Forestry conversions are putting land at risk, farmer says – Sally Rae:
“We just hate to see our land for future generations put at such risk.”
Quintin Hazlett, a passionate sheep and beef farmer, is referring to Hukarere Station, New Zealand’s largest family-owned working organic sheep and cattle property and his home.
The West Otago tussock hill country was renowned for its landscape features and its history. The isolated area comprised a tight-knit community which relied on each other during adverse events and also for social connection as it was “too bloody far to go too far”, Mr Hazlett said.
Seeing Ernslaw One’s forestry development over the fence on the previously productive farmland of Warthill was “tragic” and he shared fellow neighbours’ concerns about the potential for wilding spread on to his property.
Ernslaw One said it was operating under the National Environmental Standards for Commercial Forestry regulations and it would have an ongoing wilding management programme that included close management and monitoring of boundaries, regular engagement with neighbours and proactive remediation if wilding spread did occur. . .
Fears over forestry development – Sally Rae :
A large-scale forestry development in the heart of West Otago hill country is causing ripples among the isolated community, which fears serious repercussions from the plantings of particularly Douglas fir including its spread to neighbouring properties. Business and rural editor Sally Rae reports.
A group of West Otago farmers — concerned about the ramifications of a neighbouring forestry development — are outraged a wilding tree risk assessment was completed by one of the forestry company’s employees, likening it to “marking your own test”.
They fear Ernslaw One’s conversion of Warthill, a 2500ha property in Wilden Runs Rd, could lead to a repeat of the “environmental disaster” seen in other parts of the country with wilding tree spread.
But the forestry company says it is not a conflict of interest and it is standard practice in the industry for staff to conduct the assessments. The employee who completed the assessment was a professional forester with 45 years’ experience and the company maintained the assessment was accurate, Ernslaw One said. . .
Much on the line for Alliance – Neal Wallace :
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.
Wynn acknowledged that concern. . .
Shepherding a sector back to health – Neal Wallace:
To those with an abundance of grey hair or receding hairlines, the current downturn in the sheep industry is not new.
The reasons for and the scale of the sudden decline in sheepmeat prices have been well traversed by Farmers Weekly and will not come as a surprise to some.
That is not to diminish the effect on individuals squeezed by low returns, rising input prices and debt servicing, but as our investigation this week reveals, it comes after several consecutive years of once-in-a-lifetime returns for lamb, driven by insatiable global demand for protein.
A market correction was expected after the heights reached following the outbreak of African swine fever in China and the changes in consumer behaviour during covid. . .
Farm forestry options in a world of imponderables – Keith Woodford :
In early April I spoke to the New Zealand Farm Forestry Conference in Napier about farm forestry options as I saw them. Most of the farmers I was talking to have had many years of experience in farm forestry, so I was certainly not going to tell them how to grow trees. Rather, I explored how to find a pathway through some of the challenging and at times imponderable issues that farm foresters currently face.
Many of my forestry presentations have focused on flaws in the Emission Trading Scheme (ETS). This presentation was different. I simply took the rules as they are and looked at how farm foresters could best respond in their own interests, be they economic interests or broader issues coming from the heart.
My starting point was to briefly look at the journey New Zealand’s production forestry has taken in recent decades. I used three graphs published in November 2023 in a USDA GAIM Report, where GAIN stands for Global Agricultural Information Network. GAIN . .
Cheers to many fewer grape harvest spills :
It’s been a good wine harvest in more ways than one this season in Marlborough.
Spillages from the picked grapes on the way from vineyards to wineries can see the road covered in grape juice which can make for slippery roads, and makes for sticky cars. It doesn’t help the amount of wine being made either.
Late last year a collaborative initiative between Wine Marlborough, wine growers, harvesters, harvest transport operators, infrastructure groups, Police and Transporting New Zealand led to the development of guidelines intended to help cut the number of grape spillages.
Harvest transport operators including Heagney Bros Ltd and Renwick Transport were key in providing their knowledge, experience and technical expertise. . .
Spanning approximately 30.857 hectares of rural-residential zoned land, 4345 Omarama-Otematata Road presents an unparalleled opportunity for discerning buyers, developers and investors.
“The rarity and scale of this property makes it uniquely appealing for those looking for large scale development opportunities. Its spectacular location also comes with a more cost-efficient resale value for purchasers” says Bayleys salesperson Jessica Frewen.
The groundwork has already been laid for prospective buyers to reap the rewards, with extensive efforts to secure resource consent for subdivision into fifteen lifestyle lots. . .
Homepaddock 