Word of the day

Cramoisy – of a crimson colour; crimson cloth.

Rural round-up

Rare birds flourish in Canterbury cows’ paddocks – Conan Young:

A colony of 300 critically endangered birds has found an unlikely place to nest – in the middle of a paddock full of dairy cows.

The discovery was made late last year – black billed gulls building their nests on the Canterbury farm and then successfully raising their chicks, oblivious to the cows grazing nearby and the odd shower from a pivot irrigator.

Ornithologists were amazed to see the birds nesting in an area they had not been seen in for three years.

Last year’s unusual discovery was revealed on Thursday at a seminar organised by Braid – a group dedicated to saving the South Island’s braided rivers and the creatures that live there. . .

Common pesticides can harm bees, but the jury is still out on a global ban – Phil Lester:

Some of the world’s most widely used pesticides can be harmful to bees, according to the first large-scale studies aimed at measuring the impact of compounds called neonicotinoids on bees’ health. But the effects vary widely between different compounds and different countries, suggesting that more regional research will be needed to clarify the exact scale of the problem.

Neonicotinoids, which are typically coated onto seeds before planting rather than being sprayed onto crop plants, were developed with the aim of harming only those animals that eat the plants. But they are also found in the pollen and nectar of treated plants, potentially affecting beneficial organisms like bees. . . 

South Devon cattle ticket to world – Sally Rae:

South Devon cattle have taken Allanton farmer Brian Thomson all over the world.

And what he has discovered is that the breed, which originates from the southwest of England, adapts to whatever environment it is farmed in.

Mr Thomson recently stepped down as the president of the World South Devon Association after a three-year term.

He has been to every triennial world conference since 2005, seeing the breed in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, the United States and South Africa. . . 

McClay announces FTA negotiations with Pacific Alliance:

Trade Minister Todd McClay has announced the launch of free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations with Mexico, Chile, Colombia and Peru and says better market access and lower tariffs will be of real value to New Zealand exporters.

“This is a big win in the fight for better access for New Zealanders to important overseas markets. We’ve worked hard for trade talks with the Pacific Alliance over the last two years and today’s announcement will be welcome news for our exporters,” Mr McClay says. . . 

Fonterra Global Foodservice Takes Supreme ExportNZ Award:

Fonterra Global Foodservice has taken out the supreme award for the 2017 Air New Zealand Cargo ExportNZ Awards for Auckland and Waikato regions.

Judges were impressed with the $1.6 billion foodservice business (which is 80% exports) and growing at around 20% per annum, returning strong margins and true added value to the dairy industry and New Zealand. In tonight’s awards, it also won the Westpac Exporter of the Year (export revenue over $25 million) category. . . 

Supreme Award for Fonterra at 2017 ExportNZ Awards:

Winning the Supreme Award at the 2017 ExportNZ Awards for Auckland and Waikato is recognition the Co-operative’s product innovation is meeting changing customer expectations, says Fonterra Chairman John Wilson.

At an event in Auckland last night, ExportNZ Auckland and Waikato (divisions of the Employers and Manufacturers Association) gave their top award to Fonterra Foodservice after the Co-op earlier won the Westpac Exporter of the Year (total sales over $25 million) category. There were 25 finalists across seven categories of the awards, sponsored by Air New Zealand Cargo. . . 

Bayer Auckland/Northern Young Viticulturist of the Year 2017 announced:

Congratulations to Tim Adams from Obsidian who became the Bayer Auckland/Northern Young Viticulturist of the Year for the second year in a row on Friday 30 June at Goldie Estate.

Congratulations also goes to Jake Dromgool from The Landing in Kerikeri who came second and to Nick Pett from Cable Bay who came third.

The Auckland/Northern region was added to the Young Viticulturist of the Year competition last year and now in its second year the competition has grown already with seven contestants taking part.  . . 

Zanda McDonald Award applications open

Applications for the 2018 Zanda McDonald Award have opened:

The search is on for talented young agri-leaders from New Zealand and Australia to apply for the 2018 Zanda McDonald Award. The award is regarded as one of Australasia’s most prestigious badges of honour for young leaders within the primary industry, and comes with a prize package of over $50,000.

Now in its fourth year, the award is run by the Platinum Primary Producers (PPP) Group – a network of over 130 of Australasia’s most influential agri-business men and women.

It provides the winner direct access to the wealth of knowledge that exists within the group’s membership. In addition, they receive an all-expenses paid overseas mentoring trip, a place on Rabobank’s Farm Manager’s or Executive Programme and $1,000 cash prize.

Shane McManaway, Chairman of the Platinum Primary Producers (PPP), says the award provides a fantastic opportunity for young agricultural leaders to further their career and their personal development.

“A key attraction for this award is the tailored mentoring package that the winner receives. The PPP members have an extraordinary amount of respect within the industry, and previous award winners have loved the fact that they can call on them for help, advice and guidance at any time.”

Applications for next years’ award are open to individuals 35 years or younger from Monday 3rd July. Entries close on Friday 1st September 2017.

The 2017 winner, announced earlier this year at the annual PPP conference in Melbourne, was Morgan Easton from the Waitaki Valley, NZ. Mr Easton and his wife Hayley, who have three young children, are sharemilking two properties in North Otago, milking a total of 1750 cows.

“Winning the award has been both a humbling and rewarding experience for me. The ability to tap into the expertise of PPP members has been invaluable. I now have a great network through the PPP members that I can call on for advice when I need it,” he said.

Morgan is using the opportunity to tap into PPP members’ expertise on how best to continue growing and thriving in his family business. He will soon embark on the Australian leg of his mentoring tour, where he will visit PPP members including the McDonald beef farming operation in North Queensland, which is run by the late Zanda McDonald’s parents and wife Julie, and encompasses about 180,000 head of cattle.

Application forms for the award can be downloaded from the PPP Group website.

The PPP group founded the ward in memory of Zanda McDonald, a founding member of the group.

He was a farmer, prominent in the Australian beef and livestock industry, who died in an accident on his farm when he was only 41.

Emma Black from Queensland won the inaugural award. Dean Rabbidge from Southland won it last year.

 

Quote of the day

The work to me is everything, and I would throw every rule overboard and send them to the bottom of the sea tomorrow, if I felt there were a more excellent way. – Thomas Barnardo who was born on this day in 1845.

July 4 in history

836  Pactum Sicardi, peace between the Principality of Benevento and the Duchy of Naples.

993  Saint Ulrich of Augsburg was canonized.

1054  A supernova was observed by the Chinese  the Arabs and possibly Amerindians near the star Tauri.

1120  Jordan II of Capua was anointed as prince after his infant nephew’s death.

1187  The Crusades: Battle of Hattin – Saladin defeated Guy of Lusignan, King of Jerusalem.

1253  Battle of West-Capelle: John I of Avesnes defeated Guy of Dampierre.

1456 The Siege of Nándorfehérvár (Belgrade) began.

1534 Christian III was elected King of Denmark and Norway.

1569  The King of Poland and the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Sigismund II Augustus signed the document of union between Poland and Lithuania, creating new country known as Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

1610  The Battle of Klushino between forces of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Russia during the Polish-Muscovite War.

1744  The Treaty of Lancaster, in which the Iriquois ceded lands between the Allegheny Mountains and the Ohio River to the British colonies, was signed.

1754 French and Indian War: George Washington surrendered Fort Necessity to French Capt. Louis Coulon de Villiers.

1774  Orangetown Resolutions adopted in the Province of New York, one of many protests against the British Parliament’s Coercive Acts

1776  American Revolution: the United States Declaration of Independencewas adopted by the Second Continental Congress.

1778 American Revolutionary War: Forces under George Clark captured Kaskaskia during the Illinois campaign.

1790 George Everest, Welsh surveyor, was born (d. 1866).

1802  At West Point, New York the United States Military Academy opened.

1816  Hiram Walker, American grocer and distiller, was born (d. 1899).

1817 Construction on the Erie Canal began.

1826 Stephen Foster, American songwriter, was born (d. 1864).

1827  Slavery was abolished in New York State.

1837  Grand Junction Railway, the world’s first long-distance railway, opened between Birmingham and Liverpool.

1840 The Cunard Line’s 700 ton wooden paddle steamer RMS Britannia left Liverpool bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia on the first transatlantic crossing with a scheduled end.

1845 Thomas Barnardo, Irish humanitarian, was born (d. 1905).

1845  Henry David Thoreau embarked on a two-year experiment in simple living at Walden Pond.

1855  In Brooklyn, New York, the first edition of Walt Whitman’s book of poems, titled Leaves of Grass, was published.

1862 Lewis Carroll told Alice Liddell a story that grew into Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and its sequels.

1863 American Civil War: Siege of Vicksburg – Vicksburg, Mississippi surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant after 47 days of siege.

1863 A Confederate Army was repulsed at the Battle of Helena, Arkansas.

1865  Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was published.

1868 Te Kooti escaped from the Chatham Islands.

1868  Henrietta Swan Leavitt, American astronomer, was born (d. 1921).

1872  Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States, was born (d. 1933) .

1878 Thoroughbred horses Ten Broeck and Mollie McCarty ran a match race, immortalized in the song Molly and Tenbrooks.

1879  Anglo-Zulu War: the Zululand capital of Ulundi was captured by British troops and burnt to the ground, ending the war and forcing King Cetshwayo to flee.

1881 In Alabama, the Tuskegee Institute opened.

1882 Louis B. Mayer, American film producer, was born (d. 1957).

1883 Rube Goldberg, American cartoonist, was born  (d. 1970).

1886 The people of France offered the Statue of Liberty to the people of the United States.

1886 – The first scheduled Canadian transcontinental train arrived in Port Moody, British Columbia.

1887 The founder of Pakistan, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, joined Sindh-Madrasa-tul-Islam, Karachi.

1892  Western Samoa changed the International Date Line, so that year there were 367 days in this country, with two occurrences of Monday, July 4.

1894  The short-lived Republic of Hawaii was proclaimed by Sanford B. Dole.

1898 Gertrude Lawrence, English-born actress, was born (d. 1952).

1902 The NZ Boxing Association was formed.

1903 Dorothy Levitt was reported as the first woman in the world to compete in a ‘motor race’.

1910 African-American boxer Jack Johnson knocked out white boxer Jim Jeffries in a heavyweight boxing match sparking race riots across the United States.

1911 Mitch Miller, American musician, singer and record producer, was born (d. 2010).

1917 Manolete, Spanish bullfighter, was born (d. 1947).

1918 King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV of Tonga was born (d. 2006).

1918  Ann Landers, American advice columnist, was born (d. 2002).

1918 – Abigal Van Buren, American advice columnist, was born.

1918 Ottoman sultan Mehmed VI ascended to the throne.

1918 – Bolsheviks killed Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his family (Julian calendar date).

1924 Eva Marie Saint, American actress, was born.

1927  Neil Simon, American playwright, was born.

1927  First flight of the Lockheed Vega.

1934 Leo Szilard patented the chain-reaction design for the atomic bomb.

1939  Lou Gehrig, recently diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, told a crowd at Yankee Stadium that he considered himself “The luckiest man on the face of the earth” as he announced his retirement from major league baseball.

1941  Nazi Germans massacred Polish scientists and writers in the captured city of Lwów.

1946 – Sam  Hunt, poet, was born.

1946  After 381 years of near-continuous colonial rule by various powers, the Philippines attained full independence from the United States.

1947  The “Indian Independence Bill” was presented before British House of Commons, suggesting bifurcation of British India into two sovereign countries – India and Pakistan.

1950 The first broadcast by Radio Free Europe.

1959  The 49-star flag of the United States debuted in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1969  The Ohio Fireworks Derecho killed 18 people and destroyed more than 100 boats on Lake Erie.

1976  Israeli commandos raided Entebbe airport in Uganda, rescuing all but four of the passengers and crew of an Air France jetliner seized by Palestinian terrorists.

1982  Iranian diplomats kidnapping: four Iranian diplomats were kidnapped by Lebanese militia in Lebanon.

1987  In France, former Gestapo chief Klaus Barbie (aka the “Butcher of Lyon”) was convicted of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life imprisonment.

1993  Sumitomo Chemical‘s resin plant in Nihama exploded killing one worker and injuring three others.

1997  NASA‘s Pathfinder space probe landed on the surface of Mars.

2004 The cornerstone of the Freedom Tower was laid on the site of the World Trade Center in New York City.

2005  The Deep Impact collider hit the comet Tempel 1.

2006  Space Shuttle program: STS-121 Mission – Space Shuttle Discoverylaunched.

2006  North Korea tested four short-range missiles, one medium-range missile, and a long-range Taepodong-2.

2008  Cross-strait charter direct flight between mainland China and Taiwan started.

2009 – The Statue of Liberty‘s crown reopened to the public after eight years of closure due to security concerns following the September 11 attacks.

2009 – The first of four days of bombings on the southern Philippine island group of Mindanao.

2012 – The discovery of particles consistent with the Higgs boson at theLarge Hadron Collider was announced at CERN.

2013 – The Death of Hung Chung-chiu: A Republic of China Army corporal died under suspicious circumstances while serving a detention sentence during his enlisted service.

2015 – L&T Safety Day 2015 with the theme “Safe Way- Only Way : Building a Culture of Prevention

2015 – Tupou VI was officially crowned as the King of Tonga.

2016 – The  Juno probe arrived at Jupiter.

Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia