365 days of gratitude

Some days cooking dinner is a pleasure, some days it’s mere duty.

Today was one of the latter but a few days ago I’d made bolognese with some wild venison mince and there was enough left over in a still palatable state to make the duty easy.

Today I’m grateful for leftovers.

Word of the day

Lairage – a place where cattle or sheep may be rested on the way to market or slaughter; accommodation for farm animals, especially at docks or markets.

Rural round-up

Diverse entries recognised in Irrigation Innovation Awards :

A water race safety video for children, a GIS Database system helping farmers to meet environmental requirements and a new effluent screen which allows effluent to be more easily applied via centre pivot irrigators have been named as finalists in IrrigationNZ’s Irrigation Innovation Awards for 2018.

Be Water-Race Safe is a video for school age children developed by the Waitaki Irrigators Collective. Some of the Collective’s member schemes operate open water races in parts of Waitaki and Waimate, which supply water for irrigation, stock, town supply, and industry. . . 

Will Taylor wins Taranaki/Manawatu regional final of FMG Young Farmer of the Year:

A technical field representative for PGG Wrightson has been named the Taranaki/Manawatu FMG Young Farmer of the Year.

Will Taylor, 26, took out the title after winning the hotly-contested Taranaki/Manawatu Regional Final in Wellington tonight.

The event saw eight finalists from across the sprawling region tackle a series of gruelling modules, including a fast-paced agri-knowledge quiz. . . 

Fonterra finally makes a move on a2 milk – Pam Tipa:

a2 Milk Co has struck a deal with Fonterra that will enable it, over time, to diversify its milk sourcing, processing and manufacturing to meet growing demand for its products, the company says.
It will not affect its current relationship with Synlait, a spokesman told Dairy News.

Fonterra and a2 Milk Company (a2MC) have signed a deal that links the co-op’s global milk pool and supply chain, manufacturing, and sales and distribution with a2MC’s brand strength and capabilities.

Fonterra will now begin talking to its farmers to source an A2 milk pool for a2MC products in New Zealand. A similar milk pool in Australia will also be developed. . . 

A guide to the dairy cow
Not to be taken seriously! Via @HopelessSurfer pic.twitter.com/Rx9VMH5JVl

— Food & Farming Futures (@FarmingFutures) February 25, 2018

Synlait Milk buys Pokeno site for new factory, flags $260M investment – Paul McBeth:

(BusinessDesk) – Synlait Milk has conditionally bought a site in Pokeno in Waikato where it plans to spend $260 million developing its second nutritional powder manufacturing factory.

The Rakaia-based milk processor’s acquisition is subject to Overseas Investment Office approval, and the company said it will know the commissioning date for the factory once it’s got consents and approvals. The first dryer at the Pokeno site is expected to have annual capacity of 40,000 metric tonnes, matching dryer three at its Dunsandel site. . . .

More NZ organic winegrowers are needed to meet growing international demand:

Organic Winegrowers New Zealand is calling for more grape growers to convert to organic production to meet growing international demand.

There is currently a shortage of organic winegrapes in New Zealand.

“I’m constantly fielding phone calls from established wine companies and new wine companies looking to purchase organic fruit, because they’re seeing and –

being asked for it in markets around the world, and the supply’s not there,” says Bart Arnst.  . .

TOMRA Continues Expansion in Global Food Sorting Solutions Sector with acquisition of BBC Technologies:

TOMRA today signed an agreement to acquire 100 percent of the shares in BBC Technologies*. The deal sees BBC Technologies’ precision grading systems and innovative punnet and clamshell filling solutions for blueberries and other small fruits join TOMRA Food’s own fruit inspection and grading technology portfolio.

TOMRA will also acquirewww.freshtracker.com, innovative software which TOMRA foresees complementing its other developments in data and analytics solutions. Freshtracker™ enables traceability of the origins and characteristics of individual products from harvesting, processing and packaging, through to point-of-sale. . .

BIG AIR yeah yeah meh meh#WinterOlympics2018 pic.twitter.com/2rMwwhm864

— Caroline Mitchell (@farmpiano) February 24, 2018

What happened when New Zealand got rid of government subsidies for farmers? – Josh Siegel:

In 2006, Chris Hausman, a fourth-generation Midwestern farmer long accustomed to depending on government support for survival, traveled across the world to witness a revolution in agriculture.

It had been more than 20 years since a left-leaning government in New Zealand chose to eliminate government subsidies for farmers, and Hausman was surprised at what had transpired since.

“I will tell you it was a shock to their agricultural system,” says Hausman, 58, who farms corn and soybeans on a 1,500-acre plot 150 miles south of Chicago. . . 

 

Census coverage more important than cost

The Waitaki District was used as a trial for the online collection of data for the census in 2013.

Everyone got a visit from someone who delivered the papers and explained there was choice of filling in the paper form or doing it online.

The trial was declared a success and this year the on-line census is being done nation-wide.

But unlike the trial in Waitaki, people will have to opt-out of the online  option if they can’t or don’t want to do it that way.

Instead of someone calling with forms, everyone will get a letter explaining how to fill the census in online and what to do if they’d rather have a paper form to fill in.

That sounds easy enough but the ODT reported on concerns for elderly, those with poor sight and others who don’t have computers.

These concerns have been echoed on Facebook where people are complaining about the difficulties faced by elderly relatives who rang the 0800 number to request forms.

There’s also concerns about people who can’t read and write.

The slowness of the postal system is another problem.

Mail is delivered only three days a week, if people didn’t get a form by yesterday, it will be tomorrow before one arrives. Even if they phone for a paper form straight away it could well be next Tuesday, census day, or later before the form arrives.

Completing the census is a legal requirement. It’s important that everyone is counted or districts will get less funding for health, education and other services and infrastructure which are allocated on a population basis.

The 2013 census showed only a tiny increase in the Waitaki District’s population.

That is difficult to understand when irrigation has created so many jobs on farms and in businesses which supply and service them.

There were 4 houses on our farm and our two immediate neighbours’ before irrigation, now there are 15. We’re the oldest in any of those houses by more than 15 years.

Most of the occupants are in their 20s and 30s and many have young families. This pattern has been repeated all around the district.

Irrigation hasn’t just created jobs on farms there are more in businesses which service and supply them and most of the people in those jobs live in the district.

Intensification hasn’t just happened on farms, there’s been a growth in lifestyle blocks too. There’s also a lot of new building in town and there     aren’t a large number of unoccupied houses.

Why weren’t these signs of population growth reflected in the census?

Could it be that a lot of people didn’t bother to fill in their forms, whether on paper or online five years ago?

With no one visiting each house as they used to do, it will be far easier for those who don’t want to fill in a form to ignore it, and far more difficult for those who would but can’t without help, to do so.

It will be much cheaper if more people do their census on-line but coverage is much more important than cost.

The on-line option should be the opt-in one rather than the paper one.

Quote of the day

Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant, filled with odd waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don’t always like. – Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler) who celebrates his 48th birthday today.

February 28 in history

20 BC coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes place, initiating four centuries of the Han Dynasty‘s rule over China.

870 The Fourth Council of Constantinople closed.

1261 Margaret of Scotland, queen of Norway, was born  (d. 1283).

1638 The Scottish National Covenant was signed in Edinburgh.

1710  In the Battle of Helsingborg, 14,000 Danish invaders under Jørgen Rantzau were decisively defeated by an equally sized Swedish force under Magnus Stenbock.

1784 John Wesley chartered the Methodist Church.

1787 The charter establishing the institution now known as the University of Pittsburgh was granted.

1824 Blondin, French tightrope walker, was born  (d. 1897).

1827  The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad was incorporated, becoming the first railroad in America offering commercial transportation of both people and freight.

1838 Robert Nelson, leader of the Patriotes, proclaimed the independence of Lower Canada (today Québec).

1844 A gun on USS Princeton exploded while the boat was on a Potomac River cruise, killing eight people, including two United States Cabinet members.

1849 Regular steamboat service from the west to the east coast of the United States began with the arrival of the SS California in San Francisco Bay, 4 months 21 days after leaving New York Harbour.

1865 Wilfred Grenfell, medical missionary, was born  (d. 1940).

1870 The Bulgarian Exarchate was established by decree of Sultan Abd-ul-Aziz of the Ottoman Empire.

1883 The first vaudeville theatre opened in Boston, Massachusetts.

1897 Queen Ranavalona III, the last monarch of Madagascar, was deposed by a French military force.

1900 The Second Boer War: The 118-day “Siege of Ladysmith” was lifted.

1912 Clara Petacci, Italian mistress of Benito Mussolini, was born  (d. 1945).

1914 The Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus was proclaimed inGjirokastër, by the Greeks living in southern Albania.

1922 The United Kingdom accepted the independence of Egypt.

1925 Harry H Corbett, English actor, was born  (d. 1982).

1928  C.V. Raman discovered Raman effect.

1933 Gleichschaltung: The Reichstag Fire Decree was passed in Germany a day after the Reichstag fire.

1935 DuPont scientist Wallace Carothers invented Nylon.

1939 The first issue of Serbian weekly magazine Politikin zabavnik was published.

1939 – The erroneous word “Dord” was discovered in the Webster’s New International Dictionary, Second Edition, prompting an investigation.

1942 Brian Jones, English musician (The Rolling Stones), was born  (d. 1969).

1942 The heavy cruiser USS Houston (CA-30) was sunk in the Battle of Sunda Strait with 693 crew members killed.

1943 Charles Bernstein, American composer, was born.

1945 New Zealand soldier David Russell was executed by a Nazi firing squad in Italy.

1946 Robin Cook, British politician, was born.

1947 228 Incident: In Taiwan, civil disorder is put down with the loss of 30,000 civilian lives.

1953 Paul Krugman, American economist, Nobel laureate, was born.

1957 Cindy Wilson, American singer (The B-52′s), was born.

1958 A school bus in Floyd County, Kentucky hits a wrecker truck and plunged down an embankment into the rain-swollen Levisa Fork River. The driver and 26 children died in what remains the worst school bus accidentin U.S. history.

1970 Daniel Handler, American writer, better known as Lemony Snicket, was born.

1972 The Asama-Sanso incident ended in Japan.

1972 The United States and People’s Republic of China signed theShanghai Communiqué.

1974 Moana Mackey, New Zealand politician, was born.

1975 A major tube train crash at Moorgate station, London killed 43 people.

1985 The Provisional Irish Republican Army carried out a mortar attackon the Royal Ulster Constabulary police station at Newry, killing nine officers in the highest loss of life for the RUC on a single day.

1986 Olof Palme, Prime Minister of Sweden  was assassinated in Stockholm.

1991 The first Gulf War ended.

1993 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents raided the Branch Davidian church in Waco, Texas with a warrant to arrest the group’s leaderDavid Koresh. Four BATF agents and five Davidians die in the initial raid, starting a 51-day standoff.

1995 Denver International Airport officially opened in Denver, Colorado to replace Stapleton International Airport

1997 – The North Hollywood shootout took place.

1998 – First flight of RQ-4 Global Hawk, the first unmanned aerial vehiclecertified to file its own flight plans and fly regularly in U.S. civilian airspace.

1998 – Kosovo War: Serbian police begin the offensive against the Kosovo Liberation Army in Kosovo.

2001 – The Nisqually Earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter Scale hits the Nisqually Valley and the Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia area of the U.S. state of Washington.

2001 – Six passengers and four railway staff are killed and a further 82 people suffer serious injuries in the Selby rail crash.

200 More than 1 million Taiwanese participating in the 228 Hand-in-Hand Rally formed a 500-kilometre (300-mile) long human chain to commemorate the 228 Incident in 1947.

2005 Lebanon‘s pro-Syrian prime minister, Omar Karami, resigned amid large anti-Syria street demonstrations in Beirut.

2005 A suicide bombing at a police recruiting centre in Al Hillah, Iraqkilled 127.

2007  Jupiter flyby of the New Horizons Pluto-observer spacecraft.

2013 – Pope Benedict XVI resigned as the pope of the Catholic Church becoming the first pope to do so since 1415.

Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia

365 days of gratitude

There are other places and parties where a change of leadership comes with acrimony, dissension and disunity.

By happy contrast, Simon Bridges has been elected National’s leader in a contest characterised by civility from all parties.

That and the graciousness shown by the unsuccessful candidates has given him a very good start for his leadership and I’m grateful for that.

Word of the day

Kaiarataki – leader.

Simon Bridges wins Nat leadership

Simon Bridges is the new National Party leader.

#BREAKING @NZNationalParty's new Leader is @simonjbridges. pic.twitter.com/7xPCWf0CaE

— NZ National Party (@NZNationalParty) February 26, 2018

He is doing a media conference at 1pm.

There is no mention of the deputy but whether or not Paula Bennett still holds that post, she looks happy in this photo.

Update: Paula is still the deputy.

In other news

Ron Mark has lost the position of deputy of New Zealand First to Fletcher Tabuteau.

Fletcher Tabuteau is the new deputy leader of NZ First. https://t.co/CI0vOFJsFi

— Jo Moir (@jo_moir) February 26, 2018

Why no fuss about this?

The fusserati are upset about a 60 Minutes interview with the New Zealand Prime Minister.

I agree is was an example of poor journalism with some questions crossing the line to prurient.

But if there’s going to be a fuss, why no fuss about the PM claiming a National Party achievement as one of hers?

https://twitter.com/jmodoh/status/967886289725833216

Was it deliberate or doesn’t she know what her government’s done?

 

Rural round-up

Kellogg report puts a human face on small rural business challenges – Kate Taylor:

There are challenges facing people with small rural businesses all over the world.

But in rural New Zealand, it is not always easy to solve them in isolation.

Rural people know how special rural New Zealand is, that’s why we fight so hard to stay out there running businesses alongside our farms or lifestyle blocks or within our homes.

I say we, because I own a small rural business. When I’m not writing for NZ Farmer I’m a freelance writer – communiKate – and I have been self-employed in rural Hawke’s Bay for almost 18 years. . . 

School introduces agribusiness as subject – Sally Rae:

The introduction of agribusiness as a subject at Kavanagh College signals “exciting times” in education, head of commerce Jill Armstrong says.

On Friday, pupils from the Dunedin school visited origin verification company Oritain, animal parasite diagnostics company Techion Group and Duncan and Anne-Marie Wells’ dairy farm on the Taieri.

It was a “fantastic” field trip and followed on from the introduction of agribusiness as a subject at NCEA level 2 this year, Ms Armstrong said.

At Oritain, Sam Lind gave an overview of the company and why it had become so important  for businesses to be protected from fraud. . . 

Someone wants to play…

Only an hour old and he's full of energy. He's been running laps around the pen non-stop #farmlife #newborn #WelcometotheWorld pic.twitter.com/SscLwEAmYE

— Paula (@DairyFarmher) February 25, 2018

Top dairy women announced as finalists for Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year award:

A dairy consultant, a district mayor, and a leadership coach are finalists in the 2018 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year awards.

Hawke’s Bay dairy consultant Rachel Baker, Tararua district mayor Tracey Collis, and Southland dairy leadership coach Loshni Manikam are in the running for the coveted dairy award, which will be announced at an awards ceremony during Dairy Women’s Network’s conference in Rotorua on Thursday 22 March. . . 

Local leaders recognised by Dairy Women’s Network:

Two women with generations of farming experience behind them are finalists in the 2018 Dairy Community Leadership Awards.

They are dairy farmers Kylie Leonard, from Reporoa in the Central Plateau, and Lorraine Stephenson, from Dannevirke in Manawatu.

The Dairy Community Leadership Awards are a Dairy Women’s Network (DWN) initiative recognising the unsung heroes of rural communities. This year’s award will be presented at an awards ceremony during the Network’s conference in Rotorua, 22-23 March.

Sponsored by ASB and Tompkins Wake, the award recognises the voluntary role dairy farming women have in leading their communities and sharing their time and skills beyond the farm gate. . . 

Fears for seed industry after red clover moth found nationwide – Eva Corlett:

A moth that attacks red clover, with “devastating” effects has now been found nationwide.

The red clover casebearer moth was first discovered in Auckland two years ago. It has now been found in pheromone traps at the bottom of the South Island, leading researchers to believe it has actually been in the country for around 10 years.

The larvae eats the red clover’s seed, spurring fears for the seed industry, the seed research manager for the Foundation of Arable Research Richard Chynoweth said. . . 

Congrats to Jude McNab from Owaka – Finalist in @FedFarmers Contribution to the NZ #RuralSports Industry at the #Norwood #NZRuralSportsAwards 9 March @Awapuni. Judewas event manager fo rthe 40th Anniversary World #Shearing and #Woolhandling Champions and much more pic.twitter.com/Hw5X0M5h6D

— Ford Ranger New Zealand Rural Games (@NZRuralGames) February 26, 2018

Sports award finalist acknowledges teamwork – Sally Rae:

Jude McNab isn’t one to seek the limelight.

In fact, the Owaka-based shearing sports administrator much prefers to be “behind the scenes and hidden under the table”. But she acknowledged that being named as a finalist for this year’s Norwood New Zealand Rural Sports Awards — in the contribution to the rural sports industry category — was a “real honour”, despite deflecting attention from herself.

“I don’t do this on my own. It’s a team effort with everything. I’m probably the bossy britches,” she laughed.

The awards were about celebrating traditional sports and the people who kept events running year-in and year-out in towns and settlements across the country. . . 

Congratulations to Robbie Hollander – finalist in the @Fonterra Young NZ Rural Sportsperson of the Year for the #Norwood #NZRuralsportsawards 9 March @AwapuniRacing. He is one half of the Kiwi #eggthrowandcatch duo that broke the world record in #Swaton #England in 2017 pic.twitter.com/HOMOx7nktx

— Ford Ranger New Zealand Rural Games (@NZRuralGames) February 23, 2018

Rural recycling a no-brainer – Simon Andrew:

Supporting farmers and growers to clear more waste and preserve New Zealand farms for future generations is the mission of the rural recycling programme, Agrecovery.

In tackling the plastic used by our rural communities, the leading product stewardship programme recycles over 300 tonnes per year. “That is enough plastic to cover a rugby field six feet high,” says Agrecovery General Manager, Simon Andrew. . . 

It’s time to tell the world about British farming – and heal our rural-urban divide – Minette Batters:

Farming is changing. In all the talk of technology reshaping society, some might have assumed that farming would have been left untouched by this rapid pace of change. But there has been revolution and evolution in the fields of Britain. An agricultural revolution, with the introduction of new productivity-enhancing technologies, and a food evolution, with a relentless drive for high standards. . .

 

Deliverying combines to the farm in the Northeast Mato Grosso. Brazil’s countryside is not easy… #LACKofINFRASTRUCTURE #agro#brazil🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/RvAnjR03jk

— 𝙎𝙇𝙀 𝘼𝙂𝙍𝙊 🇧🇷 (@StaLuziaEsteio) February 24, 2018

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National leadership live blogging

12:46

#BREAKING @NZNationalParty's new Leader is @simonjbridges. pic.twitter.com/7xPCWf0CaE

— NZ National Party (@NZNationalParty) February 26, 2018

12:38: While all attention is on who will be the new leader, let’s not forget this is the final caucus for Bill English. His policies are leaving New Zealand in a much better position than it was when he first became an MP.

12:08:

https://twitter.com/melulater/status/968226008275992577

11:18:

https://twitter.com/NZAHParallels/status/968244063592898560

10:50:

"Even the dimmest person in my caucus would wallop the Prime Minister" – Chris Finlayson has made up his mind who he'll vote for but doesn't want to tell us who it is

— Newshub Politics (@NewshubPolitics) February 26, 2018

10:49: The National party will announce the result of the vote on Facebook here and Twitter here

10:45 : Kiwiblog has a fun poll on the leadership, results to be posted tomorrow.

10:44:

.@MarkMitchellMP has just said he has not withdrawn from the leadership race "I'm in it to win it"

— Jane Patterson (@janepatterson) February 26, 2018

10:22 – The Herald reports that Mark Mitchell has pulled out of the race.

10:20: Media outlets are live blogging the National Party leadership contest.

NZ Herald here

Radio NZ here

This isn’t 2002

People calling for National to make radical changes in direction and policy need to remember this isn’t 2002.

National’s support in last year’s election was only a little less than it had been in the previous three when it was able to form governments.

While support is little changed, caucus is considerably different with lots of retirements and many new MPs since it gained power in 2008.

Its caucus isn’t only the largest in parliament it is one with a good blend of experience and freshness.

Its support base is solid and while some of its fair weather friends wafted to Labour in the latest poll, that is to be expected with the normal ebb and flow of the political tide.

That doesn’t mean the party doesn’t need to change at all but first it must closely examine what it did in government, work out what worked and what didn’t, where it was right, where it was wrong, and where it needs to improve.

That done it can work out what needs to change and what doesn’t.

Unlike 2002 that doesn’t require a complete overhaul of the party, its rules and policies.

The baby is happy and healthy and care must be taken to ensure it isn’t  chucked out with the bath water.

 

 

Quote of the day

“I don’t believe one reads to escape reality. A person reads to confirm a reality he knows is there, but which he has not experienced.”  ― Lawrence Durrell  who was born on this day in 1902.

February 27 in history

1560 The Treaty of Berwick, which expelled the French from Scotland, was signed by England and the Congregation of Scotland.

1594 Henry IV was crowned King of France.

1617 Sweden and Russia signed the Treaty of Stolbovo, ending the Ingrian War and shutting Russia out of the Baltic Sea.

1626 Yuan Chonghuan was appointed Governor of Liaodong, after he led the Chinese into a great victory against the Manchurians.

1700 William Dampier was the first European to discover the island of New Britain.

1797 The Bank of England issued the first one-pound and two-pound notes.

1807 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet, was born  (d. 1882).

1812 Poet Lord Byron gave his first address as a member of the House of Lords, in defense of Luddite violence against Industrialism in his home county of Nottinghamshire.

1844 The Dominican Republic gained independence from Haiti.

1863 – Joaquín Sorolla, Spanish painter, was born (d. 1923).

1869 – Alice Hamilton, American physician and academic, was born (d. 1970).

1872 – Alexandru Vaida-Voevod, Romanian politician, Prime Minister of Romania, was born (d. 1950).

1900 British military leaders received an unconditional notice of surrender from Boer General Piet Cronje at the Battle of Paardeberg.

1900 The British Labour Party was founded.

1902 John Steinbeck, American writer, Nobel laureate, was born (d. 1968).

1912 Lawrence Durrell, British writer, was born (d. 1990).

1913 – Kazimierz Sabbat, Polish soldier and politician, President of Poland, was born (d. 1989).

1914 – Winifred Atwell, Trinidadian pianist, was born (d. 1983).

1921 The International Working Union of Socialist Parties was founded in Vienna.

1922 A challenge to the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, allowing women the right to vote, was rebuffed by the Supreme Court of the United States in Leser v. Garnett.

1927 – Peter Whittle, English-New Zealand mathematician and theorist, was born.

1930 Joanne Woodward, American actress, was born.

1932  Elizabeth Taylor, British-American actress, was born  (d.2011).

1933 Reichstag fire: Germany’s parliament building in Berlin was set on fire.

1934 Ralph Nader, American author, activist and political figure, was born.

1939 – Don McKinnon, English-New Zealand farmer and politician, 12th Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations, was born.

1939 The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that sit-down strikes violated property owners’ rights and were therefore illegal.

1940  Martin Kamen and Sam Ruben discovered carbon-14.

1941 – Paddy Ashdown, British captain and politician, was born.

1942 During the Battle of the Java Sea, an allied strike force was defeated by a Japanese task force in the Java Sea.

1943 The Smith Mine #3 in Bearcreek, Montana, exploded, killing 74 men.

1943 – The Rosenstrasse protest started in Berlin.

1945 Lebanon declared Independence.

1951 The Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution, limiting Presidents to two terms, was ratified.

1951 Troops were sent on to Wellington and Auckland wharves to load and unload ships during the waterfront dispute.

1953 – Ian Khama, English-Botswanan lieutenant and politician, 4th President of Botswana, was born.

1961 The first congress of the Spanish Trade Union Organisation was inaugurated.

1963 The Dominican Republic got its first democratically elected president,Juan Bosch, since the end of the dictatorship led by Rafael Trujillo.

1964 The government of Italy asked for help to keep the Leaning Tower of Pisa from toppling over.

1967 Dominica gained independence from the United Kingdom.

1973  The American Indian Movement occupied Wounded Knee, South Dakota.

1974 – People magazine was published for the first time.

1976 The formerly Spanish territory of Western Sahara, under the auspices of the Polisario Front declared independence as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.

1986 The United States Senate allowed its debates to be televised on a trial basis.

1989 Venezuela was rocked by the Caracazo riots.

1991 Gulf War: U.S. President George H. W. Bush announced that “Kuwait is liberated”.

1999 Olusegun Obasanjo became Nigeria‘s first elected president since mid-1983.

2002 Ryanair Flight 296 caught fire at London Stansted Airport.

2002 – Godhra train burning: a Muslim mob killed 59 Hindu pilgrims returning from Ayodhya;

2003 Rowan Williams was enthroned as the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury.

2004 A bombing of a Superferry by Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines’ worst terrorist attack killed 116.

2007 The general strike against Lansana Conté in Guinea ended.

2007 – The Chinese Correction: the Shanghai Stock Exchange fell 9%, the largest drop in 10 years.

2010 – Central Chile was struck by an 8.8 magnitude earthquake.

2012 – A section of a nine-story apartment building in the city of Astrakhan, Russia, collapsed in a natural gas explosion, killing ten people and injuring at least 12 others.

2013 – At least 19 people were killed when a fire broke out at an illegal market in Kolkata, India.

2013 – Five people (including the perpetrator) were killed and five others injured in a shooting at a factory in Menznau, Switzerland.

2015 – A gunman killed seven people then himself in a series of shootingsin Tyrone, Missouri.

Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia

366 days of gratitude

A stall at the farmers’ market was selling bean plants.

I bought six, planted them and the sun and rain did the rest.

They have grown prolifically and are producing green beans that are tender and tasty and I”m grateful for them.

Word of the day

Consonant – a non-vowel sound; the letters of the alphabet that represent non-vowel sounds;  a basic speech sound in which the breath is at least partly obstructed and which can be combined with a vowel to form a syllable; denoting or relating to a consonant; in agreement or harmony with; making a harmonious interval or chord.

Rural round-up

UK expert who identifies Mycoplasma bovis says farmer records of herds must improve – Gerald Piddock:

Richard Laven​ was in his office at Massey University in June last year when a South Island veterinarian called him, asking for advice on sick cows.

The cows had just calved and the veterinarian told the associate professor of animal health that they were suffering from mastitis and lameness and not responding to treatment.

Laven told the veterinarian it was the cattle disease Mycoplasma bovis and advised they must ring the Ministry for Primary Industries. . .

Staffing, fall in optimism top farmer issues – Sally Brooker:

Farmer optimism has fallen for the first time in two years, the latest Farm Confidence Survey shows.

Releasing the findings of its mid-season survey last Thursday, Federated Farmers said the stand-out features were a marked drop in farmer optimism and growing concern about being able to recruit suitable staff.

The survey is commissioned by the federation and conducted by Research First in January and July each year. January’s responses came from 1070 farmers.

They included negative views of the economy and of farm profitability, production and spending. Debt levels had increased and fewer farms were debt-free. . . 

Immigration advisory workshop coming up:

Migrants across the rural sector will get a chance to learn about new immigration policy next month.

An immigration advisory workshop is planned for March 7, with the aim of benefiting people in the Waimate, Kurow and Morven areas.

The workshop will be attended by immigration adviser Jojan McLeod, of Immigration Waitaki, who will share her knowledge and advice.

Among the new immigration policy was a change to the minimum hourly rate for someone defined as a skilled worker.

That rate increased on January 15 to $20.65 per hour, which was an increase of 68c an hour. . . 

Hugh McCarroll of #Whangamata is a finalist in @ToyotaNZ Lifetime Legacy Award at the #Norwood #NZRuralSportsAwards @Awapuni 9 March – He won the Golden Shears Intermediate #shearing title in 1967 & for 40 years he's been a competition judge up to World Champs pic.twitter.com/TiS4Geh8eP

— Ford Ranger New Zealand Rural Games (@NZRuralGames) February 25, 2018

First Young Farmer contest for Wellington city – Alexa Cook:

A couple of hundred farmers have taken over Crawford Green in Wellington today for a Young Farmer competition, the first to ever be held in the capital.

It’s the Tarananki/Manawatu Young Farmer Regional Final, and the winner from today will go through to the grand final.

The eight contestants, who each came first or second at their district contest, had an exam on Friday night, then today are being put through their paces on Miramar’s Crawford Green, and this evening will also have to perform well in a quiz. . . 

https://twitter.com/FMG_YFoftheYear/status/967326641994178560

Winner eyes field agronomy role – Annette Scott:

Canterbury young farmer Justin Inwood has won the New Zealand Grain and Seed Trade Association’s annual scholarship.

Open to students studying in the agricultural field at Lincoln or Massey Universities, this year the organisation was swamped with applications.

The scholarship, which started in 2011, got just two applications from each institution in its first year. . . 

Farm to table: how blockchain technology will change the way you eat – Larry Myler:

Forget about Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies for a minute. The underlying technology is what I’m interested in. Blockchain is working its way into all aspects of B2B commerce, including our food chain.

Here’s the why and how of this latest expression of a technology that is bringing massive change, and benefit, to yet another industry.

According to the World Health Organization, 10% of us fall ill with a food-borne disease each year. Most of these diseases aren’t hard to prevent, but without clear and consistent oversight they remain prevalent. With the meteoric rise of the blockchain phenomenon, food commerce will soon get the shakeup it needs. . .

The wool Press: Tim Brown – Claire Inkson:

The Wool Press: Where we shine the spotlight on a Wool Product or Producer to celebrate wool as an environmentally friendly, innovative, humane and versatile natural fibre of now and the future. Today we talk to Tim Brown, former captain of the All Whites and founder of the worlds most comfortable shoes, Allbirds : The hugely popular runners and loungers made from New Zealand Merino.

1. What made you choose NZ Merino as a textile when you created All Birds?

We wanted to create the world’s most comfortable shoe so it made sense that we would use the world’s finest fibre to achieve that goal. In NZ Merino and their ZQ certification, we found a partner that is the gold standard in the delivery of sustainable and ethically sourced merino and we haven’t looked back since. . .

Narnia #sheep365 pic.twitter.com/rYI6qhIOrP

— Jess (@Lillady) February 24, 2018

Wool is cool again and the prices are shear madness – Lucy Craymer:

Wool isn’t just for winter wear anymore, and its use in everything from shoes to underwear briefs is pushing prices of merino, the most popular type of wool fiber for clothes, to near-record highs.

Wool sneakers popular in Silicon Valley from startup Allbirds Inc. helped kick off a global trend. Brands from Adidas to Lululemon and Under Armour are selling wool apparel, touting the fiber’s soft feel and odor-resisting properties. Merino wool, named for a breed of sheep, is even being woven into shorts, tank tops and short-sleeve T-shirts.

Demand has helped drive up merino wool prices at a time when the sheep population in Australia and New Zealand, the world’s largest wool exporters, is near a 100-year low. Many sheep farmers here invested in converting their operations to dairy farming or higher-yielding crops after prices of wool collapsed in the 1990s. . . 

 

Spoiled for choice

Several commentators have said that five contenders for National’s leadership is bad for the party, a sign of weakness and division.

I don’t agree.

I see it a sign the party is spoiled for choice, a sign of the depth and breadth of talent in caucus that there are at least five people who could be able, capable and, eventually, popular leaders.

I say eventually because it is very difficult for a new Leader of the Opposition to gain traction when there’s a new government whose leader is enjoying almost undiluted positive coverage.

Whoever of the five candidates wins the election tomorrow will need time, working with caucus and the wider party, to chart the course to victory and win public support.

If history is any guide it won’t be a straightforward path.

But history hasn’t given us an opposition party with more seats than the biggest of the three parties in government before.

That caucus isn’t just strong in numbers but in talent. Harnessing that talent and using it to act as a cohesive and effective opposition, and also a government in waiting, is one of the challenges facing the new leader, whoever it is.