A Kaleidoscope of Butterflies

A beauty, a brainwave, a brilliance?

I couldn’t find a collective noun for books, but any and all of those three would be an appropriate one for A Kaleidoscope of Butterflies by Kate Hursthouse.

The seed for the book was planted during a conversation about zebras in which she was told the collective noun for the animals is a dazzle.

The seed grew and blossomed into a book of collective nouns for animals, beautifully and creatively illustrated with pictures which reflect the words.

Each time I open the book I see something more.

It is described as a children’s book but will interest and delight adults too.

You can buy the book from the artist’s website.

There’s more about the artist and the book at: Renaissance artist – the Aucklander helping keep alive age-old art of calligraphy.

Rural round-up

Fieldays 2018: NZ farming ‘boxes above its weight’ –

Nearly 25,000 people attended day one of the 50th New Zealand Agricultural Fieldays at Mystery Creek.

Fieldays chief executive Peter Nation opened this year’s event on Wednesday speaking of the changes the agricultural industry has seen over the last 50 years and introduced this year’s theme of the future of farming.

“New Zealand and our agricultural industry is vastly different to what it was in 1969 largely driven by our hunger and desire to be leaders in our special industry,” he said. . .

Time for strugglers to sell?

Heavily indebted farmers may be under pressure from their banks to sell up on the rising farm market to get out of their debt.

“Reading between the lines, it might be a case of the banks suggesting to the perennial strugglers that it is time to sell up,” said Federated Farmers vice-president Andrew Hoggard.

Banks may have been waiting “until things are looking rosy” on farm prices before encouraging customers to look at their options.

Hoggard was commenting on the May 2018 Federated Farmers’ Banking Survey, which showed that more farmers are feeling under financial pressure, and are less satisfied with their banks. . . 

Cattle disease Mycoplasma bovis threatens to put a dampener on children’s calf day – Gerard Hutching:

Girls at Hiwinui School in Manawatu have already started choosing names for the calves they are eagerly anticipating arriving in a few weeks’ time.

But this year the bogey of Mycoplasma bovis might be the party pooper that diminishes the fun for thousands of children who enjoy the traditional lamb and calf day at their local schools.

Each spring children attending rural schools bring in the animals they have raised since birth to show their classmates, and Hiwinui with a roll of 143 is no exception. . .

Farmers deserve answers – Steve Cranston:

Most farmers would be surprised to learn there is no evidence that New Zealand agriculture is warming the planet.

All that farmers have heard from scientists, the Government and at times their own companies is that agriculture is a major contributor to NZ’s emissions.

However, what everyone forgot to tell the farmers is that no direct correlation exists between methane emissions and global warming. The problem is that the accounting method used fails to acknowledge the fact methane is constantly degrading back to CO2, and it is only when emissions exceed degradation that warming will occur. . .

Only representative of UK cows @dairymanNZ?RT @TheVintageYear: Your free cow ID wall chart… #thearchers pic.twitter.com/KX35l5xSKg

— Bernadine (@bernadine_nz) June 10, 2018

Bachelors and bachelorettes go head-to-head for Rural Catch of the Year – Ruby Nyika:

There’s no rose ceremony, but the love-catch competition might just be fiercer than ever. 

The Rural Bachelor – a 13-year-running Fieldays favourite – has been revamped to the Rural Catch of the Year. 

For the first time rural women join the men vying to be crowned the most eligible rural singleton.  . .

Waikato’s Te Poi farm changes hands after 103 years with Bell family – Kelly Tantau:

A farm in rural Waikato has history seeping into its soil.

For 103 years, one bloodline resided on the 56 hectare plot in Te Poi, living through two World Wars, economic changes, births and deaths.

The family was the Bells; pioneers of their trade and strong-willed labourers well-known in the small town 9km from Matamata.

Allan Bell, the grandson of the farm’s first owners John and Minnie Bell, said the family broke new ground. . .

 60 years of milk – Co-op farmer celebrates diamond supply anniversary:

When 88-year-old Raglan farmer Jim Bardsley first started supplying Fonterra, he remembers separating his own milk.

Always  the inventor, Jim’s flying fox was one of many memories shared by friends and family at his retirement lunch. Shareholders’ Councillor Ross Wallis and Raglan Area Manager Brendan Arnet were also on hand to congratulate Jim on six decades of supply. . . 

#Shearing with braces to save their backs … this #oilpainting is on show as part of the #exhibition #myfarmingyear https://t.co/fgief4ZsNk #farming #sheep #sheep365 @NFUCountryside @natsheep @NFUPress pic.twitter.com/wNEX5tU6PP

— #fabledstainedglass (@Fabstainedglass) June 10, 2018

Rural round-up

Lots of challenges for chief executive :

Terry Copeland says he is looking forward to his new challenge.

The New Zealand Young Farmers (NZYF) chief executive is set to take over as Federated Farmers’ new boss next month and admits dealing with the ongoing impact of the Mycoplasma bovis outbreak will be a ”baptism of fire”.

”I’ve got a real passion for wellness and mental health and I plan to bring that to my new role.

”Through the fallout from Mycoplasma bovis there will be a lot of communities in severe crisis, so making sure communities are supported will be hugely important . .

Waitotara Valley farmer Roger Pearce aims for more diversity – Laurel Stowell:

A farmer way up the Waitōtara Valley plans to get carbon credits from his poplars and is planting mānuka and using cattle to open up the ground for regenerating native bush.

Diversifying appeals to Roger Pearce, who has been farming in Makakaho Rd for four years. His land is becoming a patchwork of bush, closely planted poplars, mānuka, pasture and green feed crops.

“I like the idea, and the overall picture, where it’s going for the long term – not just intensively farming livestock,” he said . .

Hawkes Bay farmers warned of impact of synthetic meat –

Farmers are being warned the meat industry they could go the same way as the wool industry if they ignore the threat of synthetic proteins.

The warning comes in the Hawke’s Bay Farming Benchmarking Review by accounting and advisory firm Crowe Horwath which saids repeated failure of the wool industry to respond to the threat of synthetic fibres was a “clear and serious warning” of potential problems in the red-meat sector. . .

Spierings’ Fonterra has created two new food categories :

Fonterra’s performance since formation in 2001, especially since listing in late 2012, has been the subject of much discussion around farm house kitchen tables, in supplier meetings in country halls, among Wellington regulators and in the media.

More than 10,000 supplying shareholders and several hundred investors in the Fonterra Shareholders’ Fund (FSF) have views on the giant’s performance ranging from laudatory to sceptical to dismissive.

Farmers Weekly has printed a range of views in a series called Fonterra’s Scorecard preparatory to the Government’s review of the dairy industry by the Ministry for Primary Industries this year.

Some conclusions are summarised here under subject headings and the report card is mixed. . .

 

We have some wild mint growing around one of our wildlife sites. It provides the perfect habitat for the Mint Leaf Beetle here in abundance. They have a fantastic iridescent colour#WNW2018 #EnvironmentalSuccess #WeAreWelshFarming pic.twitter.com/XzKg9QyDWI

— Abi Reader (@AbiReader) June 8, 2018

Dreaded drought descends on paradise – Mal Peters:

The drought has its claws into the Peters farm after a run of good seasons but that does not make it any easier to manage while keeping yourself on top in the head department. In the last few years we had started on some long overdue capital improvements that now will have to be put on hold but the shock has been the rapid onset and time of year that has made the impact so severe.

My farm includes part of Wallangra Station that has some 120 years of rainfall records so it is interesting to look back on that admittedly short history to see what has happened. When looking at the November to April rainfall there are five standout crook times: 1902, 1919, 1965, 2007 and now this year. . . 

Drought is part of Australia’s DNA – John Carter:

Eastern Australia is in another major drought and the cattle industry is in big trouble. Mal Peters’ outstanding May column was a poignant description of what most cattlemen are enduring – very expensive or no feed, declining or no water and big price falls.

The stress is exacerbated by Indian and American inroads into our export markets and chicken into our domestic market. Drought is part of Australia’s DNA. No-one can predict when it will come to an area or when it will break. Talk of more money for weather forecasters to tell farmers when to plant their crops is Disneyland stuff-the next fortnight is all they can predict with any accuracy. . .

Just finished: #Swaledale ewe and lamb for the @MadeinEVAN #ArtTrail that starts on 16th June #sheep365 #Needelfelting #BritishNativeBreeds pic.twitter.com/A3pRnYYZ4Y

— Ullswater Felt Art (@UllswaterFelt) June 1, 2018

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Rural round-up

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The farm action group that ‘crunches into life’ – Tony Benny:

A group of North Otago farmers are working together to find ways to increase profitability, taking advantage of the support offered by the Red Meat Profit Partnership’s Action Network initiative. Tony Benny reports. 

Ross and Jo Hay and their friends Gareth and Sarah Isbister got a taste for working with experts and getting access to the latest research and information when they joined  the Red Meat Profit Partnership’s pilot farm programme. They were part of RMPP partner Silver Fern Farms’ red meat eating quality project, looking for ways to consistently produce the most succulent, best tasting, and most valuable lamb.

For about a year they talked about how valuable it would be to form a farmers’ group that “really crunched into life”, that drilled down into financials and objectively analysed their respective businesses. When they went to an RMPP workshop in Christchurch, they found what they were looking for.

“We heard Richmond Beetham from Baker Ag talking about the business groups they have running in the Wairarapa and we were like, ‘That’s what we want to do’,” recalls Jo Hay. . . 

Winners inspired by industry solidarity – Pam Tipa:

The winners of the 2018 NZ Dairy Industry Awards, Dan and Gina Duncan, are overwhelmingly positive about the industry.

The former registered valuers won the ultimate award – 2018 NZ Share Farmers of the Year.

They say the way dairy farmers interact with each other is fantastic. 

“Look at the discussion groups and how willing people are to share what they are doing,” Dan told Dairy News. . . 

Synlait, Westland spruik higher milk payments for farmers in upcoming season – Tina Morrison:

(BusinessDesk) – South Island dairy processors Synlait Milk and Westland Milk Products have raised their forecast milk payment levels to their farmer suppliers for the upcoming season, following a similar move last month by larger rival Fonterra Cooperative Group.

Rakaia-based Synlait raised its forecast milk price for the 2017/18 season which officially ended yesterday to $6.65 per kilogram of milk solids, and said the average premium payment of 13 cents would lift the total payout to $6.78/kgMS. It announced an opening price forecast for 2018/19 of $7/kgMS, based on milk fat prices remaining firm throughout the season.

Dairy Manager of the Year great with people :

The 2018 Dairy Manager of the Year winner Gerard Boerjan aims for excellence in everything he does.

“He has great experience as a manger of people and a great passion for working with people in a large team environment,” dairy manager head judge Mary Craw says.

“He takes a systems approach to the way he manages the farm and has good systems in place to ensure nothing gets through the gaps. . .

Strickley Robinsons, holding up bank holiday traffic since 1875…. pic.twitter.com/uL6VMLuZjJ

— James Robinson (@JRfromStrickley) May 28, 2018

Food technology and money speeding up change: Protein Conference

An upcoming conference in Auckland on alternative proteins offering consumers new food choices will include a debate on whether new plant-based proteins will disrupt traditional meat producers’ markets or simply bring more cheaper food choices to the masses.

Last week in Britain, ahead of expectations, Tesco and Dutch-based plant food company Vivera jointly announced the immediate stocking of 100% plant-based steaks on supermarket shelves there. . .

Agriculture opens doors for youth :

Kalu, in the Amhara region of northern Ethiopia, is home to 28-year-old Yimam Ali.

However, many young people from this region of Ethiopia move to the Middle East looking for work and a better life. The amount of job opportunities in the country has not matched its growth. 71 percent of Ethiopia’s population is under the age of 30 and many of them lack opportunities to make a decent living.

Yimam decided to go to Saudi Arabia where his sister was living.

His journey, to what was meant to be a better life, was not an easy one: . .

Pioneering New Zealand avocado orchard placed up for sale by its international owner:

One of the first large-scale commercial avocado orchards to be planted in New Zealand – as part of a multi-national growing consortium – has been placed on the market for sale.

The 29 hectare property at Awanui just north of Kaitaia was originally established by Californian-based owners in 1990. It was planted with Hass on Zutano and Duke 7 avocado varieties grown on some 20 hectares of plantation land. . .

New work just delivered to the National Trust Gallery Widecombe-In-The-Moor #Dartmoor This is 'Dawn Sky' 😊 @devonguild @DartmoorNT @NFUCountryside @CoteheleNT pic.twitter.com/XTDwnYSOVL

— Sue Lewis (@HomespunDevon) May 28, 2018

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Mobile fibre art

 

KnitHacker

Our Wahine – 125 extraordinary women

The 125th anniversary of women¡s suffrage takes place this year and today is International Women’s Day.

To celebrate that artist Kate Hursthouse has launched Our Wahine an illustrated history of 125 extraordinary women.

To celebrate the 125th anniversary of Women’s suffrage in New Zealand, Kate will be illustrating 125 women from New Zealand’s history between March and September 2018. The text is being researched and written by Kate’s mother Karen Brook. This mother/daughter passion project aims to create a visually exciting and accessible overview of the role of New Zealand women throughout history.

You can follow it on Facebook and Instagram.

Rural round-up

Kuriger ‘elated’ with biosecurity and rural communities roles – Christina Perisico:

Barbara Kuriger heads an electorate with no parking meters and one traffic light – but it gives her expertise for her new role in National’s opposition government.

The MP for Taranaki-King Country said she is elated with her new role as biosecurity and rural communities spokesperson.

Her whole electorate is made up of rural communities, she said. . . 

Butter – I can’t believe it’s not . . .cheaper – Joe Bennett:

 Have you seen the price of butter? We live in a land where dairy cows have multiplied like flies in summer, so as compensation for the ruined rivers you’d think we might at least get bargain butter. But no. The price of the stuff has doubled of late. It’s become a luxury.

One has to feel sorry for pensioners. Brought up to see butter as a staple, they can now barely afford it. It seems unfair. And it seems especially unfair when you know why the price has risen. But let’s begin at the beginning.

Butter is simple. At Hassocks County Primary School half a century ago Miss Turner handed out bottles of cream and told us to shake them till our arms ached. When we opened our bottles we found a blob of something pale and yellow. . . 

MPI considering Canterbury rabbit virus application – Alexa Cook:

Canterbury Regional Council has applied for a new strain of rabbit virus to be approved in New Zealand.

Farmers had been expecting the Rabbit Haemorrhagic Virus Disease strain known as K5 to be released earlier this year.

It would mean they would not have to rely on expensive poisons and control measures against rabbit pests.

But in March, Canterbury Regional Council said the introduction would be delayed by a year because it had to do more work to have the virus approved by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).

The ministry received the council’s application this week. It is open for consultation until 14 December. . . 

Blessed are the flexible because they shall not be bent out of shape:

Fluctuating milk prices over the past 10 years have led dairy farmers to revise operating structures and consider options outside traditional pathways.

DairyNZ economist Angie Fisher says roles in the dairy sector are more diverse than they once were which is helping farmers adapt to increasing volatility.

“Anecdotal evidence suggests there has been an increase in variations to the standard clauses in sharemilking agreements around the sharing of milk income. This is evidence of the market adapting to milk price volatility,” she says. . . 

Pre-schoolers pitch in for planting project:

Teaching the next generation about their natural environment is a big part of the philosophy of Kids Barn Childcare Centre in the Taranaki town of Hawera.

So when the opportunity to help local farmers, Adam and Josie Werder with a planting project came up the kids and staff at the preschool were delighted.

Kitted out with their gumboots, sunhats and a willingness to get their hands dirty, 25 four-year-olds from Kids Barn visited the farm to learn about, and help with, the planting of native flaxes. . . 

It’s time – new focus on safely managing hazardous substances:

On 1 December the Health and Safety at Work (Hazardous Substances) Regulations 2017 will come into force. The aim is to reduce both the immediate harm to people and longer-term illness caused by hazardous substances in the workplace.

It’s no small matter. A hazardous substance is any product or chemical that has explosive, flammable, oxidising, toxic or corrosive properties – and they’re everywhere. Around one in three New Zealand workplaces use, manufacture, handle or store them. This includes factories, farmers and growers, as well as printers, collision repairers, hairdressers and retailers. They are in commonly used products such as fuels and LPG, solvents, cleaning solutions and agrichemicals. . .

5 years ago an empty paddock – today 80,000 UHT milk and cream cartons every hour to the world – and more to come: https://t.co/UDSHxFXbOO pic.twitter.com/qMA3J2LypN

— Fonterra (@Fonterra) November 7, 2017

Fonterra continues to build UHT capacity:

Fonterra has today announced it is further expanding its Waitoa UHT site as the Co-operative works to keep ahead of growing demand for its products.

Five years ago the site was an empty paddock, now it produces more than 80,000 cartons of UHT milk and cream every hour for global markets – and it’s about to get even busier.

A new line will be up and running by the end of the year. This is the third new line to be installed in the last 12 months. . . 

Enter your rural artwork for the inaugural NZ Rural Sculpture Awards at the Kimbolton Sculpture Festival April 2018 https://t.co/sUf2FyFBLi pic.twitter.com/Rng4SnXYN5

— Rural Women NZ (@RuralWomenNZ) November 7, 2017