Fish & Game is alarmed at a recently released report which shows the pace and extent of farmland being converted to forestry in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Chief executive Corina Jordan says the scale of the land-use change, which is having a massive impact on rural communities, also has negative implications for recreational access and freshwater health.
The accelerated conversion is a result of current government policies, it will be far worse if the proposals to tax methane emissions are enacted.
The Beef & Lamb NZ (BLNZ) report details how vast tracts of farmland are being sold to carbon farming speculators, with a significant amount being bought up by offshoreinterests.
“Much of the land is going into permanent forestry for carbon sequestering, and this is destroying many rural communities through lost industry and jobs, and rural services and support disappearing. It is creating ghost towns,” says Jordan.
It is almost impossible for foreigners to buy farmland to farm, the hurdles for foreigners wanting to buy farmland to convert to forestry are much, much lower.
“Our anglers and hunters, and the general public, have long relied on the generosity and goodwill of the farmers who allow access to their properties to hunt, fish, swim or recreate. And many farmers are also keen anglers and hunters themselves.
“The rural hospitality they offer is part of the social fabric and culture of our country, but the amount of land we’re losing, and the rate at which it is disappearing into foreign ownership, is a real threat to that.”
Fish & Game, along with environmental NGOs, is also increasingly concerned about the impact of mass monoculture forest plantings on the environment.
“We absolutely agree there’s an urgent need to address the climate crisis, but BLNZ’s report shows the farm to forest conversion rate is far in excess of the recommendations put forward by the Climate Change Commission for the country to reach its emissions reduction targets.
“What’s more, pines take up a huge amount of water, thereby leading to less flowing into streams, rivers, and wetlands. Couple this with the acidic leachate that comes off land under exotic conifers, and an increase in some pollutants, and you’ve got catastrophic impacts on instream biology and the health of our freshwater.”
We were shown a creek in the Wairarapa which, the farmer whose land it meandered through said, never used to dry up, even in droughts until a large area of land upstream was planted in pines.
Now its water quality is degraded and it often dries up leaving water life including eels and koura to die.
Fish & Game believes government policy should actively encourage additional planting and the integration of trees – particularly natives – on farms, rather than pave the way for entire farms to be sold for conversion into exotic forestry.
“If the scale of forest carbon sinks on farms could be achieved to meet our climate change targets, then there are environmental benefits for biodiversity and freshwater health, whilst also keeping the social fabric of rural communities intact – a win all round.”
Meanwhile, with the carbon price forecast to continue to rise, more land purchases from international speculators will continue if the loopholes in our Emissions Trading Scheme and climate change policy are left unaddressed.
“A consortium of green groups recently called on the government to urgently rethink policy that is paving the way for this proliferation of exotic forests. Similarly, Fish & Game supports changes that lead to better environmental and social outcomes.
“Permanent plantation forestry has a place in helping meet New Zealand’s climate change commitments,” says Jordan. “However, more value needs to be placed on integrating indigenous trees on farm and allowing less productive parts of farms to regenerate.”
Environmental, economic and social damage is already being incurred by the misguided policy that allows productive pastoral farmland to be covered in pines.
If the government goes ahead with its plan to tax methane from cattle, deer and sheep the damage will be far greater and not just to rural land, waterways and communities.
Job losses will spread to towns and cities and the loss of export income will be devastating.
Building a multi-million-dollar water care project in a year has been no mean feat for a group of dedicated Maniototo locals. Each is ardent about preserving and enhancing the values of the upper Taieri Catchment in Otago.
The five-year Tiaki Maniototo project run by local catchment group, Upper Taieri Wai, received $4.55 million from the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) towards freshwater improvement in the Taieri catchment this year. When combined with the in-kind support from other agencies and farmers, the total budget amounts to about $6m.
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Project manager Morgan Trotter says the project is about improving freshwater quality, ecosystem values and biodiversity in the Upper Taieri catchment. Trotter previously spent 17 years working for Fish & Game in the region and has more than 20 years’ experience in freshwater environmental management. While the focus of the project is creation of jobs and environmental outcomes there is a “massive” opportunity to help farmers through upcoming regulatory changes. . .
AgResearch’s work to successfully breed low methane-emitting sheep has been recognised with the supreme award at this year’s Science New Zealand Awards.
The decade-long work by AgResearch scientists has enabled them to identify genetic differences which influence how much methane an individual sheep produces.
By breeding for this low-methane genetic trait, the scientists have been able to demonstrate that after three generations the lowest-emitting sheep produce close to 13% less methane than the highest emitters, per kilogram of feed eaten.
While the actual methane reduction at the farm-scale will be less when sheep are also being bred for other desirable genetic traits, it is still expected to be significant. . .
Horticultural company T&G Global has projected a $100 million new build of a pack house at Whakatu, near Hastings but not given a date for commencement or the start of operations.
The announcement was in the context of growth in market demand for its licensed Envy apple variety, independently forecast to reach $1 billion by 2030.
Orchard redevelopment over 300ha in Hawke’s Bay and Nelson during the next four years will help meet that demand, including two-dimensional trees to allow for future automated management.
T&G is partnering with the NZ Super Fund through FarmRight in a 40ha Envy orchard. . .
Beef cattle numbers increased in 2021 while the number of sheep dipped slightly, Stats NZ said today.
Provisional figures from the 2021 agricultural production survey show beef cattle numbers have increased to 4 million at June 2021, a 4 percent (142,000) increase from the previous year.
“The total number of beef cattle was at a historical low in 2016, however it’s been increasing and is now up by 492,000, or 14 percent, since that time,” agricultural production statistics manager Ana Krpo said. Good beef prices throughout this period contributed to this increase.
The number of sheep nationally has been steady compared with the previous year, at 26 million. The lambing rate was also consistent with the previous year. . .
The Forest Lifeforce Restoration Trust looks likely to set fresh records for its Maungataniwha Kiwi Programme following delivery of 54 viable eggs to the National Kiwi Hatchery in Rotorua in the first half of the 2021/2022 season. It still has two more ‘first clutch’ eggs to retrieve so it is possible that its ‘half time score’ will grow to 56.
Earlier this year it completed the return of a record 53 juvenile kiwi to the bush as part of its work with Operation Nest Egg, the nationwide kiwi recovery initiative that removes kiwi eggs from their burrows, incubates them and cares for the chicks in captivity until they’re big enough to fend for themselves in the wild.
Traditionally, fewer eggs are retrieved in the back half of the egg-lifting season. These are known as ‘second clutch’ eggs. But there are already signs that the second half of the 2021/2022 egg-lifting season at the Trust’s property in the Maungataniwha Native Forest in Hawke’s Bay will also be strong.
Trust staffer and ‘kiwi whisperer’ Barry Crene said he had retrieved three eggs from two second-clutch nests. This is, he says, a promising start although he will never “count my kiwi before they’re hatched.” . .
Silage day! Preserving some quality feed for our cows to eat over mating in the autumn pic.twitter.com/D3LeAzbYNa
Silver Fern Farms Chief Operating Officer Mark Leslie will join Pāmu as its new Chief Executive, Pāmu Board chairman Dr Warren Parker announced today.
Dr Parker says Mr Leslie brings a wealth of primary sector experience to the role.
“The Board are delighted that Mark is joining Pāmu as we continue to successfully deliver our strategy. His skillset, including hands on experience running substantial livestock and dairy operations and background in farming, will be beneficial as we work to produce higher farm gate returns with a smaller environmental footprint, and with an ongoing focus on the wellbeing of our people, our animals and the land we farm,” Dr Parker said. . .
More than 230 farmers have raised issues with the Ministry for the Environment’s (MfE) over the accuracy of its low-slope maps.
The online maps, part of the Essential Freshwater Policy, identify slopes of 10 degrees or less for the purposes of stock exclusion and permitted intensive winter grazing.
But the MfE maps have been roundly criticised for being inaccurate.
In response to a question from Farmers Weekly, a Ministry statement says around 200 people have filled out the online form and another 30 have sent information via email. . .
It is billed as New Zealand’s largest commercially funded native reforestation project. Two years ago, the Otago Daily Times unveiled Treespace Queenstown Ltd’s plans to reforest a high country farm with a wilding tree problem. Two months ago, the planting of beech trees on Mt Dewar Station began. Reporter Guy Williams talks to the man behind the project.
Drive the road along the foot of Coronet Peak between Arrowtown and Queenstown, look up at the mountainside above the skifield’s access road and you will see clusters of hundreds of plastic green sleeves.
Each one is protecting a precious mountain beech tree.
They are the first tangible sign of a long-term project to re-cloak the 1768ha former farm with 140,000 beech trees . .
Challenging, exciting, daunting, motivating and humbling.
That is how Alexandra woman Gill Naylor described her feelings on recently being elected national president of Rural Women New Zealand, an organisation she said had to meet the needs of the “women of today”.
Mrs Naylor has been a member of the Cambrian St Bathans branch of RWNZ for more than 30 years.
Joining Women’s Division Federated Farmers (as it was known before a name change in the late 1990s) was a natural progression for the mother of three, having been involved with the likes of Plunket and play group. . .
Up to 60 overseas shearers will be allowed to enter the country between January and March to help fill a gap in the local workforce.
The New Zealand Shearing Contractors Association (NZSCA) told the government in July that keeping shearers out because of Covid-19 travel restrictions could harm farmers’ incomes and cause animal welfare issues for unshorn sheep wilting in the summer heat.
There were further talks this month, and on Friday Immigration New Zealand said border exemptions had been granted for up to 60 shearers to enter the country between January and March.
Conditions include that they have to have at least two years’ experience and be contracted by an approved NZSCA employer. . .
The long awaited ‘missing link’ trail section from the Sailors Cutting camping ground through to Benmore Dam is due for opening on December 18th. Last week, the A2O project team collectively rode the trail to seek group consensus on safety and recommended duration.
Make no mistake – this section will be another real highlight of the A2O! At 16kms in length, its likely to take 3-4 hours of riding – when you are not racing and perhaps wanting to take time out to have a swim and relax a bit. The ride will feel remote – because it is! Cell phone coverage probably shouldn’t be relied on, so be self contained and ready. Most importantly, be prepared to relax & enjoy, and smell the roses if you can find any.
Starting the trail from the campground, the trail is wide and accommodating. For the first 4kms, it’s wide enough to ride two abreast as the trail climbs up to the low saddle above the Bach bay – and then the easy cycle down to the lakefront. Eventually the trail narrows for the 4-5km middle section and riding becomes single file, to accommodate two way traffic.
The many bays just invite a stop and a swim, and the 30m span of the bridge will excite many. From here, riders regain the wider 4WD track on the Benmore section, which gradually climbs and climbs to the saddle above Benmore dam and Otematata. . .
The Forest Owners Association says the industry anticipates an unacceptable and pointless bureaucratic cost to all parts of the forest industry, if the Forests (Regulation of Log Traders and Forestry Advisers) Amendment Bill becomes law.
The bill was introduced into Parliament last night and will go to the Environment Select Committee early next month.
The Forest Owners Association President, Phil Taylor, says the first details forest growers saw of the scheme was when it was introduced last night.
“The government speakers in its first reading debate seem to think that giving a certificate to someone who buys and sells logs, is going to lead to more logs being processed in New Zealand and not exported.” . . .
London’s Financial Times reports on a struggle within Britain’s cabinet on how much to cut farm tariffs in any US-UK trade deal. It’s not the most edifying reporting – and the economics are even more questionable.
Of course, there’s always artificiality in the briefing of intra-government squabbles. Political slogans predominate and reporters struggle to present the real views of ministers who can be incapable of understanding, let alone articulating, the underlying economic arguments. But here the gap between presentation and reality is truly remarkable.
Britain’s international trade secretary is negotiating with the US government on a post-Brexit trade agreement and apparently wants to offer tariff cuts on food imported from the US. These are reported as ‘concessions’. . .
The Absolom family farm has the next generation in mind. They want their Hawke’s Bay property to be with their family in at least 100 years so take a long-term approach to everything they do. Colin Williscroft reports.
Brothers Daniel, Jeremy and Ben are the fifth generation of the Absolom family to farm at Rissington where their family has been working the land northwest of Napier since the late 1880s.
During that time they’ve developed a proud history in the area but are not content to leave it at that, keeping a close eye on the future, seeking out and adopting the latest technology and science to put them in front of challenges facing farmers at the grassroots and the industry as a whole. . .
It will be game on for duck-shooting next weekend.
Hunters across the South breathed a “sigh of relief” over the decision to begin a delayed 2020 bird game season on May 23, following the move into Level 2 on Thursday.
“Game bird hunting is a national tradition and many families see opening day as more sacred than Christmas,” Otago Fish & Game officer Nigel Pacey said.
The Level 2 announcement meant access to hunting grounds and mai mais by air, road or boat travel would be allowed.
Staying overnight would also be allowed as long as people “play it safe”. . .
Jessica Goodwright leads a busy life. Mrs Goodwright and her husband, Lyall, who have three children, farm at Drummond in Southland in a 50-50 sharemilking and equity partnership with another dairy farm in the region.
She is the Dairy Women’s Network regional leader for Central Southland and manages to find time to study for a diploma in agribusiness management through Primary ITO and is now on her final paper.
Her grassroots dairy farming leadership efforts earned her becoming a finalist in the Dairy Women’s Network’s new DWN regional leader of the year. . .
Nineteen-year old Poppy Renton says the lockdown has impacted farmers on a number of fronts. The Maraekakaho-based founder of the now acclaimed Facebook page Hawke’s Bay Drought tells Mark Story the initiative has helped to galvanise a hurting farming community.
What was the spark for the Facebook page? I wanted to create a space where farmers could have support, provide advice, communicate and share their stories with one another. I also wanted to make New Zealanders aware of what farming conditions are like in Hawke’s Bay at the moment and how dire the situation actually is. I wanted to make farmers aware that, even though we were in lockdown, they aren’t alone. It might not be in person, but there’s someone going through the same thing just down the road.
How’s the uptake so far? When I made the page I thought only a few people would join and had no idea how fast it would grow. I hoped for 500 people, but that happened on day two, with 882 reached. I did not expect it to get to 3500 in 11 days. . .
Apple growers have filled our fruit bowls and bolstered our export coffers, while harvesting a bumper crop and maintaining strict social distancing for their workforce. It’s been a nightmare.
Simon Easton sounds relaxed. The fourth-generation apple farmer grows 61 hectares of fruit outside Motueka with his brother. They are nearly at the end of this year’s harvest – a week more picking, a month more packing and they’re done.
Easy as. Not.
On a scale of one to 10, Easton reckons his stress levels this season have been up around 9.8. Particularly at the beginning of the pandemic. . .
The rural sector is tipped to help Southland’s economy pull through the coronavirus lockdown. What does that mean for the Alliance Group? Louisa Steyl reports.
Being agile and responding to markets’ rapid changes both domestically and on a global scale will help some companies come through the downturn in the economy.
The Alliance Group, with processing plants in Dannevirke, Levin, Nelson, Oamaru, Timaru and its two Southland-based plants Lorneville and Mataura, has been affected during the lockdown. . .
Chopper spreading annual clover seed over maize crop as it’s harvested. The harvester then helps settle and bury the broadcast seed. 👍 pic.twitter.com/XHM6cgLq74
The recently announced review into Fish and Game needs to ensure the organisation’s focus returns to working in the best interests of anglers and hunters, National’s Conservation spokesperson Jacqui Dean says.
“Over recent years there has been tension between Fish and Game and farming groups that has contributed to a rural-urban divide.
“Many prized fishing and hunting spots are on privately owned farmland and there is a lot of goodwill between individual farmers and recreational hunters and anglers in negotiating access. . .
As the coronavirus crisis continues to unfold, a consortium of Australian and New Zealand veterinary scientists has been established to train a new generation of ‘animal disease detectives’ in 11 countries across Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
“A year after African swine fever wiped out more than a quarter of the global pig population and with more than 200,000 people dead from COVID-19, equipping veterinarians with the tools for disease outbreak investigation and surveillance has never been more important,” said program leader Associate Professor Navneet Dhand from the University of Sydney School of Veterinary Science and Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity. . .
The recent NZIER report trivialises the significant role the dairy sector plays in New Zealand’s economy – and fails to look at the specifics of the Government’s freshwater package, according to DairyNZ.
DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle said the report, commissioned by Fish & Game, Forest & Bird and Greenpeace, is less an economic report and more a high-level commentary on the dairy sector’s role in the economy – and paints an inaccurate picture.
“This is yet another case of environmental lobbyists targeting dairy farmers – who are people trying to do the right thing by the environment and who are actively working to make changes on-farm to protect it,” said Dr Mackle. “By singling out dairy farmers, they are ignoring other contributors to water quality and, therefore, are limiting our ability to actually fix the problems where they exist.
“The NZIER report trivialised dairy’s role in the economy – 3 percent of GDP equates to 28 percent of merchandise exports and one-fifth of goods and services exports coming from the dairy sector.
“The NZIER report does not analyse the economic benefits of dairy to regional communities – which is a critical aspect of dairy farming’s contribution to NZ Inc. Dairying is the engine of the regions, in terms of income and jobs. For example, it is the top income earner in Waikato, West Coast and Southland.
“Yesterday we saw the latest MPI Situation and Outlook for Primary Industries report which showed dairy makes up $18.1b of $46.4b exports to June 2019. Dairy exports were up $1.47b last year – this has flow-on effects to our communities, where we employ 46,000 people on and off-farm.
Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) recently completed an advisory report on the Essential Freshwater Package that showed that national limits for nitrogen and phosphorus would potentially impose very large costs on agriculture.
“In that report, it referred to a Waikato modelling study which found that land-use change was required to achieve the nitrogen and phosphorus limits proposed – with changes resulting in a dairy revenue loss of $140m per year,” said Dr Mackle
The LGNZ report showed that these goals require an enormous amount of land use change to take place, with many farms becoming uneconomic and communities being impacted negatively due to rural depopulation and a loss of annual income.
“Modelling for Southland showed that achieving a 9 percent reduction in nitrogen loss would reduce dairy profits by $17m a year,” said Dr Mackle.
“In terms of innovation, dairy farmers are an extremely innovative sector but the reality is that all land users play a role in water quality and more than innovation is required – it also needs broadscale adoption by all land users.
“As a sector, we are solutions-focused – and have been for years, and our farmers have been voluntarily working to look after their land and waterways. Our Water Accord shows a range of great progress, including fencing 98% of significant dairy waterways and stock crossing points or culverts for almost all waterways nationwide.
“We all acknowledge there is more work to be done – but we need to work together and recognise when good work is happening and allow time for change to occur.”
NZIER produced a report that played the tune the payers – Fish & Game, Forest & Bird and Greenpeace – wanted.
In doing so it seriously undervalued the economic importance of dairying in and to New Zealand and seriously underestimated the devastating impact the freshwater proposals would have on rural communities and the country.
Farmers are working hard on improving water quality and should be supported, writes Hamish Walker.
It’s all farmers’ fault didn’t you know?
Those fenced-off waterways, new sediment traps, wetlands, all the riparian plantings, not cultivating near waterways, strategically winter grazing and everything else farmers do on-farm to protect the environment, it’s still all their fault.
What is it, you ask?
Well, Fish & Game’s anti-farming crusade would have you believe it is the water quality issue, one solely caused by farmers. . .
Agriculture will be firmly in the sights of the tax collector should the Government adopt the Tax Working Group suggestions, which propose a suite of environmental taxes and a broadened capital gains tax.
The group recommends including agriculture in a more tax-like emissions pricing scheme, introducing a nitrogen tax and taxing those who pollute and extract water, though it concedes establishing a mechanism to do that is problematic.
The report says more work is needed to develop tools to more accurately estimate diffuse water pollution and extraction but in lieu of such a system it recommends a general fertiliser tax. . .
Applications for the prestigious Rabobank Business Management Programmes have opened for 2019, with the Farm Managers Programme – the course for up-and-coming young farm leaders – returning to New Zealand for the first time in a decade.
Announcing the opening of applications for this year’s intake for the two residential programs – the Executive Development Programme (EDP) and the Farm Managers Programme (FMP), which are designed for progressive New Zealand and Australian farmers looking to take their businesses to the next level – Rabobank New Zealand chief executive Todd Charteris says it is fantastic news to have the Farm Managers Programme returning to Kiwis shores for the first time since it was last held in Christchurch in 2009.
The three finalists in this year’s Ahuwhenua Trophy for the top Māori sheep and beef farm have been announced.
They are Whangara Farms, Gisborne; Te Awahohonu Forest Trust – Gwavas Station, Tikokino near Hastings and Kiriroa Station – Eugene & Pania King, Motu, near Gisborne. . .
OceanaGold has discovered gold and silver buried under conservation land on the Coromandel Peninsula.
But a local environmental group has vowed to fight the multinational company every step of the way if it decides to mine the precious metals.
The discovery after exploratory drilling at Wharekirauponga, inland from the holiday resort town of Whangamatā lies near the Wharekirauponga Track in the Coromandel Forest Park, which is classed as Schedule 4 land. . .
A new campaign has been launched by dairy farmers to promote the health benefits of milk to the public.
Mission 4 Milk is a campaign which sets to raise awareness about how milk can be part of a healthy lifestyle.
The campaign states: “With the rise of plant-based alternatives, the reduction of free milk in schools, and the shift away from milk marketing, the average shopper doesn’t know why they should drink milk.
“But cow’s milk is packed full of essential, natural vitamins and nutrients – many of which you won’t get anywhere else. It’s great for your bones, it’s great for your teeth, and perhaps most importantly – it’s great for your brain.”
Growing up in Argentina with Italian family heritage, it is not surprising Pablo Tacchini became a chef. Having just become a Beef + Lamb ambassador chef, he tells Rebecca Fox it has taken a lot of hard work to get to this point.
Weekends were feast times in Pablo Tacchini’s childhood home in Argentina.
He would spend his mornings either in the kitchen making pasta with his grandmother or outside helping his father and grandfather barbecue.
”I grew up with that. Food is very important for me. It was an easy choice to see what I wanted to do.”
While he now lives and works thousands of kilometres from home, it is those flavours and experiences he seeks to replicate. . .
The agency commissioned a survey on public attitudes on protecting rivers and lakes from pollution.
The survey, by the research group Colmar Brunton, said 82 percent of respondents would support mandatory environmental standards for New Zealand’s waterways, enforced by local councils.
But Federated Farmers water spokesperson Chris Allen said the group asked leading questions. . .
Development of Central Otago’s cherry industry is set to continue with another multimillion-dollar venture announced this week.
Cherry investment firm Hortinvest is seeking expressions of interest from investors for a $15.5million orchard project on an 80ha site at Mt Pisa, near Cromwell.
It was the third cherry investment to be led by Hortinvest within the last two years in Central Otago and was to meet “an unprecedented global demand for premium cherries”, a Hortinvest statement said . .
The dairy sector is recognising the loss of one of its greatest champions, South Island-based Adrian van Bysterveldt.
Adrian was a passionate advocate and leader for pasture-based farm systems and his work helped shape and influence the direction of dairy farming, particularly in the South Island where he was a dedicated leader.
“Adrian was so passionate about all things dairy and really believed in pasture-based farm systems, he had an incredible enthusiasm for the sector and the people in it,” said Tim Mackle, DairyNZ chief executive. . .
A new guide has been released which will assist farmers and the irrigation industry to adopt the use of fertigation – a new way of applying fertiliser which is likely to reduce nitrogen leaching and save labour on farms.
Fertigation allows irrigators to be used to apply liquid fertiliser or liquid soluble fertiliser in small quantities at the same time as water. In New Zealand, most fertiliser currently used is solid and applied through ground spreading or aerial top dressing.
Internationally, fertigation is increasingly being adopted as good environmental practice. . .
Lilly the beagle thought something seedy was going on at @AKL_Airport, and she was right! A passenger from Australia had some forgotten seeds in her back pocket, but thanks to Lilly these were found and disposed of. Good girl Lilly! #dogswithjobspic.twitter.com/8zhDAD2KEa
UNMODIFIED quad bikes have been ruled unsuitable for mustering cattle, in a landmark recent Queensland court decision.
And farmers are being warned the ruling means they could be held liable over quad bike accidents.
The decision has prompted calls from the National Farmers’ Federation for the safety of the bikes to be improved by manufacturers and for riders to also be held more accountable for their own safety. . .
Hunt, who is vice-president of Federated Farmers in Southland, told Stuff farmers were frustrated with Fish & Game’s unbalanced approach to water quality issues.
“If there’s an issue that can be attributed to anything rural, they’re all over it but if it’s urban, Fish & Game is silent,” she said.
“It’s a political attack on farmers and I think if they were being more even-handed, farmers wouldn’t be so put out.” . .
Dairy farmers have fenced around 97% of waterways bordering their farms, that’s tens of thousands of kilometres of fencing.
They’ve also planted many hectares of riparian strips.
You may have seen the @NZStuff cartoon in yesterday's papers. Here is a more wholistic version. We all have a part to play in looking after our rivers, streams, lakes and beaches. We are all in this together, dairy farmers too. Support the movement at https://t.co/gQMPBhBQw4. pic.twitter.com/Fgw0tYVucg
There is still a lot of work to be done, and there is no excuse of farmers who aren’t following best practice to make sure waterways on and near their farms are clean.
But Fish & Game needs to give credit where it’s due and stop their war against farmers, especially when this summer problems with dirty water haven’t been caused by cows but birds and people.
Fish & Game ought to be working with farmers, not fighting against them.
The organisation has only itself to blame that farmers are fighting back and part of the cost of that is a drop in revenue from licence purchases.
Last year I didn’t buy a fishing licence – the first time in over 30 years of fishing. When asked by two Fish & Game rangers for my fishing licence I said I had an exemption. I gave them a written document which outlined a number of reasons why I was exempted.
The first reason was “inappropriate use of licence holder funds “. The exemption noted that Fish & Game have used licence holder monies to run a nationwide media campaign targeting one sector of our society. I have no issue with raising issues about water quality but Fish & Games ‘dirty dairy’ campaign deliberately and unfairly branding all farmers as environmental vandals has done a huge amount of damage to community wellbeing. Farmers are not the only ones impacting water quality and targeting one sector in this manner is inappropriate conduct for a statutory organisation. . .
For 150 years the Morrish name and arable farming has been a winning combination, writes Heather Chalmers.
Having farmed the same land near Christchurch for more than 150 years, the Morrish family say encroachment from the nearby town of Rolleston will most likely spell the end of their ties with the original family farm.
Farming at Broadfield, between Lincoln and Rolleston, fourth generation brothers David and John not only farm the same land, but continue the same type of farming – mixed sheep and cropping – as their ancestors, even if the type of crops and farming methods have changed over the years.
They also believe in long-term farming relationships, having supplied the nearby Heinz-Wattie’s factory with processed peas since the Hornby factory on the outskirts of Christchurch was opened in 1970. . .
For a Government that has been running around telling anyone who will listen that Biosecurity is underfunded, it has allocated an extraordinarily small sum to strengthen the system, National’s spokesperson for Agriculture Nathan Guy says.
“Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor has announced a paltry increase of just $9.3 million for Biosecurity which is half of what National invested in Budget17 at $18.4 million.
“This is a 50 percent reduction and makes a mockery of the Government’s recent rhetoric. . . .
Probably the most vegan item you can buy in the supermarket is a pound of grass-fed beef.
I was thinking about that heretical idea as I drove through my neighboring countryside, scanning empty cornfields for signs of life and wondering at the hubris of mankind. When did we decide that we can own all the lands of the Earth and use every square inch of it for our own needs? About 10,000 years ago, actually, when we invented the idea of agriculture.
Sadly, in the practice of agriculture it is impossible to not cause endless suffering to many living creatures. One could argue that the most suffering of all is caused by annual agriculture, the cultivation of vegetables, including grains, beans, and rice, that only take one year to grow from seed to food. . .
George Eustice, the Defra Minister of State for Agriculture described his vision for post-Brexit agricultural policy at a recent event in Cornwall.
The event attracted more than 70 people to Healey’s Cyder Farm, near Truro on Friday 11 May.
Mr Eustice stated that he saw new policy as “rewarding and incentivising farmers for what they do, and not subsidising them for income lost.”
He told the audience: “The end state we seek is support, not based on the amount of land that they own, but to reward them for helping the environment, water quality and to changes in husbandry to deliver for the environment and research and development into more productive working practices.” . .
I've done a bit of sheep work in my time and helped them out of all sorts of stupid situations…but helping a ewe get out of a picnic bench yesterday tops it all! pic.twitter.com/MYQu286AhR
“It’s a bee!” someone screams as they jump up from their picnic blanket, knocking over their apple juice and flailing their arms, trying to get away from this flying creature. Does this scene sound familiar?
Many people are afraid of bees. And why not? They look like aliens. They have stingers that hurt more than you would expect and some people are very allergic, even deathly allergic, to them. But contrary to our fears, bees are not aggressive insects and do not go after humans unprovoked. When they come near you, it is only because you have something they consider yummy. And if you knew all that they do for you, you would be happy to share your food or drink with them . .
Prior to the election, the Green Party said it would pay more than $136 million for farmers to move to more sustainable practices and if it were in government it would invest in a Sustainable Farming Fund.
Green Party leader James Shaw said a priority would be putting together a package to help farmers make the transition from dairy farming.
He said the Greens wouldn’t be pushing for a cap on the number of cows.
But Mr Shaw said dairy farmers would need help to change.
“A lot of dairy farmers are still heavily in debt from the acquisition of the land and also the conversions and also it’s a pretty difficult time when the price of milk is still somewhat depressed.
“So you know the thing we’re going to be pushing hardest on is making sure that there is a package available for farmers to help them make that transition.”
Mr Shaw said dairy farmers needed to make the transition to more sustainable methods of farming.
Setting standards for water quality is the business of government.
Dictating how that is achieved is not.
It might be that dairying isn’t appropriate in some places. But other land uses aren’t necessarily any kinder to the environment and it could be that a change in management could make dairying a better option than any other form of farming.
Dairying has got a bad reputation, some of which might be justified. But some is based on historical practices no longer in use and some on alternative facts not supported by science.
Some of the latter comes from organisations with an anti-dairying agenda.
Last year Fish & Game sought and received approval from the Department of Conservation (DoC) to place a winter fishing ban on all North Canterbury rivers below State Highway 1.
At the time, Fish & Game claimed the North Canterbury freshwater fishery was in crisis and it was because of farming.
Both DoC and the Rural Advocacy Network have requested the evidence supporting these claims. After 18 months no evidence has been forthcoming. DoC now realise they have been misled and have said they will not renew the fishing ban unless Fish & Game provide evidence.
Earlier this year I attended a public meeting in Rangiora organised by Fish and Game where the fishing ban was discussed. I presented our submission challenging the lack of evidence behind the fishing ban, particularly for the Hurunui and Waiau rivers. A show of hands was taken and the clear majority of the 70 attendees felt the ban should not apply to these rivers. Of those who fished the Hurunui and Waiau the majority thought these were healthy fisheries. . .
Clearly there are a range of factors affecting our freshwater fishery and increasing fishing pressure, particularly near Christchurch, is one of them.
A local fishing guide has for several years been undertaking the annual trout spawning surveys in the Waimakariri River. This year he reported better numbers than have ever been seen and some superb stream improvements by many farmers – the future is bright.
In late autumn I checked the middle reaches of the Hurunui River catchment and photographed numerous shoals of 10-20 trout. In one pool alone I counted 65 good-sized healthy trout.
A balanced report on the state of our freshwater fishery would acknowledge there are some healthy fisheries, concerns with some other fisheries and a range of factors affecting both. It is disappointing that Fish & Game has made no attempt to correct their misinformation in the media.
Many farming families are Fish & Game licence holders and enjoy the recreational opportunities our rivers provide. Farmers want to know what they need to do to fix any water quality problems they are causing.
There are many examples of farmers actively engaging in improving water quality and undertaking stream enhancements. Farmers want to work with organisations like Fish & Game but the continual attacks on farmers undermine the ability to achieve this.
We would like to see Fish & Game publicly drop the anti-farming broad brush ‘dirty dairy’ campaign, correct their misinformation in the media and develop a more constructive approach to freshwater issues.
Research is in progress but plantain-based pastures may be useful for reducing nitrate leaching while maintaining or increasing milksolids production.
The urine patch is the major source of nitrogen loss to the environment on dairy farms and different forages can be used to reduce nitrate leaching, either by lowering the nitrogen loading in urine patches or increasing the nitrogen uptake from the urine patch.
Forages for Reduced Nitrate Leaching (FRNL)
Research in Canterbury and Waikato the FRNL programme has found that urine-N concentration of cows grazing plantain was 56% lower than those grazing perennial ryegrass/white clover pastures, and 33% lower for cows grazing 50/50 pasture-plantain.
Within FRNL, diverse pastures that include plantain were identified as a promising tool for reducing N leaching. Modelling estimated that, at commercial scale, N leaching could be reduced by 10 and 20% when the area of the farm sown in diverse pastures was 20 and 50%, respectively. This was because of lower total urinary N excretion and lower urinary N concentration (Beukes et al. 2014; Romera et al. 2016).
Sustainability balances economic, environmental and social concerns.
DairyNZ acting chair Barry Harris said last season saw dairy export earnings reach $13.4 billion, which is on par with the five-year average, and illustrates how well farmers have responded to the low milk prices of previous seasons.
“I see the decade ahead of us to be transformational for our sector. Never before have we had a stronger mandate for the dairy sector to concentrate on productivity – to produce more from less, and to do so sustainably,” says Barry.
“We support initiatives that incentivise farmers to use the best environmental practices. While the 2010s have been about dairy positioning itself for the changes ahead, I see the 2020s as heavily focused on making those changes.
“New Zealand’s environmental reputation, the reputation that gives us an advantage on the global market, relies on us upholding and improving our sustainability.” . .
Thanks to good science, herd numbers can decrease while production increases.
DairyNZ chief executive Tim Mackle said in 2016/17 national cow numbers fell to 4.86 million from 5 million previously, with the average herd size dropping five cows to 414.
“Yet production per cow set a new record – increasing by 9kg per cow (381kg MS/cow).” . .
"Last year the average herd size decreased while production increased – great example of science & research at work." Tim Mackle #DairyNZAGMpic.twitter.com/ajOacp4ORD
An open letter to anglers, hunters and farmers – it’s time for meaningful discussion:
This Saturday (6 May) thousands of farmers will open their properties up to hunters for the opening of the 2017 duck shooting season. Throughout the year farmers provide access to waterways across their properties – to enable anglers the opportunity of catching trout.
Farmers, often in partnership with their local fish and game folk, have spent significant time and money creating and restoring wetland habitats. Strong friendships have been established between hunters/anglers and landowners. In recognition of this partnership, resident landowners and their families do not need a Fish and Game licence to shoot or fish on their own properties.
In some regions the Fish and Game licence revenue has been used to make the life of landowners that much more difficult. As a result, some Fish and Game licence holders may not face the same friendly welcome by their farmer friends this year. . .
Crown Irrigation Investments Ltd. (Crown Irrigation) has agreed development grant funding of $388,000 for Kurow Duntroon Irrigation Company (KDIC), matching the company’s own financial contribution for this development phase. The funding is required to complete the remaining work to reach construction commencement and confirm the commercial viability of the proposed scheme.
The current community-based scheme was established in 1965 irrigating on the south bank of the Waitaki River below the dam, however it is now in need of major work.
KDIC is seeking to upgrade and expand the existing open canal scheme with a fully piped system capable of expanding irrigation capacity from its existing 1,986ha to potentially 6,000ha. The water supply comprises consented takes from the Waitaki dam and river together with additional supply from the existing McKenzie Irrigation Company. . .
A biosecurity response is underway after the detection of myrtle rust on mainland New Zealand for the first time, Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Conservation Minister Maggie Barry have announced today.
Myrtle rust is a fungal disease which can seriously damage various species of native and introduced plants in the myrtle family, including pohutukawa, rata, manuka, gum, bottlebrush and feijoa.
“The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) was notified on Tuesday evening by a nursery in Kerikeri that five pohutakawa seedlings had suspected myrtle rust, and laboratory testing has now confirmed this,” says Mr Guy.
“MPI has moved quickly and initiated a Restricted Place notice to restrict the movement of any plants and people at the site, and is treating nursery stock with fungicide spray as a precaution. Work is also underway to trace any stock that has left the nursery and all other nurseries in Kerikeri are being inspected today. . .
The overwhelming majority of New Zealand’s commercial fisheries are performing well, according to MPI’s latest stock assessments.
The Status of New Zealand’s Fisheries report for 2016 released this week shows a record percentage of the tonnage and value of landings of scientifically evaluated stocks have no sustainability issues.
The report shows ninety seven percent of scientifically evaluated landings were from stocks above or well above sustainable levels, Seafood New Zealand chief executive Tim Pankhurst said.
“The figures show that New Zealand continues to be a world leader in fisheries management,” he said. . .
Scientists have managed to successfully breed blue cod for the first time, a milestone that will support the development of a new aquaculture industry for New Zealand.
In association with Ngāi Tahu Seafood Ltd, the Seafood Technologies team at Plant & Food Research in Nelson are investigating how to breed different species of native fish in captivity, building knowledge of the conditions required for the fish to successfully reproduce.
For the first time, they have managed to breed and grow blue cod to fingerlings. New Zealand can now consider potential opportunities for this desirable table fish, such as intensive aquaculture grow out or supplementing local populations under pressure from fishing. . .
Ara Institute of Canterbury’s proposal to restructure Primary Industries programmes is designed to adjust provision to align with industry demands, Chief Executive Kay Giles said.
“We are disappointed that the Tertiary Education Union has chosen to portray this review as a ‘betrayal of Timaru’, which clearly does not accurately reflect the facts of the review consultation document.”
“It is our responsibility to the Timaru community and the Primary Industries sector to adjust the portfolio to offer the right programmes for the needs of employers. There has been very little demand for the particular programmes that are under review so we need to put our energy where there will be much more value for the primary sector.” . .
Southland is hosting the National Sustainability Showcase of the Ballance Farm Environment Awards for the first time at the end of this month.
Up to 400 people will be attending a gala dinner at the Ascot Park Hotel in Invercargill on Wednesday May 31. Tickets are on sale on http://www.bfea.org.nz.
Eleven award ceremonies have already been held around the country and each regional supreme winner has been invited to the Showcase to be considered for the Gordon Stephenson Trophy – named in honour of Waikato farmer and noted conservationist, the late Gordon Stephenson. . .
We had just wrapped up a team presentation to our Board of Directors. The comment came across as a compliment, so I smiled and politely responded that I love my work here.
On the drive home, and numerous times since that day, I found myself thinking about his comment.
I’ve never worked anywhere else. Or at least a real “grown-up job” anywhere else. Since I sat down at my first Farm Credit desk as a 21 year old intern, I’ve never left. The offers have been there. But I could list on a single hand the hours I’ve actually contemplated leaving. . .
Is the gene editing revolution passing New Zealand by?
New Zealand is a proudly GE-free country, meaning it is illegal to produce or sell genetically engineered foods here. There are some exclusions for processed foods that have imported GE ingredients, like soy or corn flour, but they must be approved by a local authority and clearly labelled. However, there is zero tolerance for GE in fresh foods – including foods bound for export. Considering that New Zealand’s “clean green” brand is a key part of our export trade, it makes sense that GE foods are treated with caution here. But are we being too conservative, given that a new technology called CRISPR is opening up opportunities for both our economy and our environment.
CRISPR (pronounced crisper) has made gene editing nearly as simple as editing a website. Tools like CRISPR-Cas9 allow scientists to edit parts of a genome by removing, adding or altering sections of its DNA sequence. It is truly a brave new world. . .
Objective carcase management (OCM) appears to be the holy grail for Meat and Livestock Australia judging by its plan to seek A$150 million from the Australian government to fund the installation of Dual Energy X-ray 3D carcase grading technology (DEXA) in up to 90 slaughterhouses, intended to roll out this year. The loan would be repaid from industry levies, although there are no firm details yet about how the costs would be shared.
When MLA announced Project 150 in November 2016, the Beef and Sheep Councils of Australia were both in favour, but the executive officer of the Australian Beef Association came out saying it shouldn’t be the producers but the processors who paid for it. More recently both the processor funded Australian Meat Industry Council (AMIC) and levy funded Meat Processor Corporation (AMPC) have come out against rushing into such an expensive project without proper analysis and a robust business case. . .
I saw that Fish & Game held a national “take a kid out fishing day” a few weeks ago. While I applaud anyone who can encourage our children to ditch the video games and get outside to experience the great outdoors, it did raise several questions.
Why, for example, are we trying so hard to improve the health of our fresh waterways when the likes of Fish & Game are paid to protect invasive, predatory species such as trout and salmon, which actively decimate our native species such as koura (New Zealand freshwater cray)?
When sediment is such a major component of our water degradation, why is it that koi carp can pillage our river systems, collapsing river banks and stirring up soil, and yet this problem has been largely ignored by the organisation.
It is discouraging when farmers work hard at establishing wetlands and native groves only to have them poisoned in a few short years by wildfowl E. coli. . .
Fiona Gower is a true “Rural Woman” having lived and worked in the rural sector most of her life.
As the new president of Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ), she has set herself several goals to accomplish during her term.
Her greatest aspiration is for RWNZ to be seen as the organisation of choice within the wider sector for all women, communities, organisations and decision makers. . .
Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy says activities to prevent the establishment of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB) have ramped up over summer and helped raise public awareness of what is a serious biosecurity threat.
“This is a major agricultural pest worldwide, as well as a household nuisance. While it is found here from time to time, if it became established it would have significant economic and social impacts,” says Mr Guy.
“BMSB has been rapidly spreading across the world and there have been increasingly more finds detected at the New Zealand border. Three confirmed post border finds occurred during February, all reported by members of the public. . .
A senior Rabobank economist says the Australian beef industry should continue to focus on differentiating its products as Brazil expands its markets in Asia.
Work done by Julie Everett-Hincks to improve lamb survival has received national recognition.
Dr Everett-Hincks has been awarded the Sir Arthur Ward award, presented by the New Zealand Society of Animal Production.
It was a “huge honour” to receive the award at the joint Australian Society of Animal Production and New Zealand Society of Animal Production conference in Adelaide, she said.
Dr Everett-Hincks was the first woman to receive it. . .
Let’s face it — wastewater might not be the most glamorous subject.
But at Fonterra’s Edendale factory, some cool things are being achieved with treated wastewater.
It is being used to irrigate surrounding farmland and “waste-activated sludge” (WAS) from the factory is being used as fertiliser.
The grass grown ultimately returned to Fonterra as milk in a “really good cradle-to-grave story”, national environment group manager Ian Goldschmidt said.
Edendale is a big operation, employing about 650 people. . .
The Wanaka developer of a new salmon “fish-out” facility has complained to Conservation Minister Maggie Barry that Fish and Game New Zealand has opposed the project in order to protect its own commercial interests.
Graham and Hayley Lee, as Inderlee Ltd, were granted resource consent in November for their operation along Cameron Creek, on the eastern outskirts of Wanaka near Albert Town.
They plan to offer the public the chance to catch chinook salmon from large ponds from November next year.
Their consent application was opposed by Fish and Game, and Mr Lee told the Otago Daily Times this week he has complained by email to Ms Barry about the organisation’s motives. . .
Murray McPhail, founder and owner of LeaderBrand Produce, won horticulture’s top award, the Bledisloe Cup, last night.
Horticulture NZ’s president Julian Raine said the Bledilsoe Cup is an outstanding award to receive and this year was honouring a 40 year commitment to the horticulture industry. The award was presented at Horticulture NZ’s annual awards dinner, held in conjunction with Pipfruit NZ, at the annual conference in Nelson.
As McPhail was overseas his son Richard accepted the award on his behalf. . .
The first phase of the Government’s Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI) is now complete, benefitting 300,000 homes and businesses, says Communications Minister Amy Adams.
“Under the programme, rural communities around New Zealand have significantly improved broadband, thanks to the Government’s $300 million investment into RBI. We’ve seen a considerable improvement in access, reliability and speeds across New Zealand,” says Ms Adams.
“Prior to our RBI build, only 20 per cent of rural lines were capable of speeds around 5Mbps. RBI phase one increases this to 90 per cent of rural New Zealand households and businesses, and speeds are in fact well in excess of 5Mbps.
“Before the project, our rural communities were grappling with poor speeds, little better than dial up – but are now enjoying speeds around 100 times faster. . .
Fishers and keen cooks gearing up for whitebaiting season, opening on Monday 15 August, should be aware of the rules or the rare delicacy could disappear from dinner tables forever.
The Department of Conservation (DOC) is responsible for administering the whitebait fishery and ensuring people observe the regulations.
Whitebait are juveniles of five species of native fish: giant kokopu, banded kokopu, shortjaw kokopu, inanga, and koaro. Those that escape the whitebait net grow into adult fish which are some of our most endangered native species – some whitebait species have the same threat status as kiwi and New Zealand falcon. . .
The rural economy is vitally important to New Zealand’s economic prosperity but the safety of the aviation industry, which plays an important role in ensuring regional prosperity, is not assured,’ said John Nicholson, Chief Executive of industry body Aviation NZ.
Between 1979 and 2015, helicopter pilots alone had 116 wire strikes resulting in 28 deaths. While people on the ground can generally see wires, they can often be invisible to pilots of low flying aircraft.
Electricity and phone lines are generally well marked with the towers and poles they run between quite visible – be you on the ground or in the air. ‘The major concern is wires erected by farmers,’ said Alan Beck, Chairman of the NZ Agricultural Aviation Association.
They present the greatest risk to agricultural aviation because they can run across gullies, and can be attached to obscure poles or even trees. To make it worse , some manufacturers even produce green covered wire. . .
(BusinessDesk) – Landcorp Farming, the state-owned farmer, will stop using palm kernel expeller on its farms in the current financial year to shore up its environmental sustainability credentials.
Palm kernel, used by dairy farmers as a supplementary feed to grass during winter or in seasonal droughts, is imported from Southeast Asia and has faced criticism for its environmental impacts as expansion of the palm oil industry spurs tropical forest clearance and peat fires.
Landcorp, New Zealand’s largest corporate farmer, wants to move away from being a commodity supplier of agricultural products by developing higher value products, inking long-term contracts with customers, and investing in branding to boost the value of its products. . .
SUGAR may have been served a bitter-sweet outcome in the final Trans-Pacific Partnership but other key Australian commodities like beef, grains, dairy and cotton have tasted some success.
The Cattle Council of Australia (CCA) said the TPP deal – signed overnight by Federal Trade Minister Andrew Robb – would provide significant increased market opportunities for Australian grassfed beef producers, when it comes into force.
Game changer for beef
CCA president Howard Smith said the agreement signifies a game changing opportunity for the Australian beef industry which sees a positive future fort itself, in export markets. . .
Councils’ efforts to ban genetically modified crops have Federated Farmers banging up against public opinion in some rural districts.
But federation president Dr William Rolleston argues the move to ban GM crops threatens farmers’ ability to innovate and is a choice they might lose through misinformation and misunderstandings about what the science is really about.
The federation’s case against council bans on GM use got a severe bruising when they lost on appeal to the Environment Court earlier this year. . .
Banks and analysts are predicting international dairy prices will continue to rise, and a lift in Fonterra’s forecast payout looks likely.
Prices in the global dairy trade auction rose for the fourth consecutive time on Tuesday night.
The price for the key commodity, whole milk powder, which underpins the price Fonterra pays its farmers, increased by 12.9 percent to $US2,824 a tonne. . .
A dairy worker has been handed what is believed to be New Zealand’s longest-ever prison sentence for animal cruelty, after cows were beaten, had their tails broken and were shot in the kneecaps on a farm he managed.
Michael James Whitelock was sentenced in the Greymouth District Court on Wednesday to four and a half years jail and banned from owning animals for 10 years.
He had earlier pleaded guilty to 12 charges, including ill treatment of animals, unlawful possession of firearms and attempting to pervert the course of justice. . .
Figures from the Ministry of Justice show 27 men in farming communities committed suicide in the past year ended June.
The chief coroner Deborah Marshall released annual provisional suicide statistics on Tuesday, which showed 564 people died by suicide in the past year, up 35 on the previous year and the highest number since records began eight years ago.
Male suicides rose from 385 last year to 428, and female suicides dropped from 144 to 136. . .
(BusinessDesk) – The Commerce Commission has completed the distribution of $25.5 million to complainants and rural charities after reaching settlements with banks who had marketed interest rate swap products to farmers.
The commission says nearly $20 million in cash has been paid to eligible customers while $1.9 million was offset by the banks against debts some complainants owed to them. A further $2.5 million went to 14 regional Rural Support Trusts and the Dairy Women’s Network and the commission received $1 million to cover a portion of its investigation costs, including legal expenses. The bulk of the money came from the ANZ Bank New Zealand, which paid out $19.3 million in total, $3.2 million from ASB Bank and $3 million from Westpac Banking Corp. . . .
Entries are now open for the 2016 Golden Lamb Awards, aka the Glammies, which seeks out the tastiest and tender lamb in New Zealand.
The competition gives farmers the opportunity to enter their lamb into one of the most highly regarded competitions the industry has to offer.
The entries are then assessed by Carne Technologies in Cambridge for tenderness, yield, succulence and colour.
The scientific testing determines which top four entries from five categories will make it through to the final stage of the competition, a taste test, held at the Upper Clutha A&P show in Wanaka on 11 March 2016. . .
New Zealand Bloodstock and the Inner Mongolia Rider Horse Industry Co. Ltd have partnered together to introduce the New Zealand Bloodstock Cup to be held in Inner Mongolia, China next year.
2015 RTR The race is open to horses purchased by any Chinese buyer at this year’s New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale in November. To be held in July 2016 at Korchin, Inner Mongolia, the New Zealand Bloodstock Cup is worth RMB500,000 and will be run over 1800m.
NZB’s Co-Managing Director Andrew Seabrook is excited about the formal partnership reached between NZB and Rider Horse Group. . .
Whole-farm soil testing saves Taranaki farmer Hayden Lawrence about $15,000 on fertiliser each year.
Hayden, who farms in equity partnership with his wife Alecia and parents in Taranaki, began whole-farm soil testing seven years ago. To date, he has reaped about $90,000 in savings and has increased pasture production from 14.5 tonnes per hectare to 18.6T/ha on the 97ha property.
The Lawrences milk a maximum of 240 cows on an 85ha milking platform, using their hill country block to graze heifers. They also follow an 18-month cropping rotation, that sees paddocks planted into silage, oats, chicory and then into pasture. . . .
The Rural Health Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand welcomes the new rural connectivity target announced by the Government today.
The target means nearly all rural New Zealanders will be able to access broadband speeds of at least 50Mbps by 2025.
RHĀNZ Chairperson, Dr Jo Scott-Jones, says securing reliable and affordable telecommunications services is critical to the health and wellbeing of rural communities and is a top priority for all 40 RHĀNZ members.
“As part of our RBI phase 2 submission to Government earlier this year, we called for more ambitious targets for rural broadband speeds, so it is really pleasing to hear Minister Adams’s announcement today,” he says. . .
The country’s anglers and game bird hunters are being reminded to make sure they vote in the Fish and Game Council elections.
Fish & Game Communications Manager Don Rood says that because voting closes at 5pm on Friday (9 October), those who are eligible and haven’t voted are advised to do so online, rather put voting papers in the post.
“We urge licenceholders to take the time to vote – to exercise their right to choose the people who can best advance their local region’s hunting and fishing interests. . .
The second annual Hilux New Zealand Rural Games takes place in Queenstown next Waitangi weekend (Sat 6th – Sun 7th Feb) and entry won’t cost you a cent.
Two days of ‘sports that built the nation’ and live entertainment on the Recreation Ground plus the Running of the Wools – more than 400 merino sheep herding through downtown Queenstown – will be completely free to watch.
We’ve been able to waive ticket prices thanks to the generous support of our patrons and event partners including major sponsors Toyota, Fonterra, Line 7, Ngai Tahu Farming, Jetstar and Husqvarna which has increased its support from the inaugural Games.
The Running of the Wools is once again supported by our friends at clothing and gift retailer, Global Culture. . .
A third successive strong rise in dairy prices at auction has offered farmers the green shoots of a price recovery and set economists keying in more positive numbers into their calculators.
Fonterra’s GlobalDairyTrade auction price index jumped 16.5 percent to US$2568, with the company’s main commodity, whole milk powder, jumping 20.6 percent to US$2495.
It followed index rises of 14.8 percent and 10.9 percent but the BNZ warns it is off a very low base. . .
While the challenging times being faced by the dairy industry are largely outside farmers’ control, Dairy Women’s Network wants to remind farmers there are things they can do to empower themselves to minimise the negative impact on their businesses.
This includes having courageous conversations about the reality of their financial situations.
The Network is running free ‘Tracking the cash’ Dairy Modules throughout the country during October, November and December. . .
An industry group is appealing to the heads of Silver Fern Farms and the Alliance Group in a last-ditch attempt to stop foreign investment.
The farmer-led Meat Industry Excellence (MIE) group has been trying to reform the red meat industry by blending the country’s two largest meat processors.
Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has announced changes to commercial fishing limits in two areas as part of the annual fisheries sustainability review.
Catch limits for some gurnard, stargazer and rig stocks in the South Island have been increased where robust scientific information shows there has been an increase in abundance. The allowances for both recreational and commercial fishers will be increased as part of these decisions.
Total Allowable Catch limits have been decreased for the New Zealand hoki stock and the oreo stock on the Chatham Rise.
“A cautious approach has been taken for hoki given the low recent hoki biomass estimate in the Sub-Antarctic. The Total Allowable Catch for HOK1 will reduce from 161,640 tonnes to 151,540 tonnes for the 2015/16 fishing year,” says Mr Guy. . .
The Coromandel Kauri Dieback Forum is seeking the help of Peninsula tourism operators and accommodation providers in protecting local kauri from the deadly kauri dieback disease, so the natural environment for which the Peninsula is famous for can be enjoyed by future generations.
The Forum is holding workshops specifically designed for the sector in Coromandel town at 2pm on Tuesday 22 September at Anchor Lodge and at 11am on Thursday 24 September at Ocean’s Resort in Whitianga. Everyone involved in a visitor-oriented business, from tourist attractions and activities through to accommodation providers of all types, is invited to attend the informal 1 ½ hour workshops, which will be run by Coromandel Adventures director Sarni Hart and Forum chairperson Vivienne Mclean. . .
Fish & Game has confirmed its strong opposition to commercial trout farming following revelations of a Bay of Plenty Regional Growth Study promoting, among other initiatives, the development of a commercial trout industry.
The study, which was undertaken to identify economic opportunities within the region, was commissioned by the Ministries of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and Primary Industries (MPI) in partnership with the Bay of Connections.
Trout farming has been identified as a ‘key priority for regional development’ after the launch of the study, and the formulation of an action plan endorsed at a workshop involving more than 120 regional leaders and stakeholders. . .
And a video on the Story of Milk from Friesland Campina.
Rabobank sees great potential in China’s beef market, and believes that Chinese investors will play an influential role in the global beef market over the next decade. According to Rabobank’s latest report, Moving Globally: What role will China play in the global beef market?, China’s beef demand will grow an additional 2.2 million tonnes by 2025. Driven by the weak domestic production, but with strong demand, the beef sector will likely become the first agricultural sector where China has high integration with the rest of the world and Chinese investors are expected to play an influential role in the global beef market.
In addition to the volume gap, China’s beef market also demonstrates potential for value-added and branded beef products. Strong demand from the food service and retail market channels provides opportunities for both Chinese and foreign companies in the further processing sector. . .
When Fonterra was formed back in 2001, there was a great sense of optimism about the potential for a New Zealand dairy company to compete on a truly global scale. The industry’s infighting and parochialism would be a thing of the past and the clear intention was to use the greater efficiencies and scale to create a substantially better performing business model.
The big question 14 years down the track is whether that objective has even remotely been achieved. Fonterra is the world’s leading exporter of milk products and the fourth largest dairy processor, so achievement to date appears consistent with the objective. But for many observers there was another, more ambitious expectation: to establish an internationally competitive value added business to compare and compete with Nestle and Danone. . .
National accounting and business advisory firm Crowe Horwath is calling on all stakeholders in the dairy industry to work together to help the sector get through the current difficult period of lower milk solid prices.
On the back of dairy companies announcing a string of forecast milk price downgrades and prices continuing to plunge at the Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auctions, predictions are the current hard times for the dairy sector could potentially last another 18 months to two years.
Crowe Horwath says given the scale of the challenge now being faced by the industry, doing nothing is not an option for anyone involved, including farmers, banks, farm consultants and business advisors. . .
Fish & Game says Fonterra needs to lift its game after the dairy giant was fined $174,000 for several pollution offences under the Resource Management Act.
The Bay of Plenty Regional Council prosecuted Fonterra for polluting the and other waterways after several wastewater system failures at Fonterra’s Edgecumbe dairy plant.
The offences occurred several times between September 2014 and April 2015.
Fonterra pleaded guilty to six charges and was sentenced in the Tauranga District Court by Judge Smith. . .
Local land use regulations allows a gun club to set up 600 m away with competitive shooting days all day for 88 days a year. That is a voluntary self restraint. They could hold shooting competitions every day of the year. The local land use regulations allow the use of guns on rural land. The gun club used this absence of a prohibition on the use of guns in the frequency of use to set up a gun range to fire guns all day long on rural land. . . .
New Zealand Wool Services International Limited’s General Manager, Mr John Dawson reports that a continuing upward trend at today’s South Island wool sale saw prices increase.
The weighted indicator for the main trading currencies decreased from 0.6314 to 0.6181, down 2.1 percent. The US dollar rate was down to .6520 from .6670 which meant increased prices in NZC terms.
Of the 5,564 bales on offer 5,260 sold, a clearance of 95 percent. . .
Matariki Forestry Group (“Matariki”) today announced a NZ$242 million capital infusion from Rayonier Inc., its largest shareholder. This injection of capital will be used for the repayment of all outstanding amounts under its existing NZ$235 million credit facility and for general corporate purposes.
Upon completion of this capital infusion, Rayonier’s ownership in Matariki will increase from 65% to approximately 77% and the Phaunos Timber Fund ownership will be reduced from 35% to approximately 23%. The capital infusion is subject to certain closing conditions including New Zealand Overseas Investment Office approval and is expected to close by year end. Matariki will realise interest cost savings of approximately NZ$15 million annually as a result of the recapitalisation. . .
Nutrition experts have entered the milk price payout debate saying that a strategic approach and optimising home grown and supplementary feed resources are key to long-term viability.
Dr. Julian Waters, NZARN Chairman says, “Maximising utilisation of home grown resources such as pasture, silage and crops should be the basis for a profitable business, with a sound strategy to incorporate supplements to increase efficiencies when home grown feed is limited.” . . .
New Zealand internet provider, Wireless Nation, further demonstrates its commitment to the rural sector in a new agreement with Farmstrong, an initiative to promote wellbeing for all farmers and growers across New Zealand.
Wireless Nation’s zero-rated data agreement means that its Satellite Broadband customers can access Farmstrong’s website without the data counting towards their data cap.
Wireless Nation’s technical director, Tom Linn says he is passionate about making internet connectivity easier for people living in rural areas. . .
New Forests today announced that it has reached agreement to purchase approximately 4,200 hectares of freehold land and softwood plantations from the Flight Group. The plantations consist of radiata pine and are located in the Marlborough region of New Zealand’s South Island.
The agreement forms part of a larger transaction by Flight Group, including the purchase of the Flight Timbers sawmilling assets by Timberlink, an Australian timber products processor that is also an investee company of New Forests. Completion of the plantation purchase by New Forests is subject to approval by the Overseas Investment Office. . .
A savage dog attack on sheep in the Christchurch suburb of Hei Hei has left about 21 animals dead and others injured.
Joshua Olykan said he came home to his parents’ Buchanan’s Road property yesterday morning to discover 14 animals dead, dying or badly injured.
He said two other neighbouring properties also suffered stock losses, with more than a dozen sheep savaged in a paddock between Gilberthorpes Road and Pound Road. . .
Federated Farmers and Fish & Game are asking Parliament to ensure proposed health and safety legislation does not lead to restrictions on recreational access to farms and forests.
The Health and Safety in Employment Amendment Bill is presently being considered by the Transport and Industrial Relations Select Committee, which is due to report back on 24 July.
The bill is aimed at improving safety in all workplaces, including farms, but Federated Farmers and Fish & Game are concerned it will also inadvertently prevent people enjoying farms for recreation.
“We are all for making workplaces safer. New Zealand workers deserve nothing less,” said Fish & Game chief executive Bryce Johnson. . .
Federated Farmers and DairyNZ have conducted a survey on New Zealand dairy farmers’ environmental investments, revealing an estimated spend of over $1billion over the past five years.
Five percent of the nation’s dairy farmers responded to the survey and reported on the environmental initiatives they had invested in such as effluent management, stock exclusion, riparian planting, upgrading systems and investing in technology, retiring land and developing wetlands.
“It is encouraging to see the significant investments farmers are putting into protecting and improving the environment,” says Andrew Hoggard, Federated Farmers Dairy Chair.
“Farmers understand the need to get the balance right when it comes to lifting production and profits along with environmental responsibilities. . . “
(BusinessDesk) – OceanaGold Corp, which is in the process of buying the Waihi Gold Mine, sees more life in the Macraes Goldfield in Otago as cheaper fuel and a weaker New Zealand dollar make the operation more attractive.
The Melbourne-based company discovered a new zone of gold mineralisation which could increase the potential reserves of the Macraes mine after embarking on a drilling programme in the first quarter of the year, it said in a statement. OceanaGold has been investigating ways to extend the mine’s life by three to five years after signalling plans to wind down the operation by the end of 2017.
“Changes to macro-economic conditions such as lower fuel costs and a weaker New Zealand dollar have resulted in significant benefits to our New Zealand operations,” chief executive Mick Wilkes said. “I am pleased to report that initial drilling has produced significant results that demonstrate the potential for increased reserves at the Macraes operations.” . .
DairyNZ has created a new online resource detailing the financial spending of top performing dairy farms. This is part of the organisations work to help farmers cope with lower milk prices and set the industry up for a speedy recovery.
Economic modelling shows if farmers can decrease their potential loss by up to $1/kg MS this season they could recover from the low milk price three to four years faster.
DairyNZ general manager of research and development David McCall says one of the ways to capture this dollar is by spending on the right things and implementing good budgetary control of costs. . .
He said when they arrived, the Mexican authorities announced that they wanted more.
He said they would like 250,000 head a year in order to build up their national flock from quality New Zealand bloodlines, and he would be interested in doing more business with them. . .
Federated Farmers say the flow on effects of increasing live sheep exports to 250,000 a year would have to be carefully considered before it was given the go ahead.
A livestock dealer who organised the sale of 45,000 sheep to Mexico for breeding, said the Mexican Government would like it to increase to 250,000 sheep a year.
Federated Farmers meat and fibre chair Rick Powdrell said the 45,000 sheep were sold by farmers struggling due to drought, and were likely to have been killed anyway.
He said sending a quarter of a million sheep a year would be a completely different situation. . .
As the longest-standing sponsor of the ANZ Young Farmer contest, Blue Wing Honda has seen many talented young people take the title over the years – 40 of them to be precise.
Matt Bell of Aorangi was the latest to be awarded the coveted prize, winning the 2015 Grand Final of the ANZ Young Farmer Contest at Taupo over the weekend. Now in its 47th year, the contest known as ‘New Zealand’s ultimate rural challenge’ tests competitors’ mental dexterity and physical stamina while showcasing the sophistication of modern farming. . .
Farmers don’t want weaker environmental policies. Ten years ago we were fair game for the ‘dirty dairying’ remarks by Fish & Game, today not so much.
Bryce Johnson recently said his organisation has moved on – that they are not anti-dairying, but rather they are anti-dairying that is harming the environment. But the question remains, why is the focus on dairying, as opposed to any other activity that harms the environment?
Environmental compliance and reducing farming’s impact is now an everyday part of a dairy farmer’s business. We know there are a few ratbags out there – every industry has them – but while some regional councils try to clean up the tail-end of our industry they overlook their cousins in their own backyards. . .
Federated Farmers is calling on the Otago Regional Council to properly inform and explain themselves to their ratepayer farmers who are facing huge increases in rates and consent costs this year.
“The Otago Regional Council needs to be held to account on their Long Term Plan consultation document, which is severely lacking in reasoning for their major increase in farmer rates,” Says Stephen Korteweg, Federated Farmers Otago provincial president.
“The Council is proposing a heap of big changes such as new water quality targeted rates for water monitoring, a new dairy monitoring targeted rate, and significant increases in the consent fees they charge all of which will mean increased costs for farmers. For many this will run into the thousands of dollars.” . .
I never thought when I entered farming politics that there would be so much talk about the stuff that comes out of the back end of a cow. The polite term is ‘effluent’ of course; not polite are its effects and the costs of managing it.
Waikato Federated Farmers has the task of holding our regional council to account when warranted, and effluent is a big bone of contention. But they have a job to do, as we do, so it’s sometimes important we celebrate them. Just as farmers often feel criticised by the media, I imagine councils do too, giving the public an ill-informed perspective. . .
An Omarama couple who run a traditional high country combination of merino ewes and cattle with hydroelectricity generation for good measure have won the Canterbury Ballance Farm Environment Awards.
Richard and Annabelle Subtil were the supreme winners announced at a ceremony on Thursday after amassing section awards for innovation, integrated management, soil management and water quality.
They run the 12,000 hectare Omarama Station, a family-owned property previously farmed by Annabelle’s parents Dick and Beth Wardell.
South of Omarama village, the Mackenzie Country property winters 23,000 stock units, including 7500 merino ewes and 310 angus-hereford cows. . .
WHILE the news coming out of forests is often dominated by deforestation and habitat loss, research published in Nature Climate Change shows that the world has actually got greener over the past decade.
Despite ongoing deforestation in South America and South East Asia, we found that the decline in these regions has been offset by recovering forests outside the tropics, and new growth in the drier savannas and shrublands of Africa and Australia.
Plants absorb around a quarter of the carbon dioxide that people release into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels. With a greening globe, more plants may mean more absorption of carbon dioxide. If so, this will slow but not stop climate change. . .
A frustrated North Otago farmer drove 120km on Monday to dump a load of excrement at the Otago Regional Council’s doorstep in Dunedin. David Bruce talks to him about why he did it.
Five Forks dairy farmer Robert Borst says he is at a loss about where to go from here.
He says he faces losing everything he has worked for in an industry he has wanted to be in since he was 15.
He left school and started at the bottom in dairying, shifted from Taranaki to the Waitaki Plains in 1992 then, from 1997, he and wife Sylvia started to build up what are now three dairy farms at Five Forks.
Changes in a water plan by the Otago Regional Council setting new limits on discharges from his farms has put everything in jeopardy, he believes. . .
There is a sense of relief as two surveys show regional economic confidence rose in the three months ended March.
Farmer confidence has taken a ”significant jump” in the first quarterly Rabobank rural confidence for the year. The survey, completed earlier this month, was released the same day as Fonterra dropped its dividend estimate range by 5c to between 20c and 30c to the disappointment of farmers.
The Westpac McDermott Miller regional economic confidence survey showed rural regions and smaller centres generally showing the biggest gains. Confidence in the main centres was mixed. . .
The debate continues on whether there should be a moratorium on further dairy farm development.
The Green Party and the Fish and Game organisation are keen on the concept, which they say should be given serious consideration while the impact of intensive farming on the environment is properly assessed.
The issue also came up at a water management forum in Geraldine, South Canterbury, last week.
One of the speakers, Morgan Foundation economist Geoff Simmons said if the Government was serious about water quality then it had to consider a moratorium on further dairy farm conversions.
“Actually, if you are maintaining or improving the water quality, how can you do that when you are still doing conversions? . .
Fonterra’s interim result announcement contains confirmation of the farmgate milk price forecast of $4.70, but a reduction in the added value dividend.
The steady milk payout forecast was anticipated, although Global Dairy Trade auction results have so far failed to achieve the US$3,500 per tonne average which is estimated to be the minimum needed to underpin the payout. The higher volume being released for auction GDT and likely milk production by competitors such as American and European farmers may actually increase the risk of underachieving the forecast end of year payout. . .
(BusinessDesk) – Fonterra Cooperative Group, New Zealand’s largest dairy processor, says it’s holding its own in the dairy-intensive Canterbury region, despite reports some of its 10,600 farmers shareholders are lining up to supply milk to its competitors in the wake of its weak interim results last week.
Farmers were disappointed with the half-year results, which included a 16 per cent drop in profit to $183 million and a trimming of the forecast dividend payout for the year by 5 cents to a range of between 20 cents and 30 cents. Faced with a low forecast payout of $4.70 per kilogram of milk solids this season compared to a record $8.40 kg/MS last season, farmers had been expecting a fatter rather than skinnier dividend from its value-added activities. . .
A nationwide search begins this week for young men and women who exemplify the leadership qualities that have earned New Zealand’s primary products the trust of consumers all over the world.
Starting this April, young horticultural leaders from every corner of New Zealand will compete in six sector competitions to qualify as a finalist in the Royal NZ Institute of Horticulture Education Trust’s ‘Young Horticulturist of the Year 2015 Competition’.
2014 overall winner, Northland orchardist and horticultural business owner, Patrick Malley, believes that despite the ups and downs the primary sector has faced in recent times, New Zealand’s value as a leading producer of primary products comes from the high levels of trust this country’s products enjoy overseas. . .
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