Rural round-up

‘More to farming than money‘ – Kate Taylor:

Central Hawke’s Bay farmer Mark Toulmin says winning the Hawke’s Bay Farmer of the Year title opened a lot of doors for his family’s farming operation. Entries for this year’s competition close on February 13.

“I would encourage anyone to give it a go,” he says. “It’s worth it. It introduced us to new people and new ideas, financial opportunities . . . and people trust your opinion.

“Put your business out there, especially if you’re doing something different or thinking outside the square, that helps if you’re not just doing the same as everyone else.”

Toulmin says it’s not all about finances, either. . .

Kiwi grower sets new oilseed rape yield record of 6.31t/ha – Andrew Swallow:

Virgin land, the ideal climate and good weed control are the key components of a New Zealand grower’s record-breaking crop of oilseed rape.

Chris Dennison harvested a moisture-corrected 64.37t off 10.2ha on 23 January, a yield of 6.31t/ha. This beats the 6.14t/ha record set by Tim Lamyman, of Worlaby Farms, Lincolnshire, last July.

Mr Dennison, a former world record wheat yield holder from near Oamaru, on the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island, says reading about Mr Lamyman’s feat in Farmers Weekly spurred him to “have a crack” at the OSR record. . .

Death of top Jersey Bull a huge loss:

The late Manzello

CRV Ambreed’s highest ranked Jersey bull passed away over the weekend which his breeder said is a huge loss to New Zealand’s dairy industry.

Pukeroa TGM Manzello’s breeders, Alan and Vivian Lockwood-Geck, said they were saddened to hear their star sire had passed away while still in his prime. . .

 LIC team to visit Southland farms:

Farmer-owned co-operative LIC has a team of more than 140 meeting in Invercargill next week, to check out the local dairy scene and connect with Southland farmers for its biannual sales conference.

The three-day event, which includes a number of visits to farms in the area, brings LIC’s nationwide team of farm solutions managers together to learn more about what’s happening on-farm, the challenges farmers are facing this season and solutions the co-op can provide.

Chief executive Wayne McNee says it is the first time the conference has been held in the South Island. . .

LIC forms strategic partnership with SCR world-leading cow intelligence provider:

Farmer-owned co-operative LIC (NZX:LIC) has secured a new strategic partnership with the world-leading cow monitoring and milking intelligence solutions company, SCR.

The partnership includes a distribution agreement whereby SCR, recently acquired by Allflex Group, will distribute the co-op’s DAL milking sensors internationally and LIC will become a New Zealand distributor for SCR’s cow reproduction and health monitoring system, Heatime®.

LIC chief executive Wayne McNee says the partnership is part of the co-op’s strategy to grow the business overseas and provide New Zealand dairy farmers with more choice.

“SCR is a world-leading provider of cow intelligence systems with a strong history of delivering solutions to improve farm efficiency worldwide. This agreement aligns with our vision to improve the prosperity and productivity of our farmers, and our focus on key international markets that will add value for shareholders in New Zealand. . .

Rural round-up

Beer cheese ‘natural joint project’ – Rebecca Ryan:

Joining forces to create a beer cheese was a ”natural collaboration” for Oamaru companies Whitestone Cheese and Scotts Brewing Company.

Since January, the businesses have been trialling different recipes and techniques to develop a beer cheese.

The final product, an ”Indian Pale Airedale”, is due to be launched in spring, with manufacturing starting in the next few weeks.

”We’ve just come up with one we’re really pleased with,” Whitestone Cheese chief executive officer Simon Berry said. . .

Meat industry reform and the phony war – Keith Woodford:

The current situation in the meat industry reminds me of two famous phrases from the First and Second World Wars. From the First World War, came the term ’all quiet on the Western Front’. And then early in the Second World War there was the ‘phony war’. Both were periods of quiet while the protagonists geared up for major battles. All parties knew that it was actually the quiet that was phony.

The current situation in the meat industry is similar. Eventually hostilities will inevitably break out as the processing and marketing companies compete with each other for survival. In beef there is scope for most to survive, but in sheep meat there have to be casualties. . . .

Turned on the weather – RivettingKateTaylor:

By the time I arrived home from the Farmer of the Year field day yesterday it was raining, freezing and dark. Just an hour earlier I was standing in the sun in the yard at Drumpeel, partaking of some yummy Silver Fern Farms product, catching up with some of Hawke’s Bay’s rural clan.

About 264 people attended the 2014 Hawke’s Bay Farmer of the Year field day (according to the man counting at the gate!) at the CHB property of Hugh and Sharon Ritchie and their four beautiful children (sorry David, let’s try one handsome son and three beautiful daughters). . .

Kate has more photos of the field day here.

Irrigation agreement signed with ORC – David Bruce:

Otago Regional Council councillors and staff on Thursday saw how the North Otago Irrigation Company and its farmers are managing efficient use of water and flow-on effects before signing an agreement with North Otago irrigation companies and representatives.

Cropping and dairy support farmer Peter Mitchell with the help of the company’s environmental manager Jodi Leckie, explained how variable rate irrigation and close monitoring of soil needs helped both the farmer and the environment on a Fortification Rd property.

The Memorandum of Agreement is with North Otago Irrigation Company (NOIC), the Lower Waitaki Irrigation Company (LWIC), and the Waitaki Irrigators’ Collective Ltd and concerns implementation of the council’s Regional Plan: Water for Otago Plan Change 6A. . .

 

Great conditions for olives this season:

The olive harvest is off to a good start with the hot dry summer combining with the industry’s maturing trees to provide lots of high quality fruit.

Olives New Zealand president Andrew Taylor said the harvest began in the far North in late March and will finish up in Canterbury in July.

He said it was the second consecutive summer that the industry had had ideal weather conditions for growing olives, which had led to excellent fruit quality, and the odds of great oil were high. . .

Sustainable piggeries in American Samoa preventing contamination:

Farmers in American Samoa have been told to avoid using water to clean out their piggeries in a move to avoid contamination.

Almost 100 farmers were schooled last week on environmentally-friendly ‘dry-litter’ piggeries, that use woodchips instead of water to deal with waste, which then provides composting options for crops.

The chief piggery compliance officer, Antonina Te’o, says wash-down systems can cause land and water pollution and allow waste material to infiltrate the drinking water supply. . . .

 

Rural round-up

Partnership To Offer Significant Benefits For New Zealand And China Agriculture Industries:

Beijing, China: New Zealand Government-owned AsureQuality and PwC New Zealand have today signed a collaboration framework agreement with China Mengniu Dairy Company Limited and COFCO Corporation to investigate the development of a China New Zealand agribusiness service and Food Safety Centre of Excellence in China.

Initially AsureQuality and PwC will work with Mengniu and COFCO on a dairy-related food safety and farm assurance project. As the partnership evolves it is expected that additional New Zealand commercial and research entities with expertise in other areas of the agricultural sector will be brought in.

AsureQuality’s CEO Mr Michael Thomas and PwC New Zealand’s CEO Mr Bruce Hassall, who signed the agreement in Beijing today, say, “This agreement acknowledges the expertise held by AsureQuality, and the benefits that formal collaboration offers for us, and potentially the wider New Zealand agribusiness sector, in the Chinese market. . .

Sheep production vet’s main interest – Sally Rae:

When people ask vet Dave Robertson what he does in his job, his usual reply is that he ”scans cows and talks about sheep”.

Mr Robertson, a partner at the Veterinary Centre, based in Oamaru, graduated with a degree in veterinary science from Massey University 10 years ago.

He grew up in West Otago, in a family which has a long association with sheep breeding. . .

Returning business manager sees transformation in Southland – Sally Rae:

David Backhurst has seen a lot of changes in Southland since first moving there in the early 1990s and then spending a decade away from the province.

Mr Backhurst has returned to Invercargill to take up the position of general manager of agribusiness and business banking at SBS Bank, after spending the past seven years in Australia.

He was state leader for New South Wales, ACT and Queensland for NAB Health, a specialised banking business launched by the National Australia Bank to service the financial needs of medical practitioners, healthcare and aged-care facilities and investors in the healthcare sector. . .

Deer milk cheese may be world first – Rob Tipa:

Scientists at the University of Otago and Lincoln University and a cheesemaker from Oamaru have produced what they believe may be the world’s first cheese made from the milk of farmed red deer.

What’s more, laboratory tests have identified unique bioactive compounds in red deer milk that they say could improve the immune system of humans.

If that is the case, red deer milk could be worth as much as $100 a litre on niche health food markets and a single red deer hind could potentially produce up to $20,000 worth of milk in a single lactation, according to Dr Alaa El-Din A Bekhit, a senior lecturer in the University of Otago’s Food Science Department. . .

Mill’s expansion plan taking shape – Helena de Reus:

Milton’s historic woollen mill is a hive of activity as its owners shift and replace machinery and plan for its expansion.

Some of the plant’s machinery has been sold, and Bruce Woollen Mill Ltd has spent more than $500,000 on several other machines from Australia to help produce a greater range of products.

Bruce Woollen Mill managing director John Stevens, of Christchurch, said much work had taken place over the past eight months. . .

Smith crowns stellar shears year with NZ Champs win :

Hastings shearer Rowland Smith crowned a stellar couple of months on the competition circuit with a comfortable New Zealand Open Championship win set to a background of drama in Te Kuiti’s packed Waitomo Cultural and Arts Centre on Saturday night.

The win in a six-man final of what should have been 20 sheep each was the 26-year-old Northland-raised gun’s 14th in 11 weeks, including his first Golden Shears Open win in Masterton on March 2.

But there was drama all-around the winner on Stand 3, most-amazingly next-door on Stand 2 where fellow Hawke’s Bay shearer Dion King was wondering how he’d beaten the all-conquering event favourite Smith by more than a sheep and set a record time, until his worst fears were realised. There’d been only 19 sheep in his pen. . .

Farmers praised for role in helping stilt:

High-country farmers have been praised for contributing to a record-breaking season for the endangered kaki (black stilt).

Each year, Department of Conservation staff collect kaki eggs from the wild for incubation at the captive breeding centre at Twizel.

Nearly half of all eggs taken this summer were collected from farmland in the Mackenzie and Waitaki basins with the co-operation of farmers. . .

Farmer of the year –  rivettingKateTaylor:

You are just getting the press release this afternoon…. courtesy of the HB A&P Society – I have been out photographing all day and now I am off to assembly. More later

 Night of Winners

Hawke’s Bay’s agribusiness community was out in force last night to celebrate a string of awards that recognise excellence in the primary industries.

350 guests packed the events centre at Showgrounds Hawke’s Bay to enjoy an evening of fine food, entertainment and celebrate with the worthy winners.

The big winners on the night were Danny & Robyn Angland, who took out the prestigious Silver Fern Farms Hawke’s Bay Farmer of the Year title for their management of the iconic Hawke’s Bay farming enterprise Kereru Station.  Danny has been Manager of the 2847ha Station since 2007. . .