Rural round-up

Agribusiness project is a classified success :

When young couple Shane Carroll and Nicola Shadbolt wanted to find equity partners to help them realise their dream of managing a big farming operation they put an advertisement in the newspaper.

“If you’ve got the money, we’ve got the expertise – let’s get together,” they said.

It worked. And 27 years later they are equity partners and managers of a diverse agribusiness in Manawatu’s picturesque Pohangina Valley.

Westview Farm is a combination of agribusinesses shaped by equity partners, farmer-managers and employees on the ground.

Carroll and Shadbolt, his wife and business partner who is well known as a Massey University professor of farm management and a Fonterra director, are the managers and part-owners of an organisation that runs dairy, deer, beef and sheep units. . .

Concerns about over-reliance on China:

A WARNING on heavy reliance on the one market of China has been sounded by Beef + Lamb NZ chief economist Andrew Burtt.

China’s continued growth as a market for New Zealand meat is one of the main trends showing in Beef + Lamb’s export figures for the 2013-14 first quarter, Burtt told Rural News. 

Mutton exports to China doubled in the first three months compared to the same quarter last year. But the continuing growth of China as a market comes with the qualification “about extrapolating that will go forever,” Burtt says. 

The other message is “that New Zealand’s traditional markets are still important to us.

Politically stable, economically stable, and they are wealthy and remain important”. . .

Farmers must look beyond farm on sustainability:

THE DAIRY industry’s contribution to sustainability shouldn’t be confined within the farmgate, says Hauraki Plains farmer Conall Buchanan.

Apart from keeping their farms environmentally sound, involvement in local schools and community projects allows interaction and helps improve public perception of dairy farming and farmers.

Buchanan notes in Hauraki Plains a natural link between the farming sector and the community, high levels of interaction allowing community concerns to be passed to farmers. . .

Women make an impression in dog trialling:

A couple of female dog triallists gave their male counterparts something to think about at the Oxford Collie Club’s Dog Trials.

In a historically male-dominated sport, the top two places in the zig zag hunt, judged by Perry May, went to Nicky Thompson and runner-up Steph Tweed.

The trials have been held by the club for the past 94 years.

This year’s event was held in near-perfect conditions, barring some late southerly rain on day two, when most courses were nearing completion.

Club president Lionel Whitwell said the decline in sheep farming had affected many dog trial clubs, and the triallists were fortunate that good-quality sheep had been sourced from local farmers Alan and Wayne Feary. . .

4 weird things dairy farmers are obsessed with – Modern Milk Maid:

Fat

Nothing to do with their own weight or others. Dairy farmers in Canada are paid based on the “components” of milk-butterfat, protein, and other solids such as lactose. Butterfat is the moneymaker, and every farmer I know loves to compare their results. Fun fact-whole milk is only 3.25% fat! My herd is currently averaging 4.3%. Low butterfat can indicate illness. Diet, genetics, and cow comfort all contribute to how much fat a cow will produce.

Semen 

Bull semen, that is. Choosing a bull that fits with your herd goals-improving looks, milk yield, or health traits is a never ending task. . .

Top German chefs light fire under lamb promotion:

WHEN FARMERS raced Michelin four-star chefs to create the best barbecue lamb dish, the results were mouthwatering. 

The New Zealand Lamb BBQ Masterchef contest  was held at Rob Buddo’s farm, Poukawa, Hawke’s Bay on January 29.

Judges were Black Barn Bistro chef Terry Lowe, Progressive Meats managing director Craig Hickson, Beef + Lamb NZ chief executive Scott Champion and gourmet BBQ chef Raymond van Rijk.

The winning team was Angus Irvine and Sam Morrah, of Central Hawke’s Bay, guided by chef Markus Philippi prompting diners’ satisfaction. . .

 

Lamb drop 2m down because of drought

The impact of last season’s drought in the North Island has taken a siginifcant toll on stock numbers.

Last season’s North Island drought has dented New Zealand’s sheep and cattle numbers and this spring’s lamb crop is expected to be 2 million lambs less – down 7.7 per cent to 24.43 million head.

The Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) Economic Service annual stock number survey confirms what many predicted, following the recent prolonged and extensive drought. The survey provides the country’s sheep and beef sector with a prediction of the productive base of livestock for the 2013-14 season.

While both sheep and cattle numbers fell – 1 per cent and 1.3 per cent respectively – it is the lamb crop that reflects the drought’s impact most significantly.

The export lamb slaughter for 2013-14 is expected to be 18.6 million head, a decrease of 8.5 per cent and the export cattle slaughter is forecast to decrease 2.7 per cent to 2.2 million head in 2013-14.

This will have a big impact on the meat industry and also on other businesses which service and supply farms including shearers and stock firms.

B+LNZ Economic Service Chief Economist, Andrew Burtt says the drought conditions affected ewe condition at mating and, consequently, scanning results were variable across the North Island.

“We’re expecting lambing percentages to be down by up to 20 percentage points in the regions worst hit by drought in the north. The South Island fared better and scanning results were down only a few percentage points – and that’s against last season, which was favourable in the south.”

Overall, sheep numbers were down 1 per cent to 30.94 million head at 30 June 2013, compared to 31.26 million a year earlier.

Mr Burtt says breeding ewe numbers were also down 1 per cent overall, but the numbers in each island moved in opposite directions. “Ewe numbers in the North Island decreased by 2.7 per cent to 9.52 million, while South Island ewe numbers were almost static (+0.5%) at 10.69 million.

“Hogget numbers reflected a similar pattern – back 1.3 per cent overall, but down 3.5 per cent in the north and up 1 per cent in the south.”

Meanwhile, cattle numbers fell 1.3 per cent to 3.69 million head at 30 June 2013, from 3.73 million in 2012. “Again, the North Island figures tell the drought story, with numbers back 2.5 per cent – with particularly large decreases in East Coast and Taranaki-Manawatu – while the South Island’s cattle numbers rose 1.8 per cent.”

The full report is at Beef + Lamb’s website.