-
Testing Young
Farmers
May 2015 No.177
Bay of Plenty & Waikato Farm, Orchard & Rural
Lifestyle
AQUAPONICS PAGE 8-9 SHEEP & BEEF PAGE 16 RURAL DRIVER PAGE
29-31 FIELDAYS PAGE 32-38 HERD OF COWS PAGE 39-41 AVOCADOS PAGE
47-49 RETIREMENT PAGE 54-57
BEST ALL ROUND NEWSPAPER 2014 BEST ALL ROUND NEWSPAPER 2014 BEST
ALL ROUND NEWSPAPER 2014 BEST ALL ROUND NEWSPAPER 2014
Jono Singer, 28, of Morrinsville is more familiar with cows than
sheep but gave estimating their age by checking teeth his best shot
when he represented the Hauraki Young Farmers Club in the Regional
Final of the ANZ Young Farmer Contest in Paeroa see story pages
4-5. Photo by Elaine Fisher.
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Page 2 COAST & COUNTRY
Sarah AdamsonGraphic Designer Page Coordinator
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That we live in a global village is very clear, from the effect
good times or
bad in other parts of the world have on our own fortunes.
New Zealand dairy farmers have done extremely well to return a
production just two per cent down of the previ-ous season, despite
droughts in many regions.
However, they arent being rewarded for their efforts because
interna-tionally other farmers have also been produc-ing lots of
milk, and theres confl icts in Europe, the Middle East and West
Africa, all of which are forcing milk prices down.
So low in fact Fonterra chair-man John Wilson says at current
global milk prices dairy farming in not sustainable for farmers
anywhere in the world.
Thats pretty disturbing talk. New Zealands dairy industry has
been expanding at the phenomenal rate and large conversions
continue, including around the Central Plateau.
Its to be hoped the confi dence farmers are showing in the
future of their industry is well-founded but it could be some time
before theres an upswing in returns.
Milk is a wonderful food. And cheap milk, it could be argued, is
good for consumers but the fact is if it
costs more to produce than it earns, then an abun-dance of it
wont be around for long.
The same is true for most fresh foods. Consumers complain about
food prices and increases, but about one-sixth of our household
spending has been on food, according to Statistics NZ.
About $21 of every $100 spent by households on food is spent on
eating out or takeaways.
About $17 is spent on meat, poultry and fi sh, and about $14 on
fruit
and vegetables. Non-alcoholic beverages such as coffee, soft
drinks and fruit juice account for $10, and the remaining $38 is
spent on grocery food.
Fresh food is a small part of the household budget but a very
big part
of family health, so its good value for money.There are few
places in
New Zealand where its not possible to grow food but thats
not the case in many parts of the world and aquaponics research
underway at the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic might help see story
on pages 8-9.Morrinsville is creating a little cow
envy with a clever new community project, painting cows, not the
town red, but
every other hue see pages 41 to 43.The descendants of Lone Pine,
a chilling landmark
at Gallipoli, are now growing throughout New Zea-land thanks to
a Scion Anzac project see page 43.
No bargain in falling milk prices
have on our own fortunes.
New Zealand dairy farmers have done extremely well to return a
production just two per cent down of the previ-ous season, despite
droughts in
However, they arent being
Africa, all of which are forcing
So low in fact Fonterra chair-man John Wilson says at current
global milk prices dairy farming in not sustainable for farmers
anywhere
Thats pretty disturbing talk. New Zealands dairy industry has
been expanding at the phenomenal rate and large conversions
continue, including
Its to be hoped the confi dence farmers are showing in the
future of their industry is well-founded but it could be some time
before theres
complain about food prices and increases, but about one-sixth of
our household spending has been on food, according to Statistics
NZ.
About $21 of every $100 spent by households on food is spent on
eating out or takeaways.
About $17 is spent on meat, poultry and fi sh, and about $14 on
fruit
and vegetables. Non-alcoholic beverages such as coffee, soft
drinks and fruit juice account for $10, and the remaining $38 is
spent on grocery food.
part of the household budget but a very big part
of family health, so its good value for money.There are few
places in
New Zealand where its not possible to grow food but thats
not the case in many parts of the world and aquaponics research
underway at the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic might help
on pages 8-9.Morrinsville is creating a little cow
envy with a clever new community project, painting cows, not the
town red, but
every other hue see pages 41 to 43.The descendants of Lone Pine,
a chilling landmark
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Page 3COAST & COUNTRY
Farmers income at mercy of geo-politicsto manage those impacts.
Thats a bit of a wake-up call for everyone, says Tim.
DairyNZs Tactics for Tight Times events are being held around
the coun-try. For details, see www.dairynz.co.nz
Dairy farmers could be in for a tough couple of years as global
markets remain volatile, warns Derek Spratt of the Bay of
Plenty Rural Support Trust.So far we havent heard of any major
issues for
farmers, but now the low milk prices are going to start
hurting.
The message from Rural Support to farmers everywhere, is dont
bottle up your problems, seek help and if youre okay but you think
your neighbour might not be, pay them a visit.
Derek says the unique circumstances of rural life, and in
particular the uncertainty around milk payouts, can only be truly
understood by rural people who share the same challenges, so
farmers are often the best people to talk to.
However, sometimes its best to talk about anything but farming,
just to give yourself a chance to clear your head.
Derek, who has weathered many climatic and fi nancial storms in
his decades of farming, says its also vital to talk to accountants
and banks about the issues that may be facing a farming
business.
Banks are pretty good, they take a long-term view but you have
to keep them in the picture. Not telling them what is going on is
not wise.
Its good to hear most farmers seem to be keeping their banks and
accountants well informed.
Provisional taxWith provisional tax payments looming, Derek
suggests reviewing fi nances with accountants as it may not be
necessary for some farmers to make the May payment.
Financial and global market volatility is expected by farmers,
but they once went in yearly cycles. Derek says now the volatility
is almost month to month, which makes planning very hard.
He wouldnt be surprised if dairy companies make a further drop
in payout predictions before their fi nancial year ends.
New Zealand farmers are affected by events across the other side
of the world, including the confl ict in Ukraine which has led
Russia to embargo dairy imports from Europe and the removal of EU
milk quotas some predict will see the markets saturated
with milk, forcing a further drop in price.Its hard to gauge the
effect of the removal of
quotas. It could ultimately result in the drop in pro-duction as
it becomes uneconomic to continue with cut and carry farming where
feed is cut and taken to the cows.
World confl ictsThat could ultimately benefi t New Zealand
farmers
but the impacts could take time to be felt.Fonterra CEO Theo
Spierings is also concerned
about international confl icts and political unrest, saying
geo-political situations in Russia, the
Middle East and West Africa are all having an impact on
international milk prices.
The geo-political situation in many ways is worse than at the
end of World War II in terms of refugee numbers. All this has an
impact on
demand. Theo believes the uncertainties caused by confl icts and
political tensions are unlikely to be resolved any time soon.
Fonterra chairman John Wilson says at current global milk prices
dairy farming in not sustainable for farmers anywhere in the
world.
However, he expects falling prices to result in decreased
production but he
too believes the markets will remain volatile.Volatility used to
be a fi ve to seven-year cycle but
its a lot shorter cycle now.DairyNZ chief executive Tim Mackle
says the chal-
lenge for farmers will be working through their cash fl ow
position for the coming season.
Tight timesWhat we are concerned about is that the low milk
price this season coupled with a low retrospective payment this
winter about one-third of what was received last year will see many
farmers dip into the red this spring.
For many, they may not pop back up into the black for some time,
says Tim. Banks are telling us that many farmers will hit $1.50-$2
kilograms of milksol-ids in overdraft this September.
Knowing those winter payments will drop in this next season will
be second nature to many farmers.
But the ones who have already forecasted their cash fl ows are
surprised at how long they stay low. They are now taking steps to
put strategies in place
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Page 4 COAST & COUNTRY
Managing thousands of sheep is just part of his day job for
Dwayne Cowin. And its the
practical skills hes gained in livestock farming which
helped the 29-year-old win the Waikato/Bay of Plenty regional fi
nal of the 2015 ANZ Young
Farmer Contest.
Dwayne was one of eight contestants vying for the regional title
in a day-long event at the Paeroa Racecourse last month.
By days end hed won prizes worth more than $10,000 including
cash, scholarships and products and services from ANZ, FMG, Lincoln
University, Ravensdown, AGMARDT, Silver Fern Farms, Honda,
Husqvarna and Voda-fone. He also took out top honours in the
Ravensdown Agri-Skills Challenge.
Drystock manager takes regional title
Dwayne Cowin will represent the Waikato/Bay of Plenty region in
the 2015 ANZ Young Farmer Contest.
Fergus King of Matamata welds a gate during the Waikato/Bay of
Plenty regional
fi nal of the 2015 ANZ Young Farmer Contest at the Paeroa
Racecourse.
In between preparing sheep for tupping, the live-stock
operations manager at Lochinver Station is now honing his skills
for the grand fi nal in Taupo on July 2-4, where hell battle it out
for the champions title and more than $270,000 in prizes.
At Lochinver Station on the Napier/Taupo highway, Dwayne manages
26,500 sheep, 1800 breeding cows, plus heifers and replacement
hoggets.
He grew up in Tauranga. Close family members were farmers and I
always wanted to go farming.
Thomas Harliwich of Te Awamutu identifi es seeds during the
Waikato/Bay of Plenty regional
fi nal of the 2015 ANZ Young Farmer Contest at the Paeroa
Racecourse.
-
Page 5COAST & COUNTRY
Young farmers skills and knowledge thoroughly tested
James Bryan of Cambridge loads silage onto a truck during one of
the challenges in the Waikato/Bay of Plenty
regional fi nal of the 2015 ANZ Young Farmer Contest.
That happened after he graduated from Massey University with a
bachelor of applied science degree.
Variety appeals Dwayne moved to his current position at
Lochinver from managing a 500ha drystock farm near Te Kuiti.
Drystock farming has always appealed because of the variety of the
work. No two seasons are the same.
Share farming or leasing a sheep and beef farm within the next
10 years is the aim but in the meantime Dwaynes working on
develop-ing his management skills.
Its the second time hes won a place in the grand fi nal and both
times hes represented the Reporoa Young Farmers Club.
Taking part in the competition is great for both personal
development and for network-ing with others in the primary
industry, says Dwayne.
Organisers of the fi nals in Paeroa did a great job in staging
the event, which included some testing modules, and the venue was a
good one, says Dwayne, who in his spare time enjoys fi shing and
water-skiing on Lake Taupo in summer and hunting during winter.
Modules challenge The contestants were put through their
paces
in a variety of challenging modules, from stock judging to
engineering, touching on all aspects of farming from practical,
hands-on tasks to theory and business components.
Second place went to 29-year-old Raven-sdown agronomy technical
manager James Bryan of the Cambridge Young Farmers Club. He took
home $2900 worth of prizes and won
the AGMARDT Agri-Business Chal-lenge.
Third place went to dairy farm owner Brady Mitchell, 30, of the
Reporoa Young Farmers Club and fourth place went to 23-year-old
sharemilker Josh MacDonald of the North Waikato
Young Farmers Club. The Lincoln University Agri-Growth Challenge
was won by Brady and the crowd-pleasing Silver Fern Farms
Agri-Sports Chal-lenge was won by 23-year-old Thomas Harliwich from
the Te Kawa West Young Farmers Club. By Elaine Fisher
Wayne Hofmann of Waihi assesses young Jersey cows.
Jono Singer of Morrinsville crutches a sheep.
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Page 6 COAST & COUNTRY
and TeenAg is growing. So far this year weve had three regions
hit
full capacity, which is 96 AgriKids and 64 TeenAgers.
The members we currently have are defi nitely majority rural
kids, however were trying to put in initiatives to get more urban
kids involved as we have a huge jobs oppor-tunities in the
agriculture industry in New Zealand and it is the exposure from a
young age into the different aspects on offer that we hope will
start to make a positive difference.
As an urban girl originally from Welling-ton this is defi nitely
a focus and passion of mine, says Isabelle.
There is defi nitely a strong connection between the numbers of
entries and whether a school has a passionate teacher or parent
behind the competition.
It is extremely crucial for school support, especially at the
AgriKids level because eve-rything is organised and implemented by
the teachers and parents.
If we want to make a difference with agri-culture in New
Zealand, these programmes and competitions are a fantastic starting
point because it creates a spark of interest and passion in the
kids and teens which creates a ripple effect through their schools
and communities.
TeenAg has grown rapidly since the fi rst clubs started
in 2009 and now there are more than 550 club members
throughout
the country.TeenAg aims to introduce
and promote a positive picture about agriculture and
agricul-tural careers from an early age.
The goal is to show the stimulating and fun side of agriculture
to students from all walks of life.
You dont need to be off a farm, you just need to have a love of
the land and be keen to get your hands dirty.
Participants can become mem-bers of a TeenAg Club through their
school or can join when they compete in the TeenAg
Competitions. AgriKidsNZ is for primary
school students aged eight to 13. Membership is free and
par-ticipation is largely based in the annual fun-fi lled
competition series, which runs alongside the TeenAg Competitions
and ANZ Young Farmer contest.
The aim is to promote the fun side of agriculture while
chil-dren develop valuable skills and
make lifelong friendships. Members dont need to come
off a farm, they just need to have a love of the land and be
keen to get their hands a bit dirty.
Interested in starting up a TeenAg Club or AgriKids club at your
school? Get in touch with your local Young Farmers fi eld offi ce.
Find out more at www.youngfarmers.co.nz
Clubs introduce young people to farming
Fun sparks interest in agri-careerFiguring out which body parts
in plastic fi les came from which animals, rendering emergency fi
rst aid to an injured friend
and measuring a stags antlers to calculate a Douglas Score were
among the challenges facing the 80 competitors who took part in
AgriKids and TeenAg
events at Paeroa.Run alongside
the Waikato/Bay of Plenty regional fi nal of the 2015 ANZ Young
Farmer Contest, the events aimed to fi nd the top three teams to
represent their regions at this years Young Farmer grand fi nal in
Taupo.
The TeenAg com-petition was won by Shanae Hoff-man and Graham
Johnson from Te Awamutu College.
The AgriKids winners were Ethan Morris, Anna Morris and Ben
Pettigrew from Elstow Waihou Combined School.
AgriKids and TeenAg competitions coordi-nator Isabelle Hobbs
says the turnout for the days events was fantastic with 60
competi-tors in 20 teams of three in the AgriKids contest and 20
competitors in 10 teams of two for the TeenAg contest.
Each team faced a series of timed challenges which encouraged
them to use their skills at following instructions, quick thinking,
practical skills, general knowledge and team work.
Cheered on by enthusiastic family, teachers and friends, the
teams also completed a series of fun races to fi nally decide the
winners.
Isabelle says the popularity of AgriKids
The Happy Potters from Matamata Intermediate Kaycha Bradley,
Ashlyn Lee and Bessie Trower identify animal body
parts during the AgriKids contest at Paeroa.
The Returners of Matamata Intermediate: Stephen Turner, the
patient, and team mates Abel and Jerom de Wilde tackle the fi
rst aid challenge at
the AgriKids contest at Paeroa.
Young Farmer grand
The Returners of Matamata The Returners of Matamata
By Elaine Fisher
-
Page 7COAST & COUNTRY
Because of their elevation rela-tive to councils storage system,
a number of the most affected homes experience a drop in pressure
or even loss of supply during times of peak water use, including
for irrigation.
Kelvin says if tanks were installed, they would still be fi lled
from councils mains to ensure residents had suffi cient supply and
so were not affected by peak demand situations and a loss of water
supply. Hes also keen to see growers encouraged to use irrigation
at night, when domestic demand is lower.
No restrictionsCouncil draws its water from
aquifers which were able to meet demand this summer, without the
need of water restrictions.
We were fortunate because
other neighbouring districts did have to impose water
restric-tions. However, we did ask that people be more conservative
with water to ensure this situa-tion did not occur.
Every summer council puts up water use signs in its rural
communities and Kelvin says these, together with advertising,
helped make people aware of the need to conserve water.
Water metres and the charges council makes have also had a
positive effect on water use.
However, people dont pay for water. Council charges to extract,
treat and deliver it, but not for the water itself; and its good
value for consumers.
A 1.5 litre bottle of water costs between $2 and $3 while 1000
litres of councils water delivered to your property costs around
$1.
Western BOP water does not have fl uoride added however a small
amount of chlorine is added to treat any bugs which may be in the
reticulation pipes. In areas such as Pongakawa, where the bore
water has high natural levels of iron and magnesium, it does need
extra treatment and fi ltration.
One hundred yearsWater from the aquifers is
more than 100 years old. At no stage this summer, did the supply
drop to levels which would have meant bringing in water
restrictions.
However, Kelvin says its unknown what the long-term effects of
drier summers, changes in annual rainfall and increased draw-off
will have on the underground resources.
We do know, from research
conducted by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council that water
resources, including from bores, are reaching over-allocation in
parts of the bay, rural areas south of Te Puke in particular.
And this is an area which is forecasted to experience
popula-tion growth and an increase in the horticultural
industry.
Legal responsibilityWhile council has a legal obli-
gation to supply clean drinking water to its residents, Kelvin
is a fan of urban and rural home owners installing small rainwa-ter
tanks for garden watering, as its better for the environment in the
long-term.
Kelvin recently completed a thesis on water supply within the
Western Bay of Plenty district and his research showed water safety
quality and safe-
Water storage option ensures supply
By Elaine Fisher
ness to drink is top of the publics list of priorities for the
water they consume.
Other factors, such as uninterrupted supply, smell and taste
came next, with cost well down the list. Having fl uoride in the
water was of little concern to the wider community and his research
in fact con-fi rmed consumers prefer minimal chemicals be added to
water supply.
Providing their own water storage is likely to become more
common for rural home owners as water
demand increases in the Western Bay of Plenty.
Western Bay of Plenty District Councils utilities manager Kelvin
Hill says while council didnt have to impose water restrictions
this summer, sup-plies to some areas were tight.
We are encouraging property owners in some areas of our rural
district, particularly on the fringes of our water supply system,
to have their own water storage and pumping systems but they wont
need to be com-pletely self-suffi cient from the council
system.
Western Bay of Plenty District Councils utilities manager Kelvin
Hill says water from the regions aquifers is more than 100 years
old.
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Page 8 COAST & COUNTRY
Fish fertiliser is well recognised as a great plant food but at
the
Bay of Plenty Polytech live not dead fi sh are fertilising
plants
which return the favour by improving the water quality in
their tanks.Tutor and researcher Denise Briggs
has established an aquaponics system in a small shade-house
growing strawber-ries and a range of leafy vegetables and herbs,
with the help of two tanks each containing about six goldfi sh.
Aquaponics offer such exciting pos-sibilities, especially to
help provide food security for nations without much fertile land or
those with harsh growing conditions, says Denise, who has been
experimenting with aquaponics at the polytechnic for about two
years.
The fl exibility and relative simplicity of aquaponics appeals
to Denise, who
says home owners can build small units in their backyard and
produce both vegetables and protein.
On a larger scale the system could feed a village and be big
enough to provide income from selling fi sh and vegetables. Or it
can be upscaled to commercial operations.
The concept is rapidly gaining popu-larity worldwide. In Detroit
and New York, and in Berlin people are setting up aquaponic systems
in unused buildings or small warehouses.
In Australia a group of scientists are using a solar-powered
desalination plant to provide water for an aquaponics system, which
is growing tomatoes in the desert.
Added benefi tsAs the name suggests, aquaponics is
the marriage of aquaculture and hydro-ponics, with added benefi
ts.
With hydroponics, plants grow in cir-culating water enriched
with nutrients.
Symbiotic relationship benefits fish, plants and people
In aquaculture, snails, shellfi sh, crayfi sh, prawns and fi sh
are raised in tanks, with water needing constant changing or fi
ltering because of toxicity caused by excretions.
The beauty of aquaponics is that tank water circulated to plants
provides them with nutrients and their roots fi lter the water,
improving its quality when its returned to the fi sh tank.
Once the system is working properly, you never need to replace
the water although it does need topping up because of evaporation
and transpiration.
Its estimated an aquaponics system uses one to 10 per cent of
the water in terrestrial-based systems for growing vegetables.
Year-round foodSystems dont have to be indoors but because
the
plants arent rooted in soil, some form of wind protec-tion is
required. An aquaponics system set up in a greenhouse could provide
out-of-season food year-round.
The system at the polytechnic consists of two high benches
holding long, relatively shallow tanks.
On one side vegetables including lettuce, silverbeet and herbs
grow in pots fi lled with medium such as bark.
On the opposite bench strawberries grow in a medium of small
clay balls. Both media provide the habitat for bacteria essential
to help the plants access nutrients in the water, which fl ows
through their roots.
Water is pumped from the fi sh tanks every three hours to fl ood
the roots, then drained back into the
tanks. It is important the roots are not constantly saturated
in
water or else they will rot.The ideal ration of fi sh to plants
is
dependent on the type of plants growing and the species of fi sh
used.
The fi sh are fed with an organic food, which Denise and her
students have developed. It has to be organic, with no artifi cial
additives because they could kill the plants.
In turn, no sprays are used on the plants, as they pose a risk
to the fi sh.
Koura experimentWhile its goldfi sh which are currently feeding
the
plants, theyre not a suitable edible species so Denise is
experimenting with koura, New Zealands freshwa-ter crayfi sh.
We have been working with the iwi at McLaren Falls near Tauranga
and have permission to take some koura from there. Weve been
experimenting on making food for them, including pellets made from
soya beans.
Koura grow to a good size and come in a range of colours which
commercially could have appeal to Asian markets.
The beauty of aquaponics is that tank water circulated to plants
provides them with nutrients and their roots fi lter the
properly, you never need to replace the water although it does
need topping up because of evaporation and transpiration.
Its estimated an aquaponics system uses one to 10
tanks. It is important the roots are not constantly saturated
in
water or else they will rot.The ideal ration of fi sh to plants
is
dependent on the type of plants growing
In aquaculture, snails, shellfi sh, crayfi sh, prawns and In
aquaculture, snails, shellfi sh, crayfi sh, prawns and
The aquaponics system in a small shade house at the
polytechnic.
Below: one of the goldfi sh it supports.
Denise Briggs with a native freshwater crayfi sh, part of
the
aquaponics experiment.
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Growth media (where bacteria grow)
PUMP
Ammonia Nitrite NitrateBacteria convert:
Basic set up of an Aquaponics system
Plants: lots of leafy greens
Water flow: from tank contains ammonia. Is converted by
bacteria.
Fish: Variety of species used. E.g. Tilapia, goldfish
or even freshwater
crayfish
Feed: Only input into the system
Harmful to fish
Harmless to fish.
Absorbed by plants
Water pump on a timer. Pumped into
grow bed. Periodically drains from grow bed.
Fish waste (left over feed and poo). Produces
ammonia
Growth media: such as clay balls/river stones/coconut husks
Fish tank
By Denise Briggs
Page 9COAST & COUNTRY
However, they are inclined to escape and fight each other so we
have to keep them in separate cages under water.
Freshwater shellfish are also being trailed, and Denise has them
placed, not in the fish tank, but under the plants. Overseas
tilapia freshwater fish are used in an aquaponics system.
These are ideal because they are relatively easy to raise, have
a delicate white flesh and are well-known throughout the world,
especially in Asia and the USA. McDonalds has used tilapia in its
fish burgers.
However, because of our strict biosecurity standards, were not
allowed to import them to New Zealand even though its unlikely they
would survive should they escape into our waterways because they
cant live in water cooler than 21 degrees Celsius.
Trout outDenise says trout would be the ideal commercial
aquaponics species in New Zealand but currently Fish & Game
has exclusive rights for raising trout.
New Zealands native freshwater fish are too small to be
economically viable and while eels are another possibility, rules
around taking them from the wild are getting tougher and they are
very hard to contain, says Denise.
Eels are great at escaping. You pretty much need an electric
fence around a tank to keep them in.
When Denise decided to study marine biology in Newcastle as an
undergraduate and complete a Masters in aquaculture at Swansea, she
never expected it would lead her to growing vegetables.
I do like to garden at home but I know very little about plant
biology but plenty about the biology of
fish, which is why its great to have the horticultural team here
at the polytech.
Denise had an adventurous childhood travelling the world with
her parents. My father was with the Gur-khas, a famous part of the
British Army made up of soldiers from Nepal. Later he became a
sugar and coco trader in West Africa.
When she left home Denise travelled extensively competing
semi-professionally and teaching windsurf-ing in between university
studies.
Pacific IslandsI had heard what a wonderful place New
Zealand
was, with an ethos of sustainability, so decided to come here.
Her first position was with NIWA at its Bream Bay aquaculture
research centre in Northland. Then three years ago, she took up her
current role as a member of the Bay of Plenty Polytechnics marine
studies academic and teaching staff.
Having lived in Africa I can see the opportunities aquaponics
could offer people for who food security is becoming an
increasingly pressing issue.
It also has great potential for Pacific Island nations,
especially where there is limited fertile ground for growing
vegetables and reefs are in danger of being over-fished.
The aquaponics system at the polytech is an impor-tant teaching
resource for students but also a working experiment designed to
help establish the best aquatic food species to use in New Zealand,
as well as develop food for the fish or koura and discover what
range of plants will grow well.
For more information about aquaponics, search the internet or
email Denise Briggs at [email protected]
Aquaponics answer to food security?
Growth media (where bacteria grow)
PUMP
Ammonia Nitrite NitrateBacteria convert:
Basic set up of an Aquaponics system
Plants: lots of leafy greens
Water flow: from tank contains ammonia. Is converted by
bacteria.
Fish: Variety of species used. E.g. Tilapia, goldfish
or even freshwater
crayfish
Feed: Only input into the system
Harmful to fish
Harmless to fish.
Absorbed by plants
Water pump on a timer. Pumped into
grow bed. Periodically drains from grow bed.
Fish waste (left over feed and poo). Produces
ammonia
Growth media: such as clay balls/river stones/coconut husks
Fish tank
By Denise Briggs
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Page 10 COAST & COUNTRY
Weve trained up a wallaby indicating dog and tested infra-red
trail cameras. When we get fresh reports we can deploy the dog and
cameras pretty quickly. We need to find these animals as soon as
possible before the trail goes cold.
Main areas of concern are anywhere west of Rotorua, east of
Kawerau or south of Rainbow Mountain.
So if youre outdoors in the Bay of Plenty this winter and see a
wallaby dead or alive, or their sign outside the feral range, note
the location, take a photo if you can and call the regional council
on 0800 STOP PESTS (0800 780 773) quickly to let them know.
Dale says work is also underway to control known outlier wallaby
populations.
Weve developed a new paste bait that well be using with
encapsulated cyanide later this year, to control a wallaby
popula-tion near Te Puke.
Weve also had good success with night shooting to eradicate a
group of wallabies near Okere Falls.
Find out more at www.boprc.govt.nz/pestanimals
Small and shy, dama wallabies are slowly spreading outside
of their feral range around the Rotorua Lakes forests.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council biosecurity officer Dale Williams
says hunters and farmers can help stop the spread by keeping watch
and calling in
any wallaby sign they see. Wallabies are a threat to farms,
for-
estry and native bush so were working with Waikato Regional
Council and the Department of Conservation to keep them
contained.
Dama wallabies are different to any other pest the agencies have
managed before, so a new set of surveillance and control tools has
been developed.
Sightings of wallabies outside their feral range as shown on
this map
should be reported to the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.
Introduced wasps are estimated to cost New
Zealands economy more than $130 million a year, according to a
new study, with the biggest economic
impacts on farming, beekeeping, horticulture
and forestry workers.
The study An evaluation of the cost of pest wasps (Vespula
species) in New Zealand by the Sapere Research Group was jointly
funded by the Department of Conserva-tion and the Ministry for
Primary Industries.
Wasps are one of the most dam-aging invertebrate pests in New
Zealand. They harm our native birds and insects and compete for
food with our native species.
If you put together all the wasps in honeydew beech forests they
would weigh more than the weight of birds, rodents and stoats
com-bined.
This new study has found wasps also have a major financial
impact on primary industries and the health sector.
This includes more than $60 million a year in costs to pastoral
farming from wasps disrupting bee pollination activities, reducing
the amount of clover in pastures and increasing fertiliser
costs.
Almost a $9 million-a-year cost to beekeepers from wasps
attacking honey bees, robbing their honey and destroying hives.
Wasp-related traffic accidents estimated cost $1.4 million a
year and more than $1 million each year is spent on health costs
from wasp stings.
On top of the direct costs, almost $60 million a year is lost in
unreal-ised honey production from beech forest honeydew, which is
currently being monopolised by wasps. Honeydew is also a valuable
energy source for kaka, tui and bellbirds.
DOC scientist Eric Edwards says these numbers are conservative.
The actual cost of wasps is much higher especially if you take into
account the impact on tourism and our love of the outdoors, which
this study wasnt able to measure in full.
Its hard to put a dollar value on peoples attitudes to wasps and
to what extent wasps prevent them from visiting conservation
land
or taking part in outdoor tourism activities, says Eric.
But we know that wasps are a massive annoyance and their
multi-ple stings can cause a lifetime effect of making young people
reluctant to return to forests and parks.
The Ministry for Primary Indus-tries Dr Erik van Eyndhoven says
reducing wasp abundance would produce major flow-on benefits to
pastoral farming and horticulture through increased bee pollination
services.
This study shows that it makes economic sense, as well as
environ-mental sense, to invest in research to control wasps, says
Erik.
MPI is working with DOC to encourage the science commu-nity, and
their funders, to further explore a range of tools needed to
control wasps in the long-term.
The MPI Sustainable Farm-ing Fund has recently supported
investigations into the bio-control potential of a new mite
discovered in wasp nests.
The Department of Conserva-tion has been actively working on a
programme to better control wasps and has been piloting a targeted
bait station method on conserva-tion land.
Wasps stinging NZ economy
Help needed for wallaby control
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Page 11COAST & COUNTRY
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Page 12 COAST & COUNTRY
than we needed so started selling them at local markets at
Waihi, Thames and Katikati, says Sue.
Demand was strong but the economics and time demands of
travelling between so many markets was questionable, so today
Little River concentrates solely on the Tauranga Farmers Market,
where this year it won the Farmers Market New Zealand 2015 Summer
Producers section of the annual Producers Awards.
They also won the organic section for their fi ve varieties of
heritage potatoes Pink Fur, Kowiniwini, Whataroa, Ureniki and
Karoro, and were organic runner up for their golden beetroot.
The plan was always to grow organi-cally and the path to Organic
Farm NZ certifi cation began the day Sue and Gordon purchased
Little River. Now, four years later, their produce is fully organic
certifi ed.
Early soil tests revealed it needed improving and the
application of up
to 150 cubic metres of compost each year to growing beds,
directly or as a compost tea, has made a signifi cant dif-ference.
But essential trace elements and minerals were lacking, so small
amounts of Probitas products are also used.
A series of old baths on raised frames make up the Little River
worm farms, fed by kitchen scrap and producing worm tea which is
used as a foliar spray for the garden. Sea weed teas are also
brewed.
Compost enthusiast Compost, however, is at the heart of
the Little River system and that Gordon is a compost enthusiast
is evident by the way he whips back the cover on a large compost
mound and digs his hands into the rich dark, not-quite-ready
brew.
Its all about enhancing soil biology, he says.
The compost heaps are constructed from wood chips bought from
arborist
Little Rivers thriving organic vegetable gardens owe, in
some
way, their existence to the Christchurch earthquakes.
The hectare of land under cultiva-tion near Waihi is a long way
from the city so hard hit by earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. But it
was those devastating events which reinforced the determina-tion of
Sue and Gordon Boyd to create a self-suffi cient lifestyle.
We were living in Christchurch at the time of the earthquakes
and what happened afterwards made us realise how dependent we have
all become on food being delivered to supermarkets, and water and
power supplied to our homes, says Sue.
Fortunately, their home wasnt in an area affected by
liquefaction and when the opportunity came they sold up and
returned north, seeking a piece of land on which to begin a
self-suffi cient, off-the-grid lifestyle.
Kaimai ForestThey found it on 25 hectares in
Woodlands Rd, Waihi, tucked in close to the Kaimai Forest Park.
The land was a grazing block, a little run-down, but fi lled with
potential.
We had always been interested in organics and in fact considered
organic farming when we were managing a family dairy farm, says
Gordon. At the time there wasnt a premium for organic milk nor as
much information or support for organics as now and
we thought it was too much of risk, so never went ahead.
However, the couple, who later exchanged a backpacker business
in Tauranga for property in Christchurch, used their time in the
south to learn from keen growers in the region. Then studying
through Agriculture New Zealands Go Organics courses, Levels 2, 3
and 4.
Knowing what I know now, I would have converted the dairy farm
to organics. If there had been any drop in production, it would
have been more than offset by the low costs of the sys-tems and the
improvements in animal health, says Gordon.
Kauri millThe farm they call Little River was
originally the site of a kauri timber mill, where logs from the
native bush were processed before being trans-ported along
Woodlands Rd. This then linked with Katikatis Woodland Rd to the
Port of Tauranga.
Initially, Sue and Gordon lived in the former mill mangers villa
but sub-sequently brought in a transportable home, placing it on a
high point with excellent views of the adjoining native bush and
their farm.
In keeping with the self-suffi cient ethos, the house has solar
electricity and a large solid fuel range for cooking, as well as
water and area heating.
Initially, we set out to grow all our own vegetables but
produced more
Earthquakes prompt sustainable lifestyle
Gordon Boyd is a compost enthusiast, who makes up to 150 cubic
metres of it a year.
Flowering plants encourage benefi cial insects into the
garden.
Sue Gordon with Peruvian ground apple, or yacon, which she says
is delicious.
Grazing dairy cows is another side to the Little River Organic
Farm business.
-
Page 13COAST & COUNTRY
companies, with the addition of just about anything which will
add to its nutritional value, including possum carcasses. We trap
possums in the bush for their fur and bury the bodies in the
compost. It gets so hot in there that they break down in no
time.
Gordon and Sue are moving towards no-till gardening which means
the soil isnt dug or rotary hoed methods which interfere with the
natural soil structure and its fl ora and fauna.
Instead, they lay down rows of compost on top of undisturbed
ground, cover it with a thick layer of grass clippings and plant
seedlings directly into the new bed.
Weve had a great result from beetroot grown this way and so far
its out-compet-ing the weeds. The system of deep mulch also retains
moisture an added benefi t in the recent dry summer.
Combat pests Improving plant and soil health is the best way
to
combat insect pests, Sue and Gordon believe, as is encouraging
benefi cial insects which prey on pests.
Flowering plants providing nectar and habitat for predators grow
among the vegetables.
In a year Sue and Gordon grow up to 30 varieties of vegetables,
many well-known, others not so familiar, including the Peruvian
ground apple or yacon, which has a crisp, sweet tasting tuberous
root that Sue says doesnt need cooking. Its delicious just as it
is.
The couple also grow edible weeds well the weeds grow and Gordon
and Sue harvest them for customers who love their mix of chickweed,
yarrow, clover, creep-ing mallow, dandelion and more.
This all started because I took some dandelion to the market and
then people began to ask me for mixed weeds, says Sue.
She researched what was good to eat with the help of Julia Sich,
of Julias Edible Weeds, who now holds workshops at Little River in
identifying which weeds
Pink fur, ground apples and weeds
are safe to eat and how to use them. The next workshop, Foraging
For Wild Edible Weeds
and Green Smoothie Workshop, is at Little River on Sunday, May
3. For more go to www.juliasedibleweeds.com
Kings Seeds, which has an extensive range of organic and
heirloom varieties, provides most of the seeds from which Sue and
Gordon grow their plants. And they also harvest their own seed
too.
We love to grow produce which is different from the norm.
Especially those with colour, unusual shape and those that are
heritage and old fashioned, varieties.
These products make for a colourful and inviting stall at the
market. It is very satisfying to see costumers try something new
and also great to see folk reacquaint-ing themselves with long
forgotten varieties.
For us, it makes coming to the market a very worth-while
experience.
Sue and Gordon Boyd of Little River Organic Farm with ureniki
potatoes and beetroot, among
the many vegetables they grow to sell at the Tauranga Farmers
Market.
Ducks are the unpaid pest patrollers at Little River Organic
Farm.
By Elaine Fisher
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Page 15EFFLUENT
Pond stirring is more important than most people realise. The
valuable organic matter
contained in the effl uent must be agitated in a way that brings
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can be applied to pasture, says Nevada consultant Michael
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Synthetic lined ponds and above ground tanks are becoming more
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There have been situations where inferior stir-rers have been
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Such situations could have been avoided if a proper Nevada
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Nevada shore-mounted electric stirrers are rigidly mounted to a
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This is no problem to the Nevada Typhoon propeller,
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The depth and angle can be adjusted to ensure no areas are
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Many farmers have installed elaborate and expensive separation
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It is easier and better to avoid sludge accumulating than to try
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With Nevada pond stirrers its perfectly acceptable to leave the
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Safety and reliability are of all importance on the dairy farm.
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Midwest Machinery specialises in farm dairy effl u-ent equipment
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The Midwest team is proving time and again the importance of
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Proper pond stirring gets resultsNevada shore-mounted electric
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Lely Group in the Netherlands and New Zealand-based Livestock
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inline milk sensors, developed by subsidiary business Dairy
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to become LIC Automation.Integrated and reliable automation
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The big data the systems can deliver, while a cow is being
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Lely chief executive Alexander van der Lely says the partnership
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There seems to be a real shortage of quality beef cattle
entering
the system, and those breeding them are reaping the rewards,
with no sign of it slowing in the near future, says Andrew and
Tracey Neal of Potawa
Simmentals of Pio.This year has brought a much-
welcomed continuation of stronger beef prices. Its great to see
farmers who have persisted with breeding cows being rewarded at
last.
If there was ever a time to go back to breeding cows, now is
it.
The 15-month-old cattle fairs in January were pretty hot,
price-wise. However, the weaner sales have rewarded producers even
more.
A recent supplementary weaner sale at Te Kuiti saw a client of
ours achieve $910 and $850 for her weaner steers and heifers
respectively.
This client has a herd of dairy cross nurse cows, mainly
Hereford/Friesian, and for four years has been using Potawa
Simmental bulls as sires. She constantly praises the quietness
of
the Simmental bulls shes used, and their offspring, and makes
frequent mention of the outstanding growth rates of her
weaners.
These comments have been echoed by most of our clients, to
ourselves and more pleasingly, to other farmers.
Andrew and Tracey can vouch for the growth rates and yield of
Simmental-cross cattle. As commercial farmers on 600 hectares, they
had run a large commercial cow herd prior to taking on their
Simmental stud 13 years ago.
In that time we trialled many dif-ferent beef breeds over our
Hereford/Friesian herd and constantly came back to the Simmental as
the most productive beef sire we could fi nd.
Simmental cross cattle outgrew and out-yielded every other breed
we used.
According to the Simmental NZ website, and based on research
both here and in USA, when used as a terminal sire over traditional
or dairy cross beef cows, a Simmental sire will breed prog-eny
renowned for:
Page 16 SHEEP AND BEEF
Accelerated weight gain First cross Simmental cattle demonstrate
rapid weight gain. They will fi nish heavier than other breeds at
an earlier age.
Superior carcass Simmental genetics produce highly muscled
cattle, resulting in higher carcass yields.
Market fl exibility Simmental cross cattle are highly sort after
as four day old calves, weaner calves, store cattle, and at
slaughter, so cre-ating a variety of profi table options for your
stock.
Andrew says this last factor is very important. Flexibility in
farming systems owing to climate is becom-ing a major requirement
for many of us.
Our local stock agents make no secret of the fact that Simmental
cross cattle will fetch a premium across every class in the sale
yards.
The only argument we have
found in recent years from farmers against using Simmental was
poor temperament.
It is true, there has been an issue with some breeders selling
poor docility bulls, and the Simmental Society is well aware of the
prob-lems it has caused.
Andrew says the introduction of a docility trial Estimated
Breeding Value is the start of addressing the problem.
However, as always it depends on the person putting in the data
like any information input crap in, crap out.
Potawa Simmentals is extremely strict on bull selection for
sale. Besides testing them individually Tracey and Andrew employ
Bill Austin, who is a qualifi ed BeefClass assessor to give a truly
independent judgement on the bulls.
Bill travels all over the country, assessing all beef breeds in
the same
manner, and is audited regularly to be certain he is as accurate
as possible.
Bull buyers can be assured that a BeefClass assessed animal has
been tested for temperament and structure.
This information should be readily available in the sale
cata-logue, so you can make a decision based on as much information
as possible.
Recent reports indicate there is a worldwide shortage of beef
and short-term prospects are good.
Now is the time to breed cows and the best sire for profi table
options and production is a Sim-mental. Potawa Simmentals has the
only auction of fully recorded rising two-year-old Simmental bulls
between the Bombay hills and Lake Taupo, visitors are welcome
anytime.
Improved prices see breeders finally rewarded
Rising two-year-old Simmental-cross heifers, mostly Potawa bred,
just prior to being sorted for Greenlea Meats.
in more than 50 years of artifi cial breeding in New
Zealand.
In a special presentation to the breeders, Mint-Edition was
praised for well and truly living up to his name since debuting on
the co-ops Premier Sires team in 2009.
Mint-Edition very quickly took his place at the top of the team
and proved very popular with farmers who consistently told us he is
the best bull they have ever used, says LIC bull acquisition
manager Simon Worth.
Over four consecutive years as a Premier Sire, Mint-Edition
averaged nearly 155,000 insemina-tions each season, and will go on
record with a truly impressive lifetime tally of just under 800,000
inseminations.
An elite artifi cial breeding bull thats delivered a signifi
cant contribution to dairy farms nationwide will forever be
recognised as one of the very best after being inducted
into LICs prestigious Hall of Fame.Fairmont Mint-Edition, a
Holstein-Friesian sire
bred by Barry and Linda Old of Morrinsville, is the 53rd animal
to be recognised on the Hall of Fame
Bull Mint Edition added to hall of fame
Contact: ANDREW AND TRACEY NEAL Ph: 07 877 8009 Mb: 027 366 55
14 Em: [email protected]
AUCTION 2PM
TUESDAY 27TH MAY 2014
WILSON ROAD, PIOPIO
OR CONTACT YOUR NEAREST STOCK AGENT
20 quiet, reliable affordable fully
guaranteed bulls
12 years breeding and selling Simmental
bulls
C10 herd, BVD clear, vaccinated, semen and service tested
Only auction of fully recorded R2
Simmental bulls between the
Bombays and Lake Taupo
BULL AUCTION
+ GST + on Farm cost TRY ONE TODAY Phone for a demo
Limited Stock At this PRICE!
Plus ex demo at $2000 ALL Inclusive!
ACTION Equipment 1 Gallagher Drive, Hamilton Phone 07 957
9150
-
Page 17CALVING
Getting a premium on calves he would otherwise be placing on the
bobby calf truck
is a seasonal bonus Waikato sharemilker Markus Ruegger will
appreciate even
more this calving season.For the last four years Markus has been
putting
Wagyu bulls over his Kiwi Cross heifers he grazes off the farm
at Matawai in the Gisborne region.
Markus was encouraged to try the different genetics by his
grazier who had run Angus cattle and crossed them with Wagyu.
Markus was also keen to seek out a breed that would be an easy
calving option, and also deliver higher value calves.
The reality is that when you put a Jersey bull over a Kiwi Cross
heifer, you are not going to get a calf that is worth very much
from it; it will usually be the lowest grade weight.
After much fact-fi nding Markus was convinced using Firstlight
Wagyu bulls was a good option to tick all the boxes for value
adding, easy calving and secure purchase contracts once the calves
have reached four days old.
Our options around mating are relatively limited. We cant go
down there to do Artifi cial Insemina-tion on the heifers, so the
Wagyu arrangement has provided a really good option to earn more
from those calves without compromising our in-calf rate or having
any calving diffi culties you sometimes get from beef breeds.
He has enjoyed 85-90 per cent calving rates within
three weeks in the 60-65 heifers he puts to the Wagyu bulls
every year and calving issues have only been typical of what he had
with Jersey bulls.
Markuss wife Esther rears the calves every year from their
310-head herd, and she hasnt experienced any issues with the
Wagyu-cross calves, and appreciates the regular collection at four
to six days thats part of the contract with Firstlight Wagyu.
They learn to drink quickly and like any calf need that
colostrum at the start to get going well.
Typically the premium on the four day calves is up to three
times what they would get as bobby calves, and this has been
underpinned by the strong demand for Wagyu beef in Firstlights
overseas markets.
Firstlight director Gerard Hickey says market demand for
grass-fed Wagyu is gaining momentum every year for a brand thats
been quietly establishing itself during the last decade.
We now have our own global sales force in place, with staff in
the United Arab Emirates, California and the United Kingdom.
The Firstlight Wagyu story of absolute premium quality,
antibiotic-free, and grass-fed is one that has found a strong
following among high income earners in the United States. Premium
supermarkets like Bristol Farms located throughout the Los Angeles
County are enjoying strong demand for the beef.
Not a week goes by when we dont have buyers or consumers tell us
this is the best beef they have ever tasted. Its easy to market a
product that is as good as this, says Gerard.
Hes hoping more dairy farmers will appreciate the
Beef calves offer treble premiumFirstlight quality story and
want to become part of the supply chain by making Wagyu an option
for their non-replacement calves.
We are keen to talk to dairy farmers of both spring and autumn
calving herds who want to generate some more cash fl ow this
season, and who may enjoy being part of a really exciting,
established premium beef brand.
Typically payment premiums will be up to three times what calves
will get as Kiwi Cross bobbies, with guaranteed
collection at four days and payment at 21 days. Markus says he
enjoys the extra income the calves generate, but has also had a
chance to enjoy some Wagyu steaks.
My mother is a bit of an expert on beef and she swears its the
best she has ever tasted, you can defi nitely taste the
difference.
For me Wagyu genetics work out well, the heifers calve well and
as stress-free as possible and its really the best option given
they are out grazing.
Te Poi sharemilker Markus Ruegger enjoys the extra income
Wagyu
calves can generate.
-
Page 18 CALVING
Dedicated calf rearing facilities can be provided for as little
as one per cent of the cost of a replacement heifer based on an
assumed 10-year depreciation time.Proper calf housing that
provide a warm and
draft-free environment with adequate ventilation and plenty of
sunlight are one of the cornerstones of suc-cessful calf rearing,
says Ernst Frei of FlexiTunnel.
Live-weight gains in calves reared in a dedicated facility can
be up to 10kg higher at six weeks com-pared to animals reared in
conventional sheds with the same fed inputs and similar
management.
Additional live-weight gains in the fi rst most important few
weeks of an animals life will certainly go a long way in reaching
target weights at the two crucial points further down a heifers
life, namely at mating with 60 per cent and at calving with 90 per
cent.
Unfortunately, the reality is that calf housing often is a low
priority on farms or on new conversions being built, says
Ernst.
Neglecting this important part of a dairy farm business often
leads to a range of pressures on the
calves, as well as on the person in charge of raising them.
Even today its estimated between 75 and 90 per cent of New
Zealand farmers still use non-dedicated and woefully inadequate
housing like converted wool sheds, hay barns or implement sheds and
therefore risk not reaching the potential of their future
herds.
Evidence suggests that the majority of the coun-trys replacement
heifers fall short of reaching expected live-weight targets.
The fi nancial implications are rather far reach-ing. Heifers
that dont reach the target, produce less milk.
A heifer that falls 20 per cent below the target weight is
expected to produce 10 per cent less milk fat in her fi rst
lactation. This can equate to an aver-age loss of about 35kg of
milk solids or $175 at a $5 payout.
And this represents the loss for just her fi rst pro-ductive
year. On the other hand, heifers that reach the target weights not
only produce more milk, they also have a better reproductive
performance, with fewer empties, a better calving pattern and
remain longer in the herd, says Ernst.
New Zealand dairy farming is being confronted by climate change
and Hamilton
company CRV Ambreed says its ready.
Calf s first home sets it up for life
Tropical breeds climate change beaters?The herd improvement
company has recently wid-
ened the focus of its tropical dairy genetics scheme, which has
sparked the interest of a handful of North-land-based farmers.
Once only common in parts of Central America, South America,
Asia and Africa, CRV Ambreed introduced Sahiwal and Gyr genetics to
its breeding programme to meet a growing overseas demand for heat
tolerance and tick resilience, combined with the added benefi ts of
NZs grazing genetics.
A number of New Zealand farmers dealing with sub-tropical
environmental conditions have since started using the crossbred
option to build heat and parasite resistance in their herds.
Sahiwal, a popular high merit dairy breed in Central America,
South America, Asia and Africa, sires small, fast-growing calves
that typically have good tempera-ments, ease of calving, heat and
drought tolerance, and parasite resistance. Gyr, a common dairy
breed in Brazil, displays similar traits to the Sahiwal.
CRV Ambreed genetic strategist Phil Beatson says while tropical
breeds tend to have lower milk produc-tion than the temperate dairy
breeds like Friesian and Jersey, their key strength is heat and
parasite tolerance.
When crossed to the temperate breeds, the crossbred cattle have
higher milk production than the straight tropical cattle.
As the proportion of tropical make-up decreases, its expected
milk production will increase. For example, 25 per cent tropical
cows will have higher production than 50 per cent tropical
cows.
Results show that in Northland 34 per cent Sahiwal and 66
percent Friesian cows in a once-a-day system produced up to 1kg of
milk solids per day for the fi rst 100 days of lactation.
And 20 per cent Sahiwal cows produced up to 1.3kg milk solids in
the same system.
Dedicated calf rearing facilities more than pay for the
investment made in them.
CostbenefitsofpurposedesignedCalfHousing
ShedhygieneandtheUV-lightdifference
Sunshine,warmthandheatretention
Plentyofventilationintheabsentsofdraft Deep-Litterbedding
VitaminDexposure
Gentlehardeningoff Improvedcalfhealth Higherlifeweightssooner
Reducingongoingfacilitycosts Highermilkproductionandbetter
reproductiveperformance Farmerstestimonials
Why not make a real success of the next Calf Rearing Season?
Visit our new and informative website at
www.flexitunnel.co.nz for everything you ever wanted to know
about successful calf housing!
REPOROA - spring 2014 TIMARU spring 2014REPOROA - spring 2014
TIMARU spring 2014
-
DAIRY Page 19
The Fiordland Conservation Trust and the Department of
Conservation have
wiped out a plague population of rats using Goodnature automatic
resetting traps and ushered in a long-held dream milestone for New
Zealand conservation the prospect of large mainland island
sanctuaries requiring no fences.
The Kids Restore Kepler Project a conservation educational
programme involving the trust established a 200 hectare network of
Goodnature A24 rat traps with DOC last October on the iconic Kepler
Track.
DOC says after a second rodent monitor its staff cannot fi nd
any rats in the area even though they remain at plague levels
outside the project, where they are destroy-ing chicks and
eggs.
The result is due to the design of Good-natures constant control
system where each trap resets automatically to deliver up to 24
kills before needing a new CO2 canister. This means the traps dont
wait for a human to clear and reset the device after dispatching
each rat.
DOC predator control expert and project leader Darren Peters
says the self-setting traps are a key tool for pest control because
they are humane, non-toxic and reduce labour costs allowing
conservationists to cover even larger areas. They have the
potential to slash con-ventional trapping costs by up to 75 per
cent.
With the breeding season now over native birds will already have
benefi tted from the project by improved fl edging of chicks.
Fiordland Conservation Trust chairman Murray Wil-lans says
keeping pests at low numbers all the time is critical to increasing
our native species populations and to bringing back the birdsong to
the Kepler, to have
them remain at zero density is even better.
The Kepler result comes on the back of DOC declaring Native
Island rat-free by using a Goodna-ture A24 network on the island,
which lies in Rakiura National Park (Stewart Island). Goodnature
director Stu Barr says its the fi rst time an island had been
cleared of rats solely using resetting traps and the same can be
done across the mainland.
Throughout rural New Zealand there are bush blocks shared by
neighbours that through pest control can become Goodnature island
sanctuaries.
Our vision is to see New Zealand pest-free. We want to see more
birds its achievable.
Goodnature rat, possum and stoat traps are exclu-sively
available at Farmlands stores throughout New Zealand.
Trap makes pest-free NZ a possibility
Project factsTrapping area:
.........................................................................................200
hectaresNumber of Goodnature A24 traps:
.........................................................467Number
of maintenance checks since October 2014:
..............................6 Pre-trapping monitor rat detection
levels:
................................................72%Post-trapping
monitor rat detection levels within trapping area:
..............0%Monitor rat detection levels outside trapping area:
..................................70%
Goodnatures trap resets automatically to deliver up to 24 kills
before needing a
new CO2 canister.
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airyTech
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-
Page 20 DAIRY
With young stock needing to eat a lot of grass to meet their
growing requirements, there will be plenty
of exposure to worms. These internal parasites do a lot of
damage
to young animals in particular, which makes autumn an important
time to have a worming control programme in place.
Following repeated exposure to worms, cattle and sheep generate
an acquired immu-nity. This is why adults are less likely to need
drenching unlike young stock that do in order to grow to their full
potential.
Horses and goats, on the contrary, may
never acquire adequate immunity to worms, therefore in general
need drenching periodi-cally throughout their lives.
Each species and each specifi c environment needs a worm control
programme tailored to its specifi c needs. In general there are
some common strategies that can be employed as follows.
Prevention of disease is better than treat-ing stock that are
already sick. With warm temperatures parasites grow faster and
start breeding sooner, which we know allows worm populations to
become plentiful both inside animals and on pasture.
Once populations reach dangerous levels,
young stock will ultimately show signs of diarrhoea, poor
growth, sickness and even death. Worms typically have a life cycle
of about three weeks, therefore drenching every four weeks,
especially in lambs, is crucial to keep worm populations under
control.
Appreciate what level of chal-lenge and type of worms are
present. Whether you are new to a property or it has been a while
since a check has been done, it pays to send in some faecal
sam-ples to the clinic who can request
lab testing for a Faecal Egg Count. The FEC
should provide guidance
as to the type of worm control required and sampling is better
prior to drenching of stock.
Use the correct drench in terms of type, dose rate and frequency
to best counter worms on your property. Your local vet clinic staff
are willing and able to assist you with this important
challenge.
Milk well actually cream and honey were the products readers
thought were processed by the mystery item from the
Morrinsville
Heritage Centre.That looks like the old honey
extractor my dad had. You take the caps off the cells with a
cutting wire and then place in between the bars and spin, looks
like the compacted model, writes Mike Golding.
The mystery item in the Coast & Country News of March 2015,
is a honey extractor. You take out a couple of
Milk, honey or dough which did it mix?supers from the beehive,
take the top coating of wax off and tip them into the machine
displayed. You then turn the handle and the centrifugal force,
forces the honey out to the sides of the drum to drip to the bottom
and out the hole says Graeme Fair.
Margaret Amor is also convinced its a honey extractor. My
husband says he has in our shed one of the mystery items, and says
it is a honey extractor.
Trevor Mitchell of Tokoroa believes the device is another
variety of a butter churn.
These gear-operated ones always seemed to me to require more
effort than the wooden type with the handle direct drive through
the side.
However, I bet they were easier to clean, he writes.
But the team at the Morrinsville museum are not entirely sure
what it is.
It came from the local bakery and was used in the 1920s to
1930s. However, Coast & Country News readers could well be
right about it being a honey extractor, says Barbara Dalziel,
manager of the Morrinsville Heritage Centre.
The centre staff had believed the metal barrel with a wire
device was a bakers mixer.
For his entry, Graham Fair has won admission for two to the
Morrinsville Heritage Centre.
This months mystery item from the Te Aroha and District Museum
is a medical device used by one of the districts early GPs, Dr
Lawrence. If you know what it is and even better, have a story to
tell about seeing Dr Lawrence use it, wed love to hear from you and
you could be in to win a visit for two to the Te Aroha and District
Museum.
Send your entry to [email protected], with Mystery Item in the
subject
line, or post to: Mystery Item, Coast & Country, Item, Coast
& Country,
Send your entry to [email protected], with Mystery Item in the
subject
line, or post to: Mystery Item, Coast & Country, Item, Coast
& Country, Item, Coast & Country,
PO Box 240, Tauranga 3110, to arrive no later than May 27.
The winner will be announced in Coast & Countrys July
issue.
Do you know what this is? Its a medical device from the Te Aroha
and
District Museum.
young stock will ultimately show signs of diarrhoea, poor
growth, sickness and even death. Worms typically have a life cycle
of about three weeks, therefore drenching every four weeks,
especially in
for a Faecal Egg Count.
provide guidance
young stock will ultimately show signs of diarrhoea, poor
growth, sickness and even death. Worms typically have a life cycle
of about three weeks, therefore drenching
lab testing for a Faecal Egg Count. The FEC
should
Autumn parasite treatment
That looks like the old honey extractor my dad had. You take
the caps off the cells with a cutting wire and then place in
between the bars and spin, looks like the compacted model, writes
Mike Golding.
the Coast & Country News of March 2015, is a honey
extractor. You take out a couple of
ADDLINETRANSPORT LTD
-
Page 21DAIRY
While visiting family in New Plymouth during the Easter break, I
was surprised to see a sign up by a popular swimming
river, the Waiwhakaiho, saying it was not advisable to swim,
play or drink water from
there due to the presence algae.When I asked my children, aged
eight and 10, why
we couldnt swim here, they answered: Its because of the dairy
cows.
These days everyone has heard of nutri-ent budgets where farmers
and fertiliser consultants fi ll out forms of what fertiliser has
been applied to the farm, what the stocking rates are, do you use
stand-off pads etc in an attempt to lower the amount of nitrogen
entering waterways and causing nuisance algae and health
problems.
Air is 80 per cent nitrogen so why do so many people buy
nitrogen in a bag? Would we need nutrient budgets if we encouraged
soil bacteria species that convert atmospheric nitrogen into forms
that plants can use?
Oxygenated soilA well oxygenated soil encourages good plant
root
systems and encourages those nitrogen-converting bac-teria. To
develop a well-oxygenated soil, active calcium is important.
Calcium opens up the soil, encourages soil biology for example
earthworms to create pore spaces for air and water movement.
Applying nitrogen from a bag a water-soluble form creates
smaller plant root systems and soil biology populations.
Less soil biology results in further bagged nitrogen being
needed to keep up productivity. Research carried out by Kansas
State University in 2002 found adding water-soluble calcium, such
as calcium ammonium nitrate or calcium nitrate, to nitrogen
fertilisers like urea produced the highest yields and the highest
nitro-gen fertiliser effi ciency.
This is because the soluble calcium reduces the ammonia
volatilisation nitrogen lost to the air.
Another trial conducted by the University of Tennes-see using
Urea Calcium Ammonium Nitrate applied to wheat found the optimum
nitrogen application was 27kg/N compared to 54-70kg/N when using
ammo-nium nitrate and urea ammonium nitrate.
Optimum yieldSo nitrogen fertilisers blended with a water
soluble
form of calcium can achieve an optimum economic yield by
reducing the total amount of nitrogen applied.
Who wins here? The grower wins fi nancially, by reduced
nitrogen fertiliser costs and the environ-ment through reduction
in nitrate leaching into water courses and underground bore water.
Who loses the chemical compa-nies balance sheets.
Remember, that the surface application of urea requires
impeccable timing with rain, it requires 7mm-9mm of rain within
36-48 hours of application, or substantial loses of nitrogen
occur.
In these trials a threefold increase in yield per kilogram of
nitrogen was observed for the nitrogen applied with a soluble
calcium source versus a straight nitrogen source like urea,
ammonium nitrate and
urea ammonium nitrate.How do we identify the water-soluble
calcium
content in a soil? This is where the Reams Soil Test comes into
its own, developed by the famous Dr Carey Reams from the USA.
We often see soils containing 6000-10,000kg/ha of soil
exchangeable calcium, but when tested by the Reams method we only
have 700-1000kg/ha of water soluble calcium.
When growing high yielding crops like maize or sweetcorn we need
these test fi gure at 3000-4000kg Ca/ha and for lucerne this needs
to be 6000-8000kgDM/ha of water soluble calcium this is why we can
grow lucerne on a Hauraki marine clay when all the so-called
professionals said it cant be done.
The Animal Welfare Amendment Bill will ban the use of animals
for testing fi nished cosmetic products and ingredients, says
Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy.
To the best of our knowledge there never has been any animal
testing for cosmetics in New Zealand, but this amendment will send
an important message that this kind of testing is unacceptable to
New Zealanders and will never happen here.
The new amendment bans animal
testing in New Zealand for fi nished cosmetic products and
ingredients, where those ingredients are being tested for the
exclusive purpose of developing a cosmetic.
Its important to note we already have a strong framework for any
animal testing done in New Zea-land. Any testing for products like
medicines has to be approved by an independent ethics committee and
has to show the benefi ts will outweigh any harm caused.
water. Who loses th