Rural round-up

Farmer plagued by rabbits in life and grave – Sally Rae:

Sarah Perriam finds it ironic her late grandfather spent his lifetime fighting rabbits – and he is still plagued by them in death.
Looking at signs of rabbits digging on Charlie Perriam’s grave in the Cromwell cemetery yesterday, Ms Perriam recalled how the Central Otago farmer, who died in 2009, even had a team of ferrets to try to keep numbers down on his Lowburn property.

Her own earliest rabbit-related memory was the illegal release of the rabbit calicivirus in 1997, when she was about 12. . . 

Spreading of virus to begin – Hamish MacLean:

The groundwork has begun for the release of a new strain of rabbit virus now approved for use in New Zealand.

A Korean variant of the rabbit calicivirus will be released across the province in about three weeks.

Otago Regional Council staff have started laying the first tranche of pre-feed carrot in select locations around Otago with landowners’ full co-operation and permission.

None of the council’s 100 doses of RHDV1 K5 have been released yet. . .

Defection disappoints – Annette Scott:

A decision by Alliance not to adopt a nationwide meat industry farm quality assurance programme puts the industry’s integrity at risk, Anzco agriculture general manager Grant Bunting says.

Alliance will use its own programme in preference to the red meat industry’s collaborative Farm Assurance Programme (FAP).

The FAP, established to enhance customer confidence in the NZ supply chain, is funded by the Red Meat Profit Partnership (RMPP) under a Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) programme. . .

Sheep run riot as Hilux Rural Games begin in Fielding – Sam Kilmister & Bethany Reitsma:

Sheep, working dogs and bales of wool stumbled down Feilding’s main street in a celebration of all things rural.

The Manawatū town heralded the start of the Hilux New Zealand Rural Games on Friday with an array of events, including the “running of the wools”. The America’s Cup was also paraded by hometown hero Simon van Velthooven, whose pedal power helped drive Emirates Team New Zealand to victory in Bemuda last year.

People came out in force, crowding the barrier-lined streets, while a mob of the area’s finest woolly residents made their way from the saleyards to the clock tower in Manchester Square and back. . .

Smart Farmer: Ashley Wiese:

For Ashley Wiese, who owns and manages 5,000 hectares in Western Australia, sustainable farming is the smartest way to secure optimum output and food quality, but also to survive as a business in a challenging industry.

Ashley Wiese started off working as an accountant in Perth. However, he always intended to use those skills in agriculture and soon decided to go back to his roots, a farm in Western Australia first established by his great-grandfather. Today, Wiese is the Director of Yarranabee farm. Together with his wife Jo, he farms 5,000 hectares in total: 4,000 hectares of grains such as oats, barley, canola and lupins, and 1,000 hectares of sheep for lamb and wool production. . . 

@Rabobank's Smart Farmer of the week, @AshleyWiese1 grows quinoa that thrives in Western Australia's arid climate. @Global_Farmers https://t.co/WTUV6Nxuys pic.twitter.com/zMlAOQRDyM

— Rabobank F&A (@RaboFoodAgri) March 9, 2018

How can NZ agritech feed the world even more?:

How New Zealand can meet the challenge of feeding some of the predicted global population of 10 billion by 2050, will be a major focus at a Techweek event in Tauranga in May.

World-leading meat, dairy and horticultural industries have established New Zealand’s reputation as a producer of food.

But NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller says the country’s collaborative agricultural ecosystem is shifting its efforts to developing sustainable ways to feed the world. . .

***WARNING***. Last year we had an unusually high number of ergot toxicity cases. This terrible disease can result in a large amount of deaths within your stock. If you see any of these in your paddock DO NOT cut the paddock and ring your vet immediately. pic.twitter.com/MTOnMR5nGD

— VetSouth (@VetSouthNZ) March 8, 2018

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365 days of gratitude

I’m too old to be a digital native but have younger people in my life who’ve introduced me to apps which make life easier in a variety of ways.

One of these is WhatsApp that enables users to receive and send messages and photos to and from individuals and groups.

This morning I woke up to a message from Paraguay that made me laugh and another from Argentina that started a conversation.

WhatsApp is such an easy way to communicate and share photos with friends and family near and far, and I’m grateful for it.

When I rule the world . . .

When I rule the world* instruction manuals for native English speakers will be written in English by people whose first language is English and who write them on the understanding those trying to follow them could be technologically and mechanically incompetent.

*Accepting that global health and happiness have already been achieved.

Saluting Norman John Daysh

Who was Norman John Daysh?

I didn’t know until I read this – Kiwi innovator an inspiration to all farmers:

New Zealand farmers are saluting Norman John Daysh today – the godfather of the modern milking machine.

Mr Daysh is globally acknowledged for inventing a mechanism that effectively liberated dairy farmers from their milking stools.

His ingenuity is being celebrated at an anniversary event today at Hamilton to mark the commercial launch, 100 years ago.

Federated Farmers’ Dairy Industry Chair Chris Lewis says all kiwi farmers should feel a sense of pride and be inspired by Mr Daysh’s feat, which was the first notable disruption in the modern farming era.

“Cockies throughout the land should afford a smile today remembering Mr Daysh. He was truly ahead of his time-a true kiwi innovator. Apparently he started making milking machines from 18 years-old and was selling them to neighbouring families.

“His legacy has become part of farmer folklore. He had great compassion for his animals, and legend has it, he was the first milk machine designer to consider the effect on cows.

“The milkers back in the day would have appreciated him too, as the earliest milking machines were cumbersome, unreliable and actually painful to use.

“Mr Daysh had the foresight to go overseas to America to refine his prototype and gain globally acknowledged patents, this in itself was quite an undertaking for a humble kiwi farmer in 1913,” says Chris.

The DeLaval Milker was launched in 1917. A testament to its success and innovation was the fact none of the original 100 machines were returned.

You can listen to Kim HIll interview the inventor’s grandson, John Daysh here.

The milking machine didn’t just liberate farmers from their milking stools it enabled them to milk more cows which has provided massive economic, nutritional and social benefits to New Zealand and many other countries.

Recent conversion to dairying and intensification of farming has come at an environmental cost but the same ingenuity which led Daysh to develop his milking machines is being applied by scientists and farmers to repair the damage and ensure that dairy’s future environmental footprint is much smaller.

Rural round-up

South Canterbury coastal plan will become operative in September – Elena McPhee:

A change to coastal South Canterbury’s farming rules will come into force next month and despite an initial challenge, farmers say they are now looking forward to helping protect a nationally significant wetland area.

The South Coastal Canterbury Plan Change addresses both water quality and water quantity in the catchment, which includes Wainono Lagoon.

Environment Canterbury councillor Peter Skelton said the schedule set out good farming practices relating to nutrient management, irrigation management, grazing intensively-farmed stock, farm cultivation, and animal effluent. . .

‘Retirement’ is apples for Murray – Yvonne O’Hara:

Former Alexandra retailer Murray Bell has given up heels and soles for Honeycrisp and Jazz.

Mr Bell, 63, retired from his shoe retailing business earlier this year, but relaxing with his feet up has yet to happen.

He and partner Rachel Samuel have Crag-an-oir Orchard, which is 15ha of apple trees on the outskirts of Alexandra.

They originally grew some apricots, but they now focus solely on growing several apple varieties, using organic principles. The orchard is certified under BioGro as part of the Springvale Apple Growers Partnership. . .

TracMap gets room to expand:

TracMap founder Colin Brown addresses the crowd at the opening of the company’s new offices in Dukes Rd, Mosgiel, last week.

The company supplies precision guidance systems to the primary food production industries with the cloud-based system allowing accurate task management and placement reporting for products, people and vehicles in-field. . .

Agrifood sector is tech-savvy but not ready for major disruption:

A new agrifood sector report has found that New Zealand farmers have been quick to adopt smart farming techniques, but few are preparing for major technological disruption.

The report, funded through Microsoft’s Academic Programs initiative and prepared by researchers from the Massey Business School, examined the impact of cloud computing and other potentially disruptive technologies on the sector.

Researchers interviewed both technologists and members of the agrifood industry – and found there was a gap between how the two groups perceive the future. . . 

Red Stag Timber plans to lift production from its Waipa ‘super mill’ to meet demand – Tina Morrison

(BusinessDesk) – Red Stag Timber, which developed New Zealand’s first ‘super mill’ a year ago, plans to step up production next year to meet demand in its local and overseas markets.

The Rotorua-based Waipa Mill increased its production of sawn timber to an annual 550,000 cubic metres from 450,000 cubic metres after investing over $100 million in more efficient machinery, transforming the mill, and plans to lift production further to 600,000 cubic metres from next year, general manager Tim Rigter told BusinessDesk in an interview at the Waipa State Mill Road site. . . 

Telco minnow joins giants by winning rural broadband contract:

A no-frills approach has seen Hawke’s Bay-based rural wireless broadband company AoNet Broadband successfully compete with the giants of the industry to win a slice of the Government’s latest rural broadband funding package.

Telecommunications Minister Simon Bridges today announced AoNet Broadband as the Wireless Internet Service Provider for the King Country, making it responsible for connecting homes over an area that includes remote and mountainous terrain.

The appointment is part of a $150 million funding package for telco companies to partner with the Government through Crown Fibre Holdings Limited (CFH) to bring better broadband and mobile services to an increased number of under-served rural areas, state highways, businesses, residents and tourists in New Zealand. . . 

First chilled meat shipments to China – Allan Barber:

According to a press release from SFF the company’s first sea container leaves this week for arrival early next month, claimed by the company to be the first sea freight consignment of chilled product to the Chinese market which has only recently opened up to New Zealand meat exporters. However, I have since been informed that the first shipment from Greenlea arrived on 18^th August and a chilled container of AFFCO product is already on the water, arriving on Friday 1^st September, with a container of chilled mutton being shipped next week.

According to SFF’s press release the company has already trialled small quantities of chilled beef cuts to food service distributors for high end restaurants and lamb cuts to a multinational supermarket chain. But the sea shipment is planned to test the port and supply chain protocols for large scale consignments of chilled product. . . 

Swiss meat is expensive in dollars, cheap in minutes – Catherine Bosley:

Swiss meat prices are pretty hard to stomach at first glance.

At $49.68, Switzerland tops the ranking for a kilogram of beef leg round. Yet that seemingly eye-watering sum – around 150 percent higher than the world average – gets more reasonable when you factor in what locals get paid: An unskilled worker needs just 3.1 hours to afford it.

The 2017 Meat Price Index is a foray into the study of relative price levels of goods and labor. According to publisher Caterwings, the cost of beef, fish, chicken, pork and lamb in each country’s biggest cities were compared to the minimum wage and then calculations were run for affordability. In those where there is no federal statutory minimum, it used the average pay for unskilled labor. . . 

Allied Farmers posts 60% lift in full-year profit as livestock division outperforms – Rebecca Howard:

 (BusinessDesk) – Rural services firm Allied Farmers reported a 60 percent lift in net profit on an improved result from its livestock division, particularly in the second half, and further cost reduction.

The Hawera-based company said net profit was $2.2 million in the year ended June 30 versus $1.4 million in the prior year. Pretax earnings were up 52 percent to $2.4 million, which was ahead of the guidance it gave in June when it forecast a 40 percent gain. . . 

 

Rural round-up

EU-Japan trade deal ups the ante – Allan Barber:

The FTA announced just before the G20 meeting in Hamburg is touted to bring substantial benefits to EU agricultural producers. It will put EU exporters on a level playing field with countries like Australia which already have an agreement, but notably it will put New Zealand at an even greater disadvantage until our trade negotiators can achieve a similar outcome.

There is great enthusiasm for what is being called the ‘most important bi-lateral agreement ever done,’ embracing some 20% of the world’s population. When the details are completed, targeted for the end of this year, there will potentially be no tariffs applying to all food exports, including beef, sheepmeat and pork products. It remains to be seen how long the phase-in period will be.

However, reading the EU comments that greeted the news, there appears to be absolutely no concern about the impact of Japanese produced goods entering the EU. That will no doubt be for non-food producers, including French, German and Italian car makers to worry about. . . 

Russia warns dairy restrictions possible after butter tests –  Alexa Cook:

Russia is warning of a potential restriction on New Zealand dairy products after finding butter from this country tested positive twice for the antibiotic tetracycline.

News agency Dairy Reporter said Russia has warned of a potential restriction on New Zealand dairy products after some butter tested positive twice for the veterinary medicine tetracycline.

Russia’s government said if it continued to find the antibiotic, it would limit the supply of milk products from New Zealand. . .

Predator Free 2050 arsenal to expand:

Predator Free 2050’s arsenal is set to expand with funding for three projects to control stoats and rats.

“The funding gives that extra push to promising projects already in the pipeline to help make them safer, more cost effective or to enlarge their scale,” Ms Barry says.

“We know new tools and technology are needed to win the war against invasive predators, so we’ve funded the newly-formed company Predator Free 2050 Ltd to support breakthrough scientific research.”

“We also know our current tools and technology need to be improved and enhanced to make a difference in the short to medium-term as we head toward a predator-free New Zealand.” . .

Birds and bats on the rise after widespread predator control:

Native species are on the rise thanks to intensive trapping and aerial 1080 operations across Fiordland National Park, latest monitoring results show.

Following widespread beech seeding across Fiordland in early 2016, and a recorded increase in rat numbers, the Department of Conservation (DOC) treated six sites with aerially applied 1080 as part of the national Battle for our Birds programme, including the Eglinton and Arthur Valleys, the Waitutu Forest and areas of the Kepler. . .

Monitoring of commercial fishing to revolutionise fisheries management:

New regulations gazetted today will help revolutionise the way New Zealand’s commercial fisheries are managed and monitored, says Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy.

The regulations require the use of geospatial position reporting (GPR), e-logbooks, and cameras across the commercial fishing industry and are being rolled out from 1 October this year. . .

Five reasons why agriculture is among the hottest growing industries – Paul Cranch:

Everyone talks about IT, energy and health care as the growing industries of the future, but agriculture should be on that list, too! This is an exciting time to be in agriculture. Here are 5 reasons why I think big opportunities await you in this often overlooked industry.

Agriculture is in the center of one of the greatest challenges of our time – achieving food security.

Long-Term Global Need.
Why is there so much opportunity in Agriculture? Let’s have a look at what is happening in the world. . .

Avocado prices near record levels and kumara hits new high:

Food prices rose 0.2 percent in June 2017, Stats NZ said today. The rise was led by higher prices for avocados and soft drinks. The average price for a 200g avocado was $4.52 in June 2017, compared with $3.38 in May 2017.

“Avocado prices tend to peak in the winter before falling in spring as new fruit become available,” consumer prices manager Matthew Haigh said. “Prices are back near the record level in June last year.”

“Fruit and vegetables prices eased off somewhat in June, from their highs in May,” Mr Haigh said. “Lettuce and broccoli prices were down, but tomato and kumara prices continued to rise. Kumara prices were at their highest-ever level – $8.18 a kilogram.” . .

StockX wins Beef + Lamb NZ Sheep Industry Innovation Award:

StockX has been announced as winner of the prestigious Beef + Lamb NZ Sheep Industry Awards – 2017 Tru-Test Innovation Award held in Invercargill last week.

Head Judge, Hamish Bielski said, “The panel’s decision was unanimous given the ability of StockX to provide transparency in the sales and purchase process, and the way it connects buyers and sellers in a cost-effective manner. The concept – which uses technology not available 20 years ago – represents a step-change in the industry and has challenged the status-quo when it comes to trading livestock.” . .

Competition Set to Find NZ’s Young Winemaker of The Year:

The battle is on again to find the 2017 Tonnellerie de Mercurey NZ Young Winemaker of the Year, with a new structure to the competition which is set to bring the North vs South rivalry back into play, the young wine making talent of New Zealand will compete for the ultimate title during the next few months.

Now in its third year, the competition is about finding the best winemaking talent in New Zealand, as well as providing education and support for those in the industry under 30. Not only that, the winner walks away with a travel allowance, training grant, full registration to the Romeo Bragato conference, a profile in Cuisine Magazine, wine allowance, plus a trip to the Tonnellerie de Mercurey France (airfares from NZ included), and of course the title of being the 2017 New Zealand Tonnellerie de Mercurey Young Winemaker of the Year. . .

Rural round-up

Oritain, GE Healthcare form serum testing partnership – Sally Rae:

Oritain has partnered with global medical technology giant GE Healthcare to run a test-based traceability programme to authenticate country of origin of foetal bovine serum (FBS), used in human and animal health vaccines.

Since its establishment in 2008, the Mosgiel-based company has been a global leader in using forensic science to determine product provenance.

Operations director Dr Sam Lind described the partnership as ”very significant”, not only cementing the work the company was doing within that industry, but also the opportunity to work with such a global company. . .

Productivity and quality pay off for Matarae – Sally Rae:

At Matarae Station, Willie and Emily Jones have a strong focus on development and production.

The couple, with young sons Archie and Digby, lease the 5500ha Strath Taieri property from Mr Jones’ parents, Ron and Juliet, but own the stock.

They said they were running both merino and Romney sheep under ‘‘pretty extreme’’ conditions that could range from a metre of snow to very wet, or as dry as the typical Central Otago climate.

The property was running about 5700 merino ewes, 3800 Romney ewes, 3500 merino hoggets and 1800 Romney and halfbred hoggets, plus lambs, mixed-age rams and about 200 breeding cows. . .

Precision farming the new reality

Craige MacKenzie has seen a lot of technological change since 1978, when he started farming the property he grew up on near Methven.

“The changes haven’t just been in the tools we can use, but also in the industry-wide focus on precision farming, which is all about using IT to ensure crops and soil receive exactly what they need for optimum health and productivity. We’ve tried to take it to a new level.”

Craige and his wife Roz turned a traditional mixed cropping farm into a dairy farm and a specialised seed production operation in 1987.

He has won numerous awards for outstanding farming practice, including: . .

The 25 most innovative at-tech startups – Maggie McGrath and Chloe Sorvino:

When our nation was founded 241 years ago, farming was the economy’s primary driver. By 1870, nearly half of the employed population held jobs in agriculture. Today, it’s a $3 trillion industry – but only 2% of Americans hold a farm-oriented job.

This is, in many ways, thanks to technology. Tractors and other automation advances in the 20th century let large farms shift management to only a handful of people. But this, paradoxically, has also slowed things down in the 21st. With only a few people working every farm, there’s not a lot of time – or incentive – to innovate.

“You only get 40 attempts at farming. From your 20’s to your 60’s, you get 40 seasons,” says Duncan Logan, the founder and CEO of RocketSpace, a tech accelerator company. “In tech, you get 40 attempts in a week.” . . 

Fonterra Announces General Manager, Māori Strategy – Tiaki Hunia:

Fonterra today announced the appointment of Tiaki Hunia to the role of General Manager, Māori Strategy/Pouhere Māori.

As Pouhere Māori, Tiaki will play a vital role in continuing to progress our strategic Māori commitments and strengthen Fonterra’s bicultural capability. He will work across the business, to lead, build and implement our vision of a strong partnership with Māori, growing prosperous, healthy and sustainable communities together. . .

Tractor and machinery industry calls for larger fines for intentional biosecurity breaches:

The Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA) is praising the Ministry of Primary Industry for finding a contaminated combine harvester imported from the UK but says fines must be a deterrent for intentional biosecurity breaches.

Last week Christchurch company Gateway Cargo Systems Ltd was fined $3,000 by the Ministry of Primary Industries after it declared a contaminated combine harvester imported from the United Kingdom was brand new. An inspection by MPI at the border found it had been used and was heavily contaminated with more than 700 litres of soil and farm waste in the header unit. MPI said it could have caused “incalculable damage” to New Zealand’s environment. . .