Farmers Weekly May 6 2024

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First shots are fired in new fert war

Richard Rennie NEWS Agribusiness

ATRANS-Tasman battle between Australian fertiliser company Marnco and New Zealand farmer co-op companies has kicked off with lawyers lined up for what may be a costly and lengthy legal scrap.

Marnco entered the NZ bulk fertiliser market only a month ago to intense farmer interest in its promise of discounted super phosphate. The inaugural delivery of a 30,000 tonne shipment from Vietnam was unloaded in Timaru and Tauranga.

We are currently supplying a high-quality product that’s low in cadmium, well granulated and contains minimal dust.

Mark Been Marnco

But its arrival has drawn fire from the Fertiliser Association of NZ (FANZ), the industry body dominated by the two biggest players, Ravensdown and Ballance. The first shot was fired last week with FANZ seeking a court injunction against Marnco selling what FANZ claims is not valid superphosphate.

Farmers Weekly understands that despite efforts to get Marnco effectively shut down this month, the court has granted a hearing in September to give all parties time to lawyer up.

FANZ is challenging the quality of Marnco’s superphosphate product, claiming testing has found it fails to meet the 8% standard for superphosphate under the Fertmark code.

FANZ claims Marnco’s product averages around 7.4% phosphate, short of the target.

It also claims the solubility of Marnco’s product is below the Fertmark standard for superphosphate.

Ballance CEO Kelvin Wickham said Ballance and the rest of the industry have no issue if the product is being fairly represented, but say it cannot be sold as superphosphate.

“We are very comfortable with the competition, but not with the claim it is superphosphate when it does not meet Fertmark standards,” he said.

Marnco’s managing director Mark Been has hit back at industry claims his product is below par.

“We are currently supplying a high-quality product that’s low in cadmium, well granulated and contains minimal dust,” Been said.

In response to the claims, Marnco is conducting its own independent testing.

page 3

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Lim finds her feet on the farm

City girl Nadia Lim says bringing three children up on a farm was more husband Carlos Bagrie’s dream than her own – but it’s working out just fine.

PEOPLE 18

SECTORFOCUS

Government approves the sale or lease of 3800ha to foreign investors for solar farms.

NEWS 5

Vege stall with roots deep in the land

David and Kathy Wilson grow 10 hectares of vegetables on their Southland dairy farm. Having variety is key to their roadside stall’s success.

HORTICULTURE 20-23

NZ dairy sector urged to keep a close eye on bird flu developments in the US.

NEWS 6

Each time a government is elected we end up disappointed, Allan Barber says.

OPINION 16

EDITORIAL

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ISSN 2463-6002 (Print) ISSN 2463-6010 (Online)

News in brief Synlait change

Synlait co-founder John Penno has stepped down from the board of the company he helped create and George Adams has been elected as its new chair.

Penno co-founded Synlait and was managing director and chief executive for 12 years. The changes come a month after the company’s interim result reported a net loss of $96.2 million after tax.

McClay travel

Trade Minister Todd McClay has headed overseas for trade talks in the Gulf region, and a key OECD meeting in Paris.

McClay, who returns to NZ on May 8, travels to Riyadh to meet counterparts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council. He will also head to Dubai to discuss progress of exploratory talks towards a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with the United Arab Emirates, and travel to Paris for the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting.

Beef expansion

Sixteen more commercial beef farmers have been selected to take part in the Informing New Zealand Beef programme to help drive the uptake of genetics in the industry.

The seven-year INZB partnership aims to boost the sector’s profits by $460 million over the next 25 years. The 16 new commercial farmers are from ManawatūWhanganui, Canterbury, Hawke’s Bay, Southland, Otago, Waikato and Taranaki.

Pāmu appointment

Ash-Leigh Campbell has been appointed an associate director on the board of Pāmu. Campbell has also held roles with New Zealand Young Farmers as chair, was a board observer with UniMed and currently works for agri-tech company Halter. Acting board chair for Pāmu Nigel Atherfold said growing a diverse range of directors is a way to ensure continuity and development opportunities for individuals and the wider primary sector.

Back in 1860, exporting meat to the other side of the world seemed about as easy as nailing gravy to the ceiling. But a few determined kiwis took the bull by the horns and now our grass-fed beef and lamb is sought-after all around the globe.

At AFFCO, we see the same pioneering spirit alive and well in farmers today. We’re playing our part too – exploring every opportunity to take New Zealand’s finest farm-raised products to the world.

Little room for lamb returns to rise

EXPORTERS have yet to see signs that overseas markets are prepared to pay more for lamb.

Continued market weakness in China and another record lamb production year from Australia continue to dampen global prices, dashing hopes of an immediate boost to sheep farming fortunes.

AgriHQ is forecasting some improvement in winter pricing, but senior analyst Mel Croad said “the degree of upside at this point is not startling, given we are starting from such a low point”. Meat companies are cutting costs, looking for efficiencies and reducing their reliance on China.

Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) is forecasting yet another year of record lamb production this year before easing slightly. Croad described this season as unusual.

Since January the lamb schedule has stayed within a tight band while the 626,000 lambs killed in the lead-up to Easter marked just the second time this year and third time in three years that a weekly kill has exceeded 600,000 head.

The kill to the end of March was 6.5% or 691,000 lambs ahead

Continued from page 1

“We note the testing by FANZ and Ballance occurred in situ and we have been unable to determine sampling methodology or condition of the samples obtained, which may have impacted their results.”

The intensifying battle between the companies highlights ambiguities in the NZ fertiliser sector around how fertiliser product is defined.

Accreditation through the

of the same time last season, indicating potentially tighter winter supplies.

“These tight supplies may not be enough to fully offset the weaker market fundamentals and the continued surge of production out of Australia,” Croad said.

She said store lamb prices are weak relative to schedule prices, with confidence yet to build among winter lamb finishers following a tough trading season last year.

Alliance Group sales director

James McWilliam said the company is reducing exposure to China by diverting sheepmeat and beef to higher paying markets.

“We have also made significant progress in diversifying our products that continue to be sold into the Chinese market, taking us further up the value chain in China.”

McWilliam said prices have improved in North America, the United Kingdom, continental Europe and wider Asia, but China sets global sheepmeat prices and will determine the pace of recovery.

He attributed the lack of schedule movement to small price increases in North America and Europe while China pricing remained flat.

Alliance initiatives such as

industry’s Fertmark scheme is not legally required by fertiliser producers before they sell product in NZ.

Four years ago industry veteran Dr Bert Quin concluded a lengthy court battle with Ballance, arising when Ballance challenged his use of the term “RPR” in a product he imported.

The case concluded with both parties claiming victory. The judge ruled that Quin’s product should not be banned from sale simply because it did not meet a Fertmark

Investing for the Future You

artificial intelligence technology to measure intramuscular fat levels in lamb and marbling percentages in beef will assist farmers with breeding and feeding programmes and returns.

Silver Fern Farms (SFF) chief supply officer Jarrod Stewart said while New Zealand lamb attracts premium prices over the Australian product, that price differential means customers facing depressed consumer confidence and high inventory levels have the choice of lower priced meat.

“While we’ve got some big levers working against us right now, we’re confident that this is a point in time that will pass.”

Stewart said SFF has reduced costs but continued to invest in its customers, markets and processing infrastructure to increase product profile, efficiency and reliability.

“We can’t save ourselves to prosperity and we can’t sit in a forlorn hope that our story will somehow resonate with customers if we aren’t prepared to invest in telling that story.”

AFFCO chief executive Nigel Stevens said the company is modifying production specifications and channelling lamb to higher paying markets, meaning a significant increase in

test for RPR, but said it had to be made clear it did not meet the Fertmark code.

Ballance claimed the win for its efforts to see clearer labelling on the product, while Quin claimed a win because he could, and does, continue to sell it.

Today Quin said the Marnco case carries strong parallels to his 2020 case.

“They claim their [Marnco’s] superphosphate is not as soluble to the citric test. That does not mean all the P in the product is

volumes going to the UK, Europe, Middle East and North America.

“The reality is that we currently face price ceilings in many markets,” he said.

Stevens said slim processor margins mean there is limited scope to increase the lamb schedule during the season despite excess processing capacity ensuring intense procurement competition.

MLA is forecasting a 2.9% drop in Australian sheep numbers this year to 76.5 million, which follows three successive years of growth and two years of

not available, it is just a question of time before it is released. That part is just as relevant to this case as it was to my RPR case.”

Quin said as long as the P content is clearly labelled, it could come down to farmers deciding for themselves if they are happy with its content, and paying a price that reflects any difference in percentage of P compared to other products.

Unlike Quin, the battle has Marnco armed with some heavyweight backing in the form

record lamb slaughter.

A record 621,000t of lamb is expected to be sold this year into both export and domestic markets, which comes after Australia produced a record 599,461t in 2023, 11.6% higher than 2022, which was in itself a record year.

MLA’s market information manager, Stephen Bignell, said if this year’s production is achieved, it will be 21.3% or 109,359t above the 10-year average.

Lamb production in 2025 is forecast to ease to 587,000t and then rise to 606,000t in 2026 due to improved carcase weights.

of United States fertiliser company Nitron, which supplies its fertiliser. In 2021 Nitron grossed US$3 billion ($5bn) revenue and ranks as one of the US’s largest fertiliser companies.

Anders Crofoot, chair of the Fertiliser Quality Council that oversees Fertmark, confirmed the challenge to Marnco had not been raised by the FQC.

He also confirmed that the FQC has not received any complaints from farmers about the Marnco product at this point.

Neal Wallace MARKETS Sheep and beef

BIG KILL: Meat and Livestock Australia is forecasting yet another year of record lamb production this year before easing slightly.

Is NZ ready for ag’s green revolution?

Annette Scott NEWS Trends

WITH increasing scrutiny from consumers and governments demanding enhanced sustainability, New Zealand needs to transition its farming practices to stay ahead of the game amid global megatrends.

That was the collective message delivered from industry leaders at the Green Economy seminar at Lincoln University.

While NZ is well-positioned to lead the global sustainable agriculture and food sector, with its agricultural products boasting some of the lowest carbon footprints worldwide, it is at risk of falling off its perch, the seminar was told.

There are challenges ahead, and the big questions are, Are we ready for it as a country? How do we get there? Will science save us?

Global consulting firm Boston Consulting Group predicts the value of the global green economy will reach $9.4 trillion by 2030.

This presents one of the largest economic opportunities

ever for NZ, given the country’s 100% Pure brand, pristine natural environment, abundant renewable energy resources and sustainability-minded society.

Agriculture and food production play a vital role in the NZ economy, contributing around $40 billion in annual exports, representing 67% of goods exports and 47% of total exports.

The industry faces challenges, such as the rising demand for premium and environmentally friendly agricultural products, decreasing costs of agri-tech, the emergence of alternative proteins and milk, and government efforts to reduce environmental impacts through policy and regulation.

NZ’s agricultural sector must adapt to these trends to stay competitive and capitalise on opportunities for sustainable growth, Lincoln University agribusiness and economics research leader John Saunders said.

NZ has the potential to lead the world in sustainable agriculture by capitalising on the trend of “premiumising”.

This involves enhancing the sustainability of existing

products and expanding into new categories, incorporating greater supply chain transparency, ethical sourcing and certifications.

“There is great opportunity for NZ but science spending in agriculture will be really, really important for NZ, and globally,” Saunders said.

“Consumers are willing to pay for carbon neutral products if we can connect with them. Close the gap in thinking, know your consumers, don’t assume, ask them.”

Saunders said while using policy to encourage the right change is important, it must be consistent.

“Foot in, foot out, like Morris dancing, is not ideal.”

Will science save us?

“No, NZ has a history of underfunding science. The NZ science system is in a large period of uncertainty, we don’t put the money where our mouth is.

“Scientists are warning NZ risks losing top researchers due to the research funding gap.”

NZ must aggressively invest in research and development to reduce agricultural emissions in its pasture-based farming system.

With over 90% of emissions

being “hard to abate” in the agricultural sector, collaborative efforts with peer organisations and government support, such as the $339m investment in the Centre for Climate Action on Agricultural Emissions, are crucial.

Emerging technologies and best practices, including agri-tech and regenerative agricultural techniques, can further reduce environmental impact and enhance productivity.

ANZ head of sustainable finance

NZ manager Dean Spicer said sustainable or green finance is becoming more inclusive, robust and agile.

“But we are not there yet, there are a whole lot of challenges still to overcome.

“With NZ’s ambition to double exports by value in the next 10 years, we need to embrace the signals we are getting now as the financial markets are not necessarily capturing the climate risks that are there,” Spicer said.

Tunley quits as head of HortNZ, as levy vote looms

NADINE Tunley, who has led Horticulture NZ since June 2021, has resigned as chief executive, effective from the end of August. She said the time is right for someone with fresh energy to lead the producer group given it now has a new strategy and faces a commodity levy referendum over the next two months.

“I love the job and the team and working with dedicated and

passionate growers.

“But the role is bigger than the time I can commit to it moving forward. I want to restore my work-life balance and explore new opportunities.”

HortNZ board chair Barry O’Neil said the board is disappointed to see Tunley go.

He said that with a new commodity levy proposal about to be voted on, HortNZ can recruit a

replacement chief executive “to lead the organisation and deliver the strategic outcomes for the next six years, with the full energy required”.

He assured growers that the board and HortNZ staff will continue to take the organisation forward in line with its strategy and plan.

“This will include an ongoing focus on the priority areas of water

allocation and storage, climate change and adaptation, and food security and supply.

“We’ll continue to lead and support important projects such as A Lighter Touch and Growing Change.”

O’Neil said the board recognises Tunley’s contribution, most notably during the challenges of the covid lockdowns and Cyclone Gabrielle’s devastation.

“Whilst dealing with these extreme events, she continued to drive the internal organisation through the transformation necessary for it to succeed as well as to open the door for further alignment within the horticultural industry’s levy organisation landscape.”

MORE: See page 22

PLENTIFUL: Agriculture and food production play a vital role in the NZ economy, contributing around $40 billion in annual exports.

Thousands of hectares sold to solar

Neal Wallace TECHNOLOGY Energy

THE government has approved the sale or lease of 3800 hectares to foreign investors for the construction of solar farms since July 2022.

Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) head of regulatory practice and delivery Rebecca McAtamney said applications for the sale or lease of a further 680ha to foreign investors for solar farms are being processed.

She said this does not mean consent applications for construction have been lodged or granted.

The applications have been approved by LINZ’s Overseas Investment Office (OIO) under its power to exempt farmland from advertising provisions.

McAtamney said this means someone selling farmland or an interest in farmland is not required to advertise the land on the open market before an application to purchase the land is made.

Each of these applications is considered individually, but solar

developments generally require a period of due diligence to verify the suitability of the land for development, she said.

Securing rights to the land is a key step before committing to the time and cost of undertaking that due diligence, which can be complicated by having the property on the open market.

“In solar farm developments, investors typically approach the owners of suitable land directly instead of responding to advertisements, and advertising after due diligence takes place, comes with commercial risks for the investor and can be less genuine if the land is not otherwise on the market.”

In OIO decisions for 2023 and up to March this year, 16 applications were approved under the advertising-exempt provisions, covering the lease of 2636ha. A further two covering 127ha went through the normal OIO process.

Most are in the North Island and the area involved varies from 41ha at Edgecombe to 295ha at Christchurch International Airport.

Five approvals were for areas exceeding 200ha.

These figures relate only to applications required to go through the OIO process.

Auckland-based Far North Solar Farms alone has 11 projects in various stages of consenting and development, covering nearly 2000ha.

Five of its projects are consented or under construction.

Those are at Edgecombe, 30ha, with potential to generate enough electricity to power 6800 homes; Marton, 37ha, 7800 homes; Foxton 40ha, 7000 homes; and Waiotahe 161ha, 14,500 homes.

Construction of a 17ha farm is underway at Pukenui in the Far North; it will supply 4000 homes.

The remaining six projects are in design or consenting phase and range from 89ha at Waitara to 670ha at The Point in Canterbury, which FNZF states on its website will power 100,000 homes.

The company has formed a joint venture with German and Japanese-owned Aquila Capital to acquire a lease on the Waitara property, which it claims will generate enough electricity to supply 12,776 homes.

EXEMPTION: Many of the solar farm applications were approved by Land Information New Zealand’s Overseas Investment Office under its power to exempt farmland from being advertised on the open market before an application to purchase it is made.

In recent weeks consent has been granted to a Genesis-FRV joint venture for a $104 million solar farm on 93ha at Lauriston in Mid Canterbury on which 90,000 panels will be constructed, to generate enough electricity to power 13,000 homes.

Other developments granted advertising exemptions include First Renewables Power Ltd, Harmony Energy Ltd (UK) and Harmony Energy NZ Ltd, to lease two blocks at Te Aroha covering 383ha.

Zespri, insurers juggle mouse-hit cargo

Rennie NEWS Horticulture

KIWIFRUIT affected by the mouse infestation aboard the Zesprichartered ship that docked in Zeebrugge remains at the port, as the marketer and its insurers determine the cargo’s fate.

Late last month the first European shipment of the new season’s SunGold fruit was discovered to have mouse infestation throughout all 16 of the holds on the chartered ship Crown Garnet, putting the quality

Neal Wallace, Senior Reporter

and saleability of the entire 1.2 million-tray shipment in jeopardy.

Zespri chief operating office Jason Te Brake said Zespri was working with its insurers and the shipping company Cool Carriers to identify the cause of the issue and determine the next steps.

“Our European customers are excited to be getting underway. While, like us, they’ve been disappointed by the delay, they’ve been understanding of the situation and supported the strong stance we’ve taken.”

A second and third shipment have since arrived, completing

customs clearance successfully and are already being distributed to customers.

“We’re really pleased that fruit arriving on board our latest vessels into Europe is high quality and we’re looking forward to delivering this to our customers and meeting the strong demand,” Te Brake said.

“While it’s disappointing our sales in Europe were delayed by the finding of mice on our first shipment, it’s been reassuring that our systems and processes allowed us to identify, contain and manage the issue.”

He said the upside for the European shipments this year has been the removal of the 8.8% tariff on kiwifruit exports to the Continent.

Farmers Weekly understands Zespri is determining the extent of the fruit’s exposure to mice on board the Crown Garnet. Given that mouse infestation brings health risks, including salmonella and leptospirosis, Te Brake told Farmers Weekly that this is the marketer’s priority, along with weighing the risk of a food recall if the fruit got into the supply chain.

Richard

BELGIAN WAFFLE: The fate of the 1.2 million-tray consignment of kiwifruit affected by the discovery of mice on board a Zespri chartered ship is still being shaken out between Zespri, its charter company and insurers.

Bird bug lands in US dairy herds

Richard Rennie NEWS Disease

THE New Zealand dairy sector is urged to keep a close eye on bird flu developments unfolding in the United States after the disease jumped species to infect lactating dairy cows. While 36 herds have been officially reported as contracting the disease scientists say the number is significantly underreported, with as many as 60

SPREADING: Dr Keith Poulsen, the University of Wisconsin’s head of veterinary diagnostics, says he suspects bird flu infection in dairy herds far outstrips official figures.

herds in Texas alone believed to be infected.

University of Wisconsin professor of virology Dr Dave O’Connor and head of veterinary diagnostics Dr Keith Poulsen said changes in how the US operates its large dairy farms may have contributed to the jump in bird flu to dairy cows.

Poulsen said young dairy stock now tend to be reared in drier states, including Texas, with infected birds likely to have contaminated stock drinking water and feed supplies.

The debilitating disease is affecting about 10% of a herd’s population, usually in three- to four-year-old lactating cows, causing elevated temperatures, a precipitous decline in the production of milk, which also becomes thick and viscous, a loss of condition and general ill thrift.

Recovery does occur, but for many cows the impact on their milk volumes in the razor-thin margins of US dairying mean they get culled regardless.

The impact is now being felt on herds throughout Texas, Ohio, South Dakota, North Carolina and most recently as far afield as Colorado.

“We are seeing the spread come from the 50,000 lactating dairy cows moved every week from where they have calved to those states, with signs showing at about 150 days into lactation,” Poulsen

said.

He said the virus brings many unknowns, including failing to affect young heifers or dry cows.

He was hoping a recently announced Federal order requiring lactating cows to be tested before movement across state lines will slow the spread.

However, farmers have been reluctant to raise flags if infection has been discovered, and buoyant beef prices compared to milk returns have resulted in cows simply being culled off unreported.

A lack of any compensation scheme for culling infected animals has also raised calls for a “carrot, not stick” incentive.

“But this would require an act of Congress to change the laws.”

Poultry farmers have also destroyed 11 million affected birds so far this year, largely in the egglaying population, putting egg production 6% below the five-year average.

Media reports of bird flu DNA fragments being found in processed milk do not surprise O’Connor, who emphasised such fragments are not capable of infecting humans.

“Wording from the [US Department of Agriculture] has been careful to point out while genetic fragments are there, pasteurisation renders it completely safe.”

O’Connor said while new m-RNA techniques could offer

DESTROYED: Poultry farmers in the United States have destroyed 11 million bird flu-affected birds so far this year, largely in the egg laying population, putting egg production 6% below the five-year average.

some vaccination options, it is problematic given there will always be a virus population circulating among birds even if cattle are treated, itself a tough job across such a vast herd population.

He said no cow to human infections have been detected, and if human detection has been found it has come from poultry workers, but is still rare.

However, the political climate in the US with its big focus on migrant workers’ place in the economy could lay the kindling for the disease to evolve to more direct human transmission.

“It could be that if farm hands did get infected, as undocumented uninsured migrant workers they do not want to present themselves, and if its only a mild infection, their motivation to go to hospital is low,” O’Connor said.

“Certainly, this virus has shown

us a propensity to affect a lot of species including mammals, and we still do not know enough about it, we have to be very vigilant.

“China’s opaqueness on covid in the early days was a factor in its spread.

“It is incumbent upon us to try to set a model for response here in the US, and that includes communicating as much as we can with other countries including down in NZ.”

Certainly, this virus has shown us a propensity to affect a lot of species including mammals, and we still do not know enough about it.

Dr Dave O’Connor University of Wisconsin

Cattle crossover raises concerns about NZ dairying

Richard Rennie NEWS Disease

THE discovery of bird flu in United States dairy herds raises the stakes on the impact the disease could have in New Zealand, should it spread here.

“It is a real game changer when it turned up in the US cattle population. We have been keeping a very close eye on it and there are concerns for a number of reasons,” said Nigel French, professor of infectious disease epidemiology and public health at Massey University.

It is a disease that has a relatively low level of risk, but high consequence attached to it.

has been significant, affecting 10% of the cows in herds that often total 20,000-30,000 cows per herd (see accompanying article).

Robust surveillance, strict biosecurity and a good knowledge of symptoms are all vital to try and keep the disease at bay here, French said.

While there is no specific cattle vaccination against bird flu, French said discovery here would probably rapidly accelerate its development.

“It is a disease that has a relatively low level of risk, but high consequence attached to it.”

The Ministry for Primary Industries’ chief veterinary officer, Dr Mary van Andel, said the US situation is the first globally where bird flu has spilled over into cows.

She confirmed US Department of Agriculture assertions that pasteurised milk is safe to consume, and said strong surveillance systems are in place to detect bird flu should it arrive.

PLAUSIBLE: The possibility of bird flu infecting the NZ dairy herd should not be downplayed, say leading experts in disease and epidemiology.

“It could affect one of NZ’s major industries, while the rapid rate of the outbreak’s spread is also a concern, and how it has spread across species.”

The impact on infected US herds

“At present, we consider the risk of it arriving here on managed pathways is low, but we continuously reassess the threat of HPAI [highly pathogenic avian influenza] arriving here and monitor international developments.”

The most likely pathway is not via controlled ports and facilities but through wild migratory birds. She confirmed there are two vaccinations against bird flu registered in NZ for emergency use.

“As HPAI has established in wild birds and spread around the world with them, vaccination is having

to be reassessed as a tool in the toolbox of disease control.”

Migratory bird expert and Massey University professor Phil Battley said it is possible to paint a potential scenario for cattle infection from birds here.

“We are protected due to our isolation, but only to a point. The fact is it has been detected in the

Antarctic, and that it has affected mammals (seals).”

One plausible pathway is through infected pied oystercatchers passing it onto Canterbury dairy cows.

The coastal birds migrate inland to farms down the South Island east coast where they breed from August, often in riverbeds.

Professor Nigel French Massey University

Farmers flag forestry to CCC

Gerald Piddock NEWS Climate change

FARMERS have warned the Climate Change Commission that it needs to consider the economic and societal effects of forestry conversions as it reviews its 2050 emissions targets.

This, along with reminders about the current economic conditions sheep and beef farmers face, is central in the feedback the CCC has received as it holds public consultation meetings around the country ahead of its review of New Zealand’s 2050 targets.

CCC manager Sam King told a meeting at Te Awamutu that “we have heard a lot from farmers that [wholesale forestry conversions] have a detrimental effect on rural landscapes and communities and they are very worried about the possible environmental effects – whether that be fire, pests or washing away into waterways”.

The land use change impacts of switching to forestry were also repeatedly raised as a concern by sheep and beef farmers at these meetings.

“We were on the road last week in Masterton, Whanganui, Inglewood and Taupō and we

did hear a lot from farmers –especially sheep and beef farmers – really concerned about the land use change impacts that are happening at the moment,” King said.

The social licence of planting these trees has changed significantly. It is also recognised as one of the few mitigation options available for sheep and beef farmers, he said.

The CCC believes NZ’s economic circumstances have remained unchanged since the setting of the emissions target. This was questioned by farmers at the Te Awamutu meeting, who asked whether the commission realised how economically tough it has been for sheep and beef farmers.

King said this was another message that had come through from other meetings.

“We are definitely hearing that economically, times are tough on the farm.”

Another farmer said many of the economic issues currently seen on farm have not yet flowed through at a national level – and this is why the commission has not recognised them.

“The impact it’s having on farmers probably won’t be seen yet for another five years,” she said.

A retired farmer said the

commission needs to broaden its indicators beyond just GDP when considering targets.

“This is an opportunity to really look very carefully at net public benefits in making an assessment of where the methane targets should go.”

That requires a balance between social, cultural, environmental and ecological considerations, he said.

Sheep and beef farmer Graeme Gleeson said it was wrong to rely on GDP as a sole indicator, arguing that if land use change continues from sheep and beef to forestry it would be devastating for regional NZ.

“The megacities of Auckland and Wellington may not feel that, but everybody else will.

“It’s going to have huge social implications.”

Gleeson said the magnitude of the impact of this is not coming through in any discussions.

King said the commission’s advice to the government about the 2050 target will also include answers to two questions: If the commission has found significant change, does that justify amending the 2050 target, and if amendments to the 2050 target are justified, what should those changes be?

“We have found no evidence to support weakening current targets and enough to consider strengthening the target,” King said.

The commission is very interested in what the positive and negative impacts of strengthening those targets might be, he said. The commission will deliver its advice to the minister of climate change by December 31.

The government will consider its advice, including any recommendations, before making its decisions by December 31 2025.

REVIEW: The Climate Change Commission is being urged to consider the economic and societal effects of forestry conversions from sheep and beef land when reviewing its 2050 emissions targets.

Banks brace for more agri climate losses

TNigel Stirling NEWS Finance

HE country’s biggest banks are facing up to the possibility of outsized losses from their agricultural loans in the decades to come as the climate warms up.

The Reserve Bank last week published the results of climate stress testing on the loan books of the five largest banks out to 2050. Using extreme climate change scenarios, the lenders were asked to model the impact on borrowers of more floods and droughts as well as increased costs to farmers from pricing of carbon emissions.

Also modelled was the impact on export markets of more extreme weather and higher carbon taxes.

Bank profits fell by $32 billion, or 26%, between 2031 and 2050, compared to a business-as-usual scenario, as more borrowers defaulted and banks increased provisioning for bad debts.

The banks’ models predicted higher loss rates for agricultural

loans than for all other types of lending.

While residential mortgages had the highest share with 27% of total losses, that was in the context of their accounting for 60% of total loans between 2031 and 2050.

Next was agriculture, which accounted for 24% of losses while only making up 9% of total bank loans during the period under consideration.

Sheep and beef loans were projected to be the worst-affected by the warmer climate with default rates reaching 25% of borrowers by the mid-2040s.

Lower farm profitability and rising defaults could also be expected to reduce rural land values, and increase bank losses.

“Alternative land uses provided some support for rural land values although this was tempered by growing risks of wildfire and pests for forestry,” analysts at the Reserve Bank write.

The higher anticipated rate of losses also means more capital will need to be held against agricultural loans, absent “any actions by banks, their borrowers

or government that would mitigate the financial impact [of climate change]”, the analysts say.

The risk weights banks attached to agricultural loans, determining the amount of capital required for each dollar of lending, are forecast to rise from 80% for nondefaulting loans in 2030 to 120% by 2050, the central bank says. By comparison, risk weights for business loans rose more modestly from 60% to 80%.

Higher capital requirements for agricultural loans can be expected to reduce bank returns from agricultural loans relative to other types of lending, the analysts say.

Following the stress test, the Reserve Bank said it had asked participating banks for “mitigating actions to manage their climaterelated risks”.

“In response banks identified actions which mainly involved working with their customers to mitigate the financial impact of severe weather events and assist in any transition of the business model; and tightening

DEFAULT: Sheep and beef loans were projected to be the worstaffected by the warmer climate with loan default rates reaching 25% of borrowers by the mid-2040s.

risk appetite settings to reduce exposure to high-emitting customers and farms in higher risk areas, such as drought areas without irrigation.”

Actions to assist existing customers to move to a more resilient footing included financial assistance for farm borrowers during droughts, more research into land use change, and low-interest loans to finance the adoption of low carbon technologies, water storage and irrigation.

Banks also identified steps they could take to limit their own exposure to agricultural loans most vulnerable to climate change’s impacts.

These included “factoring in the impact of drought on property valuation” of farms in droughtprone areas without “adequate” irrigation.

In these cases a “higher haircut ratio may be applied”, the banks reported.

Limits on lending are also likely in parts of the country deemed to be more exposed to the negative impacts of climate change.

Emissions profiles of individual farms will also be increasingly considered when determining applications for loans by farmers, the banks said.

The participating banks were ANZ, BNZ, Westpac, ASB and Kiwibank.

Kiwifruit orchard values eye golden days

Richard Rennie NEWS Horticulture

AFTER a couple of bleak years, the sun is starting to shine again on kiwifruit returns and orchard values with a recent valuation report painting a positive picture for the sector’s future expansion and value.

Colliers’ NZ kiwifruit market report has done a deep dive into the sector’s profitability and direction, with authors noting a decline in orchard sales activity in the past two years in response to cost pressures and weather impacts.

Colliers director of rural and agribusiness valuation Chris Boyd said orchards sold in late 2022 and early 2023 went for lower prices, compared to the market’s earlier peak. That peak had included a sale of a SunGold kiwifruit orchard for up to $1.9 million a canopy hectare in autumn of 2022. The most recent reported SunGold orchard sale recorded in the report had been for $1.2m, in October last year.

Orchard sales volumes had also dropped significantly, with about 25 sales reported last year, compared to about 70 in 2021. Boyd said those orchards that had sold recently were generally smaller mixed properties with lifestyle attributes.

“Orchard owners that did not need to sell unless otherwise motivated have ridden out the slower period, and as a result higher quality orchards have not generally come to the market.”

He described a “disjoint” in value expectations between vendors and buyers that was also contributing to lower sales volumes, with purchasers offering prices lower than what vendors would accept.

averaging $61,900 a hectare in orchard gate returns (OGR) for Green, up from the low point of $57,600/ha the year before.

SunGold is expected to also average $140,400/ha, compared to $137,500/ha in 2022.

But returns for both crops remain behind where they peaked in 2020, when SunGold’s OGR averaged $177,800/ha and Green $76,700/ha.

Despite the tougher period, demand in SunGold licences has also remained strong, having peaked at $800,000 a hectare in 2022.

The report also outlines some of the industry’s major challenges.

Unlicensed plantings in China top the list, with estimates that almost 8000ha of illegally planted SunGold fruit exist in China. The impact of such volume of fruit threatens the balance of the market with oversupply that could impact NZ returns, given China accounts for about 25% of NZ’s sales.

Hi-Cane, a spray used to promote uniform bud break, is also identified as a challenge because of the risk that the Environmental

However, better crop yields this year and more normal climatic conditions have contributed to greater optimism. This comes after 2023’s 130 million-tray harvest set a bleak record for being the lowest since 2017, despite total area in fruit having increased by 15% since then.

This year’s harvest is estimated to be about 185 million trays.

Orchard profitability also appears to be turning the corner with estimates of it

Protection Authority may ban it, when there is no viable alternative on the market.

A decision on this is expected in late May. Without it, orchard yields and profitability will be significantly affected.

Given the high entry and establishment costs for greenfields orchard conversions, the report authors say it is more prudent for potential purchasers to enter ownership through an established orchard, rather than consider development.

“However, we expect this balance could change as economic fundamentals improve.”

BETTER DAYS: Kiwifruit orchardists can expect to see their incomes, and by default their orchard values, improve over the coming season, says Chris Boyd of Colliers.

Kerry Chittock, Royal Canin® Ambassador

The Fairlight Foundation is a registered charity that take on three women each year for a 12-month on-farm internship at Fairlight Station to help them develop their practical farming skills.

E ach inter n star t s the progr amme w ith a young heading dog pup and the spend the year lear ning how to tr ain and br ing on their fir st wor king dog The inter ns are pr i v ileged to recei ve tr aining and suppor t from Roy al Canin ambass ador and dog tr ialist, Ker r y Chit tock, as well as high qualit y puppy food from Roy al Canin to suppor t their pup ’ s grow th and healthy development The inter ns wor k intensi vely w ith their pups for the year, and they invest significant time into their lear ning and pr ogress, so it only makes sense that the pups al so recei ve the best nutr ition possible We highly recommend Roy al Canin nutr ition as we find that it suppor t s healthy grow th, reduces injur ies due to increased muscle grow th and improves their stamina w hich is cr ucial on hill countr y stations

Laura Foot, Executive Director – The Fairlight Foundation

Shareholders key to Alliance’s fortunes

Neal Wallace NEWS Production

THE future of the Alliance Group as a co-operative depends on how shareholders respond to its capital raising programme, says chair Mark Wynne.

“If farmers want Alliance to remain a 100% farmer-owned co-operative, the only way that can happen is if shareholders contribute,” he said.

Alliance’s recent capital-raising announcement prompted some shareholders to question why Alliance on occasion pays more to third-party or volume suppliers than to its shareholders for their stock, with accusations that is not consistent with the co-operative spirit.

Wynne acknowledged that concern.

“We hear that loud and clear,” he said.

He said Alliance intends to reduce its involvement with third parties or volume suppliers, but it is not straightforward as they fill periods when supply is short.

There have been occasions when farmers have cancelled supply due to a sudden flush of grass growth, which he said leaves plants fully

manned but without the animals to process.

“The fastest way to fill those hooks is to turn to third party or volume suppliers and the majority comes from non-Alliance supplier-shareholders.

“Our direction of travel is very clear: to increase the percentage processed direct from our farmer shareholders and decrease our reliance on third parties.”

Wynne said strengthening the connection between stock agents and shareholder-suppliers is key to that shift.

Other issues raised by shareholders at recent Wanaka and Canterbury shows and Southern Field Days at Waimumu, were to simplify the schedule and to be more competitive, to be honest in its communications and strengthen the co-operative’s balance sheet.

Wynne said Alliance’s banking syndicate is uncomfortable with current market volatility and wants the company to strengthen its balance sheet.

He estimates Alliance will need $100-$150 million in funding over the next few years but not all of it will come from new shareholder equity.

To reduce its demand on

working capital, Alliance is carefully managing its inventory, accelerating its sales programmes, making changes to receivables and potentially divesting non-critical assets.

Wynne said the changes will strengthen Alliance’s balance sheet but also ensure shareholders have sufficient shares to match the volume of stock they supply.

To achieve that, the amount deducted per head of stock unit processed is being increased from $1 to $4/livestock unit.

The board has also increased the number of standard shares required to be held by shareholders from 12 to 16 shares/ livestock unit.

Those already shared up will have $3/livestock unit processed deducted until they reach that new level.

Deductions will begin immediately.

Should the capital raise fail, Wynne said options include – but have not been fully discussed by the board or shareholders –issuing preference shares to farmers and agribusinesses or sourcing funding from outside the co-operative.

Wynne said examples of alternative ownership options within the meat industry include

Silver Fern Farms Ltd, which is half-owned by Silver Fern Farms Co-op and China’s Shanghai Maling, and ANZCO, which, since 2017, has been fully owned by Japan’s Itoham Yonekyu Holdings. It will take a few months to measure farmer reaction to Alliance’s request, but Wynne said recent shareholder interaction reveals support for the co-operative, an awareness of the request for capital, and the comment that the timing is not ideal.

Our direction of travel is very clear: to increase the percentage processed direct from our farmer shareholders and decrease our reliance on third parties.

Mark Wynne Alliance Group

Alliance is holding a series of woolshed and online meetings with shareholders to discuss the issue further.

Co-operatives have previously struggled to raise capital from shareholders.

A capital raise by Silver Fern Farms, which was under pressure from its bankers, failed and ultimately led to the sale of half its business to Shanghai Maling.

“In a co-operative you have got to play the longer game,” said Wynne.

“In the case of Alliance, the increase in shareholding equity has not risen for many years at the same rate at which revenue has increased.”

Alliance is growing its addedvalue business and Wynne said if the capital raise is “outstandingly successful”, capital could be invested in those added-value programmes.

Wynne said in his time working for Fonterra, it successfully used joint ventures to promote valueadded programmes, which did not require the same capital investment and was something Alliance could replicate.

Halfway through the current financial year, Alliance is forecasting a modest profit.

This follows a pre-tax loss of $97.9 million for the 2022-23 financial year.

Wynne remains confident in the future of red meat, saying the world is hungry for high-quality protein, which NZ farmers can supply.

Campaign for Wool reaches for the stars

Staff reporter PEOPLE Food and fibre

NEW Zealand actor Sir Sam Neill is the new ambassador for the Campaign for Wool NZ, lending his name and considerable profile to educate and advocate for strong wool.

As well as being one of NZ’s most highly regarded actors, having worked across the globe in film and television, Neill is also an enthusiastic wool advocate. He shares his farm in the Central Otago region with sheep, cattle, pigs, ducks, chickens and grapevines.

Neill said he has long felt connected to strong wool and its benefits.

“I spent a lot of time working in woolsheds as a young fellow and they were some of the best days of my life. There are very few experiences you can have that are more New Zealand by nature.

“Today, I am a sheep owner and my Suffolk sheep produce strong wool. Every time we shear I am reminded about what a great product that is – durable, warm, sustainable and biodegradable, but somehow undervalued. And it comes from happy sheep. There is nothing like it.”

In his role with Campaign for Wool NZ (CFWNZ) he will assist in creating visual content that drives home the message that NZ-grown strong wool is natural, comfortable, moisture-wicking and eco-friendly.

CFWNZ’s general manager, Kara Biggs, said the alliance is “perfect” and that the charity can’t wait to work more directly with the Jurassic Park star.

Neill joins three other ambassadors at CFWNZ – fashion and textile designer Liz Mitchell MNZM, architect Stephen McDougall and commercial interiors specialist Robert Macfarlane.

CFWNZ is a global initiative highlighting wool as an ecofriendly, comfortable, fashionable and durable fibre, and a preferred alternative to cheaper and more disposable options.

It aims to educate consumers worldwide of wool’s many benefits.

My Suffolk sheep produce strong wool. Every time we shear I am reminded about what a great product that is ... and it comes from happy sheep. There is nothing like it.

Sir Sam Neill Wool ambassador

EWE TURN: New Zealand actor Sir Sam Neill has joined Campaign for Wool NZ as its new ambassador.

Marlborough drought far from broken as region waits for rain

Fiona Terry PEOPLE Weather

THERE may have been rain in the Nelson Tasman region but the drought is far from over. That was the resounding message at the recent Drought Shout held by the Top of the South Rural Support Trust in Upper Moutere.

Guest speaker Brent Boyce, FarmWise consultant for LIC, told those gathered that although brief rain mid-April had brought green to the paddocks, the lack of a second downpour meant the creeks had stopped flowing again and farmers were back to square one.

“Since June, September’s the only month in nearly a year now there’s been average rainfall,” Boyce said.

“The issue is our soil moisture levels and aquifers are so low, we need three rains to get the moisture level in the soil up, but we only had one.”

The drought actually started underneath the ground, he said.

“Aquifers and bores weren’t replenished in the winter, and they certainly missed out in spring. So it’s got a lot drier deeper down and that’s the problem.

“In central Tasman, we reached wilting point on 23rd December – that’s where the grass stopped growing.”

At the event with a group from the Tasman Valley Young Farmers was Bryce Win, who said that until mid-April, the 380 hectares of

effective land he farms with his parents in Dovedale had received only 40mm of rain since New Year’s Day.

Trying to keep stock fed has been helped by supplies of discarded local kiwifruit. Baleage is already being used from supplies set aside for winter, and for ewes sheep nuts had been needed in greater numbers than ever before.

“Everyone’s short of feed,” said Boyce. “Looking at stock condition, it’s ranging from light to okay but there are real concerns around how tough it’s going to be for sheep and beef guys, issues with weight on young stock, and how we’re going to get them through the winter. It’s going to take time to get back to normal and the feeding out is not stopping.”

He said he knew of some sheep and beef farmers who’d taken full-time jobs off farm in order to support wage commitments for those they employ.

Chair of the Top of the South Rural Support Trust Richard Kempthorne stressed to those attending not to be afraid to access the Business Advice Fund.

“This makes up to $6000 accessible to those who’re in a difficult financial position and need advice about how to go forward, with the costs equally shared between the farmer or grower’s bank and the Rural Support Trust,” Kempthorne said.

At a Rural Advisory Group meeting that day Kempthorne said there had been agreement that despite greening following the rain, there’d still been no growth.

He recommended those feeling the pinch to call the 0800 787 254 number to contact Sarah White, wellbeing coordinator at the Trust, to talk through options.

Among the questions raised by those gathered were concerns for the support farmers would need once things were back on track.

“I feel very concerned for them at this time,” said one of the attendees. “What can be done to help them?”

Kempthorne advised that one of the best support mechanisms is the rural sector itself.

“But if you are aware of someone [struggling] sing out to us at the Rural Support Trust so we’re able to come and stand alongside and help work through.”

Boyce noted that he knew of a number of places having to let staff go.

It’s disappointing when you read in some of the town papers that the drought’s broken and we’re all good when actually the real work’s still to come.

Brent Boyce FarmWise

“Then some of the intellectual property often goes out the door with them as well. It’s that tough out there at the moment.”

Frustratingly, the drought isn’t more widely recognised, Boyce said.

“It’s disappointing when you read in some of the town papers that the drought’s broken and we’re all good when actually the real work’s still to come. We’ve still got to recover.

“It’s going to take two to six months physical recovery. If we get good weather by mid-July we might be right, but we’ve got a lot of work.

“We’ve also got stress recovery, because a lot of people are

under a heck of a lot of stress. And then unfortunately we’ve got the financial recovery and for some people it’s going to be interseasonal, so it’s going to take maybe one to two seasons or longer to come right.

“People talk about it being a double hit – that’s a load of rubbish,” he added. “We’ve had a quadruple whammy. We’ve got a drought, low commodity prices, high inflation on farm – which is estimated at 17% – and interest rates two to three times what they were 18 months ago.”

One dairy farmer said she’d had to find alternative work teaching due to the impact of the drought resulting in the drying up of work.

Fifth-generation Upper Moutere farmer Keith Best said the extreme conditions had resulted in him and his wife having to reassess their retirement plans. Both had supplementary jobs to help support their farm and they’d destocked to the extent that they are now running at half of the number of animals they usually would have at this time of year.

“This drought’s been quite unique in that it’s the first we’ve had without the stock having access to the river. The river and vegetation around it had always been a very valuable resource in the dry Nelson summers but now our stock’s sitting in the middle of dry, parched, land in the full sun.

“We were given quite a bit of warning of El Niño so we could destock early but that doesn’t help our income moving forward, so that’s where our stresses are coming in.

“Then come spring when we try to restock the farm, the prices will likely be expensive. Probably what we’ll end up doing is putting a lot of the grass we grow into hay and baleage to restock our supplies, but there’s no short-term profit in that.”

At nearly 63, Best and his wife had been hoping to give up the paid work off farm.

“Now it’s become glaringly obvious that we’ll have to keep that on because it’s going to take a couple of years for the farm to recover. That has quite an emotional effect in itself.”

Best was heartened by the news at the event that Federated Farmers had activated a feed coordination line to link those in need of supplies and grazing with those who have excess.

“That’s been good to hear this evening because we’ve only got enough feed to get through to the end of July so we’ll be needing to buy some in,” he said.

“That puts a lot of financial stress on farmers and is another reason why this meeting’s been good because the emphasis has also been on looking after yourself.”

FARMWISE: Brent Boyce speaking at the Drought Shout meeting hosted by the Rural Support Trust, at Upper Moutere Community Centre, Nelson.

HOSTED: Keith Best at the Drought Shout meeting hosted by the Rural Support Trust.

Photos: Tim Cuff

SUPPORT: Drought Shout organisers Richard Kempthorne, left, and Sarah White, with speaker Brent Boyce at Upper Moutere Community Centre.

Regs on the carpet at woolshed meeting

Annette

Scott POLITICS Regulation

Aunworkable and overly prescriptive regulation was the basis of discussion for Associate Minister of Agriculture Mark Patterson at the government woolshed meeting on Mt Somers Station.

There were strong takeaway messages from the floor of about 50 farmers and rural community representatives.

Patterson acknowledged the tough times in farming and the challenges the farming sector faces with high domestic inflation rates, high interest rates, increasing farm input costs, low returns and adverse events.

“Our priority is to relieve the pressure for farmers coming from unworkable central government policies, that’s why we are reaching out to the rural communities and getting out in front of farmers,” Patterson said.

“We talked a big game as collective parties in parliament, we promised to cut the compliance, take cost out and add flexibility back in.

“I want to hear your issues from you, farmers, and take that feedback back to Wellington.”

The meeting was driven by questions and answers.

As the minister responsible for wool, Patterson blew the first whistle for the fibre.

“Sheep farmers have long been the backbone of NZ’s farming communities and we need to get in behind and support them. In doing that we will be engaging with people from Northland to Southland to discuss grassroots solutions.”

Sheep farmers have long been the backbone of NZ’s farming communities and we need to get in behind and support them.

Mark

Patterson Associate agriculture minister

From the floor the question was quick to come – “How are you going to address the profitability of wool, we have been battling for 25 years?

“There is no incentive to keep sheep on land that is suitable only for sheep, right now there is no profit, we are getting a bill for our wool.”

Patterson said he is “keenly aware”.

“I’ve sat too for many years; the

massive degree of cynicism is well founded.

“We are on a burning platform here; in six months we have to turn this around to keep sheep versus forestry and shedding sheep.

“It’s a big challenge but we are up for it,” he said.

The focus quickly moved to the government’s announcement regarding urgent changes to the resource management system.

While proposed changes to the Resource Management Act were a relief for many, farmers expressed ongoing uncertainty about the possibility of regulations as a barrier to making on-farm investments and changes to farming systems safe in the knowledge that regulations will be science-based, practical and enduring for both farming and the environment.

“You say you are giving direction back to regional councils, but how?” South Canterbury farmer Nicky Hyslop asked.

Patterson replied: “That’s the challenge at the moment as we’re still operating under the old rules and there’s mixed reaction from councils, with some wanting to push on while others are prepared to wait and see what the new rules bring.”

The message from the shed of

mostly Canterbury farmers was that Environment Canterbury is unfriendly to farmers, being strongly legislative and setting up a lot of hoops to jump through.

Patterson assured farmers that the government is working on getting new legislation through “as quick as possible and in a move away from one-size-fitsall”.

Federated Farmers vice-chair Colin Hurst said the changes to unworkable and expensive regulations, while set to mark the

end of the war on farming, still come with an air of caution.

He said current rules are impractical, completely disconnected from the reality of farming, devoid of all common sense, and heap a ton of unnecessary costs on farmers.

Patterson said everyone needs to work together.

“We need to do this collaboratively, but there is a legislative process to follow, and I urge you, farmers, to submit. We don’t want to rush the process and get it wrong.”

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A dual source of calcium carbonate (59%) and magne sium carbonate (39%) builds soil base saturation levels of both elements. The corre c t base saturation levels of magne sium and calcium re sult in the optimum pore space in the soil profile of 25% oxygen and 25% water—per fe c t conditions for soil biology to thrive.

Dolomite provide s magne sium found at the center of the chlorophyll which is e ssential for photosynthe sis, turning sunlight into plant growth. Dolomite is a locally source d, cost-effe c tive fer tiliser—insoluble yet plant available so it doe sn’t le ach your inve stment

Dolomite not only overcome s magne sium soil deficiencie s, it also:

Lifts pasture magne sium levels

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POINT TAKEN: Danseys Pass high country farmer Ian Anderson, left, and Feds vice-chair Colin Hurst push some points with Associate Minister of Agriculture Mark Patterson, centre.

From the Editor

Now dairy falls foul of bird flu

Richard Rennie Senior reporter

THERE is a chilling note to news that in the United States bird flu has leapt species to infect dairy cows for the first time. Up until now bird flu has seemed a few steps removed from the human health risk, albeit having a 50:50 mortality rate for the 850 people unfortunate enough to contracted it in the past 20 years.

But with it jumping to humanity’s main milk source, the risks not only to human health but to economic wellbeing are considerably sharper.

There is no evidence, yet, of US dairy farm workers having contracted the disease from their workplace charges.

But researchers are very aware the kindling to ignite another global pandemic is well placed. The virus has proven adept at mutating across species and would only require yet another mutation to have it leap into the unvaccinated human population with abandon.

While there is no human-to-human evidence of spread yet, the Spanish influenza of 1918 also developed from a bird flu virus that adapted to humans.

This is a well-placed concern, given how bird flu has already proven so capable of infecting multiple species, from US dairy cows to sub-Antarctic seal populations.

It could be easy to dismiss the US dairy outbreak as “too far away” to have an effect. The tyranny of New Zealand’s distance does help lower the risk of it spreading to our own dairy herd, if not our travel-loving human population.

But while we may not import US dairy cows, NZ receives multiple shore visits from migratory birds, whether it is the wandering albatross up from those sub-Antarctic seal locations, or the godwits on their annual migratory path from Alaska.

A plausible scenario is the iconic pied oyster catcher population becoming infected on the coast from visiting birds, migrating inland from along the South Island’s east coast to winter on farmland, and passing it onto the Canterbury dairy population.

The fact that Department of Conservation and Ministry for Primary Industries staff are working on vaccinations for our native bird species suggests the authorities’ expectation is not if bird flu arrives, but when.

This is playing out in an environment where the fiscal axe is being hefted across

all government departments, including the MPI, which would be tasked with managing a disease response.

While bird flu is less likely to make its arrival via Auckland International Airport or the Port of Tauranga, there will still be a need to have skilled, knowledgeable staff capable of helping contain any discovery as quickly as possible.

Frontline staff losses would cripple that capability at huge lingering economic cost.

While there is no human-tohuman evidence of spread yet, the Spanish influenza of 1918 also developed from a bird flu virus that adapted to humans.

The M bovis campaign is proving to be a successful but expensive effort in disease eradication, coming with a running price tag of about $800 million.

But compared to bird flu it was relatively straightforward, infecting only those dairy cows in contact with one another.

Bird flu has raged through 200 bird species and over 40 mammalian species around the globe, and its effect could be in degrees, ranging from the tragic loss of native birds here, to severe economic damage to the dairy sector, to another devastating global pandemic.

SERIOUS INCINERATORS

Letters of the week Paranoia about pests

Laurie Collins Sporting Hunters Outdoor Trust

THE Federated Farmers article “Don’t cut wild animal control” gave the wrong impression of the situation.

Yes, wild animals, when populations get above the habitat’s carrying capacity, do need harvesting.

But to paint a picture of invasive pests is quite wrong. The national president said in the article that “conservationists have talked about the young plants in our bush understory being completely wiped out”.

I’m in the bush regularly in the Lewis Pass area and other places and can say this is not true. And who are the “conservationists”? Forest & Bird perhaps? Well, most of us know of its anti-exotic paranoid phobia about introduced species.

Apart from possibly grisilina (broadleaf), deer prefer grass. If a farmer has deer encroaching onto a crop or grass, spotlight it or get local ethical hunters in to harvest animals.

Perhaps Federated Farmers should be aware that New Zealand’s vegetation evolved over 50 or 60 million years of browsing by herbivores. Following herbivore dinosaurs, there came the moa and other avian browsers.

The moa had been exterminated before Europeans arrived. However, today species like the pigeon (kereru), takahē, pūkeko etcetera are vegetarian.

Several scientists have likened deer browsing to moa browsing.

It might be of interest that research in the Nelson Lakes National Park in the mid1960s (C L Batchelar) found that two alpine species of native grasshopper browsed three times more tussock than the deer and chamois present.

One is left wondering: if moa had not been exterminated, would the extreme conservationists have railed against the birds’ browsing?

According to the eminent ecologist the late Dr Graeme Caughley, the number of moa ran into several millions, whereas

Continued next page

Send your letter to the Editor at Farmers Weekly P.0. Box 529, Feilding or email us at farmers.weekly@agrihq.co.nz

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In

my view ...

Sweet deal for farmers and a big win for NZ

Susan Kilsby Kilsby is an agricultural economist with ANZ New Zealand

AT LONG last, our primary producers have something to celebrate.

After years of negotiations, the New ZealandEuropean Union Free Trade Agreement finally came into effect this month, on May 1.

It effectively opens the door to Europe for our producers, giving them improved access to our fourth largest trading partner and a market of 450 million consumers in 27 countries.

It will make New Zealand products more competitive in Europe and is expected to grow the value of our exports by as much as $1.8 billion per year by 2035.

An immediate annual boost of around $100 million comes from cuts to tariffs – charges paid at the border – on the vast majority (91%) of our exports.

How quickly the door will open does vary between industries. For some it has been flung wide open, but for other industries,

such as dairy and meat, access will improve more slowly.

Our exports of kiwifruit, onions and apples will see tariffs virtually eliminated, immediately saving about $45m a year.

Fish and seafood exporters will benefit to the tune of almost $20m a year, while our wine industry will save $5.5m annually.

Over the next seven years these preferential tariffs will increasingly cover more of our imports, until almost all (97%) are included.

In addition to the tariff cuts the agreement streamlines the process of exporting our goods to the European Union, simplifies customs procedures and reduces regulatory hurdles.

New quotas for dairy and meat are likely to be worth over $600m per year to our exporters if fully utilised.

Although there was some disappointment in the dairy and red meat industries that the quotas were not higher, any improvement should be viewed as a win, given the EU’s longstanding protection of its producers,

especially its farmers, from outside competition.

While our trade negotiators always aim high it was always going to be a challenge to negotiate access to 450 million European consumers when we only have 5 million consumers to offer in return!

The real opportunity for NZ exporters lies in ensuring we export high-quality products, focus on “brand New Zealand” and aim for the high-price end of the European market.

This will help make our primary producers more resilient against external shocks, such as fluctuations in commodity prices or geopolitical tensions.

Consumers are increasingly looking for goods that have been produced in a natural and sustainable way, which is what we do in NZ. We must play to our strengths and sell our uniqueness to the world.

Under the FTA, New Zealand mānuka honey gets an immediate reduction to tariffs, saving exporters about $5.4m a year.

The deal is sweetened further

by the recognition that the word “mānuka” can only be used for the Leptospermum scoparium tree grown in Aotearoa, and derivative products such as honey and oil.

This means health-conscious EU consumers can trust they are getting genuine honey produced in Aotearoa. It’s a big win for the honey industry, and will help it achieve its goal of doubling honey exports, to be worth more than $1bn a year, by 2030.

The FTA also makes a commitment for both NZ and the EU to promote trade that makes a positive contribution to addressing emissions reductions and climate change.

This will further incentivise the development of tools and technologies to mitigate emissions and will help both NZ and European farmers to access new technology. It also highlights the need to be able to measure and reduce emissions throughout the supply chain, from farms right through to the consumer.

For the public-private joint venture AgriZeroNZ – which ANZ has invested in – this is great news and is likely to help drive further investment in this sector. At a time when many of our producers are under pressure from high costs and low returns, this FTA serves to highlight the important role trade negotiations play.

Make it Food Waste Action Week every week

AS A food-producing nation, Aotearoa New Zealand abounds in fresh food – which is something to be thankful for.

But if we look beneath the lid (or under the kitchen bench into the rubbish bin), approximately 100,000 tonnes of perfectly edible food is wasted every year in our country, equating to roughly $1510 per household, or $3.2 billion of wasted food for the whole country. But money shouldn’t be the only reason we don’t waste food. When food ends up in landfills, it breaks down and releases methane, a harmful greenhouse gas. In fact, UNEP put this in perspective by stating that if food waste was its own country, it would be the third largest greenhouse

Letters of the week

Continued from previous page

according to Landcare Research, wild deer numbers are probably in the region of just 300,000.

In the article, Federated Farmers infers that wild deer spread tuberculosis. I suggest that the unreliable skin test for stock (25-30% error prone) results in undetected “sleeper” animals remaining in herds. Possums also wrongly get the blame. In 2016 the government examined 9830 possums and not one had TB. This suggests the unreliable skin test and stock

gas emitter, beaten only by China and the United States. As suppliers of rescued fruit and veg, Wonky Box has at the heart of its mission reducing food waste from farms, but we know this is just part of the journey. What happens once our wonky wonders make it to their new homes in Kiwi kitchens is also hugely important.

Making the most of your weekly groceries not only reduces the environmental footprint of food in landfills but is good for your wallet too as it reduces the need for those top-up grocery shops and means you can get the most from every meal.

Food Waste Action Week, championed by the clever Kiwis from Love Food Hate Waste New Zealand, serves as a great reminder to have this conversation, and look for practical ways that every household can reduce a little more food waste each week:

transport are responsible for TB spread.

There are far more accurate options than the skin test.

In any case, NZ is well below the World Health Organisation standard for being declared TB free, something like 1/100th of the 0.2 standard.

Who does this benefit?

Terry Parminter Kāpiti

IN THE April 22 edition of Farmers Weekly I read two articles that signalled significant changes ahead

If food waste was its own country, it would be the third largest greenhouse gas emitter, beaten only by China and the United States.

Let’s go back to leftovers

Eating your leftovers is one of the easiest things you can do to reduce waste. Try packing them up for lunch or eating them for dinner a second night, padded out with some veggies or legumes. And don’t despair, many meals actually taste better on the second day, especially things like stews and soups, as the flavours have time to develop.

Don’t feel like it the next day, why not freeze?

If you really can’t deal with eating the same meal twice, why

for New Zealand agriculture. In “Dairy herd nutrition has to evolve”, Grant Jackson, who is general manager of SealesWinslow, includes his expectation that in future NZ farmers will have moved away from the grass-is-king approach to feeding dairy cows and instead be using mixed rations and supplied “supplementary feed to get the most out of their pasture”.

Elsewhere in the Weekly, in “Professional bar may be set for agricultural advisers”, Jo Finer, who is CEO of the NZ Institute of Primary Industry Management, states that farmers in future will no longer be able to access “generalist” farm consultants and instead will be using the services of various accredited experts.

not freeze your leftovers to eat next week or even next month?

Freezing preserves the nutrients and quality of the meal you have excellently prepared. Another upside is that you get to treat yourself to a night of no cooking down the track.

Food storage counts

There are also ways to store individual food items that will preserve them for longer. For example, bread can be frozen to stop it from going mouldy – just take out what you need the night before to defrost for sandwiches or pop it directly into the toaster to warm up. Or, if you’ve got a loaf that’s gone a bit hard, turn it into breadcrumbs or use it for bruschetta.

Certain vegetables will last longer if you keep them in water – asparagus, celery and spring onions are good examples. Stand the ends in a jar of water and

Maybe these two articles are related.

In her article Finer had no kind words about generalist farm consultants, although I suggest that they have served us well in the past and can continue to do so into the future.

I remember MAF farm adviser John Dawson coming back from a 12-month exchange in Great Britain in the 1980s and producing a report that said that the agricultural industry in Britain considered that one of the real strengths of extension in NZ was that we had generalist farm management advisers.

At the time, Great Britain employed technical specialists and the farmers over there were frustrated at having to put together

change the water every few days. Herbs do well too, if kept wrapped in a damp kitchen towel and then popped in a bag or a container. When it comes to fruity favourites, apples last weeks longer if kept in the fridge, and it’s best to store bananas separate from other fruits because they emit ethylene gas that speeds up the ripening process for their fruit bowl neighbours.

If we haven’t managed to finish our veggies or have peels or outer leaves to use up, we keep them in a bag in the freezer and then turn them into vegetable stock for soups and sauces – especially handy as the weather starts to cool.

Find your nearest food rescue And finally, food rescue groups that work to collect surplus fresh food and redirect it to those in need can be found all over the country from Northland all the way down to Southland.

a farm business strategy from the sometimes conflicting advice they received after three or four consultants had visited them without any having a complete overview of their farming activities.

I wonder who the change described by Finer is really for – is it for farmers or is it, as some NZ consultants have said to me, to increase the low barriers to entry that exist in NZ farm consultancy and enable them to increase their fees?

Putting in place professional standards may be the future for farm consultancy in NZ, but I would hate to see the process used as an opportunity to get rid of generalist farm management consultants.

RANGE: ANZ agricultural economist Susan Kilsby says for some sectors the door has been flung wide open, but for other industries, such as dairy and meat, access will improve more slowly.

Angus Simms

Simms is the co-founder of Wonky Box

This bluff and bluster machine rolls on

Alternative view

Alan Emerson Semi-retired Wairarapa farmer and businessman: dath.emerson@gmail.com

IWAS listening to RNZ’s Checkpoint programme recently while driving home.

I was appalled to hear our old friends at Greenpeace yet again slagging farmers. I was equally appalled that the programme gave Greenpeace a free ride. The basic bitch Greenpeace had was about nitrates in water. It claimed that the town supplies to Darfield, Kirwee and Oxford have N nitrate levels above 5mg/litre. Greenpeace had, after all, tested 445 samples in North Canterbury the previous weekend. It failed to mention that the level for N-nitrates in our water isn’t 5mg/litre but 11, which is the World Health Organisation figure.

My view of that claim would be to compare it to a speed dating party. The 445 samples over a weekend must have been completed at a run without a lot of engagement. Further, with Greenpeace doing the testing the credibility monitor would be on zero.

I’d respect a GNS analysis

as scientifically credible. GNS supplies the bottles and takes three to four weeks to do the analysis. It’s free. In addition, I don’t believe that Greenpeace knows the difference between Nitrate (NO3) and Nitrate -N.

That didn’t stop Greenpeace spokesperson Amanda Larsson hitting the airwaves at pace.

The high nitrate level could increase the risk of pre-term birth, she extolled, not that it’s happened in New Zealand. We heard that the highest level was in private bores in rural areas, which had me stuffed. Did farmers give Greenpeace permission to test their private bores? I find that extremely difficult to believe.

In addition, many people could take samples and there are many folks with bores on the plains.

The problem according to Greenpeace was fertiliser application and dairy cow urine, which is a mantra it trots out at will. I heard that North Canterbury had one of the highest stocking rates in the country and that was the problem.

Greenpeace wants the allowable level of nitrates in drinking water reduced to 1 mg/litre, which was its “safe limit”.

The entire interview indicated to me that not letting the facts get in the way of a good story was alive and well at Greenpeace and RNZ.

To consider those facts:

Nitrates occur naturally and you can ingest them daily by consuming cured meat, and vegetables including beetroot, lettuce, radish and spinach, which can have N-nitrate levels above 1000 mg/kg.

The WHO tells me that there was no evidence of blue baby occurrences where N- nitrate concentration was 9.9mg/litre.

The United Kingdom

government tells me that when N-nitrate contamination exceeds 22mg/litre “the water should not be consumed”. That’s twice the current NZ and WHO limit.

The WHO recommendation is 11mg/litre. The issue there is that Greenpeace wanting a 1mg/litre concentration would eliminate farming from NZ and condemn the nation to poverty.

That Greenpeace is a registered charity in NZ enjoying tax-free status is anathema.

It galls me that Greenpeace receives a virtual free ride in the NZ media. Fact-checking doesn’t occur and emotional statements seem to be encouraged.

Talking to colleagues, RNZ isn’t the only media outlet that doesn’t want to offend Greenpeace, despite what the facts may be. I find that deeply concerning.

A publicly available analysis of the Greenpeace modus operandi is fascinating. There are five points.

The research was completed by an international group of eminent scientists. It included Dr Patrick Moore, who was a founding member of Greenpeace and served for nine years as president of Greenpeace Canada and seven years as a director of Greenpeace International. Those points are:

• Creating unnecessary feelings of guilt, panic and frustration among the general public. Greenpeace then makes money off this moral outrage, guilt and helplessness.

• Vilifying the innocent as enemies. Once you have been tarred by Greenpeace’s brush, any attempts to defend yourself are usually treated with suspicion or even derision.

• Deliberately fighting honest attempts by other groups to tackle the “environmental problems” that Greenpeace claims need to be tackled.

• Distorting the science to generate simplistic “environmental crises” that have nothing to do with the genuine environmental issues

NOT

MUCH

ENGAGEMENT: Greenpeace’s claim to have tested 445 North Canterbury water samples over one weekend puts Alan Emerson in mind of a speeddating party.

that should be addressed.

• Actively shutting down any attempts to have informed discussions about what to actually do about the “problems” it has highlighted. So, what needs to happen from here?

My opinion of Greenpeace coincides with the report’s findings. It has a very successful business model that involves, among other issues, pandering to prejudices and conning the gullible.

That it is a registered charity in NZ enjoying tax-free status is anathema. It is a business, albeit based on bluff, bluster and dubious rhetoric. That it enjoys that tax-free status is totally wrong and needs to be changed. Pre-election, National pledged to remove the tax-free status of charities, which I totally support. It should start with Greenpeace.

And for the media: reporting accurately and factually without fear or favour was the mantra I was raised on. One could humbly suggest it should be restored.

The road to hell is always paved with good intentions

Meaty matters

Allan Barber Meat industry commentator: allan@barberstrategic.co.nz, http:// allanbarber.wordpress.com

THE old saying is a metaphor for New Zealand’s infrastructure deficit, hospital system and education, although it could also cover any number of other areas of our lives that are governed by noble but often impractical aims and goals.

Every three years the country votes for the mob it sees as most capable of running the country

the way the majority prefers, but invariably we end up being disappointed by the outcome.

The early signs this time are slightly better, because of the statements of intent to take necessary action to get rid of red tape, cut the number of bureaucrats, and undertake large infrastructure projects, although the last government’s delivery record doesn’t set a good precedent.

Also, the divergent views of the three coalition partners and the compromises needed to keep the two smaller members happy give cause for concern about disapproval of various policies by large groups of voters.

At least the rural sector can be encouraged by the Resource Management Act Amendment Bill’s proposed changes to winter grazing, stock exclusion, and the definition of significant natural areas.

Beef + Lamb NZ chair Kate Acland said: “Farmers need clarity and certainty to make on-farm investments and changes to their farming systems safe in the

knowledge that regulations will be science based, practical and enduring.

Farmers have made significant environmental improvements in the last few years by excluding stock from waterways and better managing the risks of winter grazing ... the government’s promise of a more practical and enabling framework will support continued improvement in these areas.”

The last government was characterised by good intentions, a massive number of reviews and reports, and remarkably little tangible achievement. The reasons it declined from a record MMP-era majority to losing last year’s election were its inability to deliver outcomes as well as hamfisted attempts to take the country down a path of social reform it had not campaigned on. Electorates tolerate neither failure to deliver nor unexpected surprises about which they should have been warned, and therefore vote accordingly.

At this point, in spite of the moaning and hand-wringing

by the opposition, the coalition negotiations should have made clear what each partner’s agreements entailed.

In general none of these should have contained any surprises –they were a predictable outcome of the election result that saw National returned as the preferred party to form the government, but without having earned the outright mandate to govern on its own. This can be seen either as the problem or the advantage of MMP, depending on your viewpoint.

Democracy, according to Winston Churchill, has been said “to be the worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time”.

In essence, in a democracy voters usually get what they vote for which is at best an imperfect system of government put into practice by public servants at the behest of the elected politicians. There are inevitably problems with this: not all politicians are competent or blessed with much commonsense, MMP enables individuals to enter parliament

without submitting themselves to voter approval, and many politicians have very limited experience of the real world.

Some will be driven by a particular ideology which may be noble, but impractical, or worse, unpopular with a majority of voters that didn’t know they were voting for it.

Electorates tolerate neither failure to deliver nor unexpected surprises about which they should have been warned.

A magnificent example of well-intentioned policy that has clearly got ahead of the public’s willingness to adopt it at the speed intended is the United Kingdom and European Union governments’ legislation to ban petrol and diesel vehicles within 10-15 years, to be replaced entirely by EVs.

In spite of incentives to buy them, sales of EVs across Europe have plummeted and an estimated

Learning the lesson of the walking poles

Eating the elephant

eating.the.elephant.nz@gmail.com

FOR a brief spell in my twenties, I hiked parts of the Appalachian Trail, stretching 3500km along the United States’s east coast mountain spine. I was fortunate to spend a few months dawdling through the woods from Georgia to Virginia, and again from Vermont to Maine. A good adventure. Throughout that first leg, I stood out from my fellow hikers: I visibly lacked a key bit of distance-hiking kit – walking poles.

Up and down mountains and over ridges, I passed bemused looks and probing questions almost daily. “Why not?”

Folks fired the stats and anecdotes at me, but I didn’t care. “Walking poles reduce the load on your knees by 25%” they said. “It’s a lot safer, faster and more fun on steep descents,” they told me. Being the fit, strong 25-year-

18 months of inventory is currently sitting in storage depots and on wharves.

The global car industry is on course to produce 20 million more electric battery powered cars over the next three years than the market can absorb.

It doesn’t take much imagination to realise the logical outcome of this misguided policy – prices will drop, EV manufacturers will go bankrupt, secondhand values will completely collapse.

The much-touted commercial EV ute and truck manufacturers have already hit the rocks with Swedish and British truck startups going broke. Conversion to EVs will undoubtedly occur, just not necessarily as fast as politicians hope.

This scenario bears a striking resemblance to the alternative protein industry, which has already claimed some scalps in the United States and also the first

old who was always right about everything, I told them gently but firmly that I simply didn’t need them. I had some well-rehearsed lines to help laugh off the looks. Like that “(famed US explorers) Lewis and Clark didn’t have walking poles” and “if the good Lord wanted me to have long arms, I would have been made a spider”. Hilarious I know.

After 1000km, three states and countless soaring peaks, a friend made me take her poles for a short evening leg into town – just for a try. I relented.

I sailed that walk. Gliding all the way to town, into a cab and through the doors of the local sports store to buy a pair. My trademark trudge saw its last metre there and then.

What an ignorant buffoon I had been. I had missed out on something great, and done wholly unnecessary damage to myself, by doggedly holding on to some delusion about my own toughness.

I had outright refused to hear the facts and stories so many people had told me about the other, better way. And for what?

A decade, a wedding and a child later I had another opportunity to learn the lesson of the hiking poles. This one was much harder.

A few years ago, cancer found my young family. In the shock of diagnosis and whirlwind of my wife’s surgery, chemo and radiation I was generally okay.

Then the problems started. I’ve never been a particularly angry person, so I noticed when I started becoming the kind of husband and dad I didn’t want to be – an angry one. I got frustrated too fast. Was too slow to calm down. I started to shout.

New Zealand casualty with the closure of chicken-free chicken maker Sunfed Foods last month.

Questions have been asked about the future viability of high-profile Los Angeles alternative protein company

Beyond Meats. At least the alternative proteins industry has not been financially or legislatively incentivised by politicians who have not yet informed the public what food they will be allowed to eat after a certain date. Nevertheless, the rush to become carbon neutral has dictated strict controls on livestock numbers in some countries, in spite of the requirement to produce enough food to feed the world’s population. As we have seen, the Climate Change Commission in NZ is also eager to see a reduction in stock numbers here.

These cautionary tales suggest politicians should tread warily

I’m someone who needs to feel in control. So I went about doggedly trying to get things back under control. I would try harder to breathe through the anger, exercise harder to moderate my mood and work harder to get my lost focus back at work. After all, I was tough.

I had missed out on something great, and done wholly unnecessary damage to myself, by doggedly holding on to some delusion about my own toughness.

I defaulted to the ignorant buffoon again. But with the lesson of the hiking poles replaying in my mind, I relented and acknowledged the problems. I listened to the experts and the advice of loved ones. I decided to

when introducing measures that attempt to force change on the public too fast or without adequate explanation. But history shows governments tend to lose sight of the essentials like investment in infrastructure and maintaining services when they are captured by the latest fad.

This government is certainly more pragmatic than its predecessor, as demonstrated already by the removal of Melissa Lee and Penny Simmonds from the cabinet due to their failure to perform.

Worryingly, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will not be able to do the same with ACT and NZ First ministers when he wants. Whatever else it does, this government must focus on delivering what it has promised, especially essential public services like health and education and well-planned and funded investment in infrastructure.

put my wellbeing and the needs of my family above my egotistical ideas of toughness. I went to therapy.

The results were as predictably positive as the walking poles. In my case, I was helped to recognise that my anger was the result of trying to control-away the fear and sadness of our health battle.

I did several sessions with homework – a little daily emotional check-in journal. It helped me realise that all emotions pass. That in general I was pretty happy. That the toughness my family actually needed was for me to be a dad and husband mature enough to cry in front of them when the moment called for it.

In hindsight, I shouldn’t have waited for some acute crisis to go. Like recalling the mountains and ridges I trudged over, I look back with embarrassment on the relationships that suffered and

people I unnecessarily hurt with my toughness-control reflex. I write this article now, because I feel like we’re close to the next step on our collective mental wellbeing journey. Most people are now aware that this stuff matters. But at some point, awareness must turn into action. Having been so helped by therapy, I feel duty bound to publicly call out the main excuse – the well-rehearsed line I hid behind and hear regularly from others.

It’s this idea that some people need therapy and some don’t. Frankly, that’s bullshit. It’s like saying some cars need servicing and others don’t. Often that’s tied up with something like “I’ve got mates I can talk to” – as if Friday night beers can stand in for the technical expertise, experience and patience of a professional.

I’m proud that I dropped the excuses and made the decision to go to therapy. I was brave when my family needed me to be.

MOVING TOO FAST: Allan Barber cites as a ‘magnificent example of wellintentioned policy that has clearly got ahead of the public’s willingness to adopt it’ the United Kingdom and European Union legislation to ban petrol and diesel vehicles within 10-15 years, to be replaced by EVs.

Daniel Eb Daniel Eb helps Kiwis connect with farming through his agency Dirt Road Comms and Open Farms. His family farms in Kaipara.

POLES APART: Daniel Eb had plenty of snappy comebacks when challenged about not using walking poles on the Appalachian Trail as a youngster. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Chef Nadia Lim’s no chicken

The dauntless TV personality farmer shares how one rooster earned her a solid critic. Olivia Caldwell reports.

CITY girl Nadia Lim admits that bringing three children up on a farm was more husband Carlos Bagrie’s dream than her own – but it’s working out just fine.

Bagrie and Lim have been on the 485 hectare Crown Range, Royalburn Station for about five years. The work, stock, staff and headlines have escalated in that time.

While Lim already had celebrity chef status, Bagrie, a Southlander, was an unknown quantity until the release of TV3’s Nadia’s Farm. The couple now have all eyes on their “farming journey”, as Lim calls it, from the broad audience that is rural and urban New Zealand.

“What we want to do with whatever voice we have is to try and bridge that gap between rural and urban audiences,” she says.

That gap can often be a canyon when it comes to differences in opinion, whether it be around the environment, climate or veganism. Lim puts this down to “people cannot know what they don’t know” – in other words, education in farming is lacking.

“I’d say pretty much the majority of Kiwis had some direct link two generations ago to the land. Whether they grew up on a farm, or their aunty or uncles or grandparents were farmers, but these days it is more rare than it is common and because of that we are losing touch with how our food is actually grown, raised, produced and gets to our plates.”

“Because that knowledge is being lost at the farm gate, there is more misunderstanding, more misinformation. That has added some fuel to these arguments.”

Lim says there was nothing quite like her own quick-fire education

by plummeting into farming with Bagrie, coming from a city background in Auckland and Malaysia. Bagrie, who grew up on a farm in eastern Southland, had forewarned Lim on their second date he’d one day return to the land to go farming.

Lim’s stardom happened first, starting with MasterChef, then My Food Bag, then Dancing with the Stars, other TV shows and bestselling cookbooks. Bagrie waited patiently for his. Although he had grown up on a farm, he had spent his professional life in Auckland, working in marketing.

Half a decade into the job she and Bagrie are like any good partnership, arguing black and blue on how things should be done.

I feel like farming is an area where even if you have been doing it for 50 years you would still be learning. It’s always changing and there is something very beautiful in that.

“I feel like I can put my hand up and say ‘I get it’, because I have had a foot in both camps. Carlos and I used to have arguments about why things are done in a certain way, me coming from a towny background and him a rural background. I didn’t really get it until I was witnessing things firsthand.”

The fact that Lim killed and ate her own farm rooster all in the

name of television earned her a solid critic.

“One woman keeps sending me messages. She keeps saying I am evil because I killed and ate one of my roosters.”

The more common response from the Kiwi rural community has been positive and helpful.

“Carlos and I are so grateful to the rural community because we have found other industries can be a bit closed, but everyone in the farming game has been welcoming and willing to share their knowledge and wanting to see us succeed.

“The common thread is everyone is willing to share and be open with their experiences with their failures and successes.”

While on the face of it this ‘dream life’ of television, bestselling cookbooks, paid speaking engagements and family life (three children, Bodhi, River and Arlo) – it has challenges, which the couple have put firmly in front of the public eye.

“We haven’t shied away from showing any disasters. We are still dealing with the chicken coop disaster 12 months on, that hasn’t been resolved. There is a lot of money lost that has to be recouped.”

As shown on the show, the couple commissioned new “bespoke built” chicken houses from Australia to replace the existing ones, but mishandling caused a break, which hasn’t yet been fixed.

“We’ve got a massive mortgage to pay on this farm. It is not like you can just make a mistake and just shrug it off and move on to the next thing. At the end of the day, you’ve got to keep the mortgage being paid and keep the bank happy.

“Farming is not for the faint hearted and definitely not for

someone who wants to have their weekends off.”

Lim says farming has already changed her outlook somewhat.

“Being a farmer, you have to learn how to be okay with not being in control, because things are more often than not out of your control. However, I think learning to deal with that is a very useful skill, not just with farming, but with life in general.”

Lim, who has no shortage of accolades, says there is one thing she enjoys more than food, and that’s mastering the new.

“Learning, it is my favourite thing out of anything. It is why I have loved the farming journey I have absolutely loved and thrived on it.

“I feel like farming is an area where even if you have been doing it for 50 years you would still be learning. It’s always changing and there is something very beautiful in that and it keeps it interesting.”

That’s precisely what makes Lim a top cook too. She is constantly trying new things, keeping it fresh and experimenting with new ingredients.

She says her mother Julie was an “okay” cook, but it was her late father Ken’s experimental panache, as well as the melting pot of her Malaysian upbringing, that grew her curiosity in the kitchen.

“You hear of all these celebrity chefs with these amazing families with a nana who baked everything from scratch and made these incredible meals that had been passed down from generations. I

didn’t grow up in a family like that, I wish I could tell that story.

“Malaysia is an amazing melting pot of cultures. You’ve got Malaysian, Indian, Chinese Portuguese, Thai, Vietnamese, everything. Life revolves around food there. I was exposed to so many different food cultures from a young age and I have been very lucky with that.”

Lim was always going to be a foodie, although she didn’t expect all this. Farming would seem the natural and perfect place to combine her love of food and education.

The farm grows close to 1000 tonnes of crops annually, has more than 8000 chickens, about 5000 lambs, a dozen cattle, a few pet goats and working dogs. Lim has a playground of ingredients to work with, with or without her rooster.

“My philosophy has always been the same. Eat more from the ground, sea and sky and less from the factories.”

Given that she’s a driven businesswoman, there must be a new project under way for Lim?

“That used to be my ethos, ‘What am I going to achieve next?’ But now I am trying to focus more on enjoying what have we have achieved to date and being conscious the kids are only this young for a short period of time.

“Success is often measured by financial means and achievements ... but really at the end of the day the most successful people are the ones who know how to be happy.”

Nadia Lim Royalburn Station

IN CHARGE: Nadia Lim, who has no shortage of accolades, says there is one thing she enjoys more than food, and that’s mastering the new.

HOME: Nadia Lim and Carlos Bagrie have been on the 485 hectare Crown Range, Royalburn Station for about five years.

Scientists quarter the globe to save species

NZ researchers have travelled to Mexico to help unravel connections between micro-organisms, trees and environmental change.

SCIENTISTS at Scion are teaming up with international colleagues from Mexico and the United States to help Pinus radiata under threat in its native range. And they might just help New Zealand’s native species in the process.

As part of the Tree Root Microbiome programme, funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, scientists Steve Wakelin and Sarah Addison are focused on unravelling the connections between micro-organisms, trees and environmental change, shedding light on how these relationships impact the health and resilience of forests.

“Like humans, trees have an extensive community of microorganisms like bacteria, fungi and viruses that live in and around them,” Addison explained.

“And just like us, this microbiome plays a critical role in tree health.”

Understanding how these tree-microbiome associations influence tree growth and survival

is urgently needed in a world where, in many places, the climate is changing faster than trees can adapt.

Forests are recognised as one of the ecosystems that are most sensitive to climate change impacts, says Wakelin.

“Trees are immobile and typically live for a very long time. This has implications for exotic and native forests alike.

“How can seedlings of native trees, such as kahikatea or kauri that can live for many hundreds of years, continue to grow and be resilient as the climate changes around them?”

A catalyst for the research was the desperate need for a system that will help everyone understand the interactions between conifer species and their microbiome, says Wakelin.

“We can’t set up trials today and come back in 100 years and see how it has gone; the clock has been run down. We need to be smarter and look at what resources we have today to inform us so we can make decisions tomorrow.”

The team’s focus for developing

a model is Pinus radiata, the most widely planted conifer species worldwide. It is also a fast-growing species with a well-documented genome and established propagation methods.

Scientists are visiting pine tree sites around the world to gain insights into conifer microbiome associations to inform conservation strategies and support tree health in diverse environments.

Pinus radiata, while thriving in various regions globally, faces extinction threats in its native range near the central coast of California and Mexico. These fragmented native populations, existing for about 15 million years, have endured ice ages, droughts and environmental shifts. These prolonged changes have facilitated the co-evolution of microbiome associations.

The microbiomes found in these endangered populations of Pinus radiata hold crucial insights into how microbiomes can potentially support conifers on a broader scale. It is here that conservation efforts for the native Pinus radiata populations overlap with the need to climate protect conifers globally.

As part of the programme, Addison and Wakelin teamed up with researchers at Grupo de Ecología y Conservación de Islas

Wool scouring facility re-opens

Staff

ASSOCIATE Agriculture Minister

Mark Patterson has re-opened the world’s largest wool processing facility, in Awatoto, Napier, following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment.

The re-opening of the facility will significantly lift the economic opportunities available to New Zealand’s wool sector, which accounts for 20% of global strong wool production, Patterson said.

“The refurbished facility will bolster New Zealand’s wool scouring capacity and capability, contributing to the local and wider economy and growing our wool sector.”

Woolworks’ Awatoto scouring facility is the largest of its kind in the world. Woolworks scours 80% or 100 million kilograms of New Zealand’s wool each year; the Awatoto facility alone scours more than half of New Zealand’s wool.

WoolWorks president Nigel Hales said the re-opening highlights its commitment to New Zealand wool growers, the wool industry, and more broadly the primary sector. It also ensures continued employment for people in the region and ongoing investment at a time when the local and national economy is experiencing headwinds.

“We know wool growers are under pressure due to the challenging wool prices, however

we absolutely believe there is a long-term future for wool.

“We are passionate and committed to wool and believe that our ongoing investment in research and development, processing and manufacturing partnerships will support this unique and special fibre to become more widely accepted and sought after as the world seeks solutions to material problems and makes a commitment to sustainability.”

At the opening, Patterson said he is hosting key industry leaders from NZ’s largest export markets, including delegates from the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress.

This presents an opportunity to build and strengthen connections across the global wool supply

(GECI), the Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP), the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, and colleagues at Wright State University in Ohio.

Last November the multinational team took samples on the islands of Cedros and Guadalupe off the Mexico coast.

For some in the group, the focus was understanding the rootmicrobiome associations and how these can be used to support regeneration efforts to grow populations.

For others, knowledge is being combined with information from native Californian populations and samples collected from pine tree sites globally. This allows researchers to build a comprehensive picture of how root-microbiome associations vary with soil, climate, tree genetics and other factors.

“These endemic trees in Mexico offer unique environments and untouched genetics,” Addison says.

“The Pinus radiata we see growing elsewhere have been domesticated from these island populations. It is likely a combination of movement and successive selection of genetic material has resulted in a loss of many microbiome associations, but these may still be present

within the precious populations.” Collaboration between Scion scientists, GECI and CONANP has been fundamental to gaining access to these restricted populations and creates an important link between NZ and Mexico’s researchers.

“It was through old-fashioned ‘two degrees of separation’ that we were able to connect with these researchers. It was really difficult to get to the trees and required a lot of co-ordination, but it was an amazing experience to be a part of.

“The landscape was so different to New Zealand’s, with more a desert feel on Cedros Island and much colder and foggier conditions on Guadalupe Island, which had very red soil in places due to its volcanic nature.”

Back in the laboratory, scientists are now analysing soils and roots surrounding Pinus radiata trees to unravel their microbiome associations. This information is then linked with the environmental conditions, such as temperature and rainfall, to understand patterns of key microorganisms fundamental to radiata’s survival.

“Some of the trees we sampled were over 300 years old. Can their key microbes be used to protect our trees around the world? That’s what we ultimately want to find out,” says Wakelin.

chain, promote wool, and help open doors for NZ wool businesses.

“This, along with the woolshed meetings we’re holding across New Zealand, are part of the government’s commitment

towards supporting the success of the food and fibre sector, including New

businesses.”

CENTURIES: Dr Megan Rua from Wright State University is dwarfed by a Pinus radiata more than 300 years old.

WOOLLY MAMMOTH: Woolworks’ Awatoto scouring facility is the largest of its kind in the world and scours more than half of New Zealand’s wool.

Zealand wool

The $50m rebuild follows extensive damage to the site from flooding and silt caused by Cyclone Gabrielle in early 2023.

SAMPLES: Sarah Addison and Dr Steve Wakelin take root-microbiome samples from Guadalupe Island endemic pines.

Sector Focus Horticulture

Vege stall with roots deep in the land

Gerhard Uys ON FARM Food and fibre

THE yellow beetroot is wonderful when roasted, the candy-striped beetroot is best pickled,” says Kathy Wilson, as husband David cuts a piece from each to show off the vibrant colours.

The Wilsons own Wilson’s Vege Stall, which can’t be missed by anyone travelling on the SH6 Winton-Lorneville Highway in Southland.

The stall is unmissable because, for one, it’s the only vendor on a very long stretch of highway, and two, there’s a man-sized turnip looking at you when you pass it.

They also milk 600 crossbred cows in a mostly grass system, across 210 hectares.

In 1908 David’s grandfather Henry Wilson came from Scotland as a six-month-old baby.

Eventually he milked and also ran a few hundred ewes.

When David’s father, Ken Wilson, was 18 he bought the farm from Granddad, who in turn bought a nearby farm for Ken’s brother.

David milked and supplied various factories in the late 1960s, but as factories such as Nestlé and Ryal Bush closed down, he transitioned to sheep.

Locals know the crossroads near the vegetable stall as Wilson’s Crossing, so named because Granddad had 12 siblings who all owned land in the area.

What was unusual for the time was that some of the sisters also bought land.

“Dad converted to sheep in 1969. He started with 145 acres [about

59ha]. Then bought 170 acres across the road. We have grown it from there,” David said.

The current farm is 210ha, cut in half by the Winton-Lorneville Highway.

The stall as it is today really came about because of political change.

David said he left school at 16 to help his father on the farm.

But in 1986, with a change of government and subsidies falling away, his dad could not afford to employ him any more and he had to make other plans.

“As a family we’d previously supplied a couple of thousand swedes to the wholesale market every week.

“In those days you were allowed to sell swedes by the roadside,

but nothing else,” he said.

The swedes sold successfully on the roadside stand.

With that success in mind David, his brother Ian and father began buying other vegetables from the wholesale market and also sold those.

“That started the idea that we could expand. In 1986 we started growing our own vegetables.”

But with the law allowing only swedes to be sold, both the council and Transit wanted the family to close the stand.

David said the only way around the rules was to expand.

To do that they needed to keep both the council and Transit happy by creating ample off-road parking, and had to widen the

highway at their own expense, along with a “raft of things that would probably put most people off”.

David said the self-service stand was profitable enough that he and his family decided to go all in, so they made the required changes.

In 1997 David and Kathy tied the knot and carried on with the stall.

In 1998 they bought out the family and took over the farm operation and ran 1800 Romney sheep.

In 2010 they doubled the stall size.

But then, just like in 1986, the market was about to play its hand again and the Wilsons had to decide if they would forge ahead or let the market decide their fate.

Not only was the stall doing well, but David turned over a lot of produce at the Invercargill wholesale market, which was part of Foodstuffs, with a daily truckload of cauliflower and cabbages heading to Invercargill.

Woolworths had always distributed vegetables from distribution centres and had for 35 years never bought local.

But around 2011 Foodstuffs also began pulling out from buying locally, too.

David said the stall did not meet Foodstuffs’ new requirements as a supplier – he was a one-man band, could not supply all year long, did not freight outside the province and had his own retail stall – so they lost them as client.

But by expanding the stall and then beginning to trade at the Invercargill farmers market in 2015, the Wilsons managed to keep selling the same volumes they always did, even after they lost Foodstuffs as a client.

David said their aim was always to supply locals with produce that was almost the same as something grown in “your own backyard”.

They now grow on about 10ha every year.

Kathy said a huge benefit of being dairy farmers is that they can rotate vegetable paddocks every year, often using paddocks that have not had any vegetables planted in them for 14 years.

“We simply get rid of the grass and plant veges,” David said.

The main benefit is that fresh paddocks have no disease or pest burden.

To this end they don’t have a specific spray plan and nor do they blanket spray, and say they are bordering on organic with the small amount of spray they use.

As David is in the paddocks each day, he keeps an eye on pest burdens and controls only when necessary.

“Many of the crops don’t need anything. If you catch aphids at the right moment you can nail that population and don’t need to go back in, just by being observant and knowing your veges,” Kathy said.

There is also no waste.

Sheep eat waste from the stall and cows clean up the paddocks when not being milked in winter.

The shop is run to fit the Wilsons’ lifestyle and is closed between September and February. There are a number of reasons for this decision.

During the wettest winter months getting tractors into paddocks to cultivate would destroy the soil, and it’s also too cold to grow new stock for spring. With the soil in mind their cows are also wintered off.

Over Christmas holidays too many shoppers leave Southland and their client base shrinks, only swelling again in late January.

“We worked out it’s too expensive to operate through that period”.

This break also helps ease any disease or pest burden.

ABUNDANCE: What the Wilsons don’t grow they buy in.

Photos: Gerhard Uys

PAST MASTERS: In 1998 David and Kathy bought out the family and took over the farm operation and ran 1800 Romney sheep. They converted to dairy 17 years ago.

Horticulture

The Wilsons ran 1800 ewes, but converted to dairy 17 years ago.

“We were too small a sheep farm, the veges sort of held the sheep up. We couldn’t afford to pay staff to help with sheep. Dave would dag lambs 11 o’clock at night, and then be off to the wholesale market at five in the morning. With dairy we could actually afford staff,” Kathy said.

The dairy farm now has a manager, Jeff Kinraid, and two staff, mother and daughter duo Laura and Sally Thorn.

Dave would dag lambs 11 o’clock at night, and then be off to the wholesale market at five in the morning.

The manager’s wife, Rachael, pitches in with rearing calves and relief milking when needed.

David basically flies solo when it comes to growing, with a student who helps him pick on Saturdays, and Kathy also heavily involved in harvesting and organising the stall.

The stall has for over 20 years been run by two local women, Sue Frisby and Louanne Roxburg, who share the job, with a student picking up the slack over weekends.

The Wilsons struck it lucky when it comes to soil.

Soil mapping shows they are on Waikiwi silt loam, a good freedraining soil.

Peat bog starts on one of their boundaries, and on their other boundary river gravel dominates.

They grow about 30 lines of vegetables, which include four types of beetroot, three types of carrot, fennel, kohlrabi, zucchini, marrows, cucumbers, pumpkins, yams, leeks, cabbages, cauliflower and broccoli.

The swedes are also still there.

A lot of propagating is done in tunnels, and planting is staggered, with new crops going in every two weeks.

Many of the crops hold well in the ground through winter.

David and Kathy said there are massive benefits to growing as far south as they are.

They often hear some vegetables can’t grow in their climate, but Southland frequently has high temperatures and long days.

They also believe vegetables that grow for longer are more nutrient dense. The sugars get time to set, and they therefore taste better.

David said when they were cut out of wholesale and began supplying the farmers market in Invercargill, they realised they needed an edge.

That edge was supplying the sort of variety that supermarkets did not necessarily stock.

“We kind of introduced kohlrabi to Southland. We’d cut a wedge and give people a try. Now we sell a lot

of kohlrabi. Most people hadn’t heard of it 10 years ago.”

They send a few vegetables to local and Queenstown restaurants and David takes a truckload to Invercargill three days a week for some wholesale supply.

They also have a website and they courier boxes to the Southland public.

David said their biggest challenge is the small population of Southland.

Weather always plays a role, but, said Kathy, “Southland will get you down but it will never let you down”.

David said staying positive is a must in this industry. It’s easy to get in a mindset that everything is against you when, for example, magpies pull out all the seedlings you spent hours planting.

It is not yet clear if any of the Wilson children want to farm.

Daughter Hannah is still at school, but loves growing things.

Middle son Daniel is doing an engineering apprenticeship.

Eldest son Joshua has gone over to harvest in the United States a few times, and contracts to another farmer in Southland when he is back home.

What is important to the Wilsons?

“We want to grow fresh and local and support our Southland population.”

And although they both love cows, market gardening is their favourite as they are inspired by trying new things.

Kathy Wilson Wilson’s Vege Stall

STALL KEEPERS: For over 20 years the Wilsons have been helped by two local women who share the job as stall keepers. Here, from left, are Kathy Wilson, Louanne Roxburgh and Sue Frisby.

SHELTER: Tunnel houses are used to propagate plants in.

VARIETY: David Wilson grows 10 hectares of different types of vegetables and says having as much variety as possible is key to the stall’s success.

IT’S A SIGN: You can’t miss the Wilson’s Vege Stall sign when going down the Winton-Lorneville Highway.

Water is the No 1 thing on growers’ minds

Investment in water access and storage is critical to maintain a thriving horticulture sector.

Sector perspective

GROWERS, along with the wider primary sector, are facing up to significant changes and new challenges.

During HortNZ’s recent meetings with growers across the country, it was clear that water allocation is a major concern.

That aligns with HortNZ’s priorities – water, climate change and adaptation, and food security and supply.

Ensuring water resilience through availability and storage is also a key priority in the

Aotearoa Horticulture Action Plan.

Horticulture is a very efficient user of water, but our growers need a higher degree of reliability compared to other land users. They are also dealing with the implications of the El Niño weather pattern, which means drier conditions for many regions.

The importance of water reliability for fruit and vegetable quality means growers can be significantly disadvantaged when a first-in-served approach is used to allocate the volume of water allowed to be taken from rivers, and an ecosystem health approach is used to set the minimum flow.

Reliable access to water and discharges and policy settings and investment that enable water storage is the only way for horticulture to expand in a way that supports freshwater health. However, current policy settings and attitudes – particularly in the areas of land and water use – do not support horticulture’s growth.

We have outlined strongly to the government that investment in land and water is critical to maintain a thriving horticulture sector.

There is also a need to ensure that water consent timeframes give growers the certainty to invest and increase production, while improving environmental outcomes.

It is encouraging to see the government’s commitment to

exploring water storage solutions and we are continuing to strongly push this case for growers in the freshwater settings space.

The industry cannot grow without the use of NZ’s highly productive land and it cannot grow without access to water.

Ensuring market access and compliance with regulations is also critical for the sector. For many growers, this is achieved through the New Zealand Good Agricultural Practice Programme (NZGAP), which recently marked its 25th anniversary.

Owned by HortNZ and led by growers, for growers, the programme provides a credible assurance framework to meet supermarket and regulatory obligations, achieving both market access and compliance with regulations via one integrated system.

The programme has evolved continuously since its launch in 1999, to align grower practices with constantly changing regulatory and market requirements as well as the latest best practice guidelines.

A current focus is on providing a more integrated programme, while simplifying it for the user. We are also seeking a more optimal level of recognition with regulators, including a full recognition of our Environment Management System under Freshwater Farm Plan regulations.

There’s a lot of work happening and we look forward to continuing that and to advocating on growers’ behalf for sound and sensible policy settings that enable this industry to thrive.

Voting opens on our commodity levy referendum shortly and I encourage all growers to engage in the process.

Without grower support, HortNZ would be wound up. With a “yes” vote, we will continue to help growers to make informed decisions for their businesses, provide certainty around investing and make available tools, resources and services

to promote productivity and profitability. And we will continue to ensure that growers’ voices are heard, loud and clear – where they need to be heard and on the issues that are important to them.

Current policy settings and attitudes –particularly in the areas of land and water use – do not support horticulture’s growth.

Sweet synergy as gelato helps produce dodge bin

Richard Rennie NEWS Food and fibre

COMBINING the growing taste

New Zealanders have for Italianstyle gelato with fruit that would otherwise be destined to landfill is proving a winner for both the environment and for the manufacturer’s export opportunities.

Island Gelato Company recently took home the NZ Food Producers’ dairy award with its rich chocolate variety, sharing it jointly with Matakana’s Charlie’s Gelato. Island was founded by Masterchef runner-up Ana Schwarz and started on Waiheke Island a decade ago. She was serving Italian-style gelato from a single kiosk and has since made the move into premium supermarket and hospitality channels of the food sector.

But it is also setting the pace for “upcycled” food products, defined as those made from ingredients that would otherwise have ended up in a food waste location, usually a land fill.

The company’s efforts to reduce the amount of produce heading to landfill gained a profile last

year when Island Gelato staff member Hannah Clarke made use of kūmara deemed unsellable after Cyclone Gabrielle tore through the season’s crop.

Thousands of tonnes of produce were destined to be dumped, often due to relatively minor blemishes, and Clarke found a supplier of gold kūmara for her to produce Island’s gold kūmara brûlée gelato.

A Rabobank report from 2023 found food waste in NZ amounts to about 12% of all food bought each week.

While back somewhat on the 13.4% wasted in 2022, it still amounts to about $1500 per household per year, or just over $3 billion – enough to feed 688,000 New Zealanders for a year.

Vegetables, fruit, and bread dominate the household food waste stream, with fruit claiming about 25%, vegetables 39% and bread 29%.

About 60,500 tonnes of food is unsold annually from supermarkets, with a quarter of this ending up as landfill.

Ice cream has been identified in industry studies as a good means of dealing with oversupplied and imperfect horticultural produce.

Schwarz said while ice cream

still dominates NZ’s dairy dessert purchases, gelato is moving away from the eating-out dessert treat to an in-home item. The company has experienced special occasion gelato cake growth of 147% in the past year.

With its fruit content and having no added cream, unlike ice cream, gelato offers a lower fat percentage dessert .

The company intends to grow the number of supermarkets it is in over the coming year, then progressively move into niche export markets offering high premium opportunities.

Schwarz said the company is working with a food rescue charity to navigate the logistics of collecting, sorting and delivering fresh unsold produce from supermarkets to its manufacturing plant.

Of the unsold food from supermarkets, three-quarters of it goes to places other than landfill. Most of that is destined to be animal feed, with fresh fruit and vegetables making up almost half that.

“While perishable fresh produce reaches a point where it is not suitable for sale on supermarket shelves, the softer texture of more

ripe fruit and vegetables is ideal as an ingredient in gelato,” Schwarz said.

“One of the key benefits of this model from a sustainability perspective is that not only are we rescuing food from the landfill but we’re also extending the shelf life of highly perishable fresh produce from a few days to six months when stored in the freezer as a component of gelato,” she said.

Island’s flavours with rescued fruit now include mango, lime and passionfruit and woodland berry.

Nadine Tunley Tunley is CEO of Horticulture New Zealand

RELIABILITY: Horticulture is a very efficient user of water, but growers need a higher degree of reliability compared to other land users.

FRUITY: Island Gelato founder Ana Schwarz says the company is working closely with supermarkets to rescue horticultural produce that would otherwise end up as stock feed or in landfill.

Room for one more, says new veg drive

Neal Wallace NEWS Food and fibre

VEGETABLE growers are about to launch a new campaign encouraging people to add one more vegetable to their meal or dish.

Set to be launched later this month, it builds on the wellestablished five-plus a day campaign but Vegetables NZ chair John Murphy said it tempers that earlier message.

The new message is to add one more vegetable to a dish or meal, such as tomato to avocado on toast, radish to a salad or zucchini alongside the grated carrot being added to bolognaise.

Murphy said not only is it good

for the health of the consumer but it adds different flavours.

He is confident the coalition government acknowledges the importance of New Zealand’s highly productive land and the importance of the vegetable industry in providing food security.

He said the government still needs to provide the sector and food production generally with some protection by ensuring growing vegetables remains a permitted activity following reform of the Resource Management Act (RMA).

“Essentially it needs to be recognised in the RMA and it is an essential pathway for growers that vegetable growing is a permitted activity.”

The government has also introduced a fast track consenting process for selected development projects and signalled it wants to free up more land for residential development.

That could threaten high-class soils in the vegetable-growing regions of Pukekohe and North Waikato as Auckland’s appetite for residential development sees the city continue to expand.

Murphy said the devil will be in the detail, but he is confident food security will be at the core of any decisions and said the government acknowledges the importance of protecting rare high-quality soils.

He said industry standards ensure that activities and management essential for vegetable growing are

done correctly such as using water, fertiliser and chemicals.

He would like these standards to be acknowledged better by local authorities.

“They need to match the policies for what is needed,” he said.

While bordering our most populous region can risk urban encroachment, Murphy said there are also benefits for growers being on the doorstep of our most populous city, providing ready access to a large market and labour.

A shortage of labour was alleviated when the border restrictions were lifted after covid, but Murphy said his board is aware they need to look to the future, to promote opportunities and encourage people to look for careers in the sector.

Potatoes NZ proud that spuds are showing the way

Annette Scott PEOPLE Marketing

LISTENING to enable better outcomes for the humble spud is paying dividends for the New Zealand potato industry.

PotatoesNZ chief executive Kate Truffit said the potato industry is having an impact on the wider horticulture industry, leading the way and driving many initiatives.

“With a purpose of listening, enabling and promoting better outcomes, PotatoesNZ is heading in the right direction.”

She said areas of note where PotatoesNZ is making a difference include research, development and extension.

“In the realm of research, development, and extension, PotatoesNZ has completed a substantial number of projects and continues to thrive.

“A diverse range of projects spanning research and development, multi-project programmes, and initiatives like

the Sustainable Vegetable Systems project underline PotatoesNZ’s commitment to innovation and sustainability.”

The industry body’s involvement in addressing sector specific challenges, such as Canterbury potato liberibacter and potato tuber moth, emphasises its dedication to industry growth and advancement, Truffit said.

Representation within industry governance groups and councils remains strong with PotatoesNZ having active participation in various key bodies ensuring it has opportunity to be at the table to sway government and regulatory bodies.

Active relationships with government agencies such as the Ministry for Primary Industries, Ministry for the Environment and Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment are key.

“This representation ensures that grower interests are effectively advocated for and that the industry’s vision is aligned with broader goals.”

Education and communication

have been a strong focus under Truffit’s leadership with a growing online presence that includes daily social media updates promoting NZ potatoes across various channels.

PotatoesNZ is heading in the right direction.

Kate Trufitt PotatoesNZ

“We created four new videos on pests, diseases, innovation and research and development that enhance knowledge sharing in collaboration with partners, and strategic campaigns have significantly extended the reach of the industry’s message.”

PotatoesNZ has contributed to agronomist forums providing a platform for knowledge sharing and networking among professionals in the field, enhancing expertise and best practices.

The distribution of education resources to schools and growers helped in spreading awareness and knowledge about potatoes.

Health and Safety workshops promoted safe practices and ensured the wellbeing of industry participants.

Publishing articles in the NZ Grower magazine and generating positive news about potatoes in national media improved public perception and the various events and activities organised during the year fostered a sense of community and collaboration among members.

Seed and quality assurance remain a top priority for PotatoesNZ with the continued revision and publication of the NZ Seed Potato Certification Rulebook and Seed Lines, reinforcing high-quality standards in potato production.

The addition of two new team members to the in-house NZ Seed Potatoes Certification Authority inspection team further strengthens seed quality control and the update of

Residue Compliance Information underscores Potatoes NZ’s commitment to safety and compliance.

Truffit also noted in more recent achievements the increased attendance at agronomy forums and the distribution of educational resources showcasing a growing interest in the industry.

The record attendance at the biennial conference indicated strong engagement and collaboration.

“Positive news articles in national media and the growth in the domestic market reflected a positive public perception and increased demand for potatoes.”

PotatoesNZ has maintained a forward-looking approach, engaging with growers and industry to produce a recently updated Strategic Plan and the Business Plan.

“Clearly communicating its vision and direction to growers and stakeholders ensures PotatoesNZ’s long-term direction and growth,” Truffit said.

“ I want the freshest, most up-to-date info, and I think Farmers Weekly is good at giving that. It’s current and well written. Sharing the work Federated Farmers does is greatly appreciated. ”

Keith Holmes Waihou farmer and Federated Farmers Waikato president

CAMPAIGNER: Vegetables NZ chair John Murphy.

FEDERATED FARMERS

Southland Feds urge pragmatism

Environment Southland should focus their wintering compliance checks this year on real risks rather than the presence of a meaningless piece of paper, Federated Farmers Southland’s president says.

Chris Dillon says farmers in Southland are breathing a sigh of relief at the Government’s announcement that national intensive winter grazing regulations will be repealed.

“This is good news not just for dairy farmers but for every farmer who winter grazes.

TAKE A BREATHER: Federated

Farmers Southland President Chris Dillon says given it’s clear the regulations are on the way out, it would be baffling if Environment Southland continued forcing farmers to gain consent for certain wintering activities.

“The intensive winter grazing regulations brought in by the previous Government haven’t worked and were completely unnecessary.

“There’s definitely a sense of relief that common sense is finally prevailing.”

Dillon says changes won’t be made in time for this winter because the wheels of Government take time to turn, but that most farmers will already have crops in the ground and a winter grazing plan for this season anyway.

However, given it’s clear the regulations are on the way out, it would be baffling if Environment Southland continued forcing farmers to gain consent for certain wintering activities, he says.

“We reiterate our call to ES to focus their compliance and monitoring efforts based on risk and effect to waterways, not on the presence of a consent where only these national regulations require it.

“This is especially appropriate now. No farmer should have to go through a consent process for these regulations now that they are going to be repealed for next season.”

Environment Southland’s rules in the Water and Land Plan still require some farmers to obtain a resource consent for their winter grazing practices.

This is particularly on land with a slope of more than 20 degrees, where more than 15% or 50ha of the farm is used for winter crop grazing,

or where winter grazing area on the property exceeds that which occurred during 2014-2019.

Dillon says these national regulations have been a frustrating distraction and have undermined a lot of goodwill with farmers.

“The risk of poor practice didn’t change because of a more stringent consent process – that just put those who do the right thing through a whole lot of needless and expensive bureaucracy.”

Many farmers already wintercrop and graze sloping land with extensive mitigations to avoid negative effect to freshwater, he says.

“Even without the regulations, farmers here have made huge changes to their wintering practices.

“It’s been steadily improving but the last couple of years have been exceptional, to the point where if somebody’s doing something wrong, someone will stop and tell them.

“People see what the neighbour’s up to, what the guy down the road’s doing, like fencing off a swale in the wintertime.

“They’re not doing that because they have to; they’re doing it because it’s the right thing to do.

“We want stuff that’s focused on outcomes, not a piece of paper.”

Dillon encourages farmers to keep up the good work this winter.

“My message to farmers would be to carry on showing good practice and continue to innovate

as we always have, to build on the improvements made to date.

“We fully expect farmers to keep winter grazing with a strong emphasis on avoiding the impacts to freshwater, and with animal health front of mind.

“We’ll keep working alongside other industry organisations to deal with situations where this is not happening.

“We support ES taking action with farmers who do not manage their winter grazing appropriately.”

Dillon says it’s unclear yet whether Environment Southland will crack down on farmers for not

having a consent if they need one this winter.

“Anyone unsure if they need a winter grazing consent should check with the council.

“But we’re certainly hoping ES will use common sense and not expect this, with the Government moving to change the national regulations.”

The Government’s first Resource Management Amendment Bill, which includes repealing the national regulations for winter grazing, is expected to be introduced to Parliament this month.

Hear from an impressive lineup of presenters focused on innovative solutions, business diversification,

Keynote speakers include Julia Jones and Gemma McCaw with concurrent Pick ‘n’ Mix sessions throughout the day

Tickets cost $65.00. Limited space, so get yours now at beeflambnz.com/aginnovation2024

BEST PRACTICE: Many farmers already winter-crop and graze sloping land with extensive mitigations to avoid negative effect to freshwater.

Federated Farmers

Timaru growers find a juicy new market in Tokyo

t a time when arable

Afarmers are doing it tough, brothers Michael and Nick Tayler say their contract supplying carrots for the Japanese juice market has helped.

Each year, the South Canterbury farmers grow a significant tonnage of carrots that are juiced into a concentrate and exported north, enjoyed by health-conscious consumers in Japan.

Michael says their contract with Timaru company Juice Products New Zealand (JP-NZ) has been an asset to the business.

“It’s definitely a challenging time for arable farming at the moment. The gross margins on many of our crops are tight, caused by low commodity product prices combined with a huge lift in our growing costs.

Having the carrot contract has helped because it utilises our machinery more efficiently and dilutes our exposure to the traditional commodity markets.

Michael Tayler Federated Farmers Arable Council member

“Having the carrot contract has helped because it utilises our machinery more efficiently and dilutes our exposure to the traditional commodity markets.”

The Tayler brothers, who farm around 1000ha, also grow process potatoes for Bluebird Foods and McCain, as well as specialist brassica crops, wheat, barley, maize, peas, and turf ryegrass mainly for the

American market.

“One of the strengths of our business, and many arable farms, is that we grow a broad range of crops and have reasonably long rotations, which means we’re less dependent on one commodity,” says Michael, a Federated Farmers Arable Council member and chair of United Wheat Growers NZ.

“This spreads our risk out, so, if the price of one crop is down, another might be up.

“In saying that, margins across all crops have been squeezed over the past few years.”

The Taylers hadn’t been growing carrots before they struck a deal with JP-NZ back in 2009.

“There were two guys from Auckland who did a lot of trading in juices around the world, who purchased an existing business before deciding to create a new entity and build a new juicing factory,” Michael explains.

“They liked South Canterbury because of its good soils, reliable water and temperate climate, making it an ideal growing area for carrots.

“Around 2009, some local growers were approached and asked if they would be interested in suppling carrots for this new factory.”

JP-NZ, acquired in 2014 by major Japanese company Sumitomo Corporation, is a leading processor of raw carrots into high-quality carrot juice concentrates, exported mainly to countries in Asia, North America and Australasia.

Michael says there are now a small, dedicated number of Canterbury growers supplying carrots to JP-NZ, but he says it isn’t a crop you can move into easily.

“It is a specialist crop and one that

requires a lot of capital-intensive machinery. It’s not as easy as thinking, ‘Ok, the wheat price is down, so I might grow some juicing carrots this year’. You can’t really just jump in and out of these sort of crops.

“An advantage for us is that a lot of the machinery we use to harvest and transport our potatoes we can also use for carrots. Our potato harvester is also our carrot harvester.”

He says the carrots need to go through a washing process before they’re sent off to JP-NZ’s factory. Originally, all the carrots were sent straight from the paddock to be washed in Washdyke, Timaru, before going on to the factory. This wasn’t efficient, so the Taylers set up a washing company with neighbours Leighton and Michelle Pye, of Pye Group.

Growing carrots can also be hard on the soil, Michael says.

“With potatoes, we harvest and process them up until autumn, then store the balance in temperaturecontrolled sheds to be used later in the year as the factory demands them.

“But with carrots, they won’t keep in big sheds, so we effectively store them ‘in-field’ and have to harvest them as the factory needs them right through the winter.

“If it gets really wet, that’s hard on the soil structure, and hard on the machinery and staff.”

Winter harvesting means the crop following carrots is late to be planted as well.

Michael, who was last in Japan in November 2023, says carrot juice is much more popular there than here at home.

“They seem to use a lot of our

carrot juice as a base and blend it with juices like orange or blackcurrant and other sorts of juices.

“If you go to a vending machine here you’ll get Sprite or Coke or whatever, but over there they’ve got little cardboard boxes of healthier options.

“During our last trip up there, they were releasing a pure, 100% carrotonly juice. It’s obviously very good for you.”

Tayler admits plenty of people are intrigued to learn where their carrots end up.

“It is an interesting story, and really satisfying to see New Zealand carrot juice on the supermarket shelves in Japan.

“JP-NZ and the Canterbury growers have developed a good relationship with the Japanese, which hopefully will continue for years to come.”

GREAT ORANGEMENT: Brothers Nick and Michael Tayler say it’s satisfying to see their carrots end up in juice on the supermarket shelves in Japan.

New sharemilkers urged to ‘take time’

Federated Farmers

dairy chair Richard McIntyre encourages new sharemilkers to take photos of the farm houses – inside and outside, so you know what the starting point was.

Getting a few things right in their first week on the farm will go a long way towards setting sharemilkers up for a successful season, Federated Farmers national dairy chair Richard McIntyre says.

With June 1 approaching, McIntyre joined the Federated Farmers Podcast to offer advice to those making the move into sharemilking.

“Going sharemilking for the first time is exciting, but it’s really important that sharemilkers take the time to actually set themselves up for success from the start.

“When you arrive on the farm, you’ve got so many things to do. You’ve got the house to unpack, cows arriving, and all your machinery – it’s pretty crazy.

“You’ve got to take the time to record all the little things. Go and do a cover assessment with the farm owner and record that cover in the contract.

“Count and record all the bales of hay and other supplement.

“There’s usually something in the contract specifying what amount needs to be there, but it often isn’t quite what’s there on June 1, so you need to record what’s actually onhand when you arrive.”

McIntyre encourages new sharemilkers to take photos of the farm houses – inside and outside.

“That’s so you know what the starting point was, and so you can request any repairs required.”

He says writing down all those details will help prevent contract disputes later in the season.

“Too often people call us to say they’ve got these issues with the contract, or they say, ‘I need to leave this much feed on-hand at the end but there was only this much to begin with’.

“Ok, but what’s in the contract? So often those clauses are actually blank – they haven’t been filled in or

Honouring arable’s best and brightest

The call is out for nominations as the arable industry gets ready to celebrate its next crop of innovators and achievers.

“The second annual New Zealand Arable Industry Awards was a sell-out last year and we’re expecting the 2024 event will be just as popular,” Federated Farmers arable chairperson David Birkett says.

Held at Air Force Museum in Christchurch on August 15, the formal dinner event will include the launch of an Arable Hall of Fame.

Federated Farmers, the Foundation for Arable Research, United Wheatgrowers and the Grain & Seed Trade Association first came together in 2022 for a pan-sector celebration of the cream of the industry’s growers, researchers and leaders.

At that inaugural event, a Lifetime Achievement Award was presented

to AgResearch stalwart and internationally renowned grassland farms systems expert Dr Phil Rolston.

“Now we’re bringing in a Hall of Fame, an enduring record of those individuals like Dr Rolston who have excelled and made a significant contribution to New Zealand’s arable industry,” Birkett says.

Nominations are open for Grower of the Year in maize, cereal and seed categories, and a team of judges will select one of these winners as 2024 Arable Farmer of the Year.

Other awards are for Positive Environmental Impact, Agronomist of the Year, and Working Together.

As well as recognising individual and team effort, the awards are about highlighting to the rest of New Zealand a farming sector

that tends to fly under the radar.

A 2022 Business and Economic Research Ltd report noted the arable industry contributes $932 million to GDP, with exports of around $250 million each year.

“Not only are we world leaders in seed production – 60% of the world’s radish seed, 50% of white clover seed and 40% of global carrot seed, for example – the maize, feed and grass seed we grow is crucial for the New Zealand dairy and meat producers, who drive the lion’s share of our export earnings,” Birkett says.

“The awards are a chance for growers to escape long hours in the field for some fun, to salute their best and brightest and to underline what we bring to employment and the economy.”

Full award nomination details at www.arableawards.co.nz

they’ve been filled in inaccurately.

“It’s very hard to remedy that situation.

“So, take that little bit of time to get all of that sorted and you’ll be far more successful.”

South Waikato dairy farmer and industry leader Tony Wilding, also on the podcast, says it’s important for the farm owner and sharemilker to create formality and structure around how they communicate.

“It often tends to be a casual relationship, thinking you’re all getting on rosy.

“The farm owner might just rock up and talk to the sharemilker whenever they feel like it, which might be ok at the start.

“But when issues arise that need to be discussed that could cause some tension, that’s not the right environment to have those discussions.

“So, whether your relationship’s going well or not, having some

structure around that is extremely helpful.”

For example, the two parties could agree to a monthly meeting over a cuppa, where they go through a farm report and follow an agenda.

Wilding says farm owners who’ve had employees for a long time need to recognise there’s a difference between employees and sharemilkers.

“It’s not an employment relationship, which is why the formality and structure, and respecting the contractor’s workspace is important.

“Don’t just rock up when the guy’s in the middle of calving a cow or hosing down the yard.

“Getting that right will start the relationship off on the right foot.”

Hear more advice for how to succeed in sharemilking at fedfarm.org.nz/podcast.

GET TOGETHER: The awards are a chance for growers to escape long hours in the field for some fun, and to salute their best and brightest, Federated Farmers arable chair David Birkett says.

RECORD:

national

Calling for less stick, more carrot

Heavy-handed regulation is holding ManawatūRangitikei farmers back from coming up with their own solutions to challenges like improving water quality, Ian Strahan says.

“Not enough carrot and too much stick sums up the problem for us farmers here – and all over the country – at the moment,” the province’s Federated Farmers president says.

“Kiwi farmers are some of the most adaptable farmers in the world because of the unsubsidised, market-led way we do things.

They said they were just working with the science, but if we’d given effect to what they were proposing, it would result in widespread land use change.

Ian Strahan

Federated Farmers ManawatūRangitīkei president

“We just need some incentives and a bit of room to move instead of being sat on by regulation, like we are right now.”

Strahan, who farms in Kiwitea, says there have been positive signals that many of the previous Government’s unworkable rules for farmers will be wound back.

For example, the new Government is reviewing the national direction for freshwater management and has extended the deadline to 2027 for councils to implement freshwater plans.

“Horizons Regional Council has extended the deadline to notify its Freshwater Plan to late 2026/early 2027, but has shown little sign that it’s listening to farmers,” Strahan says.

He says Horizons’ “impractical and unworkable” proposed water quality targets, which it presented to farmers at roadshows last year, are very much still on the table.

Strahan, who went to two of those roadshow meetings, says Horizons was genuinely surprised at the reaction it got from farmers.

“The council is totally out of touch and hadn’t really consulted properly with the rural community.

“They said they were just working with the science, but if we’d given effect to what they were proposing, it would result in widespread land use change.”

Horizons gave no indication of how its proposals would affect the local economy, he says.

“They will now look into what appears to be a very linear economic analysis of these potential land use changes.

“If a quarter of our hill country ended up in pine trees, I think freshwater would be the loser in the long term.”

Strahan says what farmers and the sector desperately need is space and incentives to come up with their own solutions.

For example, what farmers and catchment groups have learned about water quality in the past two decades – and especially the last 10 years – has been massive, he says.

“Farmer-led catchment groups are the best way for us to continue cleaning up waterways.

“These groups know exactly what’s

OWNERSHIP: Farmer-led catchment groups are the best way for us to continue cleaning up waterways, says Federated Farmers Manawatū-Rangitīkei president Ian Strahan.

going on in their catchments, but Horizons haven’t even asked for their input.

“Farmers are ultimately the ones who’ll have the biggest effect on freshwater, so they have to be part of the equation.”

Asked what the ‘carrot’ might look like, Strahan says he’s very keen on market-led initiatives.

Fonterra’s Scope 3 emissions target, announced last November, is a good example of farmers coming up with a solution to reduce emissions, he says.

“The co-op is targeting a 30% intensity reduction in on-farm emissions by 2030, and that’s broken down into nice bite-sized chunks and it’s doable.

“I’d like to see more of that, rather than politicians telling us if we don’t

do what they want then no one’s going to buy our product.

“When our companies tell us what we need to do, it’s based on market signals. When politicians tell us, it’s just based on ideology.

“I’d like to see more actual marketled carrot rather than ideological stick.”

Alongside excessive regulation, another immediate concern for Strahan is the proposed rates rises for his province.

“Horizons are saying the average rates rise will be 12.9%. Well, I haven’t talked to one farmer whose rates will be anywhere close to that.

“The highest I’ve heard – and I’m only talking about year one – is 45%. My rates personally are going up by 20%.”

He strongly disagrees with Horizons’ plan to reduce the Uniform Annual General Charges (UAGC) from 27% of the rates take down to 16%.

“For property owners, this means the general rate hike will likely be more than the proposed 12.9% rise.

“This is a forced property tax without extra benefits or services at a time when farmers simply cannot afford it.”

Strahan says Horizons have “completely lost the plot” with their UAGC plan.

“They’ve done this to help the urban population because of the cost-of-living crisis.

“But the council’s just shifted the burden onto land owners and farmers, who are the ones at the moment who can least afford it.”

207 Rotowai Road, Central Hawkes Bay

Tainui - 692 ha

Situated at the end of Rotowai Rd, some 20 km east of Waipawa and 75 km south of Napier. Tainui is secluded and surrounded by farmland. LUC maps indicate 590 ha Class 6 & 7 land and 100 ha Class 4. A feature of Tainui is the fully reticulated water system to troughs in all paddocks with water sourced from a large dam/wetland area. Fenced into 71 paddocks with 10 km of new fencing completed in 2020-22. Presently utilized as a breeding and finishing block for sheep and cattle with excellent results achieved Infrastructure is excellent with a four bedroom homestead featuring open plan living, four stand woolshed and covered yard and a full array of other farm improvements. An excellent lane system allows for good stock movement and access. The extensive plantings of Willows and Poplars make for an aesthetically appealing property while providing for a pleasant working environment Tainui is genuinely on the market as the absentee vendors look to pursue other interests. 4 2 2 Tender closes 2.00pm, Fri 17th May, 2024, Property

By appointment

pb.co.nz/WR181094 Sam McNair M 027 264 0002 E sam.mcnair@pb.co.nz

Pat Portas M 027 447 0612 E patp@pb.co.nz

Marton 265 Waimutu Road

Agricultural contracting business

With more than 40 years in operation, this consistently profitable business is serving a profitable client base, across a broad range of agricultural services. The modern fleet of machinery and equipment is well maintained and serviced, and provides the ability to complete all the work in-house The long-established business runs with three full-time staff including the owner and operations manager and additionally they use the services of a permanent part-time staff member.

Offering cultivation and baling services as well as a general freight service, the business also provides a comprehensive baled-feed supplement supply and carry a year round supply in stock A fully and well appointed depot of approximately 7,000 m2 is available to lease, for machinery and produce storage (conditions apply). Complement your existing operation or step up into a fully operational business, showing consistent financial profitability.

Tender closes 4.00pm, Thu 30th May, 2024, Property

51

View By appointment

Web pb.co.nz/WGC180404

Richard White M 027 442 6171 E richardw@pb.co.nz

Brokers,

Taupo Quay, Whanganui

Rickard M 027 245 8495

LARGE CHICKEN FARM FOR SALE

Located at 29A Arrowville Road, Pukekohe on 7.0320 hectares of flat land are four quality broiler chicken sheds, with a total 8528 square meters, running close to 150,000 chickens per run.  The sheds have the latest equipment and strong maintenance programme, which keeps this farm in top order. The office block has the usual amenities, including the generator room and pumping station. The stunning four bedroom house has been completely refurbished, with new kitchen, bathrooms (2) carpet and a large

around

the

from which the

vistas are impressive. Contracted to Van Den Brinks Poultry Ltd who have been operating for 60 years in NZ, a company that has the following motto: quality, integrity, positive attitude, accountability, honesty and prosperity. Chicken farming has proven to be robust, and reliable with consumption surpassing that of beef. An editorial in the Washington Post in 2014, said that chicken consumption throughout the world would outstrip other meat by 2023, this happened years earlier.

If you are considering a change in your life, then chicken farming will change your lifestyle. This would suit a farming family who enjoy rural life and working from home without long extended hours. Even if you are just thinking of a change, then please call and discuss this opportunity. The agent has previously been a chicken farmer and is able to give a complete insight into chicken

Rakaia 1131 Dromore Hatfield Road

GLEN MURRAY 3068 Highway 22

Thundercross Farm and Adventure Business

This is a prime dairy grazing/ finishing farm with a an array of features that make it a unique opportunity. With multiple income streams including iconic adventure tourism business, Thundercross Valley Dirt Bike Park, a commercial quarry and Wool Shed cafe, the additional business units provide significant supplementary income and opportunity.

This 300ha farm with approx 237ha effective area has 32 well-maintained paddocks of mostly rolling contour, with some moderate to steep. The farm's water supply is sourced and pumped from natural water sources. Well-constructed and sited yards allow for effective stock handling. The farm is currently leased out for dairy grazing and finishing as well as maize and silage production. Historically has run mixed sheep and beef. Noteworthy is the on-site quarry, with a mix of 'rotten rock' and quality blue stone. With a Resource Consent in place since 2000, the quarry presents a potential additional income opportunity.

A well-situated four-bedroom home on the property, with double garaging, established gardens, a bountiful orchard and great views, offers comfortable rural living.

Whether you seek a profitable investment or an attractive business, Thundercross at 3068 Highway 22 offers a blend of rural charm and modern functionality.

Ben Warren

M 021 466 057

E ben.warren@pggwrightson.co.nz

Richard Thomson

M 027 294 8625

TENDER Plus GST (if any) (Unless Sold Prior) Closes 4.00pm, Wednesday 29 May VIEW By Appointment Only E richard.thomson@pggwrightson.co.nz

CAPITAL STOCK ANGUS COW SALE

“What’s

“If

COMPLETE HERD DISPERSAL

On A/c W C & T Holmes

Monday 13th May 2024

11am Start

Old Te Kuiti Road, Otorohanga F/N 74818

(Access through Lime Works)

Comprising:

140 Friesian - XBD In Calf Cows

Ave BW250 PW302

50 XBD In Calf Heifers

This established herd (30years breeding) is a young herd that has been milked once a day for the last 2 seasons.

TB C10, Lepto vaccinated, Pregnancy tested 7th May prior to sale. This top herd has the ability to revert back to twice a day milking.

Calving from 20th July - 7th October - 6 weeks AB to LIC XBD Bull of the day.

Tailed with Hereford bull, out 26/12/23.

Payment due 04/06/24

Delivery from 14/05/24

For inspection or enquiry

Sheldon Keech 027 222 7920

Greg Edge 027 520 1771

Western Livestock

Chris Keech 027 211 8105

Dairy Herd & Young Stock

On A/c Bruce & Tania Cox

Thursday 9th May 2024

Stratford Saleyards 11am

Comprising:

152 x Frsn/x In Calf 2 - 8yr Cows

5 x Frsn/x Incalf Heifers

33 x Frsn/x Yearling Heifers

NZFLL are privileged to offer Bruce & Tania’s herd to the market.

The Friesian/x herd will come forward inmilk, these cows shift very well as they are coming off a very tough farm.

BW190 PW240

Vetted Incalf due 1st August to AB 5 weeks LIC

Friesian tailed with PB Hereford.

TB Status C10 Lepto Vaccinated BVD bulk milk tested.

Delivery on sale day or trucked back until 1st June.

Payment Terms 4th June 2024

Contact Simon Payne 027 241 4585

LONGVIEW BEEF SHORTHORN

Deferred

Sheep Wanted for Lice Testing

Replacement Ewe Hoggets – not in lamb Mobs of >300 On farm study

All animals treated for lice

This

FEILDING COW FAIR

R2 I/C heifers BW 350, PW 357

Full range of farm machinery & sundries

The herd and the I/C heifers come forward in top condition

Herd is milked twice a day

5 weeks AB to LIC nominated & forward pack sires calving from 16 July, tailed with Hereford bulls

Heifers are AB mated to forward pack kiwicross sires for 3 weeks calving from 14 July, tailed with Jersey bulls until 15 December

All animals vaccinated for Lepto

TB status C10

Long term average of 85,000 M/S from 235 cows on a challenging farm System 2 farm

Average SCC 71,000

This is a top genetic herd with regular contract matings Herd has been owned for 65+yrs by the same owner and presents an excellent opportunity for purchasers to attain these genetics

If you require cows or I/C heifers with confirmation and sound genetics from a long-established herd we strongly recommend you attend this sale

Machinery and Sundries: Massey Ferguson 4235, Effluent pump, 3x PK Trailers, Trailed bale feeder, 2x Stainless steel vat on wheels, 2x centre feed silage wagons, soft hands, quad bike spreader, trailed weed sprayer calf vat & refrigeration unit 50 teat milk bar feeder dosatron drench unit water trough fuel bowser Various tools and sundries

Enquiries: Luke Renton 027 490 8450

Thursday 16 May | 12pm | Feilding Saleyards

PGG Wrightson will offer 1900 Hill Country Weaner Steers and Heifers

Ricky Alabaster Trust/Rangitane

P/Ship - Taihape

325 Angus & Angus/Hereford Steers

• 325 Angus & Angus/Hereford

Heifers Atahua & Kaharau Bred

Carey Alabaster - Taihape

120 Angus & Angus/Hereford Steers

• 30 Angus & Angus/Hereford Heifers Kaharau Bred

Hardrock Station

75 Angus Steers

50 Angus Heifers Atahua Bred

A&K Coogan

50 Charolais x Steers

50 Charolais x Heifers

C&N Alabaster Family Trust - Taihape

• 100 Angus & Angus/Hereford Steers

South & Mid Canterbur y Tuesday 21 May | 9am - 12pm

Orari Gorge Hereford, Geraldine, Rober t Peacock 03 6922893

Matatok i Hereford, Cave, Paul Scott, 027 296 3817

Merr ylea Hereford, Cave, James McKerchar, 03 6143332

Meadowslea Angus, Fairlie, David Giddings, 03 6858027

South & Mid Canterbur y Tuesday 21 May | 1pm - 4pm

Ok awa Hereford, Mayfield, Nick France, 027 5678019

K ak ahu Angus & Charolais, Geraldine, Tom Hargreaves, 03 6974979

Stern Angus, Pleasant Point, James Fraser, 03 6147080

Mid Canterbur y Wednesday 22 May | 9am - 12pm

Mt Possession Angus, Mt Somers, Ryan Hussey, 03 3039867 Cleardale Angus, Rak aia, Ben Todhunter, 021 1403670

Central Canterbur y Wednesday 22 May | 1pm - 4pm

Glen-R Angus, Dar field, Peter Heddell, 027 4361388

Bur tergill South Devon, West Melton, Richard Van Asch, 021 1915584

Sudeley Angus, Ir well, Andrew Laing, 03 3291709

Silverstream Charolais & Hereford, Greenpark, Brent Fisher, 027 2514791

Nor th Canterbur y Thursday 23 May | 9am - 12pm

Richon Hereford, Amberley, Rob Stokes, 027 7571673

Beechwood Hereford, Amberley, Rob Burrows, 027 2633582

Red Oak Angus, Wek a Pass, Rick Orr, 027 245 7751

Grampians Angus, Culverden, Jono Reed, 027 258 0732

Hemingford Charolais, Culverden, Sam Holland, 021 181 4868

K aiwara Angus, Culverden, George Johns, 022 198 3599

A great chance to see approximately 1100 R2 Bulls over four days that will be auc tioned this season.

Prior viewing would be available by arrangement with vendors, or the agents listed below

• 50 Angus & Angus/Hereford

Nor th Canterbur y Thursday 23 May | 1pm - 4pm

Grassmere Hereford & Riverlands Angus, Cheviot, Chris Jeffries, 027 460 8849

Te Mania Angus, Conway Flat, Will Wilding, 027 826 4015

Jandoc Hereford, Hawarden, Doc Sidey, 021 169 9949

Nelson Marlborough Bull Walk Friday 24 May | 9am - 12pm

Leefield Station Angus, Waihopai Valley, Greg Crombie, 027 5511011

Black night Angus, Rai Valley, Ben Maisey, 03 5716271

Taimate Angus Ward Paul Hick man, 021 575155

Mar tin Farming Hereford & Angus, Wakefield, Richard Mar tin, 027 2303098

Nelson Marlborough Bull Walk Friday 24 May | 1pm - 4pm

Woodbank Angus, Clarence Bridge, Ben Murray, 027 4494409

Matarik i Herefords, Clarence Bridge, James Murray, 027 4866699

Fur ther Enquiries

John McKone (PGG Wrightson) 027 529 9375

Simon Eddington (PGG Wrightson) 027 590 8612

Anthony Cox (Rural Livestock)

Callum Dunnett (Hazlett)

Helping grow the countr y

GENETICS DAIRY

SHEEP

BEEF

Reins in finishers’ hands for a change

Checking in with the Chathams

A hole in the winter kill and a hitch in NZ dollar’s step help to balance things out a bit when dealing with processors – and repay forward thinking by producers.

Lamb and weaner calf numbers are mounting on the islands as farmers itch to get a chance at mainland markets before the winter slowdown, though thankfully feed is not a problem.

WUNLIKE last year, finishers intending to carry stock into winter and beyond will be in the driver’s seat this season when it comes to squeezing money out of processors. That’s not to say prices will shoot off to great heights, but the slaughter prices should at least push above the benchmarks reached during JulySeptember last year.

HILE a lot of the focus on the South Island has been around the trying dry conditions on the east coast and northern parts of the island – and the ideal growing season in Southland – there has been little conversation about what is happening on the Chatham Islands.

There are a few reasons for this more positive outlook, short supplies being the major factor. Lamb kill tallies from late November to early April (which excludes almost all old season lambs) have pushed well above last year – up 410,000 or 12% in the North Island and 353,000 or 7% in the South Island.

Despite being on the far east, conditions have been far from dry on the islands, and up to 450mm has fallen over the summer months.

By all accounts this difference has grown in the weeks since. That leaves a hole in the winter kill roughly equivalent to approximately three weeks’ production in both Islands.

the bulk of the remaining lambs are housed in Southland, where stock is usually offloaded prewinter. Canterbury finishers have battled to get winter crops growing, too.

Processors are expecting cattle to be harder to find this winter as well. The main pinch-point will likely be on manufacturing-grade cattle (that is, bulls and cows). The premium paid for beef-cross dairy calves has meant more of these have been reared in recent years in place of the traditional Friesian calves, impacting the number kept as bulls.

outlook, and smaller base dairy herd all seem to be keeping more dairy cows on farm, though the main driver is likely the decrease in cow empty rates – 15% this season versus 16.7% last year according to LIC/DairyNZ.

has been seen in Southland more recently where the dream run of growth has abruptly slowed with a sudden decrease in temperatures and sunshine hours.

Scheduled maintenance on the Chatham Island ships last year delayed the ability to transport stock for several months and farmers’ patience was tested.

This came as the outlook for the markets, particularly for lambs, was already sounding fairly negative.

United States manufacturing beef prices are the main beacon of relief.

It wasn’t until August that the first lot of lambs could get on the boat, but, despite crossing the water later than they usually would, the stock was in fantastic order.

Export markets are providing some reason to be more optimistic. Neither beef nor lamb prices are likely to shoot upwards, but the market conditions are much more settled than a year ago when building negative pressure in China and Europe resulted in prices crashing through early winter.

While this sounds like a lot, rain has been at regular and manageable intervals, encouraging plenty of grass growth. This summer and autumn have set feed conditions up well coming into winter. However, with the weather capable of going from one extreme to another, it only takes one wintry blast to come through to bring growth to a halt. This

Nationally, processors killed the fewest bulls in seven years through October-March, with the North Island kill through JanuaryMarch the lowest since 1999.

Changes in the lamb crop could partially fill these gaps, but the wider industry is increasingly doubting forecasts that more lambs were born last spring. And these could be irrelevant for the South Island’s winter kill since

The generally forward condition of lambs did mean they earned a premium, but the late offload meant that farmers were a bit the eight ball.

Usually processors would be chocka with cull cows by now too, but they’ve definitely not caused the usual wait times for cattle finishers this year, especially in the North Island.

The backlogs from the delay left farmers with a bit of an overflow of numbers coming into the 202324 season, which has continued to have flow-on effects even though half the season has already passed.

More supplementary feed around, a better milk price

United States manufacturing beef prices are the main beacon of relief. Heavy supplies entering from overseas are taking the edge off prices, but this has been more than counteracted by shortages in the US cow kill – not to mention the low exchange rate is keeping returns in NZ dollars near record levels.

There is still plenty of this season’s stock to leave the islands, as the season began later. Thankfully, feed levels can accommodate this for now, but as noted, it only takes one bad turn from Mother Nature to put the pressure back on.

Although prices here have started to level out, plenty of exporters have reportedly forward-sold large volumes at these high prices, which should secure farmgate prices over the next few months.

Currently, transport is on a dry dock for inspection and repairs for six weeks. The South Island store cattle and lamb market is currently holding up fairly well but, once again, Chatham Islands’ farmers are itching to get their share of the market before winter trading.

number of weaner calves will be ready to enter the market near the end of May.

Other cuts of beef into the Asian markets aren’t firing to anywhere near the same extent, especially in China and South Korea. But there’s at least some relief that

Typically, cattle are the first to set sail, followed by lambs, and agents anticipate that a large

But although the return of sailings is in sight, farmers’ nerves are far from settled. The sooner a large offload of cattle can be worked through, the sooner the lambs can board, and winter stock levels will begin to look more manageable.

The ever-decreasing returns have many on the islands worried they will be receiving bills rather than cheques when their shipping time comes.

POSITIVE: Lamb kill tallies from the late-November to early-April (which excludes almost all old season lambs) have pushed well above last year.

the majority aren’t showing any resistance to current prices.

Given the current prices of stock and transport, the ever-decreasing returns being made by farmers have many on the islands worried they will be receiving bills rather than cheques when their shipping time comes.

Lamb cuts into Europe and the US are performing relatively well, at least compared to when the market was at its worst, but exporters need China to perk up considering there’s few alternative markets for most lamb cuts they purchase.

Australia continuing to push record volumes of its lamb into its main markets – China, the US and the Middle East.

One thing that could work in farmers’ favour is a delay in mainland cropping farmers entering the store lamb market. A slow-growing autumn across most of the mainland has many waiting for some growth before they purchase their winter trade lambs. The timing line up well for Chatham Islands farmers who are patiently waiting for their run of some good luck.

This hasn’t been helped by

The forward outlook for lamb is mainly stable, though with the number of lambs Australia has burnt through these past months, we could finally start to see less negative pressure from its presence.

“ There’s so much coverage there when you want to hone in on the main issues, and that’s its strength. You cover all the issues, and in depth.

Ian Strahan Kiwitea sheep and beef farmer, Federated Farmers Manawatū-Rangitīkei president

Sara Hilhorst MARKETS Livestock

ON THE MOVE: Typically, cattle are the first to set sail from the Chatham Islands, followed by lambs, and agents anticipate that a large number of weaner calves will be ready to enter the market near the end of May.

Reece Brick MARKETS Sheep and beef

Weekly saleyards

Now that most weaned calves have passed through the saleyards, it is time for a few of their mothers to go under the hammer. The Masterton cow fair set a cracking pace on Monday, April 24 and R3 Angus and AngusHereford heifers fetched $1740-$1960. At the Taupō yards, mixed-age Angus cows traded from $1280-$1510 and Hereford went a little further at $1580. Changes in a few farming operations meant 166-head of cows hit the market at the Stortford Lodge store cattle sale on Wednesday. Mixed-age Angus cows over 570kg made $1320 to $1410 and R3 options traded up to $1490.

Weaner bulls, 245-315kg

Weaner traditional, beef-Friesian heifers, 218-254kg

Weaner Murray Grey-Friesian heifers, 155-180kg

Friesian,

R2 dairy-beef heifers, 333-465kg

Prime dairy-beef steers, 597-776kg

Prime dairy-beef heifers, 540-579kg

Boner cows, 396-519kg

Store lambs, all

R2 Hereford-Friesian, Speckle-Friesian steers, 508-547kg

R2 Hereford-Friesian heifers, 402-438kg

Weaner Hereford-Friesian, Angus-Friesian steers, 150-229kg

Weaner Hereford, Friesian bulls, 205-277kg

Weaner beef-Friesian, Hereford heifers, 186-221kg

Weaner beef-Friesian, exotic-Friesian heifers, 104-141kg

Prime beef-Friesian, South Devon steers, 570-618kg

Prime beef-Friesian, South Devon heifers, 485-503kg

Boner Friesian, Friesian-cross cows, 450-589kg

Boner Jersey, Jersey-cross cows, 338-364kg

| April 30 | 508

R2 Hereford-Friesian, Angus-Friesian steers, 383-418kg

R2 beef, beef-cross heifers, 370-435kg

Weaner Angus, Hereford steers,

Stortford Lodge | April 29 | 313 sheep

Stortford Lodge | May 1 | 457 cattle, 4657 sheep

Mixed-age Angus cows, VIC Angus, 462-650kg

R3 traditional heifers, VIC Angus, 482-510kg

R2 Angus heifers, 360-364kg

Weaner Angus steers, 230-267kg

or

| April 29 | 759

|

AgriHQ market trends

Cattle Sheep

This is El Niño’s long, dry kiss goodbye

Philip Duncan NEWS Weather

IT’S one thing to declare the global El Niño has come to an end; it’s another thing saying farewell to the El Niño weather pattern in our part of the world.

Like trying to turn a cargo ship around in the Suez canal, it’s difficult to do and you might get stuck.

New Zealand now has a backlog of rain orders. Many parts of eastern NZ look like we’re still in the thick of El Niño and this is due to the stubborn and lingering highs.

At the time of writing this column, a high pressure zone well into the 1040 Hectopascal range (hPa) was lying just south of

The high is so enormous ... that it may even drift backwards (westwards) to centre back south of South Australia again.

Adelaide. It stretched south to the Antarctic ice shelf and as far north as 80% of Australia. This giant high pressure belt is now going to affect NZ for the first half of May, Yes, half of the month.

The high will spend a full week centred near Tasmania. Usually in this position it’s just a matter of days before it reaches NZ, but this high is so enormous and in such a way that it may even drift backwards (westwards) to go from being centred over Tasmania to being centred back south of South Australia again.

This continues the southwesterly flow into NZ. It’s a little cooler, but it’s also a fairly dry setup – with true southerlies barely coming into NZ. It may not be until Monday (May 13) that finally it slides over to the NZ area. Half a month from now.

It doesn’t end there either. Once this high pressure zone spreads across NZ a new high will likely re-form back over Tasmania and south of Adelaide. This means the first two, and maybe even three, weeks of May are dominated by high pressure rather than low pressure.

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It’s not to say there will be no lows, fronts or rain makers; it just means that any that do form will be controlled by this specific high pressure belt. The high pressure zone will be the deciding factor whether you get more rain or not.

One wild card is that since El Niño officially ended last month, we have seen a slight (and it is only slight) uptick in sub-tropical low pressure zones – and some modelling says more of that may be trying to bubble up in the weeks

ahead. If you need rain, this is what we call a “silver lining”!

So for now, that long kiss goodbye means dry areas will linger – and despite some recent rain relief we may see some dry areas drying out further again before more real rain finally arrives.

We tell you this as NZ mainstream news outlets obsess over La Niña already, which global modelling is still conflicted about.

Upcoming highlights:

• A southerly flow kicks off the first Monday of May

• High pressure expands over southern NZ

• A few showers for eastern areas

• An offshore sub-tropical depression to NZ’s northeast worth monitoring

Loan

Interest rate: 11%p.a. paid monthly in arrears

Purpose of funds: Fund renovations on the

Exit strategy: On-sell the property for

PARKED: Enormous and strong high pressure is parked south of Australia and will dominate weather in our part of the world for at least half of May, if not longer.