
Its going to be a good one all right, says Kevin. There is so
much going on at this show.
The premier JB Olympic Cup which this year will be designed by
John Vallance (Australia) is likely to include former champs
Maurice Beatson and Katie McVean, along with other top names, and
probably a few new ones too.
The shifting of the John Nicholson-designed cross country to the
show grounds for the eventing promises to be a real highlight.
Riders are looking forward to it, while behind the scenes plenty of
time and effort has gone into planning to ensure everyone is safe.
The whole show will grind to a halt to watch the spectacle between
2pm and 5pm on Saturday.
The Mitavite Trans Tasman showjumping test, being held at part
of the McMillan Feeds Silver Fern Stakes on Friday evening, is
stacking up to be another epic battle.
Kevin is particularly excited to be playing host to a delegation
of about 30 Chinese, who are here as a result of his recent trip to
the Asian nation.
China is the emerging equestrian market in the world and
increasing at a rate of knots that no other country can match. It
is great to have riders, offi cials, owners and breeders at HOY
this year.
A team of three riders will compete on borrowed horses in the
Country TV Tri Nations, which will run two 1.25m rounds a day on
Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. It is hoped the New Zealand team
will be captained by Sir Mark Todd.
It is a while since we had a tri-nations competition
Chinese riders in equestrian event
WHAT: NRM Horse of the Year Show
WHEN: March 18-23
WHERE: Hawkes Bay Showgrounds
A judge runs an eagle eye over a young competitor and her pony
one of 2700 combinations expected
to compete at the NRM Horse of the Year Show. Dreamwater
Photography
here, and this new-look one should be a good battle. Its always
great to have Mark [Todd] at the show.
He is a real inspiration to every New Zealand rider and we are
really lucky to have him here in a world champs year.
All 18 disciplines are primed and ready for what each hopes will
be the best show so far.
Tickets are available for the Hall of Fame dinner on Thursday
evening, where VIP guest Lance OSullivan, one of New Zealands most
celebrated jockeys, will entertain through an interview with
national Farming Show host Jamie MacKay.
And of course it is the evening to celebrate those who have
given so much to the world of equestrian, with induction to the
Hall of Fame.
Trade is bigger and better than ever, and has become
By Diana Dobson
a huge draw card to the event, says Kevin.
The introduction of the Taste the Bay Evening Market on
Wednesday in the Land Rover Premier Arena is an exciting addition
to the show.
FOR THE BEST DRENCH A ICEFFOOORR IIICCCEEE
& SPECIAL OFFERS VISIT US
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See us at HOY for the best drench deals
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Merial is a Sanofi companyMerial New Zealand Limited T/A Merial
Ancare, Level 3, Merial Building, Osterley Way, Manukau City, 2241,
New Zealand. EQVALAN, GENESIS & PARADE are registered
trademarks and TRIUMPH is a trademark of Merial Limited. Registered
pursuant to the ACVM Act 1997, No.s A4518, A7459, A9029, A10104
& A10105. Copyright Merial Limited 2014. All Rights Reserved.
NZ-12-EQU-001.
A SANOFI COMPANY
FOR THE BEST DRENCH ADVICE
& SPECIAL OFFERS VISIT US
AT HOY 2014
See us at HOY for the best drench deals
From $11.95 per tube
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Merial is a Sanofi companyMerial New Zealand Limited T/A Merial
Ancare, Level 3, Merial Building, Osterley Way, Manukau City, 2241,
New Zealand. EQVALAN, GENESIS & PARADE are registered
trademarks and TRIUMPH is a trademark of Merial Limited. Registered
pursuant to the ACVM Act 1997, No.s A4518, A7459, A9029, A10104
& A10105. Copyright Merial Limited 2014. All Rights Reserved.
NZ-12-EQU-001.
A SANOFI COMPANY
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Page 12 COAST & COUNTRY
Once upon a time it was enough to provide quality product
to consumers.
The New Zealand kiwifruit industry has done this consistently
and the result has been premium returns earned in our off-shore
markets in excess of that of our competition, Chile, by as much as
30 per cent; and in some markets just more than 100 per cent above
the price of Chilean kiwifruit.
Led by the global supermarkets and some large fast food
operations, such as McDon-alds, this is all changing.
For example, McDonalds has announced it will source sustainable
beef within two years.
Although, this is a US initiative, McDon-alds is to make it a
global strategy. Unbelievably, McDonalds purchase about two per
cent of the worlds beef production to feed its 34,000 outlets in
118 countries.
McDonalds is working with beef produc-ers; and looking to
promote sustainability for its global beef supply chain that is
environ-mentally sound, socially responsible and economically
viable.
One measure of sustainability being used is the carbon emissions
lifecycle. Zespri, work-ing with the Ministry for Primary
Industries,
using global best practice (PAS 20/50 methodology) have created
a compre-hensive carbon footprint across the lifecycle of New
Zealand kiwifruit.
This study identifi es the pattern of emissions across the
lifecycle from the orchard to consumption in market, as a basis for
prioritising reduction initiatives.
It can be seen, from the table on emissions, one of the biggest
contribu-tors to carbon emissions is shipping. But importantly,
orchard, packhouse and cool store operations account for roughly
half of that.
Another measure is water use and disposal. This is particularly
a
problem for our dairy industry. Contrasting water use in
horti-
culture is instructive and offers a sustainable
alternative.Research funded by Zespri and
MAF (as MPI was then), found the following facts on water
manage-ment:
100 per cent of kiwifruit water use in New Zealand is from
naturally-replenished sources: rainfall and underground
aquifers.
Kiwifruits sustainability footprint
Blue water used for irrigation and frost protection accounts for
only fi ve per cent of kiwifruits water footprint.
Grey water has been minimised by reducing orchard crop
protection and fertiliser inputs.
But horticulture is not immune from the drive for
sustainability.
A growing number of global supermarket chains are not only
requiring their animal products to be sustain-able, but also their
plant products too.
For horticulture, this translates into on-orchard water and
greenhouse gas emissions management.
And, as can be seen from the data quoted in this article, this
is modest and sustainable.
My conclusion is diversifi cation into horticulture is not only
necessary for New Zealand economic survival, but its environmental
survival; and for our exports to meet sustainability
requirements.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author.
-
Page 13NZ DAIRY AWARDS
Te Puke may be a prime horticultural region but its also strong
in dairying, which can be seen from seven farm manager
entrants in the 2014 Bay of Plenty Dairy Awards coming
from the district.Two of the six dairy trainee fi nal-
ists and one of the sharemilker/equity farmer fi nalists are
also from Te Puke. Fellow entrants in the three award cat-egories
are from Whakatane, Tauranga, Opotiki, Murupara and Waimana.
Judging in all sections of the awards was completed by the end
of Febru-ary and winners of the 2014 Bay of Plenty
Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year, Bay of Plenty Farm Manager
of the Year and Bay of Plenty Dairy Trainee of the Year
competitions will be announced at the regions awards dinner at the
Awakeri Events Centre on March 19.
Bay of Plentys regional convenors Richard and Amy Fowler say the
awards continue to attract the most talented and ambitious farmers,
who are keen to have their skills and abili-ties recognised as well
as progress in the dairy industry.
The entrants will be competing for cash and prizes worth $50,100
and the honour of winning the regional title.
As past regional winners, we are extremely aware of the
opportunities that will be presented to the winners. Attending the
national fi nal was a highlight, with meeting and getting to
know all of the other regional winners. There are some great
people involved and we all look forward to meeting up when we get
the chance.
The Fowlers are pleased with the level of interest in this years
awards, which has attracted 45 entrants from the region. There are
six competing for the Bay of Plenty sharemilker/equity farmer
title, nine vying for the farm manager title and 30 contesting the
dairy trainee award.
The level of interest in the dairy trainee contest is just
awesome and bodes well for the future of the awards in the region,
as those trainees progress in the dairy industry to managing and
then sharemilking.
The awards are supported by national sponsors Westpac, DairyNZ,
Ecolab, Federated Farmers, Fonterra, Honda Motorcycles NZ, LIC,
Meridian Energy, Ravensdown, RD1 and Tri-plejump, along with
industry partner Primary ITO (formerly AgITO).
Richard and Amy are convening the awards for the fi rst time
after winning the regions Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year
title in 2012.
Weve just had a wonderful associa-tion with the awards.
Convening is a new challenge and weve enjoyed the opportunity to
develop relation-ships with industry professionals and sponsors
associated with the awards. Working with our team of volunteers on
the committee to create a great experience for the entrants has
also been great. Were certainly looking forward to the awards
night.
Te Pukes strong showing in dairy awardsEntrants in the Bay of
Plenty Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the
Year awards.
Entrants in the Bay of Plenty Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of
the
Year awards.
Sefton and Katherine Hemmingway.
They say those considering entering the awards should come along
to the regional awards dinner and gain an insight into the awards
experience fi rst-hand.
Tickets to the Bay of Plenty regional awards dinner cost $65 and
can be purchased by contacting Char-lotte Jones on 027 663
1590.
This years fi nalists in the Bay of Plenty Share-milker/Equity
Farmer of the Year awards are:
Jeff and Ryn Going, who milk 344 cows on a 115ha farm owned by
John and Linda Folwer of Te Puke, are aiming for a production of
115,000 kg/ms this season.
Brett and Natasha Grindrod
Grant and Karley Thomson.
James and Rachel Otto.
Bay of Plenty Farm Manager of the Year
entrants.
Caleb Lally.
Jamie Burt.
Jeff and Ryn Going.
Sefton and Katherine
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Page 14 NZ DAIRY AWARDS
While there were plenty of big tractors and diggers for the
adults to try out, youngsters also had the chance to drive a
digger at last months Grasslandz event thanks to Alistair
McIntyre.Better known as Mr Mac, Alistair
set up his travelling Doug the Digger road show at the rural
event, giving children instruction in safety, reading and machine
operation.
In association with a team he calls multi-talented individuals,
Alistair formed the Having Fun Company to
entertain, inspire and educate others, especially children,
through his own life experiences.
You only have to look at a busy sandpit to see that children
really relate to my love of machinery; the challenge of completing
a project, and pride in maintaining a high standard of work.
Ive also had to overcome obstacles and challenges, including a
serious work accident that really changed how I look at life. I
wouldnt really describe myself as a scholastic person, so
creating the Doug the Digger book is another challenge that
provided me with the oppor-tunity to face my own fears
and fi nd the courage to turn my dreams into reality.
Alistair travels the country visiting schools, pre-schools and
public events, teaching children the value of reading, writing and
paying attention to whats important, and at the same time giving
them the thrill of operating a digger.
This has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
Seeing the satisfaction on childrens faces as we enjoy Doug the
Digger together is just incredible.
To fi nd out more go to www.dougthedigger.co.nz
Dairy awards to honour regions top farmersBrett and Natasha
Grindrod, who milk 440 cows
on 140ha owned by Barry and Yvonne Richardson of Whakatane, are
aiming for 165,000 kg/ms.
Sefton and Katherine Hemmingway, farming 229 cows on 82ha owned
by Andrew Hodge of Tauranga, are aiming for 82,000 kg/ms.
James and Rachel Otto, farming 535 cows on 160ha owned by Fraser
and Gillean Mclead Searle of Whakatane, are aiming for 168,000
kg/ms.
Grant Thomson, farming 418 cows on 140ha owned by Bremna Farms
of Opotiki, is aiming for 140,000 kg/ms.
Bay of Plenty Farm Manager of the Year fi nalists are:Tony
Baker, who is managing 694 cows on 242ha
near Tauranga; Thomas Blackett and Stacey Lepper, managing 409
cows on 180ha at Whakatane; Jamie Burt, managing 297 cows on 100ha
at Te Puke; Simon Davis, managing 349 cows on 77ha at Te Puke;
Caleb Lally, managing 690 cows on 163ha at Te Puke; Luther and
Jessica Siemelink, managing 460 cows on 112ha at Te Puke.
The Bay of Plenty Dairy Trainees of the Year fi nal-ists are:
Andrew Cameron of Te Puke; Josh Cozens of Whakatane; Josh Hedley of
Waimana; Cameron Luxton of Murupara; Jodie Mexted of Whakatane;
Jeff White of Te Puke.
Bay of Plenty Farm Manager of the Year
entrants.
Bay of Plenty Farm Manager of the Year entrants.
Children dig machinery too
Richard and Amy Fowler are convening
the awards for the fi rst time, after winning Bay of Plenty
Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the
Year title in 2012.
Tony Baker.
Simon Davis.Thomas Blackett, with partner Stacey Lepper.
Luther and Jessica Siemelink.
In association with a team he calls multi-talented individuals,
Alistair formed the Having Fun Company to
creating the Doug the Digger book is another challenge that
provided me with the oppor-tunity to face my own fears
and fi nd the courage to
Alistair McIntyre helps fi ve-year-old
Fletcher Rogers operate Doug the Digger at Grasslandz.
Value yourselfand your team!
A disclosure statement is available on request, free of
charge.
Triplejump, proud national supporters ofthe New Zealand Dairy
Industry Awards, congratulates all finalist and entrants. People
after all are the heart of farming.For leading wealth protection
and risk management advice for farm and family,call the team on 07
378 8075 for areal discussion.
Triplejump Taupo 07 378 8075 |
[email protected]
-
Page 15NZ DAIRY AWARDS
This year the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards celebrates 25
years of the New Zealands longest
running and most recognised dairy farming competition; the
Sharemilker of the Year (now
Sharemilker/Equity Farmer) competition.
The Bay of Plenty region is a strong and well established dairy
farming region, so the fact we have yet to win a national
sharemilker title just demonstrates how tough it is to win; and how
prestigious it is for those that are successful, say BOP regional
convenors Richard and Amy Fowler.
We are pleased to say the region has had success in the newer
farm manager and dairy trainee competitions.
Bay of Plentys Shannon Wadsworth was the inaugural
winner of the New Zealand Farm Manager of the Year compe-tition
in 2003; and in 2009, Mark Nicholas was successful in claiming the
New Zealand Dairy Trainee of the Year competi-tion for the
region.
The 2014 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards national final will
be held in Auckland on May 9, with about $160,000 in cash and
prizes on offer, as well as the honour of taking out a national
title.
A large prize pool and further recognition await the three
2014
Bay of Plenty Dairy Industry Awards winners, who will progress
to the national
finals in Auckland on May 9.
The trio will line up against 30 other sharemilker/equity
farmer, farm man-ager and dairy trainee regional finalists to
determine who will take home the prizes, worth nearly $160,000, and
the national honours.
The prize pool for the 2014 New Zealand Sharemilker/Equity
Farmer of the Year is valued at $89,000, with the winner taking
home prizes worth nearly $41,500. The runner-up will receive
$16,000 in prizes and the third place-getter will take home prizes
valued at $11,000. A further $20,000 in cash and prizes will be won
by the winners of the nine merit awards.
The New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards are supported by national
sponsors Westpac, DairyNZ, Ecolab,
Federated Farmers, Fonterra, Honda Motorcycles NZ, LIC, Meridian
Energy, Ravensdown, RD1 and Tri-plejump, along with industry
partner Primary ITO (formerly AgITO).
The 11 regional finalists competing in the New Zealand Farm
Manager of the Year will compete for a total prize pool of about
$46,500, with the winner taking home about $24,500 in prizes. The
runner-up will receive prizes worth $8500 and the third
place-getter will win $3500 in prizes. Five merit awards are worth
another $10,000 in cash and prizes to the win-ners.
A total of $22,400 is on offer to those competing for the New
Zealand Dairy Trainee of the Year title, with the winner collecting
prizes worth more than $16,000. The runner-up receives $3000 and
the third place-getter receiving $2000 in prizes. One national
merit award worth $1000 will also be presented to a trainee.
Further information, on the prizes and awards, is available on
www.dairyindustryawards.co.nz.
Sharemilker awards 25-year milestone
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Nadine and Russell Meade were the 2013 Bay of Plenty
Sharemilker/Equity Farmers of the Year.
-
Page 16 PASTURE RENOVATION
Developing, growing and supplying quality grass seed
is a family tradition for Cridge Seeds Ltd of
Doyleston, Canterbury.Stuart Cridge formed the company
in 1982 and has more than 40 years experience in the seed
industry. As well as the companys own decades of research and
development, Stuart and wife Julie travel overseas to inspect grass
and forage seed trials to keep up with the latest international
trends.
We have experienced and long-established local farmers who grow
our own brands of grass seed for us, which are cleaned at our
company site to a high standard, with purity and germination tests
available on request, says Julie.
Cridge Seeds deals directly with its customers and Stuart is
available to discuss their specifi c needs.
We have a good understanding of
what grows well in different regions of the country so are able
to help farmers with their choices, says Julie.
In fact their website provides general recommendation for
species, which will do well in different regions. Delivery is fi ve
days from ordering but as now until April is very busy, Julie
advises clients not to leave order-ing until the last minute.
The company has a range of annual, perennial and fodder species.
Among it is Canterbury - Riley and Enticer long
rotation/perennials. Annuals include Cutter Tetraploid Italian and
Striker Diploid Italian.
All of the seed can be used alone, or in sow downs mixed with
clovers or brassicas.
Julie, who visited Bay of Plenty cli-ents in February, says as a
result of last summers drought many farmers are questioning the
pasture species theyve used and are returning to tried and true
varieties with the ability to endure tough conditions.
Autumn is a good time to look at pasture renovation, as pasture
renewal
or renovation is an effective means of keeping it performing
to its maximum. Pasture renewal needs to be done on a more
regular basis if legumes are present. Legumes provide ideal
forage and diversity, but they have a relatively short lifespan and
can disap-pear quickly in less than ideal conditions, such as
drought, overgrazing or competition from either grasses or
weeds.
New pastures will provide a number of benefi ts; the main one
being more growth annually. It will improve feed quality by
increasing protein content and quality; and will provide more
metabolisable energy, or more energy per hectare, and should cut
down the need for nitrogen applica-tions. It will also offer higher
mineral concentrations, especially calcium and magnesium, which
will help prevent animal health problems leading to improved animal
performance in both mating and production.
Before renovation, soil needs to be tested and then fertilised
based on test results. It is good to use a biologically active
fertiliser that will assist the plant
Those who go down in the woods at the TECT All Terrain Park near
Tauranga on Sunday, March 2, wont fi nd bears but they will fi nd
musi-cians and Lions, as thats the day the Lions Clubs of Bay of
Plenty hold an afternoon of Music Under The Trees.
The Rotorua Symphonic Band will be entertaining between 1pm and
3pm; and while everyone is invited to bring along a picnic, there
will be a sausage sizzle too.
The picnic is a chance for the public to see the work done by
Lions clubs towards creating the Lions Tree Grove at the park, by
transforming a pine forest back into native bush; and a gold coin
donation is requested to help with the project.
The TECT All Terrain Park is on State Highway 36 between
Tauranga and Rotorua. For more information on the afternoon, call
07 349 2450 or email [email protected]
Music under the trees
Grass seeds tried and true
Time to renew pastures
in establishing a good and healthy root depth, which translates
to improved pasture performance and less likelihood of pulling,
pugging and associated prob-lems. If legumes are present in the new
pasture, do not initially apply nitrogen as this will only promote
grass growth and inhibit legume establishment. Legumes need to be
well-established before grazing if they are to endure in
pasture.
Revital Fertilisers offers a full testing service and
rec-ommendations, based on biologically active fertilisers
(vermicast and composts) that will provide a plethora and diversity
of microbial life, assisting pasture to get the very best start by
offering the plant all essential nutrients in a plant-available
form. Scientifi c results show humic acid from vermicast enhances
root exten-sion and formation of denser roots; and will improve
seed germination and seedling growth, increasing plant
productivity.
Revital has production facilities in Cambridge and Mount
Maunganui. Ive been with Revital Fertilis-ers for 14 years and
recently became the principal Cambridge representative. I look
forward to meeting with Waikato farmers to discuss improvements to
pastures. An inspection tour of our facility is most welcome and
can be arranged by contacting me: Maureen Rabbidge on 0274
408881.
Stuart Cridge, with new season ryegrass hot off the header
and
ready to be cleaned at Cridge Seeds Canterbury facility.
0800 843 80907 362 7288 or go to
www.esi.org.nzEco-Logic Soil Improvement
DoloZest
Calc iZes t
S o l i d F o o d f o r S o i l s
Outstanding in the field
Top quality ryegrass High priority customer serviceWebsite
http://www.cridgeseeds.co.nz for information
Phone Stuart 027 432 3834 or 03 324 3951
-
Page 17DAIRY
Exhibition preparation for a rural show normally involves
putting up a marquee, sorting out signs and
staff and planning demonstrations but for the PGG Wrightson
team,
preparing for Grasslandz, efforts began months earlier and defi
nitely
at a grass roots level.The team cultivated part of their site,
by
planting nine small plots of different pasture species, to give
farmers a chance to examine them when attending the show near
Eureka in late January.
Matamatas PGG Wrightson technical fi eld representative Mark
Enevoldsen says the real
live demonstration of individual pasture species, and a sample
of a mixed pasture, attracted a lot of attention.
It was an opportunity to showcase PGG Wrightsons extensive
experience in agron-omy, animal health and nutrition and its focus
on providing quality inputs and advice for farmers to help them
lift productivity, says Mark.
Its great for farmers to be able to see the plants growing and
to discuss what would suit their feed requirements and climate
best.
Mark says there was a lot of interest in plantain because of the
live weight gain it offers and because of how it stood up to last
summers drought.
The plantain variety called Tonic offers excellent winter
growth, high dry matter pro-
duction, good milk production in summer dry periods and high
trace element content.
It can be added to all pasture mixes and is a valuable pure
stand option for early feed to increase lamb and ewe live weight at
weaning. Mark says farmers are also showing renewed interest in
chicory; and the variety called Choice is a perennial with good
persis-tence, improved dry matter production, high summer quality
and is ideal for short-term fi nishing or milking pastures.
Clovers, fescue and rye grasses, including new varieties, also
featured in plots outside the PGG Wrightsons site.
Combining a number of pasture species to create a mix not only
gives animals grazing it a varied diet, but can also help with
pasture persistence in adverse weather, says Mark.
University of Waikato science student Zach McLean has been
awarded a
$5000 Patrick Shannon Scholarship from Livestock Improvement
Corporation. The scholarship will go towards a Bachelor of
Science
(Honours) (BSc(Hons)) research project, working alongside Dr
Bjorn Oback and the Reproductive Technologies group at
AgResearch.
The project will involve investigating genes associated with the
genetic network regulating pluripotency in bovine embryos.
Pluripotent cells are able to produce all cell types in the body
and emerge during early pre-implantation development.
My project will contribute to the aim of capturing this
population of cells within the early embryo. Once captured, we wish
to derive so-called embryonic stem cells from this cell population,
says Zach. With these cells, valuable genetics of elite cows could
be stored in a petri dish and used to speed up the breeding
process. In the future, this accelerated breed-ing will lead to
animals with desirable traits such as a higher milk yield or
reduced methane production.
Zach completed his Bachelor of Science (Technology) (BSc(Tech))
with a double major in Chemistry and Biologi-cal Sciences last year
at Waikato University, and will continue this year with a BSc(Hons)
focusing solely on Biological Sciences.
During the BSc (Tech), he completed two work placements. In my
fi rst placement I was in a
water-testing laboratory at SGS in Waihi, during which I used
analytical techniques to analyse a number of samples from the Waihi
gold mine.
In my second placement I undertook a project at AgResearch, in
the Reproductive Technologies group. This involved research using a
number of molecular biology and embryology skills and ultimately
led me to my post-graduate research topic.
A former Tauranga Boys College student, Zach decided to study at
Waikato following an impressive visit to the Faculty of Science and
Engineering.
Zach says fi nancially it was also the best option, due to the
School Leavers Scholarships available.
In the future Zach plans to undertake a PhD, before venturing
into a career as a research scientist in the area of molecular
biology.
Accelerating breeding enhances traits
Mark Enevoldsen, technical fi eld representative with PGG
Wrightson of Matamata, with samples of plantain and chicory
planted
on its Grasslandz site.
Grass roots preparation for agricultural show
this population of cells within the early embryo. Once captured,
we wish to derive so-called embryonic stem cells from this cell
population, says Zach. With these cells, valuable genetics of elite
cows could be stored in a petri dish and used to speed up the
breeding process. In the future, this accelerated breed-ing will
lead to animals with desirable traits such as a higher milk yield
or reduced methane production.
Zach completed his Bachelor of Science (Technology) (BSc(Tech))
with a double major in Chemistry and Biologi-cal Sciences last year
at Waikato University, and will continue this year with a BSc(Hons)
focusing solely on Biological Sciences.
During the BSc (Tech), he completed two work placements. In my
fi rst placement I was in a
Waikato University student
Zach McLean. Biological Biological FertilisersFertilisers
1 Railway St, Paeroa, PO Box 204, Paeroa 3640, New Zealand
Telephone: 0800 867 6737, Fax: 07 867 6068, Email:
[email protected]
Solid and Liquid Fertilisers
www.ef.net.nz
Biological Liquid BioChar/Humus Builder /Cal-Phos Increase soil
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Soil Force Biological Phosphate Fertiliser
Re-Charge/Nano-Cal/Multi-Cal Calcium-Carbon Fertilisers
Stock Primer Mineralised Carbon Drench Build immunity, suppress
pathogens; e.g. Rotovirus & E.Coli for as little as 4 per cow
per day
Humates/Humic Acid/Fulvic Acid Increased water retention &
nutrient release.
New Biological Controls for Cricket, Cicada, Argentine Stem
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programmes.
Biological PSA management options. Reams Soil Testing, Home
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Page 18 DAIRY
Alice is her name, and when she arrived she was in more than
20
containers of parts to be assembled into the 10th largest
machine of its kind in the world and the
largest in Australasia.Alice is the tunnel-boring machine
currently worming its way underneath Auck-lands suburbs,
creating what will become two three-lane tunnels.
With each tunnel 2.4km long, and up to 45 metres below ground,
it will connect the Western Motorway at Point Chevalier to the rest
of the Western Ring Rd.
The Cutting Head Diameter is 14.4m and is 87m long with a top
speed of 0.0005km/h, or 80mm per minute.
Smartway Security Services is helping Alice and the team, which
operate it, to get the job done.
The company has been contracted to install closed circuit
television cameras to help with the construction project.
The cameras are currently being installed on Alice and the
conveyer belt system that carries more than 800,000m3 of earth out
of the tunnels, as she moves through the next 4.8km.
This is just one of the many exciting jobs that Smartways
technicians get to work on, says Roger Bull, the companys managing
director.
Another recent installation saw the technicians install a
network of cameras, wireless links and wi-fi access points at
Waikato Stud in Matamata to help ma