Dairy News 11 Feb 2014

SPEED FENCING RECORDDuo nails top prizePAGE 42

PKE screening to bring biosecurity benefit. PAGE 7

FEBRUARY 11, 2014 ISSUE 306 // www.dairynews.co.nz

CLEANING UP OUR ACT“Quality includes making sure how milk is produced on farm.” Zelda de Villiers, chief executive Dairy Womens Network. PAGES 3 & 5

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DAI RY NEWS FEBRUARY 11, 2014

NEWS // 3

NEWS ��3-20

OPINION ��22-23

AGRIBUSINESS ��24-27

MANAGEMENT �� 28-33

ANIMAL HEALTH �� 34-37

FENCING & FARM BUILDINGS 38-41

MACHINERY & PRODUCTS ��42-46

Water war looms in Waikato. PG.12

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Quality milk producer status faces EU test

MILK QUALITY will be a key con-cern as New Zealand faces increas-ing competition from Europe – and that includes practices inside the shed, says Dairy Women’s Net-works new chief executive Zelda de Villiers.

Pricing is easy for New Zealand to compete on, but milk quality will come into focus as the EU deregu-lates, de Villiers told Dairy News.

When she worked with DeLa-val in Sweden as a global analyst, they tracked a few markets includ-ing the US and the EU as a whole in terms of production and where milk prices would go. “And we tracked New Zealand because it drives the global milk price and it’s such a big proportion of the traded dairy com-

modities. What happens in New Zealand, whether there’s a drought or over-pro-duction, affects the global dairy market.”

But it will be a more competitive market for New Zealand products as the EU deregu-lates and quotas are removed. “The New Zealand industry will have to make sure it meets the standards the world has set.

“Pricing is always easy for New Zealand to compete on because it is a relatively low-cost producer. For many years we looked and we thought South America – especially countries like Argentina – had the potential to be a New Zealand, but

politically they’ve never been able to really get it going.”

But quality will be a key in the face of EU competition. “Quality includes how milk is pro-duced on farm -- making sure farmers produce milk the clean-est possible way

until it leaves the farm gate, using good farm practice. Quality can also mean making sure cows are healthy and using good routines in the dairy shed.”

Environmental issues will also come under pressure. “We saw that in DeLaval... in the last year or two – the consent period for a farmer to build a new dairy shed parlour takes longer, and you can see those pres-

sures mounting,” she adds.She agrees robotics has been

slow to come to New Zealand – but it starts slowly anywhere in the world. “In Europe as well it started off slowly, and then it just abso-lutely exploded.” Bigger farms in the South Island will lead to more robotic units.

But the New Zealand dairy industry as a whole will keep grow-ing and evolving. “The New Zealand dairy industry has grown by putting a lot more cows on the land and at some point that will have to stop,” she says.

“We are not there quite yet but at some point if you want more production you will have to pro-duce more per cow.... change your system, bearing in mind the envi-ronmental impact.

“It’s an interesting time for the New Zealand dairy industry.”

PAM TIPApamelat@ruralnews�co�nz

Zelda de Villiers

Strong GDT result bodes wellWORLD DAIRY markets continue to edge higher, even in the face of an increased offering from New Zealand.

Last week’s GlobalDairyTrade auction closed with the index across all commodities up 0.5% with butter and whole milk powder, up 2.6% and 1.4% at US$4775/t and US$5005/t respectively.

Skim milk powder was unchanged, while all other commodities eased, cheddar falling hard-est, down 4.3% to US$4935/t.

Rabobank director of dairy research New Zea-land and Asia, Hayley Moynihan, said the sale was “quite a strong result” overall, particularly given Fonterra’s pre-sale 3.7% increase in forecast sales volume for the coming year.

“Whole milk powder was up for April and May

which is an indication there are a number of buyers who are still keen to secure New Zealand product for that period. It’s an encouraging result to see prices up that far out.”

Butter’s bounce was another positive, “rebal-ancing” the price spread with other commodities as it has lagged in recent months.

Moynihan says China’s demand continues to dominate – last year it imported 890,000t from New Zealand, a 39% increase – but prices are underpinned by a host of other countries trying to secure supplies.

“Our view is China imported so much in 2013 that a lot of other buyers effectively were going hungry because they’ve not been able to secure product. They’re looking to come back into the

market, particularly if there’s a sign of China’s buying starting to ease.”

The latest nine months of New Zealand export data show Venezuela, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Iran all took substantially less dairy product than normal, she notes.

While Fonterra has increased the amount it expects to offer on GDT for the coming year, volume at last week’s sale was back 7.6% on the same time last year.

“That volume can be influenced by production but the current season is well ahead of last year,” noted Moynihan. Hence the reduced volume last week was more likely a reflection of Fonterra’s marketing decisions.

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4 // NEWS

Dairy poised to grow further

DAIRY IS perfectly poised to become the most trusted source of protein for diets for all age groups and all markets, says Fonterra director John Monaghan.

He told a meeting of 100 business people in Dannevirke last week that

child, or paediatric, nutri-tion is the fastest grow-ing dairy category in the world.

He says parents are demanding dairy prod-ucts to support growth in development of children and babies.

Monaghan and Car-olyn Mortland, Fonter-ra’s policy manager, were invited to the meeting to explain what the cooper-ative is achieving globally and how it’s managing sus-tainability issues.

Monaghan said there is a clear opportunity to extend dairy further as a trusted nutrition for mothers and babies and to the elderly where there is extra demand from older consumers wanting to stay fit and active.

“Our focus is on devel-oping dairy products that supply nutrition for the elderly. These products are designed not only to provide a nutritional diet but also to help increase mobility.

“Another focus is on consumers who eat con-venience food such as pizzas, yogurts and take-home meals. It’s an area

which relies heavily on innovation particularly as the world demands con-venience foods that are better for you, and it’s an area where we see contin-ued growth.”

Monaghan says demand for dairy is great-est in ‘emerging markets’ where there are at least two billion consumers. By 2020 there will be 500 million more ‘new middle class’ people.

“We are not trying to feed the world, we are trying to feed those middle class customers who can afford to pay us well for our products. There is a new generation of con-sumers with more money to spend.”

Demand in China from bakeries for cheese and cream is growing hugely with cities such as Shang-hai experiencing annual growth of 20-30%.

As an example of dairy industry growth, Monaghan notes that every 35 seconds a ship-ping container is loaded for export by Fonterra. He says the co-op also collects 22 billion litres of milk a year – two thirds of it from

New Zealand farmers.On environmental

issues Mortland told the meeting that Fonterra and its farmers recognise the need to meet the changing environmental require-ments of regional councils. She says Fonterra is put-ting significant resources into this area because it recognises much of its competitive advantage comes from the country’s ‘natural bounty’ such tem-perate climate, good soils, great pasture and fresh water.

“As stewards of the land we understand these natural resources underpin and support farmers’ businesses and our cooperative. We conduct 10,600 environment farm visits every year. And farmers have fenced 24,000km of waterways and have done 4000 effluent improvement projects. This means one third of our farmers have invested capital and changed systems or management practices to ensure their effluent systems are capable of complying with regional council

PETER BURKEpeterb@ruralnews�co�nz

ALLIANCE GROUP has taken the unusual step of sending let-ters to all shareholders to clarify the status of John Monaghan’s bid to become an indepen-dent director.

The letter essen-tially confirms reports in Rural News February 4, and in this edition of Dairy News (p8), that Monaghan has ruled himself out of conten-tion because he won’t submit to the process the Alliance board has set up to make appoint-ments. Other news media have speculated that Monaghan was still in contention for a directorship.

In the letter to shareholders, the meat co-op chairman Murray Taggart says, “I spoke with John [Monaghan] about the process and invited him to submit

his CV and meet with the independent consultant to discuss the role. I understand John then indicated he was reviewing his position and as a result did not meet with the consultant to participate any further in the appointment process. As such he is no longer under consideration for the vacant position.”

In the letter Tag-gart also confirmed that the board is plan-ning to have only three independent directors, despite being able to appoint four. – Peter Burke

requirements for 365 days of the year.”

Mortland says the chal-

lenge for councils is to get a regulatory framework that allows for respon-

sible, sustainable and profitable use of natural resources.

Demand from Chinese bakeries for cheese and cream is growing.

Alliance’s letter on Monaghan

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NEWS // 5

A global touch for dairying womenFROM THE savannahs of South Africa to the green fields of the Waikato – the poor rural areas of her home country to European affluence – Zelda de Villiers has always been involved in agricul-ture.

The new chief executive of Dairy Women’s Network brings a myriad of international agricul-tural experiences to the position. Just four days into the new job, de Villiers, who was managing direc-tor of DeLaval NZ, spoke to Dairy News about her background.

“I come from the wide open spaces of South Africa,” she says of her childhood growing up on a beef and lamb farm in the ‘highveld’ area about two hours south-east of Johannesburg.

Their farm was open savan-nah and in the grain belt of South Africa.

It was a harsh environment. Cattle graze on the ‘veld’ or pas-ture in summer, but in winter it becomes dry and brown, cold and windy. Stock must be fed through-out winter and are highly suscep-tible to diseases and parasites. Dipping and vaccinations are a high priority.

“There’s a lot of commercial beef ‘lotting’ in South Africa; our farm was more natural grazing with some supplement of feed pro-duced on farm for winter. We were close to the cities... so typically we sold those weaner calvers at six months.”

“The carrying capacity is much lower, they had 900ha with about 400 cattle and 400 sheep.”

She kept horses and competed in show jumping. “It was a good lifestyle,” she says.

She completed two degrees: in

veterinary nursing and an honours degree in agricultural economics, studying at the University of Pre-toria. De Villiers was then one of five people in South Africa selected for a bursary scheme for postgradu-ate students who went on to work at the Develop-ment Bank of Southern Africa.

“It was just post-apartheid and South Africa was gearing up to develop the rural areas,” de Villiers says. She worked mostly on irriga-tion projects and other schemes to uplift the rural poor.

“I then moved to the commer-cial banking sector where I started on the risk analysis side,” she says.

With the arrival of the first of her two sons she looked for a more flexible career and worked in rural banking, getting to know many dif-ferent agricultural enterprises.

As the children grew, she returned to the development sector, working with a company administering US aid in African counties such as Tanzania and

Kenya. “Again I was looking at the rural communities and how farm-ers could get to market easier.”

Her husband then got a job offer from DeLaval and they moved to Sweden. Zelda began consulting for

the company on a strategic plan, looking at where milk production would grow glob-ally.

“That’s how I started with DeLaval; eventu-ally I became the head of the strat-

egy unit globally.”In 2009, the family moved to

New Zealand and “the intention was always to stay and not move again,” she says. She initially worked in R&D on equipment for grassland farmers. New Zea-land was head office for that unit, although the equipment was being developed for five other countries as well.

She moved into marketing for Australia, New Zealand and sub-Saharan Africa. “I was from an ana-lytical background and that gave me the opportunity to develop a

marketing flair.” After three years she moved to head sales for New Zealand so became the managing director for New Zealand.

“In all the roles I had in DeLa-val in NZ, I was developing the sales teams, the marketing teams and developing peoples’ poten-tial, I really liked that. I am from an analytical, financial background but I realised developing people was what I most enjoyed.”

She had been impressed with the Dairy Women’s Network through earlier dealings over sponsorship and found last year’s conference in Nelson inspiring. “So when the job became avail-able I thought it a good match

for me personally and for the net-work.” She feels fortunate to have been chosen.

“Coming from Africa where I worked in the development sector I understand the importance of women in the rural communi-ties. They are often not noticed but they play a pivotal role. If you can’t develop the women you can’t develop the community.”

The Dairy Women’s Network is a successful organisation that has grown phenomenally but also has great potential.

“I come from a strong strategic background. I understand how to take strategy in a complex business environment and bring it down to basics... and how to implement it. This is a strength I can bring to take Dairy Women’s Network to the next level.”

But de Villiers says firstly she must find her feet and get to know the people. “I also want to understand the organisation, its strengths and weaknesses and work with the board… then I’ll take it from there.”

PAM TIPApamelat@ruralnews�co�nz

@dairy_newsfacebook.com/dairynews

Zelda de Villiers took over as DWN chief executive this month.

“I come from a strong strategic background. I understand how to take strategy in a complex business environment.”


6 // NEWS

Long search for industry championsJUDGING FOR the 2014 New Zealand Dairy Indus-try Awards regional finalists has started.

National convenor Chris Keeping says the launch of regional preliminary judging signals the start of the process to whittle down the 572 entrants to 33 regional winners and then three national winners.

“It is a long process that involves a lot of planning and preparation by our entrants and considerable time by our teams of voluntary judges,” Keeping says.

“It is also a satisfying time, as entrants gain insights and valuable feedback from the judges and judges gain satisfaction in assisting people to progress in their career and in the dairy industry. The judges generally learn a thing or two from the entrants too.”

Southland Otago will announce its regional win-ners on March 1, while the Northland region is the last to name its winners on March 26. The 11 regional com-petitions offer prize pools valued at up to $80,000.

Keeping says most regions held entrant informa-tion events last month to tell entrants what to expect and how to prepare for the judges’ visits.

“We worked hard to make the events fun, as we aim to make the awards experience an enjoyable one where entrants have some social time and connect with others with similar goals and interests to their own,” she says.

Oz farmers welcome SaputoSUPPLIERS OF Australian dairy processor Warnnambool Cheese and Butter have welcomed Sapu-to’s successful takeover with hope it will lead to better prices for farm-ers and more confidence in dairy-ing.

Shareholders are also enjoying a financial windfall after Canadian dairy giant Saputo bought more than 75% of the WCB shares at A$9.40 per share.

The takeover has been well received by most local suppliers.

Coragulac farmer Shane McCar-thy sees it as a positive for suppli-ers.

“I went to the forum with Lino Saputo and was impressed with the way he spoke,” McCarthy says. “I hope it lives up to the promise.”

Saputo, Bega Cheese and Murray Goulburn cooperative were involved in a prolonged three-way battle for WCB. Bega Cheese has close trade links with Fonterra. Last October Fonterra bought a 9% stake in Bega.

The battle for WCB ended when Bega and Murray Goulburn sold their shares to Saputo.

McCarthy says he was happy with how WCB had been operating prior to the takeover, but was now hopeful of better milk prices and stronger competition for suppliers.

“I think it gives us a more cer-tain future and it should keep up competition to attract farmers.”

The supplier of 11 years has sold his shares. “It’s a nice windfall, but not a huge amount,” he says.

Condah’s Kirsti Keightley pre-dicted Saputo would bring an injec-

tion of money into manufacturing in the region.

“We need to get more young people in dairying and increase production. Saputo has indicated it is willing to expand the plant which shows they have confidence in the future,” she says.

“They wouldn’t invest if they didn’t have confidence and the only way they can be profitable is if sup-pliers are also profitable.

“I think it will be a good thing.”

Drumborg farmer Arthur Peters says Saputo’s plan to keep existing staff was good for the business. “In a way I would have liked it to stay Australian owned, but you have to have competition and like all farmers I hope this leads to better prices.

“I think it’s a good result.”A WCB supplier since 1990,

Peters says the sale of his shares would be helpful “but it depends on how much capital gains tax will be”.

Warrnambool cheese and butter is now owned by Canadian processor Saputo.


WHILE THE Ministry for Primary Industry denies it, a requirement to screen all PKE before delivery to farm will have a biosecu-rity benefit, says the co-author of a report which highlighted potential pit-falls of imports.

“The potential for extraneous contamina-tion was a concern and although the ministry’s move is made on the grounds of animal wel-fare, screening of PKE on arrival was one of our rec-ommendations,” Mid-Canterbury cropping farmer David Clark told Dairy News.

“So we’re pleased with this outcome both from

an animal health point of view for the dairy industry and for the whole of New Zealand from a biosecurity point of view.”

Clark was one of two Federated Farmers Grain & Seed representatives who went to Malaysia in 2012 and inspected two PKE production facilities -- one officially, the other unofficially. They subse-quently lodged a report with the ministry, prompt-ing a ministry review of import procedures and inspection of facilities overseas.

Last month MPI pre-sented a final draft of an ACVM notice which will make 4mm screening of PKE in New Zealand man-datory from April 21.

Announcing the move, MPI made much of the

hardware disease (see sidebar) risk powed by PKE but dismissed any biosecurity benefit, saying existing biosecurity requirements adequately and effectively manage issues related to biolog-ical contamination, but do not, and cannot, cover physical contaminants and consequential impacts on animal welfare.

“The method of pro-cessing, storing and transporting PKE varies, which makes it difficult to manage the quality of feed to the farmer,” MPI deputy director general Ben Dalton said.

“Mandatory screen-ing on arrival means that animal welfare risks are managed as far as possible through the supply chain.”

Besides screening

requirements for PKE, the new rules outline record keeping and traceabil-ity requirements for all imported animal feeds.

RD1 told Dairy News it routinely screens its PKE anyway so the ministry requirement won’t add any cost to its operation. It would not comment on whether mandatory screening was a good thing, but Winton Stock-feeds welcomed the move.

“We’ve always screened all our PKE for the ben-efit of our customers so it won’t make any differ-ence to us but it has to be a good thing for the indus-try’s credibility and as an assurance for farmers using the feed,” operations manager Paul Jackson told Dairy News.

“We do recover the odd

bit of metal from time to time but we’ve never really had anything organic in it; certainly never parts of a sheep or goat or whatever it was,” he added, alluding to the discovery last year of an animal’s leg, thought to be a sheep’s, in a con-

signment of PKE on a Bay of Plenty farm.

Federated Farmers president Bruce Wills says the screening require-

ment should improve con-fidence in PKE as a feed, both from a biosecurity and animal welfare per-spective.

NEWS // 7

MPI is proposing screening all PKE delivered to farms from April 21.Biosecurity benefit in

PKE screeningANDREW SWALLOWandrews@ruralnews�co�nz

SOCIETY OF Dairy Cattle Vets president Neil Macpherson says hardware disease, caused by metal perforating the wall of the cow’s first stomach, the reticulum, is more of an occasional rather than a common problem in New Zealand herds.

“It’s a low incidence but it can be quite hard to diagnose so cases may be missed by the farmer and even the vet.”

Symptoms may include a cow being off colour, off food, a high

temperature (initial stages only), marginally bloated and constipa-tion. Confirmation of diagnosis typically comes from surgery or possibly post-mortem if the ani-mal dies or is culled.

As the reticulum sits just behind the diaphragm and close to the base of the heart sharp objects penetrating the reticulum wall may also pierce the diaphragm, and cause damage to the heart and peritonitis.

“It can be fatal.”

HARDWARE DISEASE


8 // NEWS

Feds chief to quitOUTGOING FEDER-ATED Farmers chief exec-utive Conor English says the growth enjoyed by the dairy industry for six years is likely to continue if the payout remains high.

His comments coincide with news that he will in mid-year quit the top job at Feds, coinciding with the annual meeting and the election of a new presi-dent and board.

He points out the industry has been in the spotlight, especially in the past two years, for reg-

ulatory changes relat-ing to TAF, raw milk and RMA-related matters. And movement of people into the industry has been an issue, driven by the prof-itability of the industry’s profitability, he says.

English has been at helm of Federated Farm-ers for six years and says

it’s the right time to move on. He says he’s proud of the achievements during this time.

“I grew up in a house-hold that talked a lot about the ‘three Ps’ -- the prime minister, the pope and the president of Feder-ated Farmers. It has been a great privilege for me to

lead this organisation in the capacity of chief exec-utive and to serve our fan-tastic farmers and rural community.”

Regaining the credibil-ity of Federated Farmers is seen as another of Eng-lish’s achievements.

“Our credibility is not in question now. We are


plugged into Wellington, and the thing farmers need to understand is that Wellington is dramatically different from the provinces.

“The way Welling-ton operates is different from how a farm operates and that’s why you need an organisation like Feds and people like myself and other staff here who can navigate the rabbit bur-rows in Wellington.

“We are seen as a cred-ible organisation and

there is no one I ring who doesn’t return my phone calls.”

Federated Farmers president Bruce Wills praises the contribution made by English, saying they “will miss his energy, skill, talent and experi-ence”. Wills applauds Eng-lish’s six months notice, saying it will smooth the transition to a new chief executive.

English has not been specific about his plans after Feds.

Connor English

Uphill battle for MonaghanFONTERRA DIRECTOR John Monaghan seems to be facing an uphill battle to get himself appointed an indepen-dent director of meat processor Alliance Group.

Monaghan has put his name forward for the position and is strongly supported by the Meat Industry Excellence (MIE) group.

“There is groundswell among farmers for change and that’s signified by the [Alliance] election results and the shareholders resolution as passed at the Alliance meeting AGM,” he said. “Nothing has changed from that and I have given a commitment that I am available.”

But this is where there is an impasse. The Alliance board has employed a consultant to ‘head hunt’ and draw up a short list of contenders for the third independent directorship.

It’s understood the board seeks a director with Asian experience – something Monaghan does not have. Also, the chairman of Alliance, Murray Taggart, has made it clear they will not appoint anyone who declines to go through the ‘consultant process’.

Monaghan told Dairy News he has not withdrawn from that process and is “reviewing” his position. “But I am not prepared to go through the consultant and through a pro-cess which is a façade. However I remain committed to helping the red meat sector and getting on the Alliance board.”

Monaghan says Alliance has the ability to appoint a fourth independent director and that he is available for that position as well.

But Taggart says even if the board decided to appoint another director, applicants would still have to go through the consultant process Monaghan is skeptical of.

“It’s no different from the way Steve Hansen picks the All Blacks. Does he hold a trial and get the best person for the role, or when there is a group of provincial officials lobbying for their provincial player does he appoint that person? The answer is obvious.”

Regardless of what the MIE may say and what Monaghan may think, it’s clear the Alliance directors are unmoved by lobbying to change their process.

Unless Monaghan submits to the consultant process, which is similar to one that Fonterra runs when selecting directors, it seems his only way of getting on the Alliance board would be to be elected as a farmer representative. That would require him to buy stock and supply Alliance. – Peter Burke

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THE NORTHLAND Focus Farm is on track for a 27,000kgMS increase this season – a success which will headline its field day on February 17.

Farmers are invited to hear what is leading to this season’s produc-tion increase, which farm owners Alister and Lyn Candy say is the result of “good, practical farm man-agement”. The field day is themed ‘Building a stron-ger business’.

“The milk production gains have been largely

driven by better utilising pasture and achieving cow condition targets,” says Alister.

Topics to be covered include reproduction and young stock results; how to reduce farm working expenses; managing and capitalising on a high milk price; the likely risks and rewards of extending lac-tation this season and the farm’s shift to land efflu-ent irrigation from a dis-charge system.

Alister says the focus farm’s key goal this season

was to reduce farm work-ing expenses to under $4/kgMS, while still increas-ing milk production. “To meet this goal we needed to decrease expenses by about $1/kgMS,” says Ali-ster. “We’ll be sharing the steps we took at the field day, what worked well and if we reached our target.”

Guest speakers will include local dairy farmer and accountant Char-maine O’Shea, dairy farmer Roger Hutching and Northland regional ANZ manager Robert

Sparrow. They will share their knowledge on taking advantage of the high milk price to build a stronger business.

“This season has presented an opportunity to build resilience into the farm business and it’s important to determine where additional spending will deliver the best returns,” says Charmaine.

The farm’s manage-ment team will share practical pasture manage-ment tips for the upcom-ing season. The focus

will be on managing the risk of cows not reach-ing the target body con-dition score at calving and the risks and rewards of extending the milking period this season.

The farm is also moving to a land effluent irrigation system and the team will share the most important aspects to get right in this transition to reduce risk.

DairyNZ’s Northland regional leader Tafi Manjala encourages farmers and rural professionals to attend

the field day. “With only three field days to the end of this project, it’s a great opportunity for farmers to see how the farm has

progressed in the last three years and take away ideas and strategies that can be applied to their own farms.”

NEWS // 9

Focus farm production boom

FIELD DAY EVENT DETAILS❱❱ Alister and Lyn Candy – farm

owners❱❱ Signal Rd, Okaihau

❱❱ SN 10547

❱❱ 10.30am-1.30pm

❱❱ Lunch sponsored by ANZ

Farmgate milk sales popularFEILDING DAIRY farmers Ste-phen and Mary Barr say many people are more interested in where their food comes from and how it’s pro-duced.

They have just opened a self-ser-vice ‘milk shop’ at their farm on the outskirts of Feilding where people can buy their A2 milk. They told Dairy News their newly opened shop is drawing much positive feedback from customers who like the idea of buying milk from the farm and seeing where it’s produced.

“People tell us they love our shop. We have a [feedback] book... glean-ing comments such as ‘better than Rainbows End’, ‘good milk, awesome shop’. The really nice thing is that a lot of families come: mum, dad and two or three kids,” says Mary.

To supply their shop Barrs had set aside a special herd of 22 A2 cows.

“The people like the fact they are

getting the whole product: they are not having stuff extracted out of it and the milk put back together; it’s just as it comes out. The customers can even see the cows it’s coming out of if they want, because we keep them nearby and people can walk out and see the animals. We milk the A2 first in the morning, but they get a

lot of extra teat preparation and san-itation before the cups; that’s how we keep the bacteria low. It’s much lower than if it was just milk going into the vat,” says Stephen.

Barrs say they sell about 100L a day but hope to grow this to 500L.

Bridging the gap between town and country- pages 14-15.

Scott Rielly, Kairanga, fills his bottle at the farm.

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NEWS // 11

THE PARLIAMENTARY Commissioner for the Environment, Dr Jan Wright, has slammed current proposals for freshwater management as inadequate.

In her submission on the Government’s National Objectives Framework and amendments to the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management Water, she says the big challenge is the nitrate runoff from the large-scale conversion to dairying.

“Leaving this pressure unaddressed will result in a worsening of water quality in the short to medium-term and make the job of improving it much harder and more expensive in the long term.

PCE slams water plan

New term flourishes in nutrient management

THERE’S A new term emerging in nutrient management and environmental regulation and if you haven’t heard it yet, it’s likely you will soon.

It’s ‘Matrix of Good Management’ and refers to a project to put numbers on nutrient losses under what’s currently considered good management practice for different land uses, soils and climates.

“The problem is that the impact of good management practice (GMP) is not particularly well understood,” AgResearch senior scientist Melissa Robson explained to one of Environment Canterbury’s regional zone committees last week.

“We don’t know what GMPs mean in terms of nutrient footprints…. When you start to try to work out catchment loads the fact we don’t know causes a bit of a problem.”

Robson is working for Environment Canterbury to develop the matrix which, it seems, will ultimately drive water policy, and in due course water quality, in the region. Already it’s attracted the attention of other regional councils as they grapple with implementing the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management.

“We had a day on it at the end of October last year that was attended

by seven or eight other regional councils, central government, Federated Farmers -- there was a lot of interest,” Robson told the Orari-Opihi-Pareora zone committee meeting in Timaru.

“All councils are struggling with this. Nobody knows how to translate good management practice into something numeric.”

The matrix, which is an evolution of what were being referred to as “look-up tables” for nutrient losses according to land use, will be developed by consensus between Environment Canterbury, primary sector organisations, Crown Research Institute scientists and farmers.

“We’re using farm surveys to capture the range of what’s going on out there.”

Overseer will be the “translation tool” to convert what’s agreed on as being GMP for a particular land use into a nutrient loss figure for particular soil types and climates, and hence to populate the matrix with figures.

Where Overseer is recognised as not being ideal, such as for modelling intensive cropping, or cattle wintering, another model is being used “to support development of Overseer,” Robson told Dairy News.

As new versions of Overseer are introduced a software ‘widget’ developed as part of the project will enable the matrix to be rapidly

ANDREW SWALLOWandrews@ruralnews�co�nz

updated.Robson says the “first

iteration” of the matrix for Environment Canterbury must be completed by June 2015.

“But some of the other

regional councils are saying to us they don’t want to wait until June 2015 to hear about this so we’re keeping them updated as we go along.”

Once the matrix is

complete it will help catchment committees such as the Orari-Opihi-Pareora zone, and regional councils, determine nutrient loading by catchments. Melissa Robson, AgResearch.

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12 // NEWS

Water war looms in Waikato

LANDCORP CHAIR Bill Baylis will step down in April.

Baylis says he had derived much satisfaction from successfully overseeing an important transition within the state-owned farmer with a wide ranging strategic review.

The SOE is in very capable hands, he says.“It has a new CEO and a revitalised executive lead-

ership team committed to driving sustainable perfor-mance. By the end of April we will have completed our strategic review and refreshed our strategy,” he says.

“Landcorp has a board that is focused on deliver-ing increased value for the benefit of its shareholders and the people of New Zealand.”

Landcorp’s deputy chair Traci Houpapa says Baylis’ decision to stand down from the top job “was received with regret”.

“The board and staff of Landcorp join me in thank-ing Bill for his contribution and we wish him well in whatever new challenges he takes on.”

Appointments to SOE boards are made by the Min-ister for State Owned Enterprises and Baylis’ succes-sor is expected to be announced soon.

Last week the state farmer announced a solid half year ending December 31, 2013, supported by favour-able growing conditions and record milk prices.

It recorded a net operating profit of $12.2 million for the six months. On current forecast, Landcorp says its full-year net operating profit should reach $35 mil-lion.

Dairying income has increased by 58% to $74.8 mil-lion.

Payouts from dairy companies for 2013-14 are forecast to be at record levels, above $8/kgMS. The increase also reflects the increased production from a sharemilking arrangement with the Shanghai Pengxin Group which started on December 1, 2012.

Baylis to retire from Landcorp

A WATER war is loom-ing in the Waikato with farmers unhappy that Watercare Services which supplies water to Auck-land wants to take more water from the Waikato River.

Watercare has lodged a consent with Waikato Regional Council to more than double its present take of 150,000 cubic metres a day. This move has drawn a sharp response from Federated Farmers Waikato pro-vincial president, James Houghton who wants Watercare to fund an envi-

ronmental impact report on this move before any consent is granted.

Houghton says if Watercare get the full allo-cation of 200,000 cubic metres a day with its new consent, all farming oper-ations in the region will suffer.

“It is an easy option for Watercare Services to

come and take our water but it’s going to inhibit growth and opportunity in the Waikato,” he says. “If Watercare get the water they want it will mean that the Waikato catchment will be over allocated and so there will be no water available for any new busi-ness opportunities in the Waikato. It will also mean that other consents will have to be scaled back meaning less water for dairy farmers, commer-cial growers and others who use water from the Waikato.”

Houghton says WRC needs to be thinking about the ‘long term game’ and not give away Waikato resources which are needed to maintain and grow the local econ-omy. Auckland is simply siphoning off Waikato resources, he says. “Auck-land has long been facing resourcing and infra-structure issues due to its

growing population, but why should Waikato lose out as a result? If Auck-land is expected to grow by 800,000 people in the next 30 years they need to come up with a long term and sustainable option rather than leaning on their neighbours,” he says.

Houghton says from the data he has seen, Auck-landers do not waste water and are one of the coun-try’s most efficient users of water. But he says this is not the issue. The issue is about the impact of taking water from the Waikato which will limit growth opportunities there – especially for the primary sector including dairying.

Meanwhile Watercare Services says it doesn’t have any comment on the issues raised by Hough-ton. But it says the water will be taken about 40km from the river mouth and this would not affect the volume of water upstream.


James Houghton

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14 // NEWS

Stephen Barr and his elite A2 herd.

A2 ‘milk bar’ a hit

STEPHEN AND Mary Barr run 850 cows in two herds on their farm Arran, named after Isle of Arran off the west coast of Scot-land where Stephen’s folks came from.

The Barrs are known as technology-savvy farm-ers and their decision to set up a ‘milk shop’ at the entrance to their property near the Feilding airfield didn’t surprise

Organic dairy farmers are among the prime movers of farmgate milk sales. Now a different type of milk is being sold in a sophisticated way near Feilding. Peter Burke reports.

many people. Stephen is a supporter

of A2 cows and has been breeding them for 14 years. He advocates the health benefits of A2. “People can have intolerances to the normal A1 milk, but with the A2 we have people reporting their asthma is improving and people who haven’t been able to drink milk because they have reactions to it are now drinking A2 milk,” he says.

Mary says they’d been looking for some time to find a way to add value to their milk. “We looked at cheese making and it wasn’t for us, then we read about people using milk-ing vending machines in the South Island. So in February last year we went to Golden Bay and Nelson and looked at machines down there and thought ‘that’s for us, we can do that’.”

The result one year later is a smart, well branded ‘milk shop’ with excellent parking and easy access. The shop itself is well laid out: custom-ers can buy glass bottles and carrybags from one vending machine then buy milk from another. ‘Arran Farm’ leaflets explain the farm’s size, stock num-bers, total milk produc-tion and individual cow production. A simple nar-rative tells about the life of a cow to help city folk understand how a dairy farm works.

“There are many people locally who sell

organic milk at the gate but our point of difference is that our milk comes from A2 cows and that’s becoming more popular for people for health rea-sons. We wanted to create a site people would like to come to and where they could park and get in out of the rain. It’s self-ser-vice shopping 7am to 7pm seven days a week. We wanted people to trust the milk because it’s a food like anything else so we felt the shop was vital to creating the right percep-tion. You wouldn’t go into a grungy place to buy food so we wanted to have a clean environment,” says Mary.

For customers who struggle to understand the vending machine, a simple system allows a call for help to the Barrs. Mary will often head for the shop for a chat with cus-tomers.

One of Barrs’ goals is to help bridge the gap between town and coun-try; the milk shop at Arran Farm is doing that.

“There is nothing like coming in and buying your milk and seeing the cows it comes from to make that link. Over time we’ll have newsletters about what’s happening on the farm and we’ll slowly ramp up the information so people will get a bit more famil-iar with what’s happening here,” says Stephen.

Kids like getting the milk out of the dispenser, seeing this as “quite

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novel”. Even before the milk shop opened, Barrs had hosted local schools at their farm -- helping bridge the town-coun-try gap.

The farm’s 22 A2 cows get special attention: they get milked first and their milk goes into a special vat for snap chilling to 4 degrees C, then to smaller vats for shifting to the shop. Here its temperature is kept 2-4 degrees C.

“The milk is fresh every day; we don’t wait until it runs out. Whatever is left goes and new milk comes in the morning. We lab test our milk twice a week for all the nasties you can think of, so we’re confi-dent the milk is safe to drink,” says Mary.

The farm’s dispensing machine is Italian-made. They looked at many different systems and found this best met their

needs, Stephen says. “We wanted some-

thing big enough for this site because we are a little out of town and knew we would have people bot-tlenecks from time to time. Most systems have single standalone units; we wanted two dispens-ing windows to cater for a lot of people arriving at the same time. This machine is set up so that it first uses the milk in one canister then switches to

the second one and sends a us a text about what’s happened so we won’t end up with two empty tanks or one full one and one empty one,” Stephen explains.

In just two weeks, Barrs’ milk shop had been attracting lots of atten-tion. People on their way to work are stopping to buy milk for their coffees. Late afternoons are busy as people buy milk on their way home from work.

Barrs have publicised their venture at the local market, on Facebook and on the internet. All have

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NEWS // 15

with farmgate customers

Visitors can buy fresh milk at the farm (right), Mary Barr explains how it works (left).

AS THE current season has unfolded and payouts have heated up over the ditch, many farmers here are asking the inevitable question – how do Aus-tralian farmgate prices compare to New Zealand’s?

To address this question more fully, we need to look beyond the cur-rent season and examine a long term comparison. Freshagenda’s analysis of payments made by Australian manufac-turers compared to Fonterra’s over the past 13 years (including a forecast for 2013-14) show Australian prices have been ahead by around A$0.19/kgMS on average. This is once adjustments have been made for protein – measured as “crude’ in New Zealand and “true” here, and converting NZ prices to Australian dollars.

Since 2009, Australian farmgate prices have been more resilient when there have been downturns in the inter-national market, while New Zealand’s prices have responded more quickly and fully when commodity prices head upwards.

One of the major reasons behind this observation is the different exposures to the world market of the two indus-

tries – more than 90% of New Zealand’s production is exported while Austra-lia’s exports have hovered around 40% of output in recent years. With a greater focus on retail products and contracted sales in Australia where commodity price changes are slower to take effect, domestic returns tend to lag the more volatile movements of the international market. This is great for the Austra-lian industry in a down turn, but frus-trating when global commodity prices move up, and the local market doesn’t quickly respond.

Another factor is product mix. The lines on the chart track prices in US dollars of the major commodities (in terms of milk use) for both industries – cheddar cheese for Australia and whole milk powder for New Zealand. While over time cheddar returns have tended to be more stable – whole milk powder prices – powered by China’s insatiable demand have been pushed much higher than cheddar at times, particularly this year. Australia’s cheese production is almost equally split between domestic and export, and Japan remains our largest export market – at least in value terms. Once again, many of these sales

are subject to longer term agreements, so cheese prices tend to be more stable.

Currency is also an impor-tant driver of real returns to farmers in both industries. The Austra-lian dollar has been strong in recent years, due to factors well out-side the dairy industry’s influence, and that has affected the competitiveness of our dairy exports. Interestingly in the current cycle, as the US currency is strengthening against most others, New Zealand’s dollar is actually being held up by the strong performance of dairy – which represents a large proportion of the Kiwi economy. As a result, the two currencies are now moving closer together.

The mechanisms for determining farmgate price in New Zealand have also changed in recent years, as Fon-terra has undergone its capital restruc-

ture and established the Fonterra Shareholders Fund. In order

to have a transparent way of retaining profit, and there-fore paying dividends to investors – Fonterra first introduced the Global Dairy-Trade (GDT) online auction

platform in 2008 to estab-lish a reference price

for traded commodi-ties, and then intro-

duced a “Milk Price Manual” in 2011/12

that calculates payout with a formula that is directly linked to the GDT auc-tion results.

That said, we saw the Fonterra board override the manual just before Christ-mas – maintaining its record payout forecast despite the manual calcula-tion indicating a higher rate should be paid, based on milk powder returns. In reality, higher milk intakes meant Fon-terra was no doubt facing lower returns from products that weren’t covered by the manual formula. While this dem-onstrates the Fonterra board still has some discretion when it comes to determining payouts, there is probably

less opportunity to smooth farmgate prices between years than there was previously in New Zealand.

For many farmers the concern behind this question of Australia versus New Zealand is that our industry is losing competitiveness and will continue to trail our Kiwi neighbours to a larger extent into the future. The differences in farmgate prices are just one indicator of the divergence in the two industries over the past decade. The New Zealand industry has developed its capability to efficiently process large and growing amounts of seasonal milk and market its product to the fastest developing markets around the world. While there has been a push to value add, commodity products are still a dominant part of the product mix. In Australia, in the face of a stagnant or shrinking milk pool, manufacturers have looked for opportunities to maximise returns, shifting their product, customer and market mix higher up the value chain wherever possible - through a less-efficient supply chain. This hasn’t always been easy given New Zealand’s advantages in terms of scale

• Jo Bills is an Australian dairy analyst


16 // NEWS

NZ v Aust at the farmgate

Jo Bills

THE FARM FIXER

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WORLD // 17

BRITISH DAIRY farm-ers have been urged to stand up for the indus-try and demonstrate that dairy makes a difference.

Dairy UK chief exec-utiveJudith Bryans told a recent Semex Confer-ence in Glasgow that dairy has so much to be proud of.

“There is a need for the contribution of dairy products and the industry itself to be recognised and valued more widely,” she says.

The British public’s love for dairy products and their significant nutritional benefits remain as strong as ever and there growing demand for dairy around the world.

Government and decision-makers at all levels are assailed by those pursuing an anti-dairy agenda, she says.

“It is up to us to remind, politicians, civil servants, health professionals and the public that dairy makes a difference in a very positive way.

“It is essential that the industry has to stand up for itself and work in a constructive and collaborative manner. It’s never been more important to do that.

“Dairy makes a difference, providing the public with a wide range of nutritious foods including milk, cheese and yogurt.”

Tell everyone dairy makes a difference

Arla targets markets outside EU

Arla is investing $500 million into its production facilities this year.

EUROPEAN DAIRY co-op Arla Foods is pump-ing $500 million into expanding its produc-tion globally and making it more eco-friendly.

At 10 of its dairy sites this year it aims to boost production of profit-able export products for the company’s strategic growth markets outside the EU.

Aiming to double exports of European dairy products to growth markets outside the EU by 2017, Arla plans new investment this year.

Vice chief executive Povl Krogsgaard says the co-op will this year spend more on dairy sites that contribute to exports.

“Our sales in the growth markets outside the EU are growing at a fast pace, and we must prepare ourselves to meet rapidly growing demand.”

The co-op will spend $27m on projects to make its production chain more climate-friendly.

$170m will be spent on growth markets outside

the EU – Russia, China, Middle East and Africa. Those countries will get one third of the spend.

Largest in 2014 is $120m for a new lactose plant in Denmark to make lactose ingredients from whey from Arla’s nearby cheese plant. These ingre-dients will be used for child nutrition products and others and sold to the food industry globally by Arla Foods Ingredients.

The new lactose site is very important, says Krogsgaard.

“One of our most prof-itable business areas is whey-based ingredients for the global food indus-try, and that business must be doubled by 2017.

“The new lactose site will produce high-qual-ity ingredients for child nutrition products in high demand especially in Asia. It will contribute to a prof-itable export and [lift] the milk price to our coopera-tive members.”

Arla has 67 dairy sites worldwide, all working to reduce carbon emissions.

Arla aims to reduce CO2 emission by 25% by 2020, says Krogsgaard.

“Our production plays a key role in the efforts to reach that target, so we are [buying new] heat-ing pumps and water-sav-

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18 // WORLD

EU extends school milk schemeTHE EUROPEAN Union is extending its milk in schools scheme but farmers are unhappy that cheese and yoghurt have been left out.

Dairy UK says the European Commission

had “seriously misjudged” the nutritional benefits of yogurt and cheese.

Dairy UK chief execu-tive Judith Bryans wel-comed EU’s continuing commitment to school milk which she says has

been part of the fabric of Britain for generations.

“We also recognise the benefits of the new streamlined school food scheme which will include milk, fruit and vegeta-bles. However, we strongly believe that the commis-sion has seriously mis-judged the very substantial nutritional benefits that would be delivered to chil-dren by the inclusion of yogurt and cheese in the scheme,” she says.

“Although the commis-sion suggests that this can be addressed at member state level, we believe this omission is a real oppor-tunity missed to give chil-dren on a Europe-wide basis the complete range of nutrients that dairy products provide. Milk, cheese and yogurts are all important parts of a healthy diet and parents, teachers and health pro-fessionals across the UK recognise this.”

The European Dairy Association, which repre-sents the interests of the EU dairy industry, believes the exclusion of cheese and yoghurt will raise con-cerns.

EDA secretary gen-eral, Alexander Anton says cheese and yoghurt are dietary habits based on local culture which are

hard to change. “It’s a pity that the

commission did not take this into account when drafting its proposal. We fear that the current pro-posal will not be wel-comed everywhere and will therefore lose its effi-ciency in some European regions. It is obvious that the commission gives more flexibility at member state level to fashion the scheme to adapt it to the specific eating habits of the children, but there is a risk that national health authorities only look at a few single nutrients, and not the balanced and healthy total nutrient composition of dairy prod-ucts, which is – at the end – what counts.”

The EU is recommend-ing bringing two sepa-rate EU schemes on milk and fruit together under a joint framework. The new scheme will have a budget of $380 million per school year - $250m for fruit and vegetables and $133 mil-lion for milk.

Commissioner for Agri-culture and Rural Devel-opment, Dacian Ciolo says the new scheme aims to reverse the downward trend in consumption and raise awareness among children of the potential benefits of milk.

More milk for ArlaEUROPEAN DAIRY co-op Arla expects to process a record 25 billion glasses of drinking milk this year.

Arla says the amount represents a little over half of its entire milk production expected for 2014 and will be processed at its liquid milk, UHT and milk powder dairy plants around the world.

Executive vice president Jais Valeur, responsible for Arla’s global production and brands, says milk for drinking has always been an essential part of Arla’s processing, especially in Europe, and this year the co-op expects to process more than ever.

“New consumers in growth areas like Asia and Africa are buying milk for its nutritional benefits, and consequently the global demand for milk is bigger than we have ever seen,” Valeur says.

“At Arla, we also believe dairy products play an important role in a balanced diet. But health bene-fits are only one piece of the puzzle. While serving the growing global demand for dairy products, Arla wants to be the most natural and sustainable global dairy company.

“This means offering natural food with high nutri-tional value to people across the world, while using as few of nature’s resources as possible.”


20 // WORLD

DAIRY AUSTRALIA has launched the Employment Starter Kit initiative, or ESKi, an easy-to-use kit that helps dairy farm employers with the ‘human resource’ side of their business.

Research showed one of the key issues in attracting and retaining people on dairy farms are the employment prac-tices being used.

In response, workforce planning and action steering committees were formed at WestVic Dairy and DairyTas, with a primary focus on developing actions and supporting the dairy industry to attract and retain the skilled people it requires. The ESKi is the first action delivered by the committees.

The ESKi details all of the mandatory requirements for dairy businesses that employ staff and was built from Dairy Australia’s ‘The People in Dairy’ website which has industry specific ‘people management’ information and resources.

A draft of the ESKi was piloted by more than 30 dairy farmers and was then trialled at WestVic Dairy and Dairy-Tas before being launched nationally.

Dairy Plains contract milker Penny Domeney received an ESKi after the DairyTas launch and believes the kit is a practical resource with user-friendly information.

Retaining farm staff

Shoddy rural roads in OzAUSTRALIAN FARM-ERS are backing a call for private funding to improve rural roads.

A new report released last month by Infrastruc-ture Australia suggests

private funding will help counter underfunding of rural roads by state gov-ernments.

A snapshot of 13,000km of roads in rural Australia shows 26% are predicted to be impassable after 20mm of rain and big stretches are well beyond their “useful life”.

The National Road Asset Reporting Pilot says the nation’s 800,000km of roading is not assessed as to its condition, unlike other infrastructure such as energy and water, whose condition and stan-dards of performance are examined to guide funding choices.

The report finds the system of road funding comes down to govern-ments “throwing several billion dollars of taxpayer money at the road net-work each year and hoping the results will be good”.

The report set out to test the benefits of Infra-structure Australia’s pro-

posed solutions, such as the development of useful national stan-dards and the creation of a national, independent body to report regularly on the condition of all and to identify areas of great-est concern to help target funding.

Infrastructure coordi-

SUDESH [email protected]

nator Michael Deegan says the report suggests ways to spend money smarter on road networks, with a better chance of greater benefits.

“Doing these things would almost certainly reduce the perceived politicisation and under-funding of roads overall and offer a more efficient use of public funds expended, as well as open-ing greater opportunities for reliable private invest-ments in the network,” he says.

National Farmers Fed-eration president Brent Finlay supports calls for greater action from the Federal Government to attract private funding.

“The report reiterates a lack of public investment in rural roads, limiting the efficiency of agricultural freight flows,” says Finlay.

“Farmers do their best to maximise efficiency on farm, and after the food and fibre leaves the farm-gate much of this value can

be lost to inefficiencies in the transport system.

“We need to harness the opportunity for private sector investment, and invest in building better quality roads in rural Aus-tralia. Less money lost by inefficient and run down rural infrastructure means more money for farmers and for Australia through competitive exports.”

The NFF has welcomed the Federal Government’s infrastructure audit and moves to attract invest-ment.

“We expect agricul-ture to be prioritised on the Federal Government’s national infrastructure audit, and key food and fibre projects to bw iden-tified in the investment pipeline.

“We need adequate local and regional infra-structure and the mea-sures in place that promote private invest-ment to complement the government commit-ments.”

Rural roads in Australia are underfunded, according to a new report.

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RUMINATING

EDITORIAL

MILKING IT...

22 // OPINION

Politics beckons?RETIRING FEDERATED Farmers chief execu-tive Conor English is coy about his next move.

But with an elec-tion looming, Milking It suggests English will be tempted to try his luck in politics. Brother Bill (Finance Minister) has been one of the drivers behind National’s two-term reign.

After all, the Eng-lish boys grew up in a household that talked a lot about the three ‘P’s -- the prime minister, the pope and the president of Federated Farmers.

Timaru beautyIT’S OFFICIAL: Timaru is the home of the best bovine in New Zealand.

At the recent Dairy Event, at Feilding, the hon-our of ‘Miss New Zealand of dairy cows’ went to Fairview Dolman Jazz-ET, a 5-year-old Holstein Frie-sian cow, from Timaru.

The judges deemed the South Island stunner ‘best in show’, topping all other cows in the competition. She’s owned by Philippa Trounce.

Cows raise the roofA HERD of dairy cows nearly lifted the roof off their barn in central Germany when methane released by the animals caused an explosion.

Police in Hesse state said a static electric charge apparently trig-gered the detonation, and a spurt of flame, on Monday at a farm in Ras-dorf. The roof was slightly damaged and one cow suffered slight burns. No people were hurt.

Police say 90 cows are kept in the shed but it wasn’t clear why the methane had built up. Bovine belching and farting releases large quantities of the gas, but enough to blow off the roof...?

Elixir for OlympiansKICKED OUT of some school cafeterias and vilified as a junk beverage contributing to childhood obesity. But chocolate milk is making a comeback with an unlikely new image: the perfect drink for Ironman and Olympic athletes after gruelling workouts.

The group behind the ‘Got Milk?’ campaign in the 1990s in the US is pro-moting chocolate milk.

But as overall milk sales have dropped in recent years, the dairy industry has positioned chocolate milk as a contender in the fast-growing market for protein bars and shakes. Their target is adults, who have traditionally dis-

missed milk — especially chocolate milk — as a kids’ drink.

That might seem crazy to people used to thinking of chocolate milk as the candy of

beverages.

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Doing more than our fair shareTHE RECENT submission to the Government by the Parlia-mentary Commissioner for the Environment, Jan Wright, on water, will be music to the ears of greenies.

She highlights ‘the big challenge’ -- nitrate runoff from large-scale conversion of land to dairy farming, and her message to the Government is that not enough is being done to protect water quality.

With due respect to the PCE, the dairy industry is not alone in impacting our waterways. Farmers need to do their bit, no question about that, but urban communities need to continue investing in better stormwater and wastewater management. We all need to work together for positive water outcomes.

New Zealand still enjoys some of the highest quality water on earth. Last year the Ministry for the Environment’s (MfE) latest river condition indicator showed that for ten years at 90% of the sites tested, most of the MfE’s key indicators were either stable or improving.

Good farm environmental management is starting to show through. Better management of the land and water resource by everyone appears to be starting to show up in these water qual-ity results. In broad-brush terms, New Zealand’s water quality is steadily improving.

In recent years, farmers and communities have stepped up their efforts, but everyone agrees things can be improved.

Realism is needed: this is a long-run game and the timetables must reflect that. The MfE study results underline that we have some gains, contrary to the belief – or prejudice – that nothing positive is happening to water quality. We are making progress.

The dairy industry last year launched its new Sustainable Dairying: Water Accord. This outlines a new set of national good-management practice standards aimed at lifting environ-mental performance on dairy farms, and agreed to by industry body DairyNZ and all dairy companies, with support and input from a wide range of industry stakeholders.

Despite this, the PCE’s submission fails to recognise the work being done by the dairy industry. Her submission will be used as more ammunition by environmental advocates calling for a stop to the growth of the dairy industry.

Wright is spot-on in saying many New Zealanders are working hard to protect our rivers and lakes. We need a policy framework that clearly supports and encourages these efforts. But let’s not forget that most dairy farmers are doing more than their fair share on this front.


OPINION // 23

Wetlands are now some of our rarest and most at-risk ecosystems.

Wetlands: kidneys of the landscape

INTENSIVE FARM-ING practices can result in significant amounts of contaminants, nota-bly nitrogen, phosphorus, faecal matter and sedi-ment, getting into our waterways.

With World Wetlands Day celebrated on Febru-ary 2, it is a good time to reflect on the impact of contaminants like these on our waterways, and the role of wetlands in helping to protect them.

Natural wetlands have been called the ‘kidneys of the landscape’ because of their ability to store, assimilate and transform contaminants lost from the land before they reach waterways. Like a giant kidney, wetlands help to dilute and filter material that could otherwise harm our lakes, rivers and other waterways.

Sadly, large areas of wetlands have disappeared with the development of farmland and they now occupy only about 2% of New Zealand’s total land area. It is estimated that about 90% of New Zea-land’s wetlands have been drained – one of the larg-est wetland losses any-where in the world.

Wetlands once covered large areas of the Waikato, but they are now some of our rarest and most at-risk ecosystems.

Wetland is a generic term for the wet mar-gins of lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, estuar-ies, lagoons, bogs and swamps. They contain a diverse range of plants and animals and are home to many rare and threatened species, so conserving and restoring wetland habitats is worthwhile for many reasons.

Rainfall patterns, soil water status, groundwa-ter levels, soil properties, drainage system design and land management practices can all affect the contaminant loads gener-ated in farm drainage.

Nitrogen and phos-phorous enter water-ways through leaching and surface run off. Wet-land vegetation uses these nutrients for growth. Wet-

lands remove up to 90% of nitrates from ground water through a process called de-nitrification. Microbes living in wet-lands absorb and break down nitrogen improving water quality.

Wetlands also play an important role in sedi-ment management and reducing erosion. The plants trap sediment sus-pended in water, improv-ing water quality, and in riparian areas their roots hold riverbank soil together.

Wetlands also help to regulate the flow of water from land, soaking up excess floodwater and then slowly releasing it to maintain summer flows or recharge ground water.

Providing habitat for many different plants and animal life, including rare or threatened species, is another role for wet-lands. These areas are also essential breeding areas for whitebait species and game fish, as well as pro-viding a rich source of insects for fish, birds and amphibians.

Fishers, shooters, nat-uralists and other water-based recreationists also make extensive use of wet-lands. Their importance to Maori as mahinga kai (food gathering areas) and as a source of plants for medicines and dyes, is well recognised.

On an international level, healthy peat wet-lands are important in helping to combat global warming, as they soak up excess carbon.

The Waikato Regional Council provides free advice to landowners on managing wetlands, including information on fencing, planting of suit-able riparian margins and weed control.

Fencing keeps stock out, stops pugging of wet-land margins and enrich-ment from animal wastes. Appropriate planting around the edges of the wetland reduces pollution from surrounding farm-land, provides cover for wildlife, reduces bank ero-sion and reduces the tem-perature of water through shading.

Of late, constructed wetlands, as trialled by

BALA TIKKISETTYNIWA, have been recog-nised as an effective tech-nology for treatment of tile drainage waters.

Wetlands are worth caring for – failing to maintain their health is a risk too great to ignore.

• Bala Tikkisetty is a sustainable agriculture coordinator at the Waikato Regional Council. For further advice, call Bala on 0800 800 401 or email [email protected].

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24 // AGRIBUSINESS

FROM A commodity market perspec-tive, the 2013-14 Southern Hemisphere dairy season is increasingly a ‘done deal’.

Milk production is well past its spring peak, and product sales are focused on an April-June 2014 delivery period. Weather influences still have significant potential to ‘upset the apple cart’ at farm level (as we saw a year ago), but if anything this would drive prices higher.

New Zealand looks likely to enjoy an extended season as farmers cash in on record farmgate pricing; but the sus-tained supply recovery required to dis-lodge commodity prices is more likely to come from the Northern Hemi-sphere. That’s where attention is begin-ning to turn as the seasonal transition in supply looms.

Most in the industry had expected the US to produce a rapid supply response following a large 2013 corn harvest and rapidly increasing milk prices. This hasn’t happened - November and December milk output was virtually flat compared to the same months in 2012. Declining cow numbers have been blamed: heavy

culling last year outweighed the supply of replacement heifers, and restocking is expected to take at least the first half of 2014. Feed is readily available but quality is below par in many places, keeping per-cow production relatively static, and hampering farmers’ ability to get the most milk from the cows they have.

Local sources suggest that with a bruising year behind them, US producers are more risk averse than historically, opting to bolster their equity position before pursuing expan-sion – a sentiment many Australian farmers would relate to.

Notwithstanding the challenges – including a worsening drought in Cali-fornia – growth is expected to accelerate through 2014 as margins remain favour-able. The USDA’s forecast for 2014 US milk production is over 93 billion litres, representing 2% growth on 2013.

EU-November 28 data revealed a 4% increase in milk deliveries compared to that month in 2012. In member states such as the Netherlands and Ireland (the latter up 19% for the month) an appetite for post-quota growth is readily apparent, with some farmers willing to pay super-levy fines for exceeding quotas, rather than suppress production.

However ongoing challenges have seen further contraction in countries such as Italy. On balance, industry forecasts indicate the current modest

growth trajectory is expected to con-tinue, with 2014 milk deliveries tipped to hit 147 billion litres (up 1%).

The 2% and 1% growth for the US and EU respectively represent around 4 billion extra litres of milk – just under half of Australia’s annual total production. However, much of this growth will be soaked up

by recovering domestic consumption, while continuing supply gaps in China and Russia have left other markets such as the Middle East, Africa and parts of

Asia short of product. In short, though the market is look-

ing to the Northern Hemisphere for indications that a price correction is around the corner, sedate supply growth and ongoing demand strength provide little clue as to the timing. Pric-ing remains buoyant, with recent gains reflecting the flow-on effects from pri-oritisation of better returning product streams. However; with so many eyes on the prize, the question remains not if the world’s suppliers catch up to the demand for dairy, but when.• John Droppert is industry analyst with Dairy Australia

Global milk supply falls short

New Zealand looks likely to enjoy an extended season as farmers cash in on record farmgate pricing; but the sustained supply recovery required to dislodge commodity prices is more likely to come from the Northern Hemisphere.

John Droppert

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Recognition for work beyond the farmgateTHE DAIRY Women’s Network is calling for nominations for its annual Dairy Community Leader-ship Award.

It recognises the vol-untary role dairy farm-ing women play in leading their communities, shar-ing their time and skills beyond the boundaries of the farm gate. The winner receives a $2500 schol-arship from Milk Bar, the specialists in calf rear-ing equipment, to attend a leadership programme of their choice within New Zealand.

DWN trust board chair Michelle Wilson says nom-inations are welcome from rural community mem-bers, employers, employ-ees or partners, however nominees are required to be members of the DWN.

Last year’s winners were Sue Forsyth from Te Awamutu and Shar-ron Davie-Martin from Culverden. Davie-Mar-tin is using her scholar-ship to attend the Kellogg Rural Leaders Programme in 2015.

Among other activities,

Davie-Martin was nomi-nated for her commitment to the DWN and her role as chairwoman of the local Rural Women’s Dinner Group, which she still holds today.

She is passionate about helping immigrant dairy farm workers settle into the North Canterbury community, and has devel-oped a welcome pack. Her voluntary work has been recognised and used by the New Zealand Immigration Department.

Davie-Martin says receiving the community leadership award last year was an inspiration. She is now close to complet-ing the Taratahi Gener-ate Leadership programme and recently won another scholarship to attend the Rural Women’s Growing Dynamic Leaders course in Wellington.

“Dairy farming has served our family well and we think it’s important to give back to our commu-nity,” says Davie-Martin.

Wilson says DWN has been acknowledging com-munity leadership since

2007. Until 2011, the award was known as Celebrate You.

Milk Bar’s sales and marketing manager Anna McIntyre says the com-pany is thrilled to be able to give back to rural

women and their commu-nities. “The role of women in farming is so important. They juggle managing their businesses, working on the farm and raising families.”

Nominations for the award must be made on

the official form from www.dwn.co.nz or phone 0800 396 748. Nomina-tions close at 5pm, March 1. The winner will be announced at the DWN annual conference on March 19 in Hamilton.

Culverden dairy farmer Sharron Davie-Martin receiving the Dairy Women’s Network Community Leadership Award in 2013.

DAIRY FARM MANAGER POSITION

Macquarie Franklin is seeking applications from experienced dairy farm managers on behalf of a client.

The farm is located on King Island. The position provides an opportunity to join a highly productive and progressive business during an exciting time of industry growth. The farm has significant potential and applicants should have an interest in the management of farm development as well as being capable in managing day to day operations.

The successful applicants will be able to demonstrate a high level of skills in the following:

• Animal husbandry including calf rearing• Pasture management and feeding• Staff management• Operation and maintenance of dairy,

irrigation and farm equipment• Farm development supervision

An attractive remuneration package will be offered including accommodation located on the local school bus route.

An application in writing clearly indicating experience and referees should be forwarded to:

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Applications close: COB Wednesday 19th February 2014

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AGRIBUSINESS // 27

CANTERBURY PRO-CESSOR Synlait Milk has stepped up its mem-bership of the Infant Nutrition Council from associate to ordinary, gain-ing a board seat in the pro-cess.

The council has fre-quently been in the news in the past six months commenting on the whey protein botulism scare and subsequent enquiry find-ings, however Synlait says “the botulism incident has had no influence” on its membership move.

“We would have done it anyway,” a spokesman told Dairy News, noting that ordinary membership pro-vides for board represen-tation “of an association which has become the lead association represent-ing the infant formula and nutritional industry.”

Synlait’s move follows INC’s statement in July that it would broaden its strategy to include focus on the integrity of the full supply chain, not just its traditional role in the mar-keting and regulation of infant formula in Australia and New Zealand.

That coincided with election of Fonterra’s Reece Prewett to chair INC’s board, and appoint-

ment of Westland Milk Products’ general manager innovation Michael Teen and New Image Group’s general manager Guy Wills to the board.

The WPC80 botulism scare broke a month later.

Last week INC chief executive Jan Carey said INC is delighted to have Synlait Milk represented on its board.

“The Infant Nutrition Council is firmly commit-ted to ensuring the safety and integrity of New Zea-land’s infant formula industry.

“Having world-leading dairy manufacturers like Synlait represented on the board ensures we can continue to work together to meet our own expectations so that parents and the public can have faith in the infant formula manufactured, marketed or exported by any of our member companies.”

Michael Stein, Synlait Milk’s general manager quality and technical ser-vices will represent Synlait on the INC Board.

“We are pleased to be appointed to the board and we look forward to taking an active leadership role on industry issues

to ensure New Zealand’s reputation for producing high quality and safe nutri-tional products, like infant formula, continues to be developed,” said Stein.

INC says it represents 95% of the infant formula industry in New Zealand and Australia by volume and plays a key role in ensuring compliance and

safety in the industry. Its board works to ensure members abide by a strict code of conduct that sets expectations for the sup-port of breastfeeding as first choice, responsible marketing of infant for-mula, food safety and regulations, and ethical member conduct. Mem-bers gain access to special-

ised resources and global technical expertise of other long-term industry players.

Synlait Milk brings the number of full members of the council to eight, and there are 20 associate members including West-land Milk Products and the Dairy Goat Coopera-tive, Hamilton.

Synlait joins INC board

■ Reece Prewett, Fonterra (chair)

■ Natalie Koenen, HJ Heinz

■ Xavier Payrard, Nestlé

■ Mark Sargent, Bayer Consumer Care

■ Michael Stein, Synlait Milk

■ Corine Tap, Nutricia

■ Michael Teen, Westland (Associate mem-bers’ representative)

■ Allan Tillack, Abbott

■ Stephen Voordouw, Aspen Nutritionals

■ Guy Wills, New Image Group

INC BOARD

IN BRIEF

Troutbeck steps down

LONG-SERVING MANAGER of Dairy Training Ltd, John Troutbeck, steps down on March 1 from his leadership role with the DairyNZ subsidiary.

Troutbeck who has been with Dairy Training for 15 years, since its foundation, will continue to provide support to the training provider.

Dairy Training board chairperson, Barbara Kuriger says she is pleased that the organisation will retain the services of such an experienced manager.

Adam Barker, Director of Scarlatti, will become interim manager of Dairy Training Ltd when John steps down.

Jan Carey, INC chief executive.

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28 // MANAGEMENT

Drill-it – your

South Canterbury dairy farmer Dave Ellis in a crop of self-sown fodder beef late last month.

TIME IS money, goes the saying, and when it comes to a sowing date for a crop like fodder beet, that’s cer-tainly true.

So when South Can-terbury dairy farmer Dave Ellis commented to machinery dealer Grant Wilkins how much a delay sowing his crops could

We all like to be in control of our own destiny and when you’ve got 7000 cows to winter, that’s particularly important. Andrew Swallow reports

cost him, Wilkins realised he might be able to help.

He went to see Ellis and told him they could supply him with a six-row Sola precision drill suitable for sowing fodder beet for less than $50,000.

What’s more, once the beet’s in, if he wanted to sow maize, or any other wide-row precision sown crop, the same drill would fit the bill.

Ellis quickly did the sums and even with the

cost of hydraulic row-width setting and air-freight added it stacked up to buy one, rather than risk a long wait for an over-stretched contractor to reach him.

“With 300ha to do I would have paid the con-tractor as much as it cost to buy the drill,” he told Dairy News.

There was also the advantage of having con-trol over your own destiny. “If we’re ready to go, we can go.”

When the drill arrived in mid-October his trac-tor drivers put it to work round the clock to get the crop in.

“It’s only a 3m drill so we went 24 hours a day to get the fodder beet in and get onto silaging. It took us about 10 days to get it all done.”

That included shifting the drill from Waimate, where Ellis has one of his four farms and has sown

about 70ha, to Tara Hills in the lower Mackenzie Basin where he has another and has sown the balance of his winter fodder.

The remoteness of the Tara Hills crops – they’re over 100km inland from Waimate and in an area where there’s no local con-tractor equipped to sow beet – added to the argu-ment for going drill-it-yourself (DIY), as did some stony paddocks which a contractor might

have been reluctant to sow.

With irrigation he’s expecting yields of 25t/ha but has sown some extra area in case of a yield shortfall. Nonetheless, with 7000 cows to winter, it’s meant he’s been able to cut his winter crop area considerably compared to wintering on brassica.

Another advantage of the switch to beet is in the event of snow.

“We can be up against the elements at Tara Hills and if we do get snow we’ll only lose the leaf [off the beet] whereas kale can get completely flattened,” notes Ellis.

Wilkins, of Paul Wilkins Tractors, Timaru, says Ellis’ precision drill was one of three they imported last spring, another one having gone to a contractor and the third being kept as a dem-onstrator.

“We were importing

“With 300ha to do I would have paid the contractor as much as it cost to buy the drill.”

Sowing-width adjustment can be manual or hydraulical.

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MANAGEMENT // 29

self fodder beet

Grant Wilkins

their airseeder grain drills and grass drills anyway and the fodder beet area is ever increasing so we thought we’d look into importing their precision planters as well.”

While Wilkins sells another brand of preci-sion planter in addition to the Sola, there’s a greater range available with the Solas and, as the importer, they’re able to offer them at a price that is “farmer friendly,” as Wilkins puts it.

He also likes the way they’re made, which is probably a reflection on the conditions in the country of origin, Spain, he suggests.

“They’re heavily built so they’re going to cope with New Zealand’s stones and lumpy ground. They’ll go up and down all day. I expect it’s because the Spanish have stoney con-ditions similar to us.”

Powder coated paint-work is to a high standard and all parts are reason-ably easy to replace.

In the “worst case sce-nario” of a seeder stop-ping working, it can be switched to the outside position on the drill so work can continue at a narrower operating width until the problem is fixed, points out Wilkins.

“We have a complete seeder unit here in the showroom which we could send out in a real emer-gency because they’re all the same. The rest of the machine is just a big frame really.”

There is some clever componentry, such as a sensor and alarm, so if a seeder malfunctions there’s no risk of the oper-

ator pushing on for hect-are after hectare with a row missing.

The cheapest models have seeders bolted onto the main beam so chang-ing drilling width takes time with spanners and sockets in hand, but all three machines Wilkins’ has imported have the vari-width feature which allows operators to change row-width hydraulically.

“Most people are using 50cm rows but some are using 45cm.”

It also means the 6-row model is easily reduced to 3m for road transport, avoiding the extra expense of folding/stacking mecha-nisms for outer rows.

“They don’t take up too much space in a shipping container either, which also helps keep the cost down,” notes Wilkins.

If a drill does need to go on a truck for whatever reason, there are easily accessible and robust lift hooks on the main beam so there’s no need to put pallet forks under the machine and risk break-ing or bending seeders, he adds.

The seeders themselves use a pto-driven vacuum to suck seed onto a rotat-ing disc which places the seed in the furrow between the two open-ing discs. A narrow press wheel follows, closing the furrow and ensuring good seed to soil contact.

While the vacuum is pto-driven, the standard seeder drive is hydrau-lic. A pto-drive option is available but would only be needed if the machine were to be used on an older tractor with poor hydraulics, says Wilkins.

THE AREA OF fodder beet grown in New Zealand has gone from next to zero five years ago to about 20,000ha this year, says Warwick Green, managing director of one of the main seed suppliers, SeedForce.

The bulk of the area is in Canterbury, Otago and Southland but Green predicts more West Coast and southern North Island farmers will start using it, particularly as uses other than in-situ feeding to wintering dairy cows gain popularity.

Those other uses include feeding on a pad or in the paddock as a supplement to boost autumn milk yields, as well as use with other stock classes such as replacements, beef stock and deer.

“The world’s your oyster really.”

SOARING CROP AREA

The gearbox is easily adjusted with two leavers, and extra discs to increase the range of in-row spac-ing options come in at less than a $100 each, though if sowing maize and fodder beet is all that’s going to be done, it’s unlikely more than one disc will be needed.

In the paddock each seeder’s 55L hopper will hold more than enough beet seed for a day’s work, says Wilkins. “A litre box holds 80,000 seeds and most people are sowing at 80-90,000 seeds/ha.”

Operating speed can be up to 12-13kmh depending on ground condition.

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with DairyNZ as a graduate consulting officer.

“The primary industry is a strong space for careers with all the new technology, com-pliance and requirements on farm,” says Hull.

“The indus-try requires a lot more grads now, so there are plenty of jobs out there.”

The primary sector often goes unnoticed as a viable career path for many young people, even though it is one of the most lucrative industries in the country.

Federated Farmers reports that agriculture, together with the food and forestry sectors, gener-ate 70% of New Zealand’s merchandise export earn-ings. So it’s no wonder graduates in the pri-mary sector earn an aver-age salary of $55,000, well above the national average of $46,000.

In efforts to educate secondary students of the range of career pos-sibilities within the pri-mary industry, New Zealand Young Farm-ers, Beef+Lamb NZ and DairyNZ have joined forces and for the last three years to run Get Ahead Career Experience Days.

There are 10 days held around the country annu-ally and over 1000 stu-dents attend to hear from successful industry pro-fessionals and learn about different career pathways.

They can meet with universities and training centre representatives to ask questions and find out about scholarships avail-able. The days showcase both the on-farm and busi-ness related career oppor-tunities – from pasture to plate, there is a career for everyone.

Based in the Manawatu/Horowhenua area, Hull says her job is busy and it’s never quite the same.

Hull, 24, works with

farmers to gain an under-standing of their goals and creates opportunities for them to produce positive on farm change. “It’s never a boring day,” she says.

There is more to the primary industry than just gumboots and milking cows, there are different talents and skill sets that all have a place and con-tribute to the success of the industry.

“There is definitely a huge demand for people in the primary sector,” she said. Dairy NZ estimates the primary industry will need at least 1250 agri-culture-related graduates every year for sustainable growth.

But it’s not just a num-bers game. The industry will need skilled, quali-fied and capable workers to sustain its future and it starts with encouraging students into the primary sector and educating the future leaders.

KPMG reported on average just over two-thirds of rural New Zealand students are com-pleting their secondary education, compared to the 76% national average.

Hull is impressed with the Get Ahead pro-gramme: “It’s great to see how enthusiastic and keen all these young kids are to learn about agriculture and a great opportunity for the ones who perhaps haven’t seen the career pathways in the agricul-ture sector,” she says.

30 // MANAGEMENT

Jobs galore in primary sector

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Abby Hull (second from right) with students.

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32 // MANAGEMENT

Watch for heat stressed herdsHIGHER SUMMER temperatures can evaporate record dairy returns unless farmers stay on guard for heat stress in their herds, says SealesWinslow science extension

manager, James Hague.If farmers are feeling

the heat, their herds will be too and heat stress can hit production, milk qual-ity, earnings and overall herd health, he adds.

“Cows are not terribly

good at regulating their body temperatures as their ability to sweat is lim-ited. The digestive system also creates heat and, as a result, core body tem-perature increases. When cows are heat stressed, dry matter intake reduces, and demand for water greatly increases.

“Losing just one kilo of dry matter intake is worth around two litres of milk (0.16/kgMS) which at an $8.30 milk price equates to $1.33 in lost income per cow per day. The financial loss quickly adds up and there are the animal wel-fare concerns including the risk of health and fer-tility issues cause by heat stress.”

Heat stressed cows tend to crowd around any available shade and as their water demand is high, they also crowd troughs. Stressed animals will also pant. Adequate shelter and ample water, as well as misting or spray systems can alleviate heat stress, but Hague says attention to the herd’s diet is also crucial.

“Loss of dry matter intake accounts for around half the loss of milk yield. The other half is poten-tially due to inefficient digestion and damage to the animal, so it is impor-tant the diet is well bal-anced to maintain rumen conditions. Nutrition-ally there are a number of practical and very cost effective options.”

Levucell yeast, fed at a rate of 0.5g per cow per day, controls rumen pH and improves fibre diges-tion under heat stress con-ditions. This means more Feed Conversion Effi-ciency (FCE) at a cost of less than four cents a day. Rice bran feed, which does not have to undergo

extensive fermentation to provide the cow with energy, keeps the heat of digestion low. It can be fed at rates of up to 2kg a day. Salt, potassium, and sodium bicarbonate can also aid with heat stress as stressed animals lose elec-trolytes.

“Keeping the electro-lyte balance with sodium and potassium is crucial as animals can lose around 13% of their daily potas-sium requirement through sweating. Damage can occur in the liver, which reduces the animals’ abil-ity to process glucose, which impacts on milk production. Additives such as betaine and chro-mium assist with main-taining liver function and have been found to be valuable under heat stress conditions.”

Both high temperature and high humidity combined result in the worst effects on stock. A Temperature Humidity Index (THI), combining temperature and humidity, can be used as indicator of heat stress risks. SealesWinslow provides an online calculator which enables farmers to log temperature and humidity and calculate potential milk losses due to heat stress.

The higher the THI, the more severe the impact. As the accompanying graphic shows, when the THI gets above 68, signs of heat stress will set in. Above 80 causes moder-ate to severe stress and above 90 is severe. There is an almost linear drop off in the relative amount of milk produced as the THI rises.

The calculator and additional nutrition advice are available at www.seales-winslow.co.nz

James Hague

Heat stressed cows tend to crowd around any available shade.

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MANAGEMENT // 33

Scanning keeps disputes away

SCANNING RECOMMENDATIONS

THE MINDA system uses a combina-tion of the EID tag system and scan-ning to report on stock numbers, trace by individual cow and compare the cows actually recorded in MINDA with previous scans.

Crowe Horwath suggests con-ducting four scans a year – in May, August, October/November and March/April.First scan – May (initial scan)

The May scan is timed to coincide with the start of the new season, prior to off-farm winter grazing and before on-farm staff changes occur. This scan will take the longest, in order to identify cows that might be missing EID tags, cows not recorded on MINDA, inaccurate MINDA re-cords etc.Second scan – August (post-graz-ing/pre-calving)

This scan would coincide with the cows’ return from off-farm grazing

and also a pre-calving scan. If cows have come back from the grazier that do not belong to the farmer (potentially with a lower value than the cows sent to grazing) this scan-ning will identify the specific cow details. This scan will also provide the correct opening numbers for the on-farm management coming in.Third scan – October/November (post-calving)

This scan will confirm move-ments over the calving period and will give the owner quick information as to the number of deaths that have actually occurred during calving. This scan will also identify young stock on hand and will serve as a basis to determine if MINDA records are accurate and up-to-date.Fourth scan – March/April

The purpose of this scan is to identify cows that have been culled or are no longer in the herd.

FARMER STOCK losses through winter grazing, and increased disputes over stock ownership, can be prevented by the use of electronic scanning systems, says Michael Lee, audit principal in Crowe Horwath’s Invercargill office.

“The herd is the most valuable asset on a dairy farm,” says Lee. “Missing and lost stock are part and parcel of farming, but these days technology is available to ensure timely identification of farm animals.”

Lee noted thousands of head of valu-able stock disappear every year during winter grazing. Graziers are often dealing with multiple farm herds over the winter, and mistakes do happen. Stock numbers are sometimes incorrectly tallied and herd ownership can be mixed up. Stock disputes are getting more common amongst owners and managers/sharemilkers and graziers, he said.

“Electronic scanning of all farm stock ensures that an accurate stock count can be made on a timely basis,” says Lee.

Since July 2012, all stock animals have had to be tagged with National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT)-approved radio frequency identification device tags. Scanning can identify the ani-

mals based on their birth records through the NAIT scheme and their Electronic Identification Devices (EID’s).

“We recommend implementing a scan-ning system in conjunction with an inde-pendent farm advisor in order to develop an action plan, and assist with set-up and interpretation,” he says.

“We believe a stock auditing system protects all parties – the farm manager, contract milker, sharemilker and farm owners - particularly absentee owners. The owners have peace of mind knowing that the cows that they purchased are the cows still on their farm. This benefit is also extended to the staff working on the farm as they to know that they are protected due to our independent counting of the stock.”

Recent stock disputes dealt with by Crowe Horwath include potential fraud by a farm manager looking to manipulate stock records of deaths and missing with the goal of taking ownership of milkers/calves and stock returned from grazing, but not to the right farms.

Crowe Horwath has also encountered cases of non-farm stock being illegally grazed by employees on the farm-own-er’s land.

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34 // ANIMAL HEALTH

Teat sprayer effective even in wind

AN ONFARM Teatwand 400 automatic teat sprayer is providing coverage in difficult conditions, says North-land farmer Alister McCahon.

McCahon, who milks 650 cows on his property southwest of Dargaville, recently built an unusual wooden 60-bail rotary to cope with expansion.

The rotary design has three open sides for better airflow. This poses a challenge: the shed is cool in hot weather, and light and air help keep stock healthy and contented; but it allows a breeze near the exit race where cows are sprayed by the automatic teat sprayer before getting off the platform.

To deal with this McCahon installed a Teatwand 400 teat sprayer which compensates for the wind by its delivery mechanism. It uses a flexible, pneumatically driven, moving arm that extends 400mm from its rest position to ensure all four teats are evenly covered with minimal waste.

McCahon says a combination of the teat sprayer, automatic cup removers and CellSense sensors is helping them to maintain low somatic cell counts and healthy udders without employing an extra person at cups-off. “By having cup removers and an automated teat sprayer it offers flexibility with staff management. Someone can go and bring in the second herd then can go out and put up fences.”

Simplicity was a big attraction: the Teatwand system consists of one self-cleaning spray nozzle controlled by one solenoid and one weatherproof control box. “We wanted something we knew would be reliable, and simple to service if it broke down.”

The system was supplied and installed by Advanced Dairy and Pump Ltd, the Kaipara agent for DeLaval. Onfarm Solutions director and mastitis consultant Adrian Joe says McCahon and the installers positioned the spray unit well for easy access and maximum pro-tection. The unit is supplied solution from a pres-surised 100L vat in the milk room. A full tank will last four to five milkings.Tel. 0800 888 212www.onfarmsolutions.co.nz

GARETH GILLATT

Adrian Joe

Industry tackles theileriaTHEILERIOSIS IS a disease, caused by a species of Theileria (blood-borne parasites), usually recognised as anaemia. Transmis-sion is by a secondary host and, in New Zealand, this is the cattle tick Haemaphysalis longicornis.

Different species of Theileria cause disease around the world (see map). In the Pacific Rim coun-tries, the specific parasite is Theile-ria orientalis. A mild strain of this species, called Chitose, was first identified in New Zealand in 1982.

However, laboratory testing by MPI confirmed the presence of a new strain of T. orientalis in New Zealand in spring 2012.

This strain is called Ikeda and has been associated with anae-mia and deaths of cattle in New Zealand. It has previously been, and still is, associated with illness and deaths of cattle in Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea and other Pacific Rim countries.

The clinical signs of anaemia include lethargy, exercise intol-erance and increased respiratory and heart rates. Stresses, such as mustering and yarding of severely affected animals, can lead to col-lapse and death. While subclinical disease is likely to have an impact on milk production, reproductive performance and susceptibility to other conditions, a case study in Victoria has suggested no measur-able impact on milk. It is possible

an immunity develops and this will limit recurrence.

There are no human health or food safety risks associated with Theileriosis.

The parasitic infection can be treated with a phenolic drug, buparvaquone. This was developed about 40 years ago for treatment of a related, but much more severe, form of Theileriosis in Africa. The drug is only licenced and available in certain countries.

It has been made available in New Zealand in limited and con-trolled quantities under special permit and has long withhold-ing periods for milk (35 days) and meat (140 days). Cattle with signs of disease need good care. Sup-portive therapies, such as blood transfusions, have been helpful for severely affected animals.

This is not necessarily an easy procedure and, as with all such treatments, requires veterinary expertise. Prevention and control of Theileriosis is partly achieved by controlling ticks and manag-ing animal movements to ensure infected cattle are not mixed with uninfected cattle and vice versa.

The disease is now considered to be widespread over the north-ern half of the North Island. It has also been diagnosed as far south as Taranaki, King Country, Whan-ganui and Hawke’s Bay. Wherever cattle ticks are active, there is a risk

of Theileriosis. As of December 2013, 372 cases had been confirmed.

Veterinarians suggest many more cases have occurred than have been treated, managed with veterinary advice, sampled for anal-ysis or reported.

The potential impact of this disease on the New Zealand dairy industry is not known. DairyNZ is working with farmers, veterinar-ians and MPI to monitor the dis-ease, better manage it and support and advise farmers.

■ The disease is now widespread over the northern half of the North Island. It has also been diagnosed as far south as Taranaki, King Country, Whanganui and Hawke’s Bay.

■ As of December 2013, 372 clinical cases had been confirmed.

■ Veterinarians suggest many more cases have occurred than have been treated, managed with veterinarian advice or sampled. Therefore, the incidence of the disease is probably much greater than the number of confirmed cases indicates.

■ The main manifestation of the disease is anaemia due to the damage to red blood cells.

■ The clinical signs of anaemia include lethargy, exercise intol-erance and increased respiratory and heart rates.

■ Stresses such as mustering and yarding of severely affected animals can lead to collapse and death.

■ There are no human health or food safety risks associated with Theileriosis.

■ The parasitic infection can be treated with a phenolic drug, buparvaquone. It is available in New Zealand in limited and controlled quantities under special permit and has long withholding periods for milk (35 days) and meat (140 days).

WIDESPREAD IN NORTH

Historic distribution of Theileria species worldwide. Ikeda has been known from Australia since 2006 and New Zealand since 2012

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ANIMAL HEALTH // 35

Hardy ticks well-equipped to survive, thrive

The tick is distributed in the warmer northern areas of New Zealand.

ONLY ONE tick affects livestock in New Zealand and this is the New Zea-land cattle tick, Haema-physalis longicornis. This tick originates from east-ern Asia and was intro-duced into New Zealand at least a century ago, most probably on imported cattle.

The tick will feed on all ruminants and has been reported on other animals and birds. As with all ecto-parasites (parasites that live on the surface of the host), a heavy infestation can cause anaemia, con-siderable local skin irri-tation, some loss of body condition and, very occa-sionally, death (particu-larly in young animals).

In dairy cows, heavy tick infestations have been suggested to cause a reduction in milk produc-tion. Sheep with heavy tick infestations will rub due to irritation, reducing the quantity and quality of the wool clip.

The tick is distrib-uted in the warmer north-ern areas of New Zealand and has been recorded in Northland, Auckland, much of Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and Taranaki. Distribution in the South Island is limited, with the tick present in Marlborough, Nelson and Takaka.

However, reports are limited by how close observations have been. The juvenile ticks, espe-cially the larvae, are very small and therefore not obvious. Ticks feed where they can get access to blood vessels just under the skin surface, so small numbers are easily over-looked.

Tick activityThe cattle tick has four

developmental stages: egg, six-legged larvae, eight-legged nymph and eight-legged adult. Generally, the tick completes one life cycle per year. However, in warm and moist condi-tions more than one life cycle may occur.

The New Zealand strain is parthenogenetic (reproduces asexually), so only adult female ticks are present.

Tick populations show a distinct seasonal pattern. Eggs are usually laid from late November to early February. These hatch into larvae after about 90 days. The larvae feed for up to seven days from late

summer into the autumn. Fed larvae drop into the sward base and moult to become nymphs.

Nymphs first appear in late autumn and into winter. Unless the winter is very mild, nymphs have a period of dormancy and become active again in September and October. Adults first appear in early November, with their peak period of activity in late November to early Janu-ary.

The tick spends most its life at the bottom of vegetation. Each stage, apart from the egg, must feed on blood from an animal host, but only once, before development into the next stage.

The period of time spent on the host animal is short – larvae feed for about seven days, and nymphs and adults for 5-14 days each. After feed-ing, the tick falls to the ground and develops into the next stage weeks or months later, depending on temperature. Unfed ticks can survive for up to 12 months.

When hungry, the larva, nymph or adult climbs up a plant stem to wait for a passing host. They sense the presence of a host by warmth, move-ment, change in light and carbon dioxide gradi-ents. This is called ‘quest-ing’. They grasp onto the host as it walks past, using their front legs. Once on the host, they seek softer skinned and better pro-tected areas to start feed-ing, such as around the udder, under the tail and in the ears.

Tick behaviour is con-

NITA HARDINGtrolled by hunger and weather. Ticks do not like hot, dry conditions, being most active when the temperature is between 10-20oC and humidity is above 60%. Longevity is controlled by fat reserves

and desiccation. In hot, dry conditions ticks have a short life if they do not encounter a host.

In cool and moist con-ditions, a tick will survive many months waiting for a host. Thus this tick is

found in cold and snowy winter environments such as Hokkaido, Japan’s large northern island and home of their dairy industry, where winter snowfall can easily be one metre deep.

Nita Harding

TO PAGE 36

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36 // ANIMAL HEALTH

Ticks well-equipped to surviveFROM PAGE 35

Larvae are small and not easily seen on cattle. Mea-suring up to 1.5mm, nymphs are bigger and brown in colour. Unfed adult ticks are about 3mm long, thin and red-brown in colour. Fully fed adults can be up to 6mm in diameter and large numbers on cattle are obvious.

Heavy tick burdens can have a severe impact on young animals. Deaths of fawns within a few days of birth, as a result of anaemia, was a particular problem for the deer industry in the 1980s.

Because ticks spend most of their life off animals, controlling ticks by treating animals has a limited impact on the total population of ticks on a farm. It may be important to deal with large infestations on animals, and any new and immediate threat, by chemical con-trol. Understanding the conditions that favour ticks, and managing pastures and grazing to reduce tick survival in the pasture, will be more effective long-term.• Nita Harding is DairyNZ animal husbandry team leader.

INSPECTING FOR ticks is recommended as part of general biosecurity precautions when animals arrive on a farm. Even if no ticks are found, all animals should be quarantined for 7-28 days, depending on the disease threat. If ticks are pres-ent, the risk of Theileriosis can be assessed and precautions taken to protect the resident herd, if necessary.

Currently, two tick treatments are licenced in New Zealand. When used according to the manufacturers’ recommendations, especially frequency and quantity of use, the products have a nil milk and meat withholding period.

As pyrethroid is the only ectoparasiticide suit-able for such use, overuse is discouraged, as this could hasten a resistance to the chemicals and leave farmers with no suitable products for treat-ing lactating dairy cows.Control of ticks by pasture management

Ticks require adequate cover for survival. Long, rank pasture, fern, scrub, rushes and shel-tered areas along hedges favour tick survival. Newly developed or closely grazed pastures are unlikely to offer much protection for the various stages of the tick life-cycle.

Well-managed dairy pastures will have little in the way of suitable tick habitat. Pasture at runoffs may be of more concern, as it may not be grazed as intensively and may have rougher areas difficult to graze closely.

The longer grass around a paddock’s edge after a crop has been harvested (silage, hay or maize) can be an area where favourable tick habitats exist. After not being grazed for some time, this may contain large numbers of ticks awaiting hosts.

Warm, moist conditions enhance tick survival and development. When seasons are unusually warm (winter 2013) or when paddock conditions remain moist, more ticks will survive. Farmers in areas of the country where ticks occur may find it useful to evaluate the tick risk of their paddocks, based on how favourable conditions at the base of the pasture are for ticks.

Longer grass and sheltered paddocks are likely to be higher risk and the first grazing of these paddocks may be best done by older stock, rather than more susceptible younger stock such as calves. Estimating tick abundance and activity is best done by a blanket drag.

A white woollen blanket or piece of corduroy, about 50cm wide, stiffened by a pole or cane, and up to 1m long, is dragged by a string along a series of 5m strips of vegetation until ticks are found. Adult ticks that attach to the blanket can be counted. Larvae are best counted and re-moved at the end of the series of drags because they are not easily dislodged from the blanket during sampling.

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ANIMAL HEALTH // 37

Infected cows pose risk to staff.

Lepto vaccination advice change

HAVE YOU had your herd replace-ment calves vaccinated for leptospi-rosis yet?

If not, there’s no time to lose, judg-ing by a change to what is considered best practice to protect herds, and, arguably more importantly, staff and other industry personnel, from the potentially fatal disease.

In a change to the Leptosure pro-gramme, the NZVA is now recom-mending vaccination of calves 10-12 weeks after planned start of calv-ing, as opposed to the traditional six-month-old start to a vaccination programme.

It follows an NZVA-contracted review of the disease by Massey University which found some herd replacements are infected prior to vaccination and continue to shed the bacteria long after vaccination, put-ting people working with the animals at risk.

“We know that delayed vaccina-tion is a risk because if an animal is exposed to the disease prior to vac-cination, vaccination won’t elimi-nate the disease,” NZVA veterinary advisor Roger Marchant explained to Dairy News.

“And the longer we delay vaccina-tion, the more chance the animal will be exposed to the bacteria.”

While most dairy herds are vac-cinated, a pilot study suggests many will harbour a few of these cows that became infected before vaccination and consequently shed the disease persistently, notes Marchant.

Other risk factors for calves pick-ing up the disease are lack of colos-trum, unvaccinated stock, wet conditions and rodents, which carry the disease.

While an antibiotic treat-ment prior to vaccination will eliminate any disease pres-ent, blanket use of such treat-ments wouldn’t be practical for cost or antimicrobial resistance risk reasons, says Marchant.

After the first ‘sen-sitiser’ vaccination for a calf, a booster should be given 4-6 weeks later and a third vaccination in autumn about the same time as the main herds’ jabs to bring the young stock into sequence with the main herds’ annual programme.

While going earlier than 10 weeks post start of calving with the first jab might be con-venient from a workload point of view – for instance coinciding with dehorn-ing or clostridial vaccinations (5 in 1 etc) – there’s a risk the vaccine will be ineffective due to the tail-end effects of immunity conferred through colos-trum, says Marchant.

At latest, the two initial vaccina-tions, 4-6 weeks apart, should be done by six months.

Marchant’s comments follow a New Zealand Medical Journal article last month which highlighted the risk to staff from herds where infected cows may have slipped through the vaccination net.

In one spring three staff on one Wairarapa farm contracted the dis-ease, two of them requiring hospital treatment.

The article noted introduction of cattle vaccines for leptospirosis in 1979 saw human cases quartered, from 677 in 1979 to 179 in 1982. Inci-dence continued to ease into the 1990s but since then there’s been no decline with about 100 cases/year notified – 113 in 2012, 68 in 2011.

Of the 113 cases in 2012, 80 were in people with an occupation consid-ered high risk for leptospirosis, and of those, 58 (72.5%) were farmers or farm-workers, mostly dairy. That con-trasts with a 2002 review of the dis-ease which found incidence highest among meat processing plant work-ers, livestock farm workers being the second-most frequent.

Lead author of the NZMJ article, Margot McLean of Lower Hutt Dis-trict Health Board, told Dairy News the flu-like nature of mild cases prob-ably means many go unreported or unrecognised by GPs despite the dis-ease being notifiable.

“GPs in rural areas are more aware of it but it’s still not a very common disease… If you think there’s a risk you might have leptospirosis, you should mention that to your GP.”

Personal protective equipment for those working in risk environments, such as a milking shed, should include gloves, aprons, and, the NZMJ article argues, face protection.

ANDREW [email protected] LEPTOSPIROSIS

REMINDERS■■ ■Caused■by■various■strains■of■

Leptospira■bacteria.■■ ■Spread■in■urine;.■■ ■Whole■herd■annual■

vaccination■required.■■ ■Assume■incoming■animals■

unvaccinated■–■give■antibiotic■and■vaccine.

■■ ■Legal■responsibility■to■protect■staff.

■■ ■Develop■protection■programme■with■vet.

See■www.leptosure.co.nz■for■more.

@dairy_newsfacebook.com/dairynews

Types of Theileriosis worldwideTHEILERIA: A genus of blood-borne parasite of cattle, transmitted by a secondary host tick. It is similar to malaria. Theileriosis is the disease that may result from infection by Theileria.

Theileria annulata: a species of Theileria that causes a disease known as Mediterranean Fever, affecting cattle in the Mediterranean (southern Europe and Africa north of the Sahara) and the Middle East.

Theileria parva: a species of Theileria that causes a disease known as East Coast Fever, affecting cattle in sub-Saharan Africa. This is the most severe of the Theilerial infections.

Theileria orientalis: a species of Theileria that causes a mild to moderate disease, principally in the Pacific Rim countries, but also known from North and South America and Europe.

It has been known as T. buffeli and T. sergenti. Up to

eight different strains have been identified.

Type one: Chitose is a mild strain known worldwide.

Type two: Ikeda is the strain responsible for the disease outbreaks in Australia and New Zealand, and known previously to cause disease in Japan and Korea.

Type three: Buffeli is a mild strain known worldwide.

Types four through to eight are unnamed and not classified taxonomically. – DairyNZ

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38 // FENCING & FARM BUILDINGS

Benefits of fencing waterwaysFENCING FARM waterways has many benefits. It helps stabilise banks by preventing treading and erosion and reduces the risk of stock bogging or drowning, says DairyNZ.

Fencing to keep animals out of waterways leads to better water qual-ity by reducing the amount of faecal matter and sediment deposited directly in water. This helps improve habitat for fish and other freshwater life, improve the appearance of the waterway and

reduces drain maintenance costs. DairyNZ urges farmers to consider

overall farm layout when planning for waterway fences. Along with protecting waterways, new fencing could improve subdivision for grazing management and stock control. For fence placement:

Go for a minimum set-back of 1m where the paddock slope toward the waterway is less than 10 degrees. (The set-back should be greater if you are going to be planting.)

Go for a 3m set-back of ungrazed vegetation where the slope is greater than 10 degrees.

As a rule of thumb, where the land gets steeper the width of the set-back should increase.

Set it further back where banks are unstable.

Where there are seeps or shallow depressions adjacent to a stream these should be fenced (these areas can pro-vide a disproportionate input of con-taminants entering the stream).

Weigh up straight lines (less mate-rials and labour to install) versus fol-lowing the waterway course (possibly less grazing land lost). Choose fencing that suits your budget and your current set-up but make sure it’s stock-proof. DairyNZ says nine wires with battens is best for permanent fences. A two- or three-wire electric fence with perma-nent posts is enough to prevent cattle entering a waterway. For a single wire fence on a 1m set-back, increase the margin a little to allow for the grazing that will occur under the fence.

Be sure to allow for access when needed. For margins retired perma-nently, removable wooden rails in a

convenient spot will make it easy to free stock that might get in. For areas that require drain clearing, an electric fence that can be removed or dropped will allow easy access. Where fencing is more permanent, adequate spacing should be left between the waterway and fence for digger access. Coping with floods

Simple one-wire or two-wire electric

fences are good choices in flood prone areas. They are less likely to collect debris or be swept away in floods. They are also easier to reinstate after a flood.

There are other ways to reduce damage and repair costs in areas prone to flooding. Place fencing a greater dis-tance from the waterway (especially on the outside of bends). Also, place posts further apart.

USE OF TEMPORARY FENCING

TEMPORARY ELECTRIC fences are helpful to protect sensitive areas at critical times. For example, you can run a hot tape around wet areas and seeps in winter to keep stock out and avoid pugging. DairyNZ recommends contacting your regional council for assis-tance.

“Many regional councils provide free advice on fencing and other aspects of waterway management. Most provide free locally focused and helpful publications. Contact them in the early planning stages. Along with professional guidance, council staff can alert you to any regulations as well as funding opportunities.

Fencing waterways sometimes removes a valuable source of stock water. Putting in a reticulated water system could be expen-sive, but can be done in stages over time. A reticulated system con-tributes to animal health and to milk production and is well worth the investment.

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FENCING & FARM BUILDINGS // 39

Well-designed feed pads meet rules, aids productionA FEED pad on a farm is a specifically designed area with a hard surface used to feed out supplements.

The pads are normally sited near the farm dairy where stock can be held for short times and given supplementary feed, says DairyNZ.

There are food safety, district and regional council regulatory requirements for feed pads: New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) rules cover minimum distances between the milk contact areas and sources of potential food contamination. Factors such as feed storage, effluent containment, and the use of recycled yard wash water and rodent control will need to be considered.

Each dairy proces-sor may also have some requirements in their terms and conditions of supply which you should be aware of when you design your pad.

The regional and dis-trict councils are likely to have rules about the con-struction materials and sealing requirements of the pad, as well as the proximity to neighbours,

roads, surface and ground water, bores and odours.

DairyNZ advises farm-ers to get plans signed by a dairy assessor or dairy processor, and check with the district and regional council before construc-tion to meet any rules or regulations.

When choosing a site for your feed pad, visit existing feed pads on other farms to see what works well for them. Here are some considerations for site selection:

All minimum distance requirements controlled by regulation will be met.

Proximity to the dairy (meeting minimum distance requirement), proximity to supplementary feed stores and races.

Ease of cow flow, par-ticularly if cows enter or exit the dairy through the feed pad area

Access for vehicles for feeding out and cleaning the pad, including turn-ing areas.

Access to fresh drink-ing water for cows.

Fit with existing ser-vices (water, power, efflu-ent systems).

Effluent manage-ment (proximity to exist-

ing effluent system, use of natural slope where pos-sible).

Trees and other vege-tation for shade and wind protection.

Some distance from calf rearing facilities to prevent cow flow issues.

Feed pad dimensions may vary a little to suit the farm. The following guide-lines are for a feed pad used only to hold cows for a short time while feeding. If the pad is designed to be used as a standoff area, more space is required per animal.

Allow 4.5-6.0m wide feed lanes for easy trac-tor and feed-out wagon access; single cow lanes should be 4.0-4.5 m wide, double cow lanes should be at least 7.0 m wide.

Entry and exit points and turning areas for cleaning and feeding out should be wide enough (at least 8-10m) to allow free flow of stock and vehicles. Length of the feed face if feed is available con-tinually should be 300-500mm/cow and length of the feed face if all cows are fed at once should be at least 700mm/cow.

Overall, space require-ments are 3.5m2/cow on a

CONSIDER WHAT type of supplementary feeds you will be feed-ing as this will influ-ence the feed distribu-tion system. There are three options: feed bins, feed troughs and feed lanes.

When designing the feeding facilities, take into account:

■ The inside floor of the feed bin should be 150mm above the level of the cow’s front feet.

■ Bins, troughs and

feed lane walls should be 500mm high.

■ Bins and troughs should be no more than 1000mm wide. Installing wires or piping is useful to prevent cows getting into the feed. Feeding supplements is easier if the feed pad design allows a side-delivery feed-out wagon to be used.

■ Positioning feed

storage close to the pad will save time. Ensure any leachate from feed is contained and does not enter waterways.

■ Free access to fresh drinking wa-ter is critical; place water far enough away from the feed

PROPER FEEDING FACILITIES

races so that domi-nant cows cannot monopolise both the feed and the water at the same time.

feed pad when it is being used for short times.

The surface of the pad needs enough slope for drainage; 2-4° is common.

The pad surface should be made from reinforced concrete. If feed bins/troughs are used, cows and machinery are likely to travel over the same

area, so use higher MPa (strength) concrete with a textured finish. If you have separate feed and cow lanes:

Feed delivery lanes (for tractor access) should be 25-30 MPa to allow for heavy machinery and should have a smooth

finish for easy cleaning. Cow-only lanes should

be 20 MPa with a rougher, textured finish to reduce the slipperiness.

WHEN COWS step from the race onto the concreted area, any small stones caught in their hooves, or scuffed onto the concrete surface, can cause lameness issues.

There are two options to address this issue:

1) Using a finer/softer textured surface leading to the entrance.

2) Constructing a low step barrier or nib wall to prevent stones being scuffed onto the concrete.

ENTRY, EXIT AREAS

Feed pad

Feed facilities must be well designed.

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40 // FENCING & FARM BUILDINGS

Wairarapa family lauded for wetlands care

Jane Donald (left), Ben Gillett and Paula Gillett on the shores of Haywards Lagoon.

COMBINING GOOD farming practices with proactive steps to look after the wetlands on their beef and dairy farm has earned the Donald family, in Wairarapa, the title of National Rural Wetland Champion for 2014.

To celebrate World Wetlands Day 2014 on February 2 the National Wetland Trust and the DOC worked with regional councils to find New Zea-land’s most wetland-friendly farming families.

Wetlands are impor-

tant to maintaining a healthy environment, playing a key role in water purification and flood con-trol.

Protecting wetlands and minimising the impact of farming on these eco-systems benefits everyone.

Seven regional coun-cils were keen to recognise and reward wetland-friendly farmers in their region and submitted nominations to a judging panel.

The judges -- National Wetland Trust founder Gordon Stephenson, trustee Keith Thompson, and Jan Simmons – were impressed with wetlands conservation work by farmers nationwide.

They named the Donald family as cham-pion for 2014.

The family has farmed beside Lake Wairarapa , at Big Haywards Lagoon, for 150 years. The judges stated that: “This farm ticked just about all the boxes for environmental best practice.”

Farming and wetland management spans several generations in the Donald family. They’ve worked since 1856 to protect and restore at least 300ha of nationally significant wet-lands on the eastern side of Lake Wairarapa.

In nominating the Donald family for the award, the Welling-ton Regional Council described Jane Donald, daughter Paula Gillett and their family – present and past – as role models for wetland restoration in New Zealand.

The Wellington

Regional Council praised the Donald’s ability to marry their farming and conservation of their wet-lands.

“Canny initiative and perseverance describe Jane and Paula’s approach to wetland development and protection. This land has been farmed by the family since 1856. During this time there has been a long association with farmers, hunters, con-servationists and local councils. Most of the land farmed by the Tairoa part-nership is protected by a QEII covenant with actively managed func-tioning wetlands.

“Areas of remnant native forest have been, and continue to be, fenced off with a continuing pro-gramme of weed and animal pest control in and around the wetlands. The farming operation is stra-tegic, the beef farming being associated with the wetlands and lake shore and the dairying occur-ring inland separated from the wetland complexes. The farm and integrated wetlands provide a show-case for protecting biodi-versity and water quality and enhancing it in a prac-tical and innovative way by clever land managers using agricultural tools.”

One example of the how Donalds incorpo-rate conservation into their farming is their use of cattle to control weeds. They graze open areas in summer to control weeds such as wild tall fescue and maintain waterfowl habi-tat. This shows farming and wetlands can coexist.

TO CONSERVE their wetlands the Donald family have had the wetlands permanently protected by a QEII National Trust covenant and as part of their farming operation they also:

■ Keep stock out of waterways and other sensi-tive areas.

■ Plant native wetland plants to restore habitat.

■ Manage pests and weeds to enhance native wildlife.

■ Design their culverts to ensure fish can move freely.

■ Carefully manage fertiliser and dairy shed ef-fluent to minimise runoff and return nutrients to the land.

■ Use a feed pad to reduce trampling by stock and erosion.

WAYS TO NURTURE WETLANDS


FENCING & FARM BUILDINGS // 41

Cows come first in housing designsCOVERED PADS and barns are specially built facilities where animals can be contained off pas-ture for lengthy times.

According to DairyNZ, they are often combined with feeding facilities where supplementary feed is brought to the animal on the pad.

There are food safety, district and regional coun-cil regulatory require-ments for pads and barns. A huge number of factors must be considered when designing, building and managing a covered pad or barn. The following points discuss the main require-ments for the cow.

A dry, comfortable place to lie down.

A cow needs at least 8 hours of lying every day. It needs a dry, comfort-able place. The longer the confinement, the better the surface must be. A ‘drop test’ is a good way to assess if the surface is well cushioned: drop straight onto the surface on your knees. If the surface is so hard it hurts you, it’s too hard for your cows. There are a number of surfaces available including wood product, rubber and straw.

A roof increases the life of bedding material, allowing the use of more absorbent materials such as straw. Cows shouldn’t spend any longer than 12 hours on a concrete sur-face if they do not also have access to a soft area to lie on.

Feeding areas must be designed for easy access; young cows should not be denied access by the more dominant ones. Where feed is freely avail-able, space allowance at the feed table or bin can be 300-500mm/cow. If cows are fed all together simultaneously, this should increase to at least 700mm/cow.

For easy access the level of the feed table or bottom of the feed bin should be 200mm above the level of the cow’s front feet. Individual stanchions may reduce competition, but post and rail systems give better access.

The area per cow and the comfort of the sur-face are very important. The area per cow require-ment depends on the size of the cows and the length of time they will spend in the facility. Cows with-

out adequate space will become increasingly ‘ago-nistic’ (aggression caused by having to compete for food and space). Lactating cows will need more space allowance than dry cows as they need to lie down longer and have a greater need than dry cows to keep their udders clean.

Non-slip surfaces must be provided in high-traf-fic areas such as feed alleys and walking passages, and potential wet areas, such as around water troughs. Stamping, scrabbling or grooving concrete will help achieve non-slip surfaces, but should be done in a way that does not increase hoof wear. Rubber mats can improve walking surfaces, as long as they aren’t slippery.

On hard-surface pads, effluent should be removed at least once a day. For bedding and soft

surfaces, regular bed-ding changes will mini-mise hygiene and mastitis risk. Cows should not have to stand in effluent deeper than their hooves. Standing in effluent for long periods can lead to lameness from softened hooves, getting stones caught between toes, and

skin infections. Cows lying in effluent and mud are at high risk of environmen-tal mastitis. Good effluent drainage is important and clean rainwater needs to be diverted away from the facility to reduce effluent volumes.

Effluent management systems must be designed

to cope with the additional volume of effluent generated from pads and barns. The longer the cows spend in the facility, the greater the effluent volume generated. During the design stage, thought needs to go into how effluent solids will be captured and utilised.

There is a variety of ways of capturing, storing and applying solids.

Take care when apply-ing solids to land that the district and regional coun-cil rules are met, particu-larly the location of solids application and the high nutrient content of efflu-ent solids.

Ventilation in barns should be good enough that condensation does not drip from the roof. A temperate climate means that barns can be open on three or four sides. Wind or shade curtains can be used if weather protection is needed and air vents should be built into the roof structure. For light levels, a good ‘test’ is that there is enough light to allow reading anywhere in the facility during daylight hours. Providing a night light may stimulate cows to eat more, and will reduce panic in response to sudden noises. Covered shelters can help to control heat stress dur-ing hot summer months, and provide shelter in cold weather. Providing shade and shelter can help reduce the energy spent by the cow for thermo-regulation, therefore optimising milk production or weight gain.

Slatted floor barns are a slight variation on the traditional freestall and loose housed pad or barn. They have concrete panels which allow effluent to fall through, and be collected in an underground bunker. The roof should be made of plastic or clear polythene that allows light onto the pad, which helps kill bacteria.

The roof design should allow for plenty of ventilation, which reduces odour and moder-ates temperature.

Slatted floor shelters are not suitable to calve on, as calves’ feet can become trapped. If they are required for calving, then matting should be placed over the slatted area to prevent calves’ feet from injury, or install narrower slatted concrete in the calv-ing area.

TOP VENTILATION AND LIGHT ESSENTIAL

Many factors must be considered when building a barn.

Beat the seasons Redpath’s clear roofing lets the light in for a clean, dry healthy floor

“The shelter eliminates rainfall washing effluent from the feedpad – and the clear roof keeps the cows warm and the floors dry and disease free” Waikato

“The soft floor system is easy on the cows and I can hold them inside for as long as I want, I mix the litter into my feed crop when finished” Gore

“I feedout along the sidewalls of my Redpath shelter, it saves me a lot of time and my feed waste is almost nil” Waikato

“Protects my herd and my pasture during extreme weather and lifts my farm production as a result” Northland

FREEPHONE 0508 733 728email [email protected]

www.standoffshelter.co.nz

10-year life from

all new Super-Heavy

duty Durashelter roof

membrane.

WHAT FARMERS ARE SAYING

JH0037380©

A Redpath Dairyshelter takes the stress out of what to do with your herd when the weather packs up! Redpath clear roofed deep-litter shelters protect your cows

in comfort and are an on-going asset that future-proofs your business


The king of pond stirrersOnly from your Nevada NZ distributor.Think your crusted dairy effluent pond is unmixable? Think again. The TurboStir 7000 with Typhoon propeller technology will demolish crust and quickly get the whole pond swirling.

I like the Nevada PondBoom because it’s safer and easier to manage the pump than having it on a floating pontoon.


42 // MACHINERY & PRODUCTS

Fencing champs take $1000 prizeTAUMARUNUI FENCERS Bill Brewer and Simon Green have set a world record of 11 m 38 sec for putting 30 battens on a nine-wire fence at last month’s inaugural Fairbrother Speed Fencing Challenge.

The competition attracted about 20

competitors who put their stapling skills to the test at Grasslandz Agricultural Machinery Expo in the hot summer sun at Eureka near Hamilton.

Brewer and Green took away the $1000 first prize.

Fairbrother Industries sales manager Ken Lawson says the event attracted

fencing contractors and young farmers who don’t enter formal fencing competitions.

This competition is a world-first from Fairbrother Industries (www.fairbrotherind.com), which makes fencing and farming equipment.

Lawson says

Team Time Prize money1. Bill Brewer, Simon Green 11m 38s $1,0002 Tim Stafford, Jeff Joines 14m 9s $5003. Troy Brooky, Cameron Beaven 14m 11s $3004. Gordon Hansen, Jarrad Nicholson 15m 24s $1005. Rex Graham, Blair Eade 20m 13s $1006. Ben Boys, Thomas Wilson 23m 51s $100

TOP PLACE GETTERS

Fairbrother Industries is proud to sponsor the speed fencing challenge as fencing is an essential element of farming and this challenge allows people to show their

skills.The event was judged

by two experienced fencers and fencing

competition judges, Wayne Newdick and Nick Liefting, who monitored for quality standards.

For each nine faults contestants had to add another batten.

The fencing competition attracted 20 competitors.

Winners Bill Brewer and Simon Green.

• Reduce water loss• Locate leaks with ease• Saves time and labour costs• Positive indication day and night• Easy to install• Stainless steel construction• Designed and manufactured in NZ

Auto Inline Liquid DispenserAuto Inline Liquid Dispenser

Suction Tube

Outlet

Inlet

Particle Filter

Control Valves

QuickReleaseCouplings

Check Valve

PressureRelease

High Visibility Flow Indication

(FlourescenceVisible)

Flow

Mast available in various lengths

No Flow

Water Flow IndicatorWater Flow Indicator

• Reduces labour costs• Easy to install• Operates using water flow• Any pressure from 10 – 210 PSI• Competitively priced• Made from high quality materials• Designed and manufactured in NZ

BenefitsIdeal for:• Animal health remedies• General water treatments• Wash system detergents• Horticultural chemicals • Water driven – no power required

• Non-contact indication – no seals to wear• Designed for minimal maintenance• Available in packs of 2, 3 & 5 unitsSeveral sizes and mast lengths available

Features:

• Zinc• Magnesium• Copper• Salt• Bloat oil• Minerals• Chemicals

Can Handle

Singh’s Engineering Services66-68 Mahana Rd, Hamilton, Ph/Fax 07-849 3108

www.setech.co.nz or your local dairy equipment dealer

Dispenses chemicals andminerals into a water supply

Benefits

Easy Adjustment

Three models available

Visit us at Southern Fieldays!

For efficient effluent dispersalK-LineTM Effluent

0800 288 558 • www.rxplastics.co.nz

• Low rate of application

• No leaching or run-off

• No ponding

• Cost effective

• Low maintenance

• Large nozzle to eliminate blockages

• Meets all regional council requirements

RX Plastics are New Zealand’s leading manufacturer of K-Line irrigation products.Specialising in plastic products for water transport and storage, we employ cutting-edge extrusion, injection moulding and rotomoulding techniques to produce a wide range of water storage tanks, pipes and effluent dispersal systems designed specifically to meet the needs of New Zealand’s rural sector.

K-LineTM G-Set Irrigation

• Works on all terrains where pipe can be laid

• Efficiently replaces natural moisture loss

• Cost effective, with no labour required

• Provides permanent, low-maintenance irrigation solutions

• Irrigate areas of pasture that can’t be reached by conventional pivot irrigators

Solid Set Irrigation for pasture


MACHINERY & PRODUCTS // 43

Feed-roll technology leaves no stone unturned at harvestAT THE Agritechnica trade fair last year, New Holland unveiled Dynamic Feed Roll technology as an option for the powerful twin-rotor combine harvesters, the CR8000 and CR9000.

The feed roll with its new dynamic stone protection system is installed tangentially across the two longitudinal rotors in the combine harvester, the company says.

The Dynamic Feed Roll delivers the harvested grain uniformly to the twin rotors as well as providing an effective method for stone protection on the move, by way of a stone catcher trough beneath the feed rotor.

Many years of trials at the R&D Centre in Zedelgem have demonstrated that this feed roll delivers tangible benefits in terms of grain quality.

Furthermore, the tests have shown that the Dynamic Feed Roll requires no additional power requirement because the improved crop delivery to the rotor area actually reduces the need for power.

The advantages for the user are:

■ continuous ‘non-stop’ stone protection

■ excellent grain

quality ■ improved crop flow through

continuous supply to the rotor ■ less strain on the rotor drives

The Dynamic Feed Roll technology is being offered as an option for all CR combine harvesters from 2014 onwards.

New Holland is imported in New Zealand by C B Norwood Distributors Ltd. Tel: (06) 356-4920 Visit: www.newholland.co.nz

CR Dynamic feed roller.

The Dynamic Feed Roll delivers the harvested grain uniformly to the twin rotors as well as providing an effective method for stone protection on the move.

Harvest grain delivered uniformily.

Stone catcher trough beneath the feed rotor.

SERIOUS effluent pond stirring


With the new range of electric pond stirrers.Think your pond is too big for a single shore-mount stirrer? Think again. Nevada’s electric stirrers, with Typhoon propeller technology, are powerful enough to stir dairy effluent volumes in excess of 5 million litres.

» Eliminates grades caused by water heating problems

» Immediate power savings guaranteed

» Hot water when you need it, 24/7

» More time to relax with programmable settings

» Installed between milking, so no hold ups

Why dairy farmers are switching to

now

gas hot

water

www.longveld.com

For a free no-obligation quote call 0800 LONGVELD (0800 566 483)or email SONIa WILkINSON at [email protected]

This gas water heating system can be paid for with your rD1 superCard

View case studies at

www.dairyhotwater.co.nz

Check out our websiteswww.ruralnews.co.nzwww.dairynews.co.nz



Lely farm tech centre opensDAIRY PLANT manufacturer Lely last month officially opened a technology learning centre in the Netherlands.

The company says the new campus paves a way towards sustainable and innovative business in the agricultural sector, for “an enjoyable future for people and animals”.

Dutch Queen Máxima officially opened the Lely Green-est Innovation Campus in Maasluis. She then took part in a discussion on the future of dairy farming.

Lely says the challenge dairy farmers face in the Neth-erlands, in responsibly supplying a growing population with dairy products, is felt all along the production chain. So the developments by Lely will help.

As a producer in the agricultural sector, sustainability is a clear concern, the company says.

“There is no question that this new building had to comply with the strictest standards of sustainability. The Lely Campus has been awarded an‘outstanding’ certifi-cate as the most sustainable office and production com-plex in Europe”

Rocker switches shed new light in cabinEVER TRIED to find a switch to operate driving lights, a diff lock or com-pressor in the cabin of a 4WD vehicle in the dark?

Chances are you probably pushed sev-eral un-related switches or buttons in frustration

until you found the right one. But now there is a solution.

NARVA has introduced a new range of top qual-ity illuminated rocker switches to New Zea-land with 4WD-specific accessory symbols so that

The NARVA 12-Volt rocker switches are printed with popular 4WD accessory symbols and can also be customised for other uses.

owners of 4WD recre-ational and work vehicles can easily find and turn on accessories when it’s too dark to see clearly in the cabin.

The fully sealed, globe-illuminated 12-volt rocker switches are printed with the most popular 4WD accessory symbols and built tough for demanding off-road environments. They will continue to work long after low quality switches have parted com-pany with wires or just stopped working.

For a long operating life, the switches feature a fully-sealed fascia, which prevents dust, water or other debris fouling the switch mechanism.

Users will also appre-ciate the generous pro-portions of the switches, which make them easy-to-engage over rough terrain, while the sealed design means that muddy or wet fingers won’t pose a prob-lem.

Available in ‘off/on’ and ‘on/off/momentary on’ (ideal for winching), the switches feature a dash-light function that turns on with the park lights, making them easy

to locate at night or in poor light conditions. When engaged, the backlit symbol also illuminates, confirming to the operator that the accessory is on.

The range of 4WD switches are screen-printed with a white symbol and title printed on a blue lens with most of the popular 4WD acces-sories covered. Available symbols include: driving lights, fog lights, front and rear diff locks, compres-sor, back-up lights, auxil-iary lights, roof lights and winch.

Should a different symbol or colour be required, the globe illuminated switches are also available in blank amber, blue, green or red options allowing the user to customise, via a decal set containing 50 popular 4WD accessory symbols.

The globe illuminated switches are easy to wire and suit both negative and positive switching systems found in late model 4WD drives and utes.

Users wanting to bank a number of switches can do so via inter-connecting mounting panels.

PPP Feed Systems are specifically designed to handle PKE - guaranteedPPP have Installation Agents from Northland to Southland offering a full back up service

Check out our website: www.pppindustries.co.nz

Phone: 0800 901 902 | Email: [email protected]

SilosGrain silos from 6 tonne to 250 tonnes PKE vibrators – money back guarantee to work! Suitable for PKE, dairy meals and grain Mineral & liquid additive system Utility Augers

Herringbone Feed SystemsStainless steel ensures hygiene is excellentOne dispenser per cow, clear dispenser allows plenty of light in shedNon-breakable drop tubes with no blockages in drop tubeSheds from 10 aside to 73 aside, using PKE to dairy rationsFeed rates as low as 0.5 kg upwards

Rotary Feed SystemsStainless trays, anti-robbing barsSingle or multiple auger linesLiquid injectionMineral additive line suitable for EID systems

Press Screw SeparatorsA simple solutionPPP installed NZs first separator in 2002Clarifiers available for extra screening down to 80 microns

Automated Calf FeedersRear better heifers for more milk productionSave on labourOffers every calf the same opportunityEurope number #1 selling systemAuto wash system

On Farm MillingDisc MillingAustralian dairy farmers say “for less grain you produce more milk”

See us at the Field DaysSouth Island - site 426ANorthland - Site 270Central Districts - Sites 10a/11a


MACHINERY & PRODUCTS // 45

Gallagher HR5 rewrites animal recording history

Farmers can easily record and store information.

GALLAGHER SAYS its new HR5 hand held EID tag reader and data collector allows the user to record, edit and customise livestock data on the spot.

The HR5 is ‘big brother’ to the company’s award-winning HR4 EID tag reader and data collector. It can record and display data such as breed, sex, condition score and pregnancy status.

“But uniquely,” says marketing manager Mark Harris, “the HR5 also has an alpha-numeric keypad that enables the user to immediately enter or edit data without having to return to a PC or weigh scale.”

This makes it very powerful, Gallagher says. “There is nothing close to it on the market. It’s a massive leap forward for EID-based technology because it enables farmers to easily collect and record virtually limitless amounts of information on their animals.”

He says the ability to enter or edit data on-the-spot saves a lot of time and hassle. The user doesn’t even have to be within tag-scanning range of an animal to record and display data.

“If you can read the visual tag number you

can enter it straight into the HR5 and all the information previously recorded on that animal will become immediately available to you.”

He anticipates huge interest in the product here and worldwide.

“It’s a great tool for assisting farmers to make

quick and well-informed

animal management decisions, and also for helping them to meet NAIT requirements. For example, if you have lots of animal movements onto and off the farm, this device makes it easy to record the NAIT information and buyer/seller’s details when the stock are sold or purchased.”

In the case of a lost EID tag, the user can simply type the visual ID number straight into the HR5, insert the new eartag and scan the new EID number. The animal’s history will then be transferred to the new EID number. Harris says the user-friendliness of the HR5 is another key point of difference.

“Our designers have simple icons for the menu system smartphone-

style which makes the HR5 straightforward to operate, even for people who aren’t computer savvy.”

The HR5 has a 2.8-inch backlit colour screen – easy to read inside and

outside. The device’s animal performance software (APS standard) interfaces with all Gallagher readers and weigh scales.

This software makes it easy to transfer data between devices and to analyse all animal information in one place. Valued at

$199+GST, this software comes free with HR4 and HR5 readers.

The HR5 also enables the user to add and edit

session names to make it easy to identify sessions once they are uploaded into the APS software. Pre-defined colour-coded lists allow the quick and simple sorting of animals on-the-go, again without the need to be at the weigh site.

And mothers can be linked to their offspring as soon as their EID tag is entered. Birthing details can also be added to these records. Numeric text, date and pick-list type traits enable the user to record observations on individual animals, and

animal notes can be set to appear automatically when the animal is next scanned.

Bluetooth-enabled, the HR5 and HR4 are supplied with a standard USB cable for connection to a PC. They can also be charged via a car charger.

Gallagher HR5 hand-held EID tag reader and data collector.

FAIRBROTHER Rancher Deluxe

$8650 $7990FIRST HIGH TENSILE BEAM• 14 safety

features• First postdriver

sold to Royalty• First Super 6

pulley design system

STEAL FROM US

Call 0800 672 009www.fairbrotherind.com

*

*Conditions apply.

Go to www.ruralnews.co.nz/butterbell to enter

READ AND WIN

From the Butter Bell Crock range comes the new CowBell crock. Made from durable New Bone China, the CowBell

crock is guaranteed to keep your butter fresh and spreadable for weeks without refrigeration - holding up to

150 grams of butter inside. Order direct from www.butterbell.co.nz or follow the link below to order.

The ultimate in pond safetyI like the Nevada PondBoom because it’s safer and easier to manage the pump than having it on a floating pontoon.

Only from your Nevada NZ distributor.Effluent pump pontoons are a serious hazard for workers. That’s why Nevada developed the innovative PondBoom™ – a winch and trolley system that allows you to quickly retrieve the pump from the safety of shore.




More efficient harvesterCASE IH is extending the proven VariCut 3050 header series for the 2014 growing season, with a new 12.5m now topping out the range.

“This new header offers the opportunity to make better use of the high threshing capacity of the latest Case IH com-bines and further increase harvesting efficiency,” explains Tim Fanning, operations manager for Case IH.

“Furthermore, this new 12.5m VariCut header offers the opti-mum working width for Controlled Traffic Farm-ing systems based on 12m widths, which are becom-ing increasingly popu-lar on larger farms across Europe.”

The new header fea-tures several new devel-opments and innovative technologies. In addition

to the rugged frame and the double floor design, a one-piece reel is used. This allows for an opti-mum field of vision, even with such a large working width.

Short or long grain dividers, as well as side-knives for oilseed rape, are available as options. Header knife position can be adjusted within a 57cm range, allowing for opti-mum adaptation to dif-

ferent crop situations and the hydraulically-driven reel can be operated above or below the level of the knife, with a patented reel protection system avoid-ing contact between reel and knife, particularly during knife extension or retraction. Without using tools, the angle of the reel tines can easily be adjusted from the side of the header. All these Vari-Cut features are designed to ensure the engine and the threshing and clean-ing systems – and hence the combine as a whole – operate at full capacity and efficiency.

Optimum protection of the auger is achieved through a centre mounted support assembly, says Fanning.

“With the huge vol-

umes of crops we must also ensure we optimise the crop flow as it transi-tions from the auger to the intake elevator,” he says.

“Our split auger design ensures this happens. In order to reduce power consumption and bal-ance the header, the knife is separated in two halves, one being driven from the left and the other from the right, thus reducing the strain on the cutter bar and enhancing reliability.”

Auger retracting tine guides are now made of high-strength polyethyl-ene, with improved wear-resistance properties and new geometry, for pro-longed replacement inter-vals. Case IH engineers have also improved the Field Tracker system, with four sensors now provid-

ing enhanced ground hug-ging on hillsides and in uneven fields.

“The new header not only optimises the throughput of our Axial-Flow combines, but also opens new pathways to more sustainability and improved soil protection, not least from fewer field passes, shortened turn-around time and – in con-junction with the track systems available for the front axles of Case IH Axial-Flow combines – markedly lower soil pres-sure”, says Fanning.

The new header can now be ordered for the 2014 harvest season.

Case IH is imported in New Zealand by C B Nor-wood Distributors Ltd.(0800) CASE IH or visit www.caseih.co.nz

NEW FEATURES ■ Working width increased to

12.5m

■ One-piece reel allows for optimum field of vision

■ Case IH Field Tracker with four sensors provides perfect ground-hugging

■ Ideal header for Controlled Traffic Farming (CTF).

VariCut 3050

The EPS Stirrers come in a range of sizes to suit anything from your sump to a huge pond.

All the bearings and seals are above the water line.

r No dark strips down the paddock

r No puddles left behind

r Meets even the toughest New Zealand Effluent Enviro Standards

r Has the Most Even Rain Cover over wetted width in New Zealand by far

Applied Depth – No Overlap

543210

–20 –16 –12 –8 –4 0 4 8 12 16 20Distance (m)

Depth0–5mm

Test 1 Test 2 Test 3

��••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••��

just 5 mm applied depth!Covered by:

PATENT No. 578084

ADR 500 Effluent Screening Plant

Take your Effluent Pond from crusty to aerobic

Pluck’s LP35E Even Cover Effluent Irrigator

0800 PLUCKS0 8 0 0 7 5 8 2 5 7

Call us now to find a distributor and installer in your area [email protected] Main South Road, Rakaia 7710 Mid Canterbury

COVERED BY N.Z. PATENTAPPLICATION No. 591985

r All plant and pumps very low kW

r Self cleaning screen

r Self cleaning ponds

r Effluent is clean enough to be pumped into a pivot system if required

r Screens out everything bigger than 1 mm

from this … to this … using one of these:

UreaBoronCalciumMagnesiumThistle Sprayor whatever

Mix and apply

in just one pass

Tow anD Fert

0508 747 040www.towandfarm.co.nz

Sample RecipeUrea: 35kg/haBoron: 1kg/haLime Flour: 100kg/haMagnesium: 5kg/haThistle Spray: 2litres/ha35 hectares 1 Tow and Fert load3 minutes per hectare

Or have the mix formulated by your nutritional

consultant based on soil and pasture tests

- 3 Models to choose from; 1000, 1200 and 4000 litres- Up to 24 metre spray width- Dissolves Urea in minutes- Mix fine particle suspension products easily with no blockages- Mix biologically active products without harming the microbes

From Only$13,900 + GST

TF

Call now for an on-farm demonstration or Free DVD

www.pggwrightson.co.nz | Helping grow the country

Providing the most comprehensive Dairy Livestock network in New Zealand.

Talk to us today about your Dairy Livestock requirements:

JON LEENorth Island Dairy ManagerPh 027 839 7073

PAUL EDWARDSSouth Island Dairy ManagerPh 027 442 5028

So many ways to buy and sell dairy livestock with AgonlineFreephone 0800 2466 5463 www.agonline.co.nz

Documents

Dairy News 11 Feb 2014