rural news 2nd june 2015

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IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PROMOTION: Offers are available from participating Suzuki dealers until 30 June 2015 or while current stocks last. Excludes fleet purchases and all other promotions. Product availability: At the time of printing the number of units and colour options were correct. SNZ Ltd reserves the right to change specifications, appearances, models, colours and other items shown in this catalogue at any time without notice. Colours and specifications may differ slightly from those shown within this catalogue. MOTORCYCLE: Some prices are recommended retail excluding GST, motorcycle savings shown include GST. AUTOMOBILE: Full details of Zero Dollars Down, S-Cross Save $2,000, Grand Vitara Free Adventure Pack and Jimny Free Accessory offers are available at www.suzuki.co.nz. Zero Down weekly payments based on nil deposit, 5.9% interest rate and a 5 year term. Payments include on-road costs, a $395 documentation fee and a $13 PPSR fee. Normal lending credit criteria apply. FARMWORKER: Farm Worker interest rate of 4.95% applies on the amount borrowed. Documentation fee of $395 applies plus a PPSR fee of $13.00. Finance to approved purchasers, normal lending criteria apply. Farm Worker finance and Bullbars offers are not provided in conjunction with any other promotional activity. ACCESSORIES: Accessories are covered by their own manufacturer’s warranty conditions.

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I joined the industry as a young motorcycle mechanic in 1984, about the time

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SUZUKI NEW ZEALAND

JUNE 2, 2015: ISSUE 585 www.ruralnews.co.nz

RURALNEWS

MANAGEMENTAhuriri: A station under the pump! PAGE 25

MACHINERYFrom gold standard to the gold card. PAGE 62 NATIONAL

FIELDAYSCEO says its

time to look beyond the dairy sector.PAGE 37

TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS

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JUNE 2, 2015: ISSUE 585 www.ruralnews.co.nz

RURALNEWS

MANAGEMENTAhuriri: A station under the pump! PAGE 25

MACHINERYFrom gold standard to the gold card. PAGE 62 NATIONAL

FIELDAYSCEO says it’s

time to look beyond the dairy sector.PAGE 37

TO ALL FARMERS, FOR ALL FARMERS

THE MAN AT THE METAs winter set in, the importance of accurate weather forecasts becomes even more important. For MetService chief executive Peter Lennox, getting early and accurate warnings to farmers of major adverse events is a very high priority. Every day, his staff analyse massive amounts of data and then use their well-honed local knowledge to interpret this information and make a forecast. Lennox and his team are constantly looking at new ways to improve their service to rural New Zealand. See pages 6-7 for more details

BAD TASTE!Too little, too late

SUDESH KISSUN

[email protected]

RED MEAT farmer lobby MIE will unveil “a cunning plan” next month to push for the merger of the two major meat co-ops and block foreign investors taking a stake in the businesses.

However, the plan may be too little, too late. The country’s largest meat co-op Silver Ferns Farm (SFF) is talk-ing to a number of parties on capital raising and says it is expected to make an announcement this month.

Rural News understands that the South Island meat processor is well down the track with its capital raising plans.

In fact, this week key SFF staff and board members will meet in Auck-land to present to an interested foreign

TO PAGE 4

investor – understood to be China-based.

Meanwhile, MIE’s proposal includes a ‘bad bank/good bank’ plan and involves dividing the assets of Silver Fern Farms and Alliance into two enti-ties.

MIE chair John McCarthy last week outlined the plan at the New Zealand Primary Industry Summit in Welling-ton. He told Rural News the plan would

be unveiled within two weeks, provid-ing farmers an alternative to SFF’s cap-ital raising plan, which he claims would open the door for foreign investment in the co-op.

McCarthy suspects SFF is planning to raise $100 million. “I am not privy to the minutiae of the details, but it seems to be for approximately $100 million and given the parlous state of our sector it seems likely that the inter-

est will be from foreign interests. If this is successful the face of this sector will be changed forever,” he told the con-ference.

“We know from our Cinta survey that over 90% of farmers are not in favour of foreign control of our value chain. We also know that if a foreign flag is hoisted over all or part of our biggest meat company that in all probability

WHEN TOLD about the Fonterra Milk in Schools programme, Californian dairyman Noel Rosa, speaking to visiting New Zealand farmers and journalists, said “That’s no good, don’t do that”.

If you give away milk it gets devalued, he said. “The kids will think there is no value to it.”

Rosa Brothers holds tours bringing in hundreds of schoolkids and they charge them – $5 for children and adults. He is not getting rich on the deal, he says, but by charging the visitors they realise there is some value to the tour. They pay to go to the zoo, or the museum, so they can pay for farm tours.

“If we give everything away on a farm level people are going to say ‘it’s not worth anything because you are giving it away’.

“Don’t give milk away,” he urges Kiwis. “They don’t give water away.”

He said school milk tastes terrible and will put children off.

When one of his visiting Kiwi dairy farmers told Rosa our farmers put millions of dollars into shares in stainless steel in NZ and all over the world, and were not getting adequate returns out of their cooperative, Rosa said: “You know who makes money out of cooperatives? The people you hire to manage your cooperative.”

• See story page 18

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RURAL NEWS // JUNE 2, 2015

NEWS 3

HEAD OFFICE Top Floor, 29 Northcroft Street, Takapuna, Auckland 0622

Phone: 09-307 0399 Fax: 09-307 0122

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Published by: Rural News Group

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ABC audited circulation 81,188 as at 30.06.2014

NEWS��1-17

AGRIBUSINESS �� 18-19

MARKETS �� 20-21

HOUND, EDNA �� 22

CONTACTS �� 22

OPINION ��22-24

MANAGEMENT �� 25-29

ANIMAL HEALTH �� 30-32

FIELDAYS PREVIEW ��33-60

MACHINERY AND PRODUCTS ��61-65

RURAL TRADER �� 66-67

ISSUE 585www.ruralnews.co.nz

THE CONTROVERSIAL Health and Safety Reform Bill has been sent back to a parliamentary select committee for another six weeks in an effort to break a deadlock on some of the pro-posed reforms.

Farmers have been highly criti-cal of some aspects of the bill, espe-cially plans to ban passengers from quads and also the red tape with which the bill is laced. And there are other facets of the bill, such as the law as

it might apply to volunteers working for organisations such as DOC, which are viewed as highly prescriptive and impractical.

The bill was due to be reported back to parliament last Thursday, but on Tuesday (May 26), the transport and industrial relations committee sought and was granted permission to delay this for a further six weeks.

It was widely known that many National Party MP’s were unhappy with what the select committee was going to report back to parliament, so the delay was sought in the hope that

some sort of compromise could be reached over time.

The bill has generated much angst in rural New Zealand and Federated Farmers has noted it’s one of the hot-test topics at Feds annual meetings now being held around the country.

Michael Woodhouse, the Minister of Workplace Safety and the person responsible for the bill, says it’s the biggest shake-up of health and safety laws in NZ for 20 years. Recently he told Rural News the present laws were fragmented and complicated and in his words – “a bugger’s muddle”.

He says the transport and indus-trial relations select committee has made excellent progress, and is confi-dent the Bill is in good shape.

“But it is important that we get this right and I make no apologies for ensuring we take the time we need to land this reform in the right place. The six week extension on the report-back date will enable us to kick the tyres and make sure the proposals are sensible, workable and will make a real differ-ence to improve New Zealand’s unac-ceptable safety record.”

• See editorial page 22

PETER BURKE

[email protected]

Six weeks to sort out muddle

A season to forget!

Fonterra chair John Wilson.

DAIRY FARMERS are moving from a season to forget to one of hope. But Federated Farmers dairy president Andrew Hoggard is urging them not to set their hopes too high.

Hoggard says while Fonterra’s open-ing forecast of $5.25/kgMS for the 2015-16 season is encouraging, anything can happen.

“Seven months ago people were talking about a rebound in prices about this time; this did not eventuate,” Hog-gard told Rural News.

“But there is nothing any of us in New Zealand can do to change geopolit-ical events around the world. We can’t make Russia be nice again to Ukraine or get the Chinese to dump their stocks and start buying again.”

Hoggard wants farmers to focus on the current situation, dealing with the low advance rates and tight cashflows in the coming months.

Fonterra has also lowered its 2014-

15 farmgate milk payout by 10c to $4.40/kgMS; with a forecast dividend range of 20-30 cents per share, a fully shared-up farmer will get $4.60 - $4.70/kgMS.

ASB is predicting the 2015-16 payout will top $5.70/kgMS, but its economist Nathan Penny acknowledges there is a downward risk. “It can go either way; we are predicting $5.70/kgMS as the final payout but there is a risk we won’t get there.”

ASB expects prices to rebound and the GDT price index to reach US$3000/tonne.

Penny believes less milk in the coming months will lead to a price rise. “New Zealand farmers have culled cows heavily in the last month so there will be fewer cows to milk,” he says. “In the EU and China the low milk price means not many farmers are making money so production has been pulled back.”

Fonterra chairman John Wilson says the opening forecast was based on Fon-terra’s best view of long-term global dairy supply and demand.

“We can expect prices to recover

going forward, and to see a rebalancing of supply and demand over the season. However it is more difficult this early in the season to determine exactly when this recovery will lead to a sustained price improvement,” says Wilson.

However, the long-term fundamentals of global dairy demand are strong. Fonterra Sharehold-ers Council chair-man Ian Brown says farmers will be cau-tiously optimistic.

“Farmers will view next season’s forecast as a posi-tive given the situation we have experienced this past season.”

The 10c drop in milk price for 2014-15 is disappointing, he says.

“The number remains a disappointing one and farm-ers are keen to put this season behind them and move on to the next.”

SUDESH KISSUN

[email protected]

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4 NEWS

it will be the thin end of a wedge. One only has to talk to Australian farmers to get a take on our prob-able future under foreign and/or corporate domi-nance.”

Silver Fern Farms chief executive Dean Hamilton was unavailable for com-ment. However, in a recent newsletter to sharehold-ers, Hamilton says it is “working through a pro-cess to consider options for raising new capital in the co-op in order to accel-erate our move to a sus-tainable capital structure”.

“While commercially you would understand it makes sense to main-tain confidentiality during the process, we can say there has been interest expressed by a number of parties, which we are pro-gressing, and we expect to make an announcement in the middle of the year.”

McCarthy says MIE’s cunning plan is still at the conceptual stage.

The new company would be a blend of the best and the worst bits of the two coops: a good bank/bad bank scenario, he says.

The bad bank scenario would include writing off 10 plants, costing $104 mil-lion oneoff; the good bank scenario would include the remaining assets of the two co-ops. McCar-thy expects the new com-pany to be exporting 95% of its products and turn-ing over $4 billion within four years.

He hinted that the plan had “the support of one of the country’s leading banks,” and with its sup-port the group’s finan-cial modelling “shows Newco is not just viable, but would be the catalyst to reinvigorate the entire sector”.

“Such a company would turn over $4 bil-lion plus within three-four years and export 95% of this under new, reinvigo-rated customer focused branding strategies.

“Most importantly, it would see a significant lift in processor margins,

EBIT and NPAT along with substantial increases at the farm gate.”

McCarthy says the new company would have at its core a commitment to what should be the coop-erative principles of trans-parency in pricing, loyalty to its members and scale

MIE HITTING BRICK WALLS

FARMERS PUSHING for change in the red meat sector claim industry leaders are shutting them out of indus-try events and funding.

MIE chairman John McCarthy says the organisation has been dubbed “too political” to qualify for funding from Agmardt, a state-owned entity funding innova-tion in the agriculture sector.

“For the members of MIE and for that considerable horsepower on the bench it has been unpaid: we are all volunteers,” he told the NZ Primary Industry Summit in Wellington last week.

“Worse still no one seems to want to pay us: for example we were turned down by Agmardt on the grounds we were too political, a sentiment echoed to me by the Beef + Lamb chairman. It beggars belief really; what is political about trying to revitalise the second biggest export earner? How can that be a bad thing?”

MIE claims it has also been excluded from the farmer funded Red Meat Sector Conference.

McCarthy described this as not only “a slap in the face for the MIE group, but more significantly a slap for our levy payers”.

“It is fair to say that in terms of the public face of reform MIE has been at the forefront for the last two years, and to be shut out by our own representative body smacks of something less than reassuring.”

But BLNZ chairman James Parsons says this isn’t true. “MIE has never been excluded from the Red Meat Sector Conference; in fact they are encouraged to attend as are all farmers and industry participants,” he told Rural News.

According to Parsons, in April McCarthy requested a speaking opportunity for MIE; this was “seriously con-sidered”. “Unfortunately at the time all the conference speakers had already been confirmed and I explained this to John McCarthy,” says Parsons.

“The notion that BLNZ is trying to insult MIE or farmers is completely false, we have always operated respectfully and fairly with MIE in all our dealings.”

SUDESH KISSUN

[email protected]

Is it too little, too late?

and size to drive the New Zealand provenance story.

“Its existence would be predicated on committed/contracted supply proba-bly for three to five years. It would include store farm-ers within its bubble; it would be open to all farm-ers to join.

“Members would have various payment options, ranging from transfer of shares to writing out a cheque or to a modest levy spread over the period of the contracted supply.”

McCarthy warned that doing nothing was no longer an option. “Tin-kering with a solution will simply postpone the inevi-table.”

MIE’s John McCarthy and GHD’s Robert Sinclair at last week’s Primary Industry Summit.

FROM PAGE 1

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NEWS 5

Minimum farm standards setMINIMUM MAN-AGEMENT standards expected of Canterbury’s farmers by June 2017 are defined in a newly released booklet, albeit without a single number on associated nutrient losses.

Those numbers will come in August, prior to notification of a variation to the Land and Water Regional Plan in Septem-ber, Environment Canter-bury commissioner Tom Lambie told a stakeholder meeting in South Canter-bury last week.

The 20-page A5 book-let, Industry-agreed Good Management Practices relating to water quality, is the result of the Matrix of Good Management (MGM) project which Environment Canterbury, AgResearch, Landcare Research, Plant & Food Research, and six farmer-

funded levy bodies have been working on since 2013.

Despite that time-frame, opening the meet-ing Lambie said it was “just the start of the con-versation we want to have with the community” and apologised for a glitch in invites which meant some farmers and other stake-holders may have missed the meeting.

His introductory com-ments were followed by presentations by five ECan representatives, one from AgResearch, and two of three farmers from the policy working group – cropping farmer Colin Hurst, Waimate, and sheep and beef farmer Colin Smith, Hurunui.

“I’d like to say 80 to 90% of what farms do is good management prac-tice but we don’t know that,” Smith said, adding that the only work done to assess where the indus-

try is up to is in dairy and there the range was found to be from 90% GMP on the best farms to 40% on the worst.

However, Hurst played down the GMP requirement. “GMP is something quite achiev-able by farmers and not too difficult. It’s not ‘best management practice’.”

Environment Can-terbury plans to moni-tor compliance with GMP through an online “Farm Portal”. While that’s still “a work in progress” it will require farmers to map their properties online, and state whether they have over 50ha of irriga-tion or 20ha of winter forage intended for cattle.

Under the region-wide default rules – catchment zone committees can and are tabling variations – those are the triggers for making farming a con-sented activity and annual uploads of the latest

ANDREW SWALLOW

Overseer model of the farm

system will be required.The exception is if the

farm’s irrigation is part of a scheme, in which case ECan is expecting the irri-

gation schemes to manage their members’ compli-ance.

No questions were permitted during the course of the presenta-tions but they flowed

thick and fast once the meeting was opened to

the floor.“If the farm’s

leased out, who’s responsible?” asked

one farmer. Answer: always the property owner, even if they’re overseas.

Would all the model-ling and monitoring actu-ally make any difference

on the ground? “A very good question,” answered commissioner David Cay-gill.

How would ECan gain farmer engagement? Reconfigure its teams and work with the farm-ing community, answered Lambie. “We cannot do this ourselves.”

How would ECan handle the avalanche of consent applica-tions, asked a sheep and beef farmer who noted he would need one so there would be hundreds of others who did too. “That’s why we’re trying

to stage the [catchment] zones. We don’t want all the consents to rush in at once.”

What prospect is there of a farm management package compatible with ECan’s Farm Portal so data would auto-upload? “We’ve got that as one of the items in phase 2.”

Others noted the workload of preparing applications for what could well be only a three year consent and que-ried the justification for the 50ha irrigated or 20ha cattle wintering triggers for consents.

THE GMP booklet states it is not intended as a guide for farmers and growers, but spells out good manage-ment practices (GMPs) on everything from farm planning and records to ground cover, nutrient management, feed, and irrigation and water use, with “implementation guidance” for each.

For example, under feed, the GMP is: “Store, transport and distribute feed to minimise wastage, leachate and soil damage.” Implementation guid-ance includes feeding away from water-

ways, storing on sealed or compacted surfaces, and siting stores away from waterways.

Effluent and waste water manage-ment has four GMPs, including ensuring systems meet industry specific codes of practice or equivalent standards, having sufficient and suitable storage to avoid spreading when soil conditions are unsuitable, and that effluent is applied at depths, rates and times to match plant requirements and minimise risk to water bodies.

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6 NEWS

Getting it right counts

IT HAS arguably the best view in Wellington in the leafy suburb of Kelburn overlooking the harbour and beyond to the Tararua Ranges and the farming areas north of the capital. Nearby stands the Carter Observatory, another landmark. Both look down on the botanical gardens, another beauty spot.

The multi-story MetService building could be mistaken for the GCSB, its roof crammed with satellite dishes and other antennae which each day help download vast amounts of weather data from all around the world. This data, processed and reprocessed, with data gathered in New Zealand,

helps to produce the daily and long range forecasts on which farmers and others rely.

MetService’s chief executive is Peter Lennox, a biochemist who originally hails from Belfast and who before joining the service was the biotechnology director for NZ Trade and Enterprise.

MetService for many years had its 12.30pm long range forecast – compulsory listening – on Radio NZ National before the rural news. Today the 12.30pm tune-in remains an option, but other receiving technology options are growing by the day.

Lennox points to the growing expectations

of farmers and others that they will get better weather information faster: see what mobile phones can do now versus what they did just three years ago.

Lennox says while speed is important, accuracy and quality of the information is far more important.

“It’s very, very important that we don’t just get caught up in the race to get information out, because it’s the quality of the information we supply that makes us stand out from our competitors,” he tells Rural News.

“We receive information from many hundreds of

different sources. We embellish it with our own observations and then add a layer of expertise that is second to none in the world through our trained and experienced meteorologists. So it’s a case of working with farmers in a much more localised way than we have in the past – providing intelligence that can help improve their bottom line.”

Lennox says NZ is a notoriously difficult country in which to predict weather and that is a challenge. But the challenge works in MetService’s favour by attracting some of the best and brightest meteorologists from

around the world who are keen to experience the country’s unique conditions.

“We train our own people who go out to other meteorology organisations throughout the world as their careers develop. At the same time, we’re able to attract the cream of the crop to NZ as well as our own meteorologists so it’s a nice blend. The World Meteorology Organization rates us as one of the best met services in the world. That’s because we adhere to their standards and do a lot of training here, but also the exposure to different weather patterns and the experience our

meteorologists build up is second to none.”

As a member of the World Meteorology Organization in Geneva, under the auspices of the United Nations, NZ shares the vast pool of data and expertise of

the 191 member states and territories. This sharing enhances the organisation’s knowledge, helping create wealth and improving safety –two key goals of MetService.

Weather is a huge influence on New Zealand farms’ profitability. Knowing exactly what the weather might do, and when, will determine farmers’ and contractors’ work. Peter Burke tuned into it all during a recent visit to MetService headquarters in Wellington.

MetService chief executive Peter Lennox pictured near a weather radar.

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NEWS 7

THE BIG open-plan office where many MetService forecasters work is dominated by a huge screen show-ing weather conditions affecting New Zealand.

Manager of forecasting operations Ramon Oosterkamp says the room is divided into three sections: public, marine and aviation. In charge of this area is a senior forecaster who assesses all the data – gigabytes on gigabytes – from overseas including the US, UK, Japan and Australia, plus local informa-tion. He/she then forms a view on what the weather is going to do. Other fore-casters contribute to this conversation.

But in the ‘good old days’ it was different. Then the senior forecast-ers were regarded as almost God-like; when he/she gave their interpretation the others just listened and nodded in agreement. This ‘nod’ term has

stuck and the morning synopsis by the senior forecaster is still known as the ‘nodding session’.

New technology, and the vast amount of data coming in hourly, poses a challenge for MetService. Data storage requires very powerful computing and in that regard the organisation’s IT system is not far away from Peter Jackson’s system just across the harbour.

The MetService has always had a positive relationship with farmers and those on the hill in Wellington under-stand the needs of farmers to get qual-ity, timely, well-presented data that helps in their decisionmaking. Fore-casts are available on the MetService website, as is the rain radar.

Oosterkamp says his organisation has a big focus on special weather alerts such as snow storms.

“We have been pretty good at pro-viding those warnings in the last few years and we have had some great feed-

back from farmers who have been able to move their stock,” he says. “This usu-ally happens around August and Sep-tember, when they are lambing and need that extra bit of warning. Now we are able to give them two-three days warning.

“Our snow forecast in the last few years has improved vastly on what it was 15 years ago. Realistically we don’t get it right every day, because weather forecasting is an inexact science. We know that somewhere in the country a farmer is affected by that.”

Oosterkamp says MetService tries to work for farmers in tailoring the information they send them so that it is valuable and meaningful. Rather than supplying a whole lot of numbers, they try to package the information in such a way that it’s instantly usable.

“For example, a farmer may want to know the best time to spray efflu-ent. We can provide information that will help in their decisionmaking pro-

cess and ensure they meet the require-ments of the RMA,” he explains.

The other benefit arising from new technology is the ability of forecasters to narrow down the locations where weather events may occur. It’s quite common, says Oosterkamp, for one farm to get rain and a nearby property to get none.

In addition to general forecasts for farmers, MetService provides special services to clients such as FMG and MPI. It has a TV studio where special videos can be recorded to replay on social media. MPI also calls to get data on adverse events such as droughts.

The ongoing challenge for MetSer-vice is to meet farmers’ expectations, for which long-range forecasting is

crucial. Historically it was able to pro-vide five-ten day forecasts, but now it is looking at monthly, three monthly and even eight month forecasts.

Chief executive Peter Lennox says highly-trained people who can inter-pret data make a big difference.

“With the training and due dili-gence we carry out here we have a higher chance of getting things right. But, that said, even with the best fore-casters there is always a time when you will get it wrong.

“We stand out, I believe, because we get it wrong fewer times than the others. We have to accept that it is a game of odds, but the odds are pushed more in favour of us getting it correct given the expertise we have here.”

Correct more often than not

Ramon Oosterkamp with tablet displaying MetService’s weather app.

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TRAXLOK 4WDOur rock-solid system lets you choose either 2WD or 4WD, giving you the freedom to choose between lighter steering in 2WD or maximizing available traction in 4WD when you need it most.

NARROW OVERALL WIDTHIt’s narrow track means the Pioneer 500 can go where just about no other side-by-side can, and where most ATV’s do.

SUPERSIZED ATV CARRY RACKRack’s 180kg rating gives you plenty of carrying capacity, too. The Pioneer 500 also has a heavy-duty receiver-style hitch and 453kg towing capacity.

FEATURES & BENEFITS

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Price valid until 30th June 2015. Contact your local Honda Dealer for more information.

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⊲ Proven Honda 500cc

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⊲ 453kg towing capacity

⊲ 180kg rear rack capacity

⊲ Only 50 inches wide

⊲ Fully independent

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PETER BURKE

[email protected]


8 NZ PRIMARY INDUSTRY SUMMIT

Wool seeks equal footing with dairy

A WOOL industry leader is urging the Government to offer other agricultural sectors the same level of support it gives to dairy.

Clifford Heath, who recently retired as Wool Equities Ltd (WEL) chair-man, says this will help lift struggling sectors out their doldrums and build a diversified national economy.

Speaking at the NZ Pri-mary Industry Summit in Wellington, last week, he urged primary sector leaders to see local carpet

makers like Cavalier Bremworth and Godfrey Hirst as part of the agri-cultural sector.

“Godfrey Hirst and Cavalier Bremworth are no different from the Te Rapa dairy factory,” he told the 60 partici-pants. “They are critical components of the New Zealand wool industry, because their almost total feed stock is wool off the farm.”

WEL’s applications for funding from PGP were knocked back because wool, when used in the textile sector, is not seen as part of agriculture.

Heath says this is sad and requires a change in attitude, particularly by the Government. The wool and sheep indus-try must be given the sup-port dairy had in carrying its products around the world.

“Everyone talks all about the dairy industry as the prime, key driver of the New Zealand econ-omy; we accept that but let’s ask ourselves ‘how did it get there?’ It got there because the Govern-ment actively decided that the dairy industry was a winner and it was helped to go places and get better

access.“If we did the same for

other industries like wool and timber in particu-lar, then we would have a strong and more diverse economy.”

Heath says the speech was his last speaking engagement as a wool industry leader.

He hopes the “little barb” about the lack of government support for the wool industry is car-ried to the halls of power. “In the halls of power, where I once strolled, they listened to us; they don’t appear to listen any-more.”

SUDESH KISSUN

[email protected]

THE WOOL sector should not waste more resources on research, says former Wool Equities Ltd chairman Clifford Heath.

He says it should instead tap into past research reports lying on shelves and use these to produce technically superior yarns that could become commercially successful.

Heath told the NZ Primary Industry Summit that the wool industry has 2500 documents of past research, funded by farmers through wool levies and the Government; these are held by research organisations, WRONZ, Canesis and AgResearch.

“The past research, almost without exception, has never been commercialised,” he says. “There was an

acute waste of funding in the past; we need to pull some of the documents and see if we can use them.”

Heath says the need is to produce unique yarns and take them to garment makers throughout the world. “There are garment makers out there who are looking for a competitive edge; if we can present them a right yarn that works for them then we have a real future.”

Heath believes there is a need for a small onshore processing facility, similar to Icebreaker, the successful Merino wool clothing company.

“Just as Icebreaker established onshore and was effectively globalised offshore, we need to do this again and again and again.”

Dust off old research

Cliff Heath

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NZ PRIMARY INDUSTRY SUMMIT 9Stephen Jacobi believes making more information available would help inform a more productive public debate on the TPP.Call for more

transparency on TPPA TRADE analyst is calling for greater transparency in the Trans Pacific Partner-ship (TPP) negotiations.

New Zealand Inter-national Business Forum executive director Stephen Jacobi wants the Govern-ment to make available more background infor-mation on the TPP “such as plain language descrip-tions of what are under negotiation and the pro-cesses involved. I can’t help thinking this would help inform a more pro-ductive public debate,” he says.

However, Jacobi told the NZ Primary Industry Summit that a trade deal would not be signed with-out public consultation.

He noted that like any international treaty the TPP negotiations are con-ducted behind closed doors “because there are sensitive economic and commercial issues under negotiation and a more open process would inevi-tably lead to sector inter-ests seeking to undermine the negotiation”.

“This also makes it dif-ficult to release the text prior to the conclusion of the negotiations. In New Zealand the established practice for all treaties is

that the text is concluded and signed by the Govern-ment.”

The ratification process includes the publication of the text and a national interest analysis, scrutiny of the text by Parliament, a select committee process including public submis-sions and implementing legislation where this is required. Only after this process is complete does the Government complete the ratification, he says.

“So, TPP will not be thrust upon us in secret or without prior discussion.”

The TPP negotiations, running for five years, involve Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the US and Vietnam.

Major stumbling blocks are Japan, the US and Can-ada’s strong stance on agricultural tariffs. New Zealand dairy and meat products face substantial tariffs in Canada, Japan and the US.

TPP talks have been on hold while the US Con-gress decides whether it will authorise President Obama to conclude the negotiations. Any deal without the fast track approval means the Con-gress could then unpick any agreement.

Jacobi is hesitant to

SUDESH KISSUN

[email protected]

predict where TPP might head in coming months. And the uncertainty is already forcing some of the countries to depart from consensus, he says.

“Australia and Japan,

for example, concluded a bilateral FTA that sets a low benchmark for lib-eralisation and the US and Japan may well have agreed, although we don’t know for sure, that some

tariffs will continue to remain.

“A TPP has been around for some time; even the so-called ‘end game’ has been with us for quite a while.”

R&D HANGOVERNEW ZEALAND agriculture is suffering from a hangover caused by restructures and funding changes in the R&D sector, says Federated Farmers vice president Anders Crofoot.

He told the NZ Primary Industry Summit that the country ranked poorly in OECD; our R&D investment stands at 1.27% of GDP – half the OECD average of 2.4%.

“To date the competitive and very political nature of R&D has detracted from the value the investment is meant to be producing,” he says.

“Unfortunately R&D in New Zealand has been through the wringer with a steady stream of struc-tural reorganisations and changes in funding and we’re suffering from its hangover.”

Sadly, the government departments’ track record of spending inefficiency’s and a desire for researchers to produce a profit meant that the old Department of Scientific and Industrial Research has been chopped and changed into multiple organisations including Crown Research Insti-tutes (CRIs), he adds.

“Commercial companies are often criticised for too much focus on quarterly results and missing the big picture and we have been heading down the same track with R&D.”

IN BRIEF


10 NEWS

RURAL INSURER FMG is this week launching a mental health initiative aimed at the rural commu-nity.

Working with the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand, FMG has devised a programme intended to help farmers, growers and rural people look to their personal health and wellness.

Called Farmstrong, it launches on June 3, offering practical resources to improve farmers’ wellbeing by better preparing them to deal with the ups and downs of living and working in rural businesses.

“Farmstrong’s focus on wellbeing aims to provide farmers and their families with access to resources and information through its website, which will help them to live well and farm well,” says FMG spokes-man Colin Wright.

It will also encourage rural communities and farmers to connect with each other via social media, regional farmer ambassadors and regionally focused programmes and events to be announced at the launch.

“This is an important and timely initiative for us and the Mental Health Foundation to be support-ing,” says FMG chief executive Chris Black. “It has the potential to make a positive difference for all farmers, their families and staff, and to support the rural sec-tor’s growth objectives for five-ten years.”

A Farmstrong website will be live from June 3.

NEW RURAL WELLBEING INITIATIVE

US going nuts about milk prices

FROM KENTUCKY family farms to Califor-nian ‘mega dairies’, there is one thing on the mind of US dairy farmers – milk

price.In California this is

driving many to nuts.The dairy farmers are

not making money right now. The Californian price is $13-$16/cwt (cwt = 0.045 tonne), about $2/

cwt below cost – and well below the $20/cwt they were getting last year. Kentucky is on a simi-lar price: one farmer told Rural News they were get-ting $27/cwt last year.

Although US milk

prices are based on vari-ous calculations and Cali-fornia has its own system, there’s general acknowl-edgement that ultimately the Fonterra Global Dairy Trade index has a strong influence.

PAM TIPA

[email protected]

But despite the low prices this year, the family farms visited by Rural News last month – a 200-cow farm in Kentucky through to a 5500-cow mega dairy in California – are in for the long haul. They won’t be getting out; they will wait for the milk price to come up.

But less-commit-ted farmers are getting out: the whole Cen-tral Valley of California is going nuts – almond, pistachio and walnuts. It is fuelled by Chinese demand and the reported prospect of $10,000/acre (0.4ha) profit (based on almonds). There’s now a three year wait for walnut trees which take five-six years to reach full produc-tion. Almonds take three years and pistachio six years.

In a state as dry as a

bone after four years of drought, water-hungry nut trees make big demand, reportedly its takes 151L (40 US gallons) of water to grow one almond.

The almond husks make good feed for cows and are shipped around the state.

Meanwhile, dairy farm-ers – known as dairymen – no long feel welcome in the state: the state gov-ernment no longer allows consents for new dairy operations.

Nevertheless visit-ing New Zealand farm-ers found much of interest in the Californian system of dairying; it reportedly pumps out twice as much milk (42 billion pounds 19b kg in 2014) from half the number of cows (1.8m).

Dry California is going nuts.

@rural_news


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12 NEWSRE-ENGAGING WITH THE PROVINCES

Health and safety tops Feds’ concerns

HEALTH AND safety, along with water, are the two hottest topics with farmers, according to Fed-erated Farmers’ chief executive Graham Smith.

He and a Feds team have been out in the provinces talking to members as part of a ‘refresh’ of the federation.

Smith says health and safety is a huge issue now, coming at a time when Feds is trying to work with WorkSafe New Zealand to find practical solutions to safety on farms.

His views are echoed by the federation’s vice president, Anders Crofoot, also on the roadshow.

“I have gone around to Feds annual meetings and found health and safety is always right up there on the list,” he told Rural News. “Either they have

had guest speakers talking about it or it’s being raised during general discussions. Everyone is keen on making farms safer workplaces and no one faults that.

“The issue is how should a bureaucratic system that seems to be aimed at ‘ticking’ going to achieve a good outcome. I’ve heard it said that farmers are interested in outcomes, that they’re not so concerned about process, whereas WorkSafe seems to be really hung up on the process and that’s probably not going to produce the outcomes they’re hoping for.”

Crofoot says the flashpoint is obviously quad safety and WorkSafe’s view that no passen-gers should be carried on these vehicles. But he says NZ farmers don’t believe that US manufac-turers’ guidelines – designed for Americans using quads as recre-ational vehicles – should apply in

NZ. He says the least risky way of taking a fertiliser rep or bank manager around a farm is as a passenger on a quad driven by an experienced rider.

Crofoot also has concerns about WorkSafe’s approach to dealing with visitors on farms, such as hunters. He says the paperwork required is a turnoff

for farmers. “If they try to clutter the

system with too much record keeping – even simple record keeping – this will annoy farmers who in the end will find it easier to say ‘no’ than do the paper-work,” he says.

FEDERATED FARMERS plans to employ a fulltime person to strengthen its dialogue and communication with its members in the provinces.

Feds chief execu-tive Graham Smith says as a result of their road-show around the country – where they were seeking ways to improve services to members – a major concern voiced was the need for better engagement with the regions.

“We had a lot of feed-back from provincial presi-dents saying they’d like to have someone who lives and breathes what they do,” Smith told Rural News. “As a result of this feedback, we’re creating a new role and recruiting for it now.”

Smith says the new role – ‘general manager of provin-cial engagement’ – will help build Feds’ capacity to meet the changing demands being put on farmers. Also as part

of the ‘refresh’, Feds plans to set up national water and science teams.

As well as recruiting an extra staff member Feds will refocus staff in specific areas.

Farmers have pointed out that the federation, with its membership of 14,000, could do more given its strong representation in the provinces and a reputa-tion for good engagement with politicians and industry leaders.

“There are big issues in the primary sector, now and in the future. We could help shape the thinking for forming coalitions and help find solutions to some of the issues – water, health and safety and new technology.”

Smith says as a result of this feedback, the federation will direct much of its efforts towards environment, health and safety and science and innovation.

PETER BURKE

[email protected]

@rural_news


Feds chief executive Graham Smith.

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NEWS 15Silver Fern Farms’ Grant Howie says now that China is allowing Brazillian beef back into its market it shouldn’t impact on the current strong prices for NZ producers.

Beef outlook bright, lamb less soNEWS THAT China is to allow Brazilian beef back into its markets shouldn’t derail the bull run the New Zealand industry is enjoying, says leading exporter Silver Fern Farms.

However, the outlook for sheep producers isn’t so bright.

Brazilian beef was shut out of China and several other major markets, including the US, after a case of BSE in 2012, but last month Chinese officials re-approved eight Brazilian processing plants for export and another nine are expected to follow.

SFF’s general manager sales, Grant Howie, told Rural News it will have an influence in the international market but that shouldn’t affect New Zealand’s trade too much.

Despite the ban,

“quite a lot” of Brazilian beef had been finding its way into China through “grey channels” and Brazilian beef, with widespread use of Brahman genetics, is generally lower quality than New Zealand’s so is in a different sector.

New Zealand’s FTA with China also means we have a 10.7% duty advantage over Brazil, which is set to become a 12% edge when NZ-China beef tariffs drop to zero next year.

“The steak cut market – tender loins, rib-eyes, etc – is really strong. We’re getting record prices despite the Australian kill running red hot.”

That drought-driven Australian supply, plus New Zealand’s cull cow peak, has seen international grinding beef prices go off the boil but over winter they’ll

rally, he predicts.“The domestic US

beef prices have held up and the gap with imported beef prices is as wide as it’s ever been. That’s not sustainable.”

He believes the gap will be closed more by a lift in import prices than a fall in the US domestic market.

“There could be a US50c/lb lift in price.” With the NZ$ at about US74c last week that equates to an extra NZ$1.50/kg.

Howie says US beef producers are rebuilding herds apace after several years of drought, spurred by the positive market outlook and low feed (corn) prices. Brazil can’t sell there at present and even if “murmurings” that the US market may reopen to Brazil become reality, all it will mean is Brazilian beef is redirected from other markets which could create opportunities for

New Zealand elsewhere.El Nino hasn’t yet

influenced the beef market, though there’s plenty of talk and everyone is “wary of it,” he adds. “Typically it hits the Aussie industry pretty hard.”

Unfortunately for New Zealand’s sheep producers, the outlook for lamb isn’t so bright with the global economy sluggish and a dip in import demand from China due to disease-induced culls in the domestic flock.

“We’ve not formulated an official view on lamb for next season yet but there are a lot of dark clouds and I don’t believe we’ve seen the bottom yet unfortunately,” Howie told Rural News. “There’s product still to hit the market from Australia and New Zealand which could cause it to fall

further before it comes back up again. Whether it’s cleared before next season remains to be seen.”

However, he stresses SFF’s not among those with stocks to clear this

time, unlike a few years ago. “We are selling as we process so there’s no risk of the situation we had two or three years ago.”

The outlook for lamb isn’t so bright with the global economy sluggish and a dip in import demand from China.

@rural_news


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16 NEWS

Horsing around in Mongolia

BELIEVED TO be the toughest horse race in the world, starting near Ullan Bator, the capital of Mongolia, the Mongol Derby travels 1000km across the country to an as yet-undisclosed destination. The race has to be com-pleted within seven days and has a ten-day time limit.

“I had read about it and a friend from Hamilton and I filled in the large appli-cation form, were interviewed and were both accepted,” Wilks told Rural News.

He believes there are two other entrants from New Zealand and about 40 starters in total.

The event is organised by Adventurist (www.theadventurists.com), a UK organ-isation running extreme adventures.

The Mongol Derby has been run for the past six years. The entrants will assemble on August 2 for three days of training and orientation before the August 5 start.

Checkpoints are at 40km stations along the way. The horses are supplied and are checked at each station for heart

rate, cuts and scratches and lameness by a vet. Time points are deducted for any faults. At each stop, riders are given GPS coordinates for the next stop and sup-plied with food and a new horse.

“There will be 40 horses lined up with a local Mongolian herder,” Wilks says. “It will then be up to me to choose a horse and negotiate with him any details about the horse – as to whether they are slow/fast, quiet, liable to buck, kick and so on. It will be in broken English, as I cannot speak Mongolian.”

Most of the horses will have been ridden and he believes each changeover will take 30-40 minutes.

Eating will be another challenge for Wilks: there will only be two options – goat stew and fermented mare’s milk. He is a vegetarian, so has started eating some meat to prepare his stomach for the change. He will also be taking plenty of snack and energy bars to feed him between stops. They can sleep at each station, but if daylight is available they will ride on and sleep under the stars or

with a local Mongolian family in their homes (yirts).

Day temperatures are 30-40 deg C and down at night about zero.

Wilks will have his own saddle, saddle bags and bridle, plus a backpack for his camera, GPS, drink bottles a collection of zip ties and duct tape for running repairs and snack food. “These are my basics; if I lose the horse I can survive

for a while.”His saddle bags will include wet

weather gear and a bed roll. He will also have riding pants, chaps, riding boots and a helmet.

Wilks is not expecting to have a change of clothes till the end of the race. He will ride weighing 74kg – well below the maximum weight allowed of 85kg.

Wilks has a certificate in large animal

technology and has worked as a vet assis-tant, ridden track work, worked on a dairy farm and was a riding instructor for two years. He has just quit his job of 15 months working for Asure Quality doing TB testing in the Hauraki Plains.

“I am now concentrating on getting riding fit by assisting a local racehorse trainer doing up to four hours of track work daily and another 3-4 hours a day exercising local horses.

He has lived most of his life on his parents’ dairy farm at Katikati, near Tau-ranga.

His entry fee is $14,000 and he needs more for personal costs to get to the start line. He will raise $2000 for char-ity: $1000 for Adventurist’s charity Cool Earth and $1000 to his charity of choice. See www.kiwicareteam.co.nz to donate.

“It is going to be gruelling, long and tedious and will be the hardest thing I will do in my life,” he tells Rural News. “But I am a competitive person and it will give me a great sense of achieve-ment.”

Starting with pony clubs when he was just eight years old and a lifelong association with horses will culminate in 24-year-old Ben Wilks starting in the Mongol Derby in early August. Tony Hopkinson spoke with Wilks about his ambitions.

Ben Wilks will start in the Mongol Derby – believed to be the toughest horse race in the world – on August 5.


NEWS 17

Feds vice president Anders Crofoot was pleased to see extra funding for R&D, biosecruity and agtraining in the Budget.

A couple of nice surprises for AgTHE WIDER agribusiness sector has nailed its share of loot in the recent Budget – with extra money for R&D, training, irrigation, animal welfare and biosecurity.

In a Budget which gave away little, there were some surprises – most notably the $25 million over five years to fund ‘regional research institutes’.

According to the Minister for Science and Innovation, Steven Joyce, the Government will work with regional stakeholders to identify where the new institutes will be located and what they will do. Joyce quotes the example of the Cawthron Institute in Nelson, which has a focus on aquaculture, marine biosecurity and coastal and freshwater ecology.

It’s assumed that horticulture, including kiwifruit in the Bay of Plenty, may get the nod,

possibly biosecurity in Auckland, dryland farming on the East Coast and just maybe something for Northland where jobs and votes are scarce.

In the science area Callaghan Innovation gets more cash, which spills into the agritech area, and there’s more for science in society with the aim of lifting New Zealanders’ engagement with science.

Biosecurity is a big

winner: an extra $24.9 million for biosecurity over four years and an extra $2 million to pay for security at the border. Also, a levy of $16 per person entering the country and $6 departing imposes a user-pays onus on travellers – a move welcomed by the agri sector. HortNZ, BLNZ and the Meat Industry Association say the new levy is fair and sensible and sheets home the cost to the people who pose a risk to the nation’s biosecurity.

PETER BURKE

[email protected]

Irrigation projects will also get $25 million over five years from 2016-17.This will pay for investigating and

developing regional irrigation schemes, says the Minister for Primary Industries, Nathan Guy. He says the Irrigation

Accelerator Fund has the potential to develop irrigation schemes which will boost exports and create jobs in the regions.

FEDS VICE-PRESIDENT Anders Crofoot says, from a farmer’s perspective, it was a good, conservative Budget.

He was pleased to see extra dollars assigned to R&D, but was surprised at the plan to set up research institutes in the regions.

The details and the eventual outcomes will be interesting, he says, but he’d be concerned if research was spread too thinly. He notes R&D money is now in ‘lots of buckets’ and he’s not sure this is a good idea.

Crofoot was also pleased with the extra money for agricultural training. “That push into more funding for higher education in agriculture is going to stand us in good stead,” he told Rural News.

“And the levy on air travel is a good way of sheeting home some of the costs to where the risks actually occur. As more people fly by air this levy will, in effect, make biosecurity self-funding, as opposed to NZ taxpayers having to pay for the increasing demand for biosecurity.”

GOOD, CONSERVATIVE BUDGET – FEDS

In a Budget which gave away little, there were some surprises – most notably the $25 million over five years to fund ‘regional research institutes’.

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18 AGRIBUSINESS

Californian farmer shows how to add value to milkA CALIFORNIAN mega dairy farmer who has opened his own plant in the nearby town to pro-cess and sell fresh, glass-bottled milk and make ice cream says he can add $100 to the basic milk price with his premium products.

That’s $100/cwt (1cwt = 0.0508 tonne) – the basic milk price currently is $13-14/cwt. Noel Rosa of Rosa Brothers Milk Com-

pany says his glass-bot-tled whole milk adds $50 more but with flavoured milk and premium smaller volume product he can get up to $100 more.

About five-six years ago he says they were looking at building another free stall barn – adding about 700 cows to his 5000-cow operation. They decided instead to open their own processing and manufacturing plant with shop attached in the nearby town of Tulare. “We thought it was less of

a risk.”At the farm Rosa

Brothers milks 5000 cows and has planted about 242ha of feed crops. The family has had the farm for 60 years but started the manufacturing opera-tion two and a half years ago. They use about 20% of their own milk for their glass-bottled milk and ice cream products and they are bottling the milk from about 200 cows. He would use all his milk if the oper-ation grew large enough.

They offer whole milk,

non-fat milk and lactose free. They also have fla-vours such as chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, root beer, and orange and they put whole milk and choc-olate milk into smaller containers to sell at donut shops and bakeries and similar. The bigger sellers are chocolate and whole milk which are “neck and neck” followed by straw-berry.

“A lot of people liked the chocolate but they said they were lactose intolerant and could not

digest the milk so we started making that in lac-tose free. In the United States lactose free is a growing segment in milk. Overall in the US fluid milk has been on a 30 year decline but there are cer-tain growth sectors in fluid milk: glass bottle, lactose-free and organic are growing.”

They do recyclable glass bottles and only to sell to outlets pre-pared to collect the bot-tles for Rosa to recycle. With the leftover cream from the non-fat milk they started making ice cream. Flavours include vanilla, chocolate, rocky road, cookies and cream, coconut, chocolate and almonds, chocolate chip and honey nut – they get local almonds and honey directly from someone who has the bees – pista-chio, French cream, coffee and chips, strawberry and banana. The flavours are all natural using real

fruit, no artificial colours. Eggnog ice cream has not been a big mover but may be around Christmas. Other dairy farms make artisan cheeses so they sell those also and some other local food products.

They sell at their own shop, deliver in the local area up to two hours away and have a trailer they take to events.

They are not organic but try to do a few things a bit more naturally so they can claim they have more natural milk. “Our thing is more being fresh and nat-ural.” They do not sell raw milk. “California has a lot of attorneys and lawsuits so we’re not interested in raw milk,” he joked. There is a huge demand for raw milk in the state but he is not interested in the risk.

They process about one tanker load of milk a day. They sell to young people who are single or just have one child and want something more

natural and better tast-ing or older people who don’t buy much milk but when they do they buy for the quality. They buy it for their grandkids. And they have people who are wor-ried about the environ-ment who like the use of glass bottles. Buyers are not the blue collar work-ers who have four kids.

“I have a hard time making money on that farm with those cows,” says Rosa, despite the size of his dairy opera-tion. “Last year was easy but that’s one out of five years. I have a hard time making money on milk by the tanker load in Califor-nia. The money this plant has the potential to make is the equivalent to thou-sands and thousands of cows.”• Pam Tipa travelled to Californian dairy farms with a group of New Zealand dairy farmers courtesy of Alltech New Zealand.

Californian dairy farmer Noel Rosa says he can add $100 to the basic milk price by producing premium products.

PAM TIPA

[email protected]

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AGRIBUSINESS 19Has world beef consumption peaked?

GLOBAL BEEF consump-tion will not increase markedly in the next few years, but on the plus side it has been reaching record prices, as have all meats, says Aidan Con-nolly, chief innovation officer for animal nutri-tion company Alltech.

Food has moved from being quietly talked about within the industry into something seen on the

front pages of the press, Connolly told the Alltech REBELation Symposium in Kentucky. On his fre-quent trips to China he reads stories about food, food safety, food security and sustainability.

“The world population is growing but we need to be extremely careful in judging or interpreting the future base of world population expansion because food consump-tion is not driven by pop-ulation growth,” he said. “It is driven by income growth, so it is much more important for us to look at where income growth is than to look at where the population is growing.”

Asked for advice on the global markets for food producers he tells people to learn what BRIC means, Brazil, Russia, India, and China. “Then buy yourself a passport and go there.”

A new acronym, MINT, represents Mexico, Indo-nesia, Nigeria and Turkey, he said. Producers need to have a sense of what is happening and what might happen in these markets.

Global consumption of all meat is projected to increase about a 1.6% a year to 2023. Beef con-sumption represents only about 15% of those total projected increases. Not just for China but for the world, poultry consump-tion will grow more rap-idly and represents about

half the increase of meat consumption in the next 10 years.

Beef consumption is stable: over the last three years it has only gone from 56.4m tonnes to 56.8m tonnes per annum. However China’s con-sumption has increased about 8% a year. Asia rep-resents about half the global beef trade and there’s been a four-fold increase in imports into China in the last four years. In the United States

consumption is on the decline – some say it has dropped to the levels of the 1950s. Middle East and Africa represent a propor-tion of import growth but are extremely price sen-sitive.

Uruguay will have limited expectations of growth in beef demand and in Argentina the drop in production has been even more extreme, drop-ping 55,000t since last year and almost 500,00t since 2009. There may be some modest growth in demand in Europe.

The outlook for beef is that any increased pro-duction will be offset by increased exports includ-ing from India, Europe and Paraguay. India is the number-one exporter of beef – not just dairy cows but also buffalo – followed by Brazil, Australia and the US, in that order.

“Clearly, in terms of business, in whatever business we [look at] in agriculture, we’ve seen the numbers of herds and the numbers of ani-mals declining and that’s equally true in all parts of the world. You can see long term declines in India, United States Brazil, China; you see declines in the overall number of people produc-ing beef.”

But Connolly says beef prices have reached an all-time high, particularly in the United States, with

PAM TIPA

[email protected]

increases in the price of steers and the prices on the shelves. Not just beef producers are gaining – many cuts and meats have hit all-time highs, creating profitable opportunities for all types of meat. With beef in particular this is a global phenomenon. European, US, Australian and Brazilian prices have

been strong for a good period of time.

But the long term trend is not for a signifi-cant increase in beef con-sumption, Connolly said. “In fact, beef trends in US and Europe, based on cur-rent trends, look stable-to-declining. Export side opportunities will be in Asia, China and to a lesser

degree Africa. “We will also see

increasing competition for land use and the high cost structures in rumen production will need to be addressed.”• Rural News reporter Pam Tipa travelled to Alltech’s REBELation Symposium in Kentucky courtesy of Alltech NZ.

Alltech’s Aidan Connolly

“The world population is growing but we need to be extremely careful in judging or interpreting the future base of world population expansion because food consumption is not driven by population growth.”

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MARKET SNAPSHOT BEEF MARKET TRENDS LAMB MARKET TRENDS

20 MARKETS & TRENDSRURAL NEWS // JUNE 2, 2015

Beef & venison prices are reported as gross (before normal levies & charges are deducted). Lamb & mutton prices are reported nett (after levies & charges are deducted).

BEEF PRICES

c/kgCWT Change Last Week

2 Wks Ago

Last Year

NI P2 Steer - 300kg n/c 5.40 5.40 4.60M2 Bull - 300kg n/c 5.40 5.40 4.45P2 Cow - 230kg n/c 4.40 4.40 3.80M Cow - 200kg n/c 4.30 4.30 3.70

Local Trade - 230kg n/c 5.40 5.40 4.65SI P2 Steer - 300kg n/c 5.10 5.10 4.10

M2 Bull - 300kg n/c 5.00 5.00 4.00P2 Cow - 230kg n/c 3.80 3.80 2.90M Cow - 200kg n/c 3.70 3.70 2.85

Local Trade - 230kg n/c 5.20 5.20 4.20

Slaughter

Export Market DemandChange Last Week 2 Wks

Ago Last Year 5yr Ave

95CL US$/lb -5 2.35 2.40 2.20 1.99NZ$/kg -6 7.02 7.08 5.66 5.59

Procurement IndicatorChange 2Wks Ago 3 Wks


% Returned NI +1% 76.9% 76.3% 78.64% 75.4%% Returned SI +1% 71.2% 70.6% 70.7% 67.9%

LAMB PRICES

c/kgCWTChange Last

Week2 Wks

AgoLast Year

NI Lamb YM - 13.5kg n/c 5.11 5.11 5.86PM - 16.0kg n/c 5.13 5.13 5.88PX - 19.0kg n/c 5.15 5.15 5.90PH - 22.0kg n/c 5.16 5.16 5.91

Mutton MX1 - 21kg n/c 3.15 3.15 3.60SI Lamb YM - 13.5kg -5 4.83 4.88 5.56

PM - 16.0kg -5 4.83 4.88 5.58PX - 19.0kg -5 4.83 4.88 5.60PH - 22.0kg -5 4.83 4.88 5.61

Mutton MX1 - 21kg n/c 2.58 2.58 3.20

Slaughter

Export Market DemandChange Last

Week2 Wks


UK Leg £/lb n/c 1.80 1.80 2.16 1.98NZ$/kg -10 7.95 8.05 7.74 8.05

Procurement IndicatorChange 2Wks

Ago3 Wks


% Returned NI +1% 66.0% 65.2% 77.5% 71.6%% Returned SI +1% 61.6% 60.9% 73.0% 65.9%

Venison PricesChange Last

Week2 Wks


NI Stag - 60kg n/c 6.50 6.50 6.15 6.78SI Stag - 60kg n/c 6.25 6.25 6.20 6.96

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NEWS PRICE WATCH

MARKETS & TRENDS 21RURAL NEWS // JUNE 2, 2015

BEEF: Cattle slaughter has been breaking weekly records in recent weeks, as cows in both islands continue to pour into the works. Reports suggest that the beginning of June will see significant gaps appear in slaughter numbers across the country as the run of cows finally comes to an end. Slaughter prices have remained relatively stable in both islands, even as processors battle falling US imported beef prices. A weakening currency has helped take some of the edge off, but reports suggest at current operating prices, processor margins are taking a hit. It is likely that processors will start reducing capacity through June. Given deteriorating market conditions, most will try to prevent procurement competition kicking in too early.

BEEF INTERNATIONAL: Record kills are not the best remedy for the US market at present as prices continue to be driven down. There is limited end user interest and also ample inventories. It is the latter point that is potentially the more worrying. Last year prices were driven sharply up from June as end users were caught short. This year reports suggest that high inventories will enable buyers to sit out of the market

for several months before buying again. It is therefore unlikely we will see a repeat of last year’s sharp market acceleration, so be prepared for FOP’s to remain below last year’s record levels.

SHEEP: In the North Island (NI) lamb schedules continue to hold between $5.20-$5.30/kg gross, whereas in the South Island, prices have seen a downwards turn. Slaughter numbers have held up in the NI better than anticipated; Southland slaughter is driving SI kill numbers. There is plenty of uncertainty surrounding which direction prices will go from here, with market conditions indicating there may be downside risk. China remains out of the lamb market, and a large lamb crop from the UK this season is soaking up demand from the EU and UK markets. NZ exporters are faced with very little interest from end-users and little sign of improvement as long as competitor supply remains high.

DAIRY: Dairy prices fell a further 2.2% at the last GDT auction, with all prices recording decline. WMP prices are showing signs of stabilising, with only a fall of 0.5% from the previous event, however SMP and AMF fell 3.6% and 4.8% respectively. NZ sourced product is now priced below

both US and EU sourced product, which is unusual when seasonal supply is low. While it appears WMP may be close to a bottom point, SMP and butter prices have now increased their discount relative to US and EU product, suprising some given supply from these parts is still large. Milk supply is at peak levels in the EU, implying that growth from here on in should be more moderate.

Rabobank are picking it to slow to levels well below those seen in early 2014. This, combined with a slow recovery in import demand, is expected to aid price recovey, but it will be a slow process. More positively, Rabobank’s 3-5 year outlook reports growing import demand and WMP prices likely to average more than US$3500/tonne over this period; 40% up on current prices.

WOOL PRICE WATCH Overseas Wool Price Indicators

Indicators in NZ$ Change 21-May 14-May Last Year Indicators in US$/kg Change 21-May 14-May Last

YearCoarse Xbred +16 5.59 5.43 5.09 Coarse Xbred +1 4.08 4.07 4.37

Fine Xbred +12 6.31 6.19 5.35 Fine Xbred -4 4.61 4.64 4.60

Lamb +13 6.91 6.78 5.26 Lamb -4 5.04 5.09 4.52

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22 OPINION

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[email protected]

EDNAEDITORIAL


Losers!YOUR OLD mate notes that for the last few weeks the Australian-owned, controlled and managed so-called NZ Farmer rag has been touting the fact on its front page that it was a finalist in the ‘commu-nity newspaper’ category at the recent Canon media awards. The Hound is confused that the Aussies see themselves as a ‘community’ and not a ‘farming’ publication and meaning their real competition is the likes of Kapiti Mana News, the Upper Hutt Leader, the Manukau Courier and the Whakatane Beacon – rather than the serious, dedicated farming publications. Meanwhile, this old mutt shed a tear for the poor, little Aussie battlers who were beaten by Mountain Scene – the Queenstown-based commu-nity newspaper – making them losers all around!

Green gripe?THE HOUND knows that the Greens hate farming about as much as they hate cars. So your old mutt was intrigued to see that the tree-huggers’ latest wunder-kind – and possible replacement for co-leader – James Shaw has lodged numerous written parlia-mentary questions about Hawkes Bay agribusiness consultancy Brownrigg Agriculture Ltd. Shaw has written to the ministers for trade, economic development, foreign affairs and primary indus-tries demanding to know what deals and contracts have been awarded to Brownrigg Agriculture and questioning the relationship between said government depart-ments and the Hawkes Bay firm. The question has to be asked, why are Shaw and the Greens so inter-ested in Brownrigg’s business? Watch this space.

Strange bulge?YOUR OLD mate reckons the border security team at MPI will have a new take on the old saying “Is that a lump in your pants or are you just pleased to see me?” after detecting a Polish gardener trying to smuggle plants in his underpants through Auckland airport recently. MPI staff inter-cepted plant cuttings, a bulb, a tuber and seeds in the air passen-ger’s underwear, found during a search. MPI strip-searched the passenger after a biosecu-rity detector dog sniffed out the plants near the man’s groin. A Customs drug dog had also indi-cated the man was carrying something in his pants. According to MPI, the man – a New Zealand resident – was wearing two pairs of underpants and the itchy concealment included ivy from a castle in Poland.

Whose side are they on?LABOUR IS now also putting the putting the boot into the NZ dairy sector. Its trade spokesman David Parker has accused Trade Minister Tim Groser of insulting Canadian diplomats by comparing that country’s dairy industry to the Soviet Union. But given that the Canadians limit the amount of domestic dairy production, impose huge tariffs on imports and cause a single dairy cow quota to be valued at about $30,000 you can’t blame Groser for his Soviet comparison. Parker, said Gros-er’s comments had the Canadian Embassy in Washington “bristling at the minister’s counter-produc-tive, undiplomatic sledging.” So is Labour now supportive of the Canadian Government’s dairy policy which locks out competing countries like NZ?

Unbuggering the muddle WORKPLACE RELATIONS Minister Michael Woodhouse recently described the existing workplace safety legislation a ‘bugger’s muddle’.

It seems the proposed new legislation isn’t much better, given that it’s been sent back to the transport and industrial relations select com-mittee for “further consideration” – code for “it’s still a bugger’s muddle”.

Everywhere farmers are revolting at the pros-pect of some of the items in the proposed legis-lation – especially the ‘threat’ to ban passengers from quads and the prospect of farmers being overwhelmed by paperwork in having to con-form to so-called safety plans. At the best of times bureaucrats are tolerated but seldom loved by farmers or even politicians, who see them as a hindrance rather than a help.

In this particular case, WorkSafe NZ has got itself off-side with many in the farming commu-nity – including some of its highly respected lead-ers. Even Woodhouse conceded to Rural News recently that WorkSafe has a “perception prob-lem” with farmers.

Farmers are not against the intent of the leg-islation and they want to reduce accidents on farms, but they feel that the bureaucrats are not listening to them but are instead propos-ing impractical solutions, and that are driven by ‘process’, rather than outcomes. Farmers also see WorkSafe as being out there to get them and prosecute them for what they (farmers) see as minor infringements.

Farmers’ vocal opposition has not unnatu-rally been directed at local MP’s, mostly National Party ones, many of whom are themselves farm-ers, therefore openly sympathetic and very sen-sitive to the rural revolt.

To support the new legislation, as it stands, would be ‘courageous’ on the politicians’ part but it’s well-known that ‘courageous decisions’ can be politically suicidal and career ending. (A bit like Andrew Little’s idea of means-testing work-ers over 65). So faced with a rural revolt the Gov-ernment has sent the bill back to the same select committee that produced the outcome that is still deemed politically unacceptable.

Will they do better this time as they mull over the legislation, fortified by a cup of tea – or some-thing stronger? Will WorkSafe NZ back down and modify some of the more contentious proposals?

Or will some sort of deal be done by WorkSafe NZ and farmers to sort this out quietly behind closed doors and present a solution to the com-mittee that lets the politicians off the hook?

The rural jury is out.

“I know what the bank manager said, but there might be some really good deals at Fieldays!”

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OPINION 23

Budget 2015 good for rural NZBUDGET 2015 is, I believe, one of the best for the primary sector since National has been in gov-ernment.

I’ve always said bios-ecurity is my number one priority as minis-ter and the budget backs it up. An extra $27 mil-lion will mean more dogs, more x-ray machines and improved auditing of sys-tems in other countries.

A new levy on overseas travellers will help protect our border: the $22 per return trip will have trav-ellers paying for customs and biosecurity services, rather than the taxpayer. This is a fairer, more transparent and flexible way to fund the system and deal with the pressure of increasing passenger volumes.

We are also spend-ing $7.5 million on boost-ing skills and systems in the primary sector, some on Overseer, technol-ogy transfer and some on the education system to encourage more young people into primary sector careers.

On that note, it’s pleas-ing to see a 20% increase in funding for agriculture at tertiary level in budget, on top of $25 million over three years to develop three new privately led regional research Insti-tutes.

A further $25 million will go to the Irrigation Acceleration Fund to kick-start regional water stor-age projects. The need for this is obvious given droughts throughout the country over the last few years.

And an extra $10 mil-lion will go towards animal welfare, to help implement the recently passed Animal Welfare Amendment Act regula-tions, support the SPCA and improve education and enforcement.

All this will help achieve our goal of dou-bling the value of exports by 2025 – an ambi-tious target but achiev-able because the primary sector has a strong out-look in the medium-lon-ger term.

We all know the dairy sector is facing a tight year, as reflected in the GDT prices and Fonter-

ra’s revised payout. The world now has more milk than normal and China’s stockpile is being used slowly. The removal of the European milk quotas is expected to cause a slight increase in the world’s supply of milk, and the impact of drought is still felt in the South Island.

But we all know farm-ing is a cyclical business; prices and returns fluctu-ate every year.

Last year’s huge record payout ($8.40) means farmers still have a strong cashflow. The aver-age payout over the last 15 years is $5.25, so we need to keep this year’s payout in context. In fact, in 2002-2006 the aver-age total payout was just $4.20.

Farmers have come through drought, earth-quakes, snowstorms and all kinds of challenges; they are used to volatility and are very resilient.

Other industries are looking to have strong years. The red meat sector is enjoying good prices and solid growth, increas-ing by $480m on last year – a 43% increase driven mainly by from beef exports.

Horticulture has had a record year, earnings for 2014 topping $7.5 billion for the first time. Kiwifruit in particular has bounced back strongly from Psa with over $1 billion in exports; wine is having a good year.

Looking further ahead, some forecast global food demand to increase by 40-45% by 2025, driven by a rising global population and the emerging middle classes of Asia.

Resting on our laurels isn’t good enough though – we need to prepare now to take advantage of this opportunity. We have great potential to add value to what we produce and R&D is a key tool in

NATHAN GUY this, through the Primary Growth Partnership. We have 17 programmes underway, co-funded with industry, to come up with new products and techniques.

As a government we have a plan to open up new markets to help our exporters, we’ve recently

signed an FTA with Korea and the TPP is making progress.

A big challenge in growing and protecting value is our ‘social licence’ to operate, which I define as ‘the ability to produce our products sustainably, bringing the community with us, and earning their

respect and understand-ing’.

Environmental per-formance in farming is no longer a ‘nice to have’; it’s a necessity for the New Zealand public and our global consum-ers. Farmers and grow-ers have come a long way in a relatively short

time. Dairy farmers have fenced at least 23,000km of waterways and greatly improved how they manage nutrients.

Budget 2015 also pro-vides $16.8 million to help regional councils implement freshwater standards, and a fit-for-purpose Overseer model

will have an important role to play. But we need to keep doing more. The country is demanding greater environmental sustainability of us, and so are our markets. I’m confident we’re up to the challenge.• Nathan Guy is the Minis-ter for Primary Industries.

Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy

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24 OPINIONNOT CHEEKY!AN ARTICLE appeared in Rural News 19 May in

The Hound section of the paper headed ‘Cheeky

buggers’.

Although no names have been stated it will be

obvious to all readers who this article is directed to.

Information contained in this article has been

misconstrued and twisted and we would like to

advise that the contents are damaging and we are

extremely unhappy about this.

We will have you know that, yes, we put out

an email to a small number of our suppliers with

whom we have a great reputation, to keep them

in the loop with regards to payment. The drop in

payout obviously altered our budgeting situation

and because of the size and scale of the business we

were already working through this with our bankers.

We will remind you that whether your business is

large or small, almost every dairy farmer will be in the

same position and we take offence at having been

singled out by an untruthful article being published

in the way it was and which has the ability to be very

damaging to our reputation.

Obviously someone has ‘tall poppy syndrome’

out there to go distributing private information to a

national newspaper.

As for the article saying “that suppliers and

creditors would not be paid any time soon”, this is a

lie, and the statement “that it went down like a cup of

sour milk with them” is also untrue, as suppliers were

paid within 20 days of the email as soon as credit

approval came from the bank – as long as there were

no account queries in any of them, which is normal

practice.

I will have you know that several of the suppliers

concerned phoned personally to “thank us” for

advising them and keeping them informed which

we felt was best practice under the circumstances

at the time. We have the highest regard for our

suppliers, which was why the email was distributed

to them in the first place.

With regards to “Dutch courage” we will have you

know that we have worked extremely hard with huge

investment and development that we carry out in the

region and industry, i.e. introducing indoor robotic

milking to this country. Also we have been heavily

involved in the setting up of two independent dairy

companies, which will soon have a combined value in

excess of a billion dollars.

If you want to talk about courage again, well we

think we have displayed more courage than most

would ever attempt in a lifetime. This courage has

not only created jobs, but growth and work for

suppliers in the region. Our creditors and suppliers

understand that this is a difficult time for all dairy

farmers.

We don’t see The Hound singling out the 200

cow dairy farmer who has had a small blip because

of the reduction in payout and drought conditions.

We believe the ‘Cheeky buggers’ in this situation are

The Hound and the person who leaked the private

information and not the farmers the article was

directed to. As farmers we have acted responsibly.

We suggest that in future The Hound researches

his information more carefully so as to obtain and

print only true facts or alternatively be locked away

indefinitely in his dogbox so that no more damage

can be done.

Aad and Wilma van Leeuwen

RD 9

Waimate

Editor’s note: Rural News accepts The Hound item on

May 19 headed: ‘Cheeky buggers’ did not contain, or

ask for, any response from the van Leeuwens before it

was published. Rural News apologises for any offence

the said item may have caused and/or any imbalance

created by not getting the van Leeuwens’ input before

it was printed.

FACTS PLEASE, WORKSAFEALL THIS talk about quad safety and WorkSafe NZ’s approach to the issue is starting to frustrate me for several reasons. I have some questions for WorkSafe.

WorkSafe has talked about the cold, hard facts, so show us them.

How many accidents or injuries have been caused by people carrying passengers? How many injuries would have been preventable had a helmet been worn? How many deaths are caused by people having accidents, say, backing over a

bank, as opposed to stupidly racing around a paddock or a laneway? What is the farmer suicide rate compared to the workplace death rate?

Let’s look at this a different way: I have asked a local cop how many injuries would have been prevented by a helmet being worn. He said, “Of the five deaths locally, three would have been avoided if a reverse buzzer had been fitted to the bike.”

So are we taking the wrong approach to this issue? Why don’t

we try to prevent injury-causing accidents, rather than just trying to prevent injuries?

Once a week, on average, I start my quad in gear, thinking it’s in a forward gear then discov-ering it’s in reverse. Yes, I should take more care and shift it out of reverse before switching it off; but we are human and humans make errors.

Solution: a compulsory reversing buzzer on all quads, or prevent quads being started in reverse. For hunters, fit an over-

ride button that cancels the buzzer, but not a switch.

WorkSafe should cold, hard facts to prove that not carrying passengers or wearing a helmet will avert crashes.

And quads are not meant to carry more than a set load, according to the manufacturers. But sometimes it is safer to take an overloaded quad than a ute or tractor. James Jarden Address TBA(Shortened. Ed.)

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MANAGEMENT 25

A station constantly under the pump!THE EXISTENCE of Landcorp’s Ahuriri Station near Napier, one the country’s newest farms, came at a huge cost to the local commu-nity. The station is sited on some of the 40 square kilometres of land uplifted 2.7m out of the sea in the 1931 earthquake which devastated Napier and killed 256 people.

The 1326ha (1100ha effective) property is located right next to Napier Airport, another facility which owes its existence to the earthquake. While the land looks perfectly normal from a distance, albeit low lying, mother nature requires men and machines to allow it to remain farmable.

Not obvious on Ahuriri Sta-tion from your plane approach-ing Napier are two large pumping stations, with four pumps, which suck some 17,000L of seawater every minute – yes, minute – out of the network of drains on the property back into the Napier estuary. Even more bizarre is that while the sea-water is being removed from the farm, freshwater – at the rate of 84,000L per minute – is being pumped back onto the farm from a site about 5km from the farm office to provide drinking water for stock.

Every day a digger is used to clear

the gratings that clear the seawater during its passage from a vast network of drains all over the property to the main pumping station. That’s what happens on a normal day, but as man-ager John Ferguson points out, it gets much worse in a flood. He says during one particularly bad storm it took 15 days to pump the water off the farm. But despite all the water Ahuriri, like

all Hawkes Bay farms, still gets hit by drought.

“We farm predominantly in the usual Hawkes Bay summer dry envi-ronment and we are proactive in getting the lambs off the property in December and at the same time having the ewes in ready for when the ram goes out on February 20. In November and Decem-ber we also cull the ewes. We need to do

this because this year we got worse than a Hawkes Bay summer dry. We went from the Hawkes Bay summer dry to a severe Hawkes Bay summer dry and if cyclone Pam hadn’t have come along we would have been in trouble.”

Today Ahuriri runs 9000 sheep, of which 5600 are breeding ewes and the remainder replacements or lambs still being finished. It also runs about 200

Angus steers and 500 heif-ers brought on from other Landcorp farms as yearlings and taken through to two-year-olds.

“When I first came here to work in 1984 there was a lot of deer. There were over 1000 hinds which had been captured in the wild. Les Turfrey was the manager then. He was a very knowl-edgeable man who knew a lot about deer. There was of course sheep and cattle too. In those days the lamb-ing percentage was 105% whereas today it is 150%.

“In the early days there was a Coopworth stud on the property and we bred our own replacements. We used a Suffolk ram across the others. The Coopworths performed well and looked good, but it was decided to change to a Romney flock and use a Landcorp Supreme

ram across these as a terminal sire.”Today there are more changes afoot.

In addition to the mixed age ewes on Ahuriri, five-year-old ewes from other Landcorp farms are being sent here to get a “couple more years” out of them. John Ferguson says these older ewes are good animals and it’s been decided

PETER BURKE

[email protected]

Ahuriri Station manager John Ferguson (left) with son Kent who also works on the station.

TO PAGE 26

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26 MANAGEMENT

not to waste them by cull-ing them at five years of age.

While nature freely gave up the land, it also provided many challenges for Ferguson and others who have farmed Ahuriri. Soil is the issue. A lot of it is heavy blue marine clay. Some of the soil is sandy and there is just 38ha on two prominent hills in the middle of the farm that could loosely be classed ‘normal’ pasture. The nature of the soils has lim-ited the type of grasses that can cope.

“In terms of pasture we’ve tried all sorts but now stick to traditional ryes and clover and a bit of plantain mix. There

is no chicory because it doesn’t like the salinity in the soil. We have had lucerne here and in theory it should have lasted six or seven years but once its tap roots got to salt it failed to persist. We have also tried brassicas and have had the same prob-lems. As part of our re-

grassing programme we are looking at maize in the future.”

Some of the land is shingle and Ferguson uses this as a sort of feed pad for wintering the cattle. They are fed a mixture of baleage which is made on the farm, and other rough-age.

The location and nature of the farm is most unusual with challenges that would be seen on few New Zealand farms. Yet common sense and simple technology have been combined to find a solution to make a profit from a very new piece of the country.

JOHN FERGUSON has spent all his life in Hawkes Bay and almost all his working life in the farming sector. After he left school he did an apprenticeship as a butcher, but then decided he wanted to work with live rather than dead animals.

“In the early days there was a place in Hastings called the Hawkes Bay Farm Centre run by Miss Williams. I told her I wanted to move on in life and she put me here across the estuary at the Dave Holder Estate on Seafield Road. The farm manager there was John Gannon and I used to look across the hills and down onto the flats here at Ahuriri and thought that I couldn’t work over there,” he says.

He later worked at Marist Society’s sheep and beef farm at Awatoto. The society is best known for its Mission Wines; they also had a large farm which they still own but lease out. On a Saturday John would butcher the meat for the Marist seminary at Green-meadows. He worked at other stations before coming to Ahuriri in 1985. He has been here ever since and was appointed farm manager six years later.

Ferguson is a highly regarded and dedicated manager known for his excel-lent stockmanship and ability to run a farm recognised as difficult to manage. He is also very much in the public eye, having to manage relationships with the adjacent airport, port and indus-trial area.

In his time at Ahuriri he has over-seen many improvements to both the infrastructure of the farm and the stock. Upgrading the water supply and pasture renovation are two major projects.

Today he remains as keen and dedi-cated as ever, working with the four staff on the farm, one of whom is his son, and looking at ways to improve this gift from mother nature.

BETTER LIVE ANIMALS THAN DEAD ONES!

John Ferguson points to water going out to estuary.

The challenges of Ahuriri

This photo shows how bad it can flood at Ahuriri Station.

FROM PAGE 25

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28 MANAGEMENT

Making cropping systems sustainable

DO YOU know how docks, thistles and dandelions differ in their ability to regrow? Or from how deep particular weed species germinate? Or what are the alternative

hosts for the pests that try to demolish your crops?

Finding answers to questions like these, before deciding how to tackle a problem, will make farm systems

sustainable long-term, growers and agronomists attending a series of Foundation for Arable Research workshops are hearing.

Leading the workshops

is Charles Merfield of Lincoln University’s biological husbandry unit (BHU). He says there’s been a “u-turn” in agricultural science and global agricultural

policy since the 1980s, exemplified by 2015 being declared the Year of Soil by the United Nations.

“In the 1980s that would have been inconceivable… people

The Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) has teamed up with the Future Farming Centre at Lincoln’s biological husbandry unit to run a series of sustainable agriculture and horticulture workshops. Andrew Swallow reports

would have asked ‘What are you on?’ ” he told the first of the FAR workshops.

The declaration reflects a “realisation at the top level” that healthy soil is essential to feed the world and important “for a whole lot of other issues”. Driving that realisation is a “considerable decline in soil health and quality around the world.”

Merfield says farmers’ interest in soil has always been greater than academics’ due to lack of funding for soil science, but economics have forced farmers to adopt practices detrimental to their dirt. “The huge problem here is nobody wants to pay you to [look after soil],” he points out.

However, that is starting to change in some parts of the world. “In the EU, most of what farmers get paid for now [in subsidies] is environmental protection, including looking after the soil.”

Here, regional council legislation increasingly requires soil protection onfarm to protect the wider environment but, legislation aside, it’s in farmers’ interest because soil is a property’s most valuable asset, says Merfield. Looked after, it improves productivity and reduces nutrient loss, he points out.

Organic matter is a driver of soil health and a “continuous, regular supply of freshly dead plant material and animal residues” should be the aim.

“Diversity is the spice of life,” adds Merfield, pointing out wheat straw year after year won’t work wonders, but a range of residues, weeds, composts and manures will.

The organic matter promotes biological activity which in turn makes nutrients available

to plants. There’s little justification for inoculants. “Good quality research in this area is struggling to find any benefits.”

Typically soil biomass is about 10t/ha, in a “pretty stable ecosystem”, consequently inoculant quantities are minute by comparison and unlikely to have noticeable effect, he explains.

Relative quantity is also the key with foliar fertilisers. Applied in the right form, in the right way, to meet a correctly diagnosed need, they do work but they are “really, really expensive per kilogramme” of nutrient so should be used as an urgent fix rather than a long-term solution.

Moving onto the nutrients themselves, Merfield questions the concept of cation balance, often referred to as the Albrecht system, noting flaws in the original experiments and “very few” supportive field trials since. “Even the ones done by proponents of the system have often not found a result,” he points out.

He acknowledges many farmers adopting the system get positive results but suggests other causes, such as micronutrients in organic fertilisers used, or greater biological activity releasing already present nutrients, may be the reason why. “Inadvertently you may be correcting a deficiency.”

After nutrients, or lack of them, compaction is “the second biggest cause of yield loss” and it doesn’t require a big tractor to cause it, he warns. Even a Ferguson 35 squeezes soil pores below the plough layer, and “it’s the stuff at depth that is the hardest to see and to deal with,” he points out.

While there will be occasions where remedial

Physical barriers such as mesh may be an alter-native to pesticides, but beware unintended con-sequences, says Charles Merfield of Lincoln’s BHU.

TO PAGE 29

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MANAGEMENT 29

PEACE OF MIND WITH LIVESTOCK

action is required to give soil biology a helping hand to rectify compaction, avoiding compaction in the first place by controlling and minimising traffic should

be the aim. Despite “huge” uptake already, there should be greater use of GPS and auto-steer technology.

Where fine seedbeds are required, such as for carrots or onions, reverse action tillers that create

GARETH GILLATT

a tilth in one pass have merit. “Stuff like this has huge potential to reduce the number of passes and ‘oomph’ you put into the soil.”

But traditional rotary hoes or rotovators, particularly those with L-shaped blades, should be avoided. “If the devil invented a piece of tillage equipment, it would be the rotovator.”

The noble art of pest and disease managementLIKE A martial art, sustainable and smart pest and disease management relies on understanding opponents’ strengths and weaknesses and using these against them, says Charles Merfield of Lincoln University’s biological husbandry unit (BHU).

That means putting much more emphasis on biological and ecological control, and reducing reliance on physical and chemical attacks.

“You need to understand how these things are working and start developing the strategies,” he told one of a series of FAR workshops

on sustainable agriculture and horticulture (see main story).

For every pest or disease, consider host range, dispersal method, conditions conducive to development and reproductive rate. A similar thought process can be applied to promoting “beneficial” bugs which predate on insect pests or weeds. “There’s a lot of free pest control going on out there. Let’s try to improve that.”

Similarly, with smart cultural techniques, near-complete weed control can be achieved without herbicides so even open canopy crops such as beet face little competition. “It’s very, very simple. Grow the

weeds, then grow the crop.”If herbicides are used to remove

what does come through after sowing, there’s a reduced risk of selecting for resistance simply because there are fewer weeds.

Huge advances in hi-tech auto-guided mechanical weeding machines have been made but in some cases the combination of simple old-school techniques like inter-row hoeing with GPS guidance can allow faster and longer operation, achieving just as good results for relatively little cost. Soil flicked up by the hoes buries the most difficult weeds to reach – those by the crop plant stems – hopefully killing them, he explains.

Whether such a technique works, again comes back to knowing your enemy. “To kill a plant you’ve got to kill the meristem.”

Some weeds, such as dock, won’t regenerate from roots, only the crowns, so decapitating them is all that’s needed. Others, such as dandelion, will push up new crowns even if the root is severed well below ground, but an annual thistle take-off at the hypocotyl (where stem meets root) is “toast”, hence why a grubber works.

Another key point is that cultivation triggers weed germination, and most weed seeds won’t germinate from deeper than one inch so cultivation

to remove already growing weeds shouldn’t go below that depth if triggering a fresh flush of weeds is to be avoided.

But for all the merits of false and stale seed-bed preparation – Merfield defines the latter as created post-sowing with chemical or thermal control rather than cultivation – at the top of his hierarchy of non-chemical weed controls is rotation, with a mix of autumn and spring sown crops and pasture phases included.

“Rotation, rotation, rotation,” he says, mimicking the real estate ‘location’ catch-cry.

ANDREW SWALLOW

@rural_news


RURAL INSURANCE company Farmers Mutual Group will have a wider presence at stock auctions and stud sales, according to FMG business development manager Hayden Dunne. The insurer is offering non-renewing, short term insurance for bulls, rams, stags and other high value livestock. Buying breeding animals is a big cost to farmers, especially when trying to build up strong genetics, says Dunne. The dangers of mishaps are often costly.

“Farmers can easily pay up to $10,000 for some animals. If you pay good money it’s important to have them protected; cover also includes transit to get them home safely.” Dunne says this is especially important if a farmer only has one or two bulls as mishaps are likely to have an increased negative effect at mating time. FMG has a range of cover options available from transit + 30 days, right through to 12 months to protect farmers’ outlay should an animal die as a result of accident, disease or illness. Dunne says cover for intentional slaughter when infertility results from an accident disease or illness is also included.

“We’d need to get a vet to examine the animal, but if it is proved to be not capable of reproduction we will compensate farmers for the amount insured less the slaughter value at the works.”Tel 0800 366 466www.fmg.co.nz

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30 ANIMAL HEALTH

DESPITE GREAT cow and pasture condition in spring, Lincoln Univer-sity dairy farm’s six-week in-calf rate slumped from 78% last year to 72% this year.

And judging by com-ments made by LIC’s Amy

Frampton to a focus day on the farm last month, it’s a common conun-drum.

“Why have we got this 6% drop in in-calf rate? I’ve been on lots of other farms trying to answer that question too,” she told the focus day crowd, urging them to work

through the eight slices of a fertility “cake” to iden-tify possible causes (see box).

In LUDF’s case, body condition was “fantastic at calving” and at mating only 4.6% of the herd was below body condition score (BCS) 4.0. Break-ing down in-calf rates by

BCS showed 76% of those at 4.5 in-calf at six weeks, 73% of those at 4.0 in-calf, and 60% of those at 3.5 or 5.0 in-calf.

“Girls in that 4.0 to 4.5 condition score range do very well reproductively,” Frampton stressed.

Looking at production didn’t reveal a link either.

“The high producing cows got in-calf well and were actually the best. They had a 77% six week in-calf rate at Lincoln compared to the average of 72%.”

Frampton admitted that with nothing “jump-ing out” as a cause from condition and production, they were starting to get

ANDREW SWALLOW

Clues to in-calf conundrum

frustrated but an “a-ha!” moment came when they analysed in-calf rates against calving date.

The medium calvers – those calving at three-six weeks from planned start of calving – were only 61% in-calf at six weeks, compared to 78% of the early calvers. That drop of 17 percentage points was well over the indus-try target of 10 points, and Lincoln’s 2013 eight-point drop.

“Also the concep-tion rate was 13 [percent-age points] lower than the early calvers’,” noted Frampton.

However, again there was no obvious reason why this group of cows were below par: they were in good condition, the weather was mild and they had plenty of high quality pasture.

Protein to fat ratio of milk didn’t show any abnormalities and retained membranes or still births were few in the group too. But when it came to dirty cows, a red flag went up. There was a 7.5% incidence compared to 1.5% the previous year.

“We’ve calculated those dirty cows pulled the whole herd concep-tion rate back 2%.”

So why so many dirty cows? Frampton sug-gested a slight deficiency

in selenium or calcium, both important in uterus cleansing, as possible causes.

One thing it certainly wasn’t, she added, was heat detection, as cows were bulling “long and strong” and the LUDF team did a “fantastic job” with submission rate being similar to 2013.

Summing up, Framp-ton said the analysis shows body condition at calving is critical and pre-serving body condition in late lactation is vital. “Try not to be too greedy. Don’t keep milking into June.”

That’s particularly important with some “scary looking” winter crops in Canterbury due to the drought. “You’ve got to know where you stand, what you’ve got available to feed.”

Feeding well during calving to keep appetite going is important and “health events” should be recorded for future refer-ence. If in-calf rates are over 70% then analysing performance by groups of cows, as they had at LUDF, could keep pushing repro-ductive performance. “The challenge is to work out who let you down.”

Tools such as LIC’s online Minda software could help. “Do use it, it does a lot of the work for you.”

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ANIMAL HEALTH 31

New technologies need to pump up protection

CAN WE get 32,000kg of milk out of a cow per annum? Could we achieve 200kg of beef gain in 100 days?

Those questions were asked by Alltech chief innovation officer Aidan Connolly at the company’s REBELa-tion Symposium in Kentucky.

Alltech is a biotechnology and leading animal nutrition company. Its core business is improving animal health and performance by adding nutritional value with innovative use of yeast fermentation, enzyme technology, algae and nutrigenomics which studies the impact of nutrition at genetic level.

Connolly told the symposium, attended by the Rural News, that clearly there is an efficiency issue with ruminant animals versus other animals. Ruminants appear to be not as efficient at converting food to pro-duction albeit different types of feed-stuffs are being consumed.

The genetic variation of rumi-nant animals is much greater than with other species such as chickens, he says. “The digestibility factor of evaluating how ruminant forages are digested is very variable as well and we need to be introducing new tech-nologies.”

He says ruminant producers should embrace new technologies and be faster and more adaptable in their businesses than anyone else.

Steps which can be taken include:Feed efficiency: Alltech is involved

in a system called vitro fermentation model (IFM). This allows real time analysis of what cows are consuming. It tracks digestion to show how those forages and feeds are digested in the rumen. Issues relating to rumen effi-ciency can be addressed immediately.

A sample showed a ‘before’ diet which was inefficiently digested. The diet was rebalanced by replacing blood meal with soya bean meal and Optigen (an Alltech product which is a non-protein nitrogen (NPN) source for ruminants) and using the IFM technique they increased milk pro-duction by 2.8kg/cow and intake by 0.45kg on a daily basis.

“This shows how we need to rec-reate what is happening in the rumen and predict and therefore change the diets to make it work,” says Connolly.

Carbon footprint: “Rather than looking at carbon footprint as being a problem for ruminant animals, we need to look at it as an opportunity,” he says. “If we can make that rumen work more efficiently, if we have less nutrient waste in the urine, we can make that ruminant animal more efficient and therefore make milk or

meat more efficiently produced. So this leads to a carbon calculator. The most exciting thing from this is we can make more money by address-ing this issue.”

Seed to beat: Covap is an ambi-tious and innovative (agricultural products) cooperative in Spain look-ing at feeding animals by controlling forages to guarantee the quality of the product. Alltech has developed a partnership with them and has seen improvements in the quality of food they are selling and also efficiency.

Technologies: “We see so many areas of the cow that should be moni-tored,” says Connolly. We should look at intake, body temperatures, fatness, locomotion, rumination and fertil-ity. “Many technologies are coming out – ear ties that can measure body temperature, rumen probes that can detect what is going on directly in the rumen feeding real-time information; we’ve seen monitors like cow bells round the neck of the cow allowing you to detect changes in daily tem-perature and therefore predict when ovulation is occurring and be much more accurate in insemination.

“That can feed into applications on the smartphone, again making us smarter as farmers and that efficiency is extremely important because of the [feed efficiency] gap we have.”

Connolly says we should start to imagine a world where we connect all these things together – genetic selec-tions, feed efficiency, productivity and sustainability.

But, he asks, will we drown in that data? Certainly the data will be too large to process by traditional means. But technologies are devel-oping which can look at visually rec-ognising the cow.

A smartphone can be held up

inside a barn, survey 50 cows, iden-tify the cows individually, and look for behaviour, locomotion and health issues. It will identify such things as lameness, acidosis or body tempera-ture.

“Consumers consistently tell us beef is too variable,” says Connolly. “They want something that is juicy and tasty, they want it to be healthy, but most of all they want it to be con-sistent. They are starting to throw in other words as well – they want it antibiotic free, they want improved shelf life and they want all that with-out compromising the cost of pro-duction.

“Is that too much to ask? Perhaps. I know Alltech has plenty of ideas for enriching that with selenium, DHA (an Omega 3 fatty acid) and algae.”

And there are other issues, such as the McDonalds’ move to antibiot-ics free, says Connolly. The industry is trying to understand what antibi-otics free means. It is increasingly affecting the industry and he named several American companies in a pro-cess of redefining what meat is and what they want to buy.

In conclusion, Connolly says per-haps ruminants are not the most efficient species. Perhaps we need to address more uniformity in terms of consistency of genetics and to under-stand better forages.

But by embracing new technolo-gies, the producer can improve and differentiate themselves from com-petitors.

“By leading the production of for-ages and the understanding of data involved with forages you can make yourself more efficient – the most efficient producers in your industry, and gain greater confidence and loy-alty from your customers.”

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Research has found that ruminants appear not to be as efficient as other animals at converting food into production.

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32 ANIMAL HEALTHNew TB test shows encouraging signsA NEW test for bovine TB developed by AgResearch is said to be attracting international attention.

Principal scientist Pro-fessor Bryce Buddle says it is early days yet, but they have encouraging prelim-

inary results from a trial which shows the potential for a more accurate and cost-effective diagnostic test in the battle against bovine TB.

“The current test used on New Zealand farms

often gives false positives, and a blood test is needed to confirm infection. We have developed a new skin test that has a similar sensitivity to the existing reagent bovine tuberculin, and fewer false positive

reactions in non-infected animals,” he says.

Buddle and colleagues at the Hopkirk Research Institute in Palmerston North have shown that by displaying three or four specific M. bovis proteins

Bryce Buddle undertaking a skin test.

on the surface of polyes-ter beads (bionanoparti-cles) — a cost-effective and more reliable skin test reagent for bovine TB can be produced.

The original beads technology, known as Bio-beads, was developed by Professor Bernd Rehm at Massey University. Pro-fessor Rehm is the chief science officer at the NZ biotechnology company PolyBatics Ltd, the com-pany that now owns the technology and is devel-oping products.

Buddle says the advan-tage of this approach is that the proteins have stronger immune responses when dis-played on very small par-ticles and can be used in a very low concentration; in addition, the Biobeads can be produced at low cost using fermentation tech-nology.

“This new reagent has the potential to be used in a TB diagnostic blood test as well as the human skin test for tuberculosis,”

he says.A large field trial is now

underway to estimate the sensitivity and specificity of the test compared with the existing bovine tuber-culin.

Already at least 30,000 cattle and 3000 deer have been tested, yield-ing encouraging results for specificity and signif-icantly fewer false pos-itives than for bovine tuberculin; the test is on track to deliver equivalent sensitivity.

Buddle says the new skin test reagent has attracted international attention and material has been supplied to the US Department of Agricul-ture and the UK Depart-ment for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for testing of the reagent for TB diagnosis in cattle.

This work is funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employ-ment as part of a five-year contract and PolyBatics Ltd is commercialising the new reagent.

SCOURGE OF ANIMALS, HUMANS

BOVINE TB is a chronic disease of animals caused by bacterium called Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis), which is closely related to the bacteria that cause human and avian tuberculosis. Bovine TB can affect most mammals, causing illness, coughing and even-tual death.

The disease is contagious and spread by contact with infected domestic and wild animals.

While the incidence of bovine TB has been greatly reduced in the developed world, significant pockets of infection remain in wildlife in NZ, UK and to a lesser extent the US and Canada, putting at risk livestock there.

Check out our websiteswww.ruralnews.co.nzwww.dairynews.co.nz

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SERVICE ALLEYSA11

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FIELDAYS INNOVATION

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C5B C5AC3C C3B C3A

C3C2

C1

R1R2

TRACTOR PULL AREA

FENCING

DEMONSTRATIONS

FENCING

COMPETITIONS

R122 R123 R124

N2

N1A

N1B

N1C

N1DN1E

KIWI’S BEST KITCHEN

O6

04

R110

O8 R73 R74 R75 R76 R77 R78

R109 R108

N5N3

N1

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O3O3A

N15N13

N11N9

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R53R54

R55R56

R51 R52

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O19O17

O18O16

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R3

R4

$

R6R7

R8R9 R10

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R40R39

R42R37

R43R36

R44R35A

R45R35

R46R73

R47R34A

R48

E32 E30 E28 E26 E24 E22E20 E18

F33F31 F29 F27 F25

F17 F15F13

E16 E14 E12

F23 F21 F19

F9AF9

F11AF11

F8F6

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A STREET

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NZ NATIONAL FIELDAYS 37

Fieldays looking beyond dairyTHE NATIONAL Fieldays wants greater engagement with agriculture sectors not associated with dairy.

Chief executive Jon Calder says the event has “a strong dairy bias” and moves are underway to connect more with the red meat, horticulture and arable sectors.

Nearly half (42%) of the visitors to the annual four-day event are related to dairy, according to a survey by the National Fieldays; about 32% of visitors are either sheep or beef-related or both.

Calder says while the dairy and sheep/beef balance is “not massively out of kilter, there is a strong dairy bias, partly because of our history and geo-graphical location,” he told Rural News. “So we’re looking to connect a lot more with horticulture and red meat sectors, and with the arable sector.”

Meat Industry Association chairman Bill Falconer is now on the National Fieldays Society board.

Calder says there are no plans to have a separate event for the red meat sector; it will start as an extension of

Fieldays.The 2015 National Fiel-

days starts June 10 and Calder expects “business as usual” despite the downturn in milk payouts.

“Hopefully we can bring the customers; with the current eco-nomic climate and low dairy payout perhaps there could be a reduction in spending. But the three regional field days leading up to the National Fiel-days [have shown] some posi-tive signs.

“Our farmers are running large businesses and there’s a lot of forward planning. Look at the advancement in technology and systems over the last five years: our farmers are keeping up with that, so if they are not here to buy they are certainly here to learn and look at products they are looking to procure over the next 12 months.”

A lot of sales leads are generated at Fieldays, Calder points out. Sales are made in the weeks and months follow-ing.

He is hoping for 130,000 visitors but

points out that visitor numbers fluctu-ate; weather has a greater impact on turnout.

Calder says visitor numbers is just one matrix, “certainly not the most important one”.

“We have 980 companies exhibit-ing with us and we make sure we design

and build the best event for them to be successful. That’s our main focus, plus a great experience for the people who visit us during the Fieldays.

“Getting 130,000 people would be nice; it means we would have a whole lot in the kitty.”

All exhibitor sites were sold out by

January; the challenge now is to bring people to the exhibitors.

Last year the National Fieldays Society put at least $200,000 back into the agri-cultural sector via scholar-ships, grants and donations. The board wants to grow that amount, Calder says. “The financial success of Fieldays isn’t just for turning a surplus, it’s to give us more for good work.”

This year the society has spent $1.6 million on improve-ments to Mystery Creek includ-ing, notably, filling in the lake beside the main pavilion, taking nearly 90,000m3 of earth. This has added 34 sites t0 that area. Another 70 sites have been cre-ated in the tractor and machin-

ery area.Calder believes the event will look

and feel different. “Our physical foot-print has expanded.

“Traditionally about 94% of the event’s footprint has been agricul-tural and 6% rural living; but the new

SUDESH KISSUN

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TO PAGE 38

Fieldays chief executive John Calder admits the event had a strong dairy bias and is looking to move it away from this.

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38 NZ NATIONAL FIELDAYS

VISITORS FROM at least 30 countries are registered to attend the Fieldays.

Fieldays chief executive Jon Calder says 17 Irish companies are exhibiting products as part of an Enterprise Ire-land contingent. And 80 farmers and agribusiness leaders are coming from Australia.

“We’ve got interest from countries

as far away as Pakistan, Romania and Poland,” he says.

Calder says the Fieldays is giving New Zealand farming global exposure.

“New Zealand agriculture is on dis-play in one place at one time. Agricul-ture has been a success story for us so we take a lot of pride in showing it off to the rest of the world.”

INTERNATIONAL VISITORS KEEN TO COME

layout has shifted agri-culture up to 95% and 5% is for rural living. This is an important step; we are conscious that while life-style products appeal to everybody, we are an agri-cultural event.”

The Fieldays will also have new seminar rooms. National Fieldays Soci-ety and Federated Farm-ers are teaming up to hold seminars there on topics “exciting and relevant to what’s going on in the agriculture sector now,” Calder says.

Prime Minister John Key is expected to be the chief guest at the offi-cial opening on June 10. Calder refuses to confirm this but says support from the Government has been “fantastic”.

“Last year we had seven or eight cabinet minis-ters in addition to the PM, he says.

Beyond dairy

FROM PAGE 37

On track for more powerBUILDING ON 18 years experience of indepen-dent track technology gained from its Quadtrac tractors, Case IH recently launched the Magnum Rowtrac models in New Zealand.

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configuration by using proven Case IH oscillat-ing rear track systems, combined with a conven-tional row-crop tyre on the front of the machine. This layout delivers power to the ground in the tight-est turns, and ensures good manoeuvrability and control.

Rowtrac tractors are available with a wide vari-

ety of row spacing and belt options to suit all sit-uations, says the prod-uct manager for high horsepower tractors, Pete McCann.

“Reports from the US suggest that they offer a better ride than typical twin track-only systems, while the flotation pro-vided by the rear tracks allows users to get onto

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the ground sooner in the season without creating ruts or causing compac-tion.”

Power comes from a 6-cylinder FPT engine of 8.7L coupled to a CVT transmission in the 380hp model, or a full power-shift system in the 340hp, with CVT as an indent option.

The rear end is differ-ent and there is a choice of standard or suspended axles at the front and the option of standard or new universal wide front axles. The UW axle adapts fully to all row spacings and adjusts for all tyre widths.

Says McCann, “The Magnum Rowtrac offers

key advantages over its competitors, such as minimal soil distur-bance, four points of con-tact with the ground for increased flotation, less compaction and maxi-mum traction, which combine to offer better timeliness in achieving optimal planting dates.”www.caseih.com/anz/en

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Fieldays a major economic playerA REPORT on the eco-nomic impact of Fieldays 2014 shows the impor-tance of the event to New Zealand’s primary sector, says Mystery Creek events centre chief executive Jon Calder.

Prepared by the Uni-versity of Waikato, the report says Fieldays has evolved into a major player in assuring New Zealand’s economic future, and is a platform unrivalled for showcasing New Zealand agricultural expertise and world lead-ership.

Fieldays’ mission is to advance agriculture and the growing success of the 46-year-old event is some-thing Calder is incredibly proud of.

“Fieldays measure of success is more than just numbers of visitors through the gate, or the number of sites we sell,” says Calder.

“Having quantifi-able data that demon-strates how the event creates value for our cus-tomers exhibiting, for the region, and New Zealand as a nation is how we truly measure our success.

“In addition to the sales made by our custom-ers exhibiting at Fieldays,

the flow on effects to the region through accommo-dation, hospitality, trans-port and employment are significant.”

Calder says the organ-isation is focused on growing Fieldays and leveraging New Zealand’s position as a world leader in agribusiness to make the event a ‘go-to’ agri-business event on the global stage.

He also highlights the importance of Fieldays international strategy and how it complements the organisation’s strategic direction.

“The growth we are seeing in international visitors, delegations and companies wanting to exhibit at Fieldays rein-forces our growing status as a global agribusiness event.

“International visi-tors create new opportu-nities for our customers and through the interna-tional relationships and networks we are building we can now start to create reciprocal opportunities for our export customers to exhibit and participate in agri events offshore.”

But Fieldays’ interna-tional focus is secondary; it has created new exhi-

bition space to allow new exhibitors and expansion by existing customers this year. Minister of Primary Industries Nathan Guy says he’s a regular visitor to Fieldays and highlights its importance in the New Zealand agriculture land-scape.

“I’ve been coming [to Fieldays] for a number of years and I’m always blown away by the tech-nology and innovation

on display. Fieldays also plays a big part in helping connect rural and urban

Kiwis, showing off what’s best about the primary industries,” he says.

“The primary indus-tries make up around 73% of our merchandise

exports, helping pay for things like schools, hospi-tals and roads.”

National Fieldays is a major player in assuring New Zealand’s economic future.

73 Preston Street, Invercargill Ph: 03 215 8558 | Email: [email protected]

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Fastest fencer to hang up his pliersONE OF competitive fencing’s living leg-ends will step down from singles competi-tion at this year’s Wiremark Golden Pliers at the National Fieldays.

Former national and international champion Nick Liefting plans to retire from competitive singles fencing after this year’s competition to focus on help-ing young competitors.

After 40 years of competing – and two weeks after his 60th birthday – Liefting will contest his last event almost certain in the knowledge that he will be the first competitor to finish.

“I told the guys after I won my second Wiremark Golden Pliers in 1997 that if anybody could beat me to the end of the line then I’d retire. Last year, I think I was 40 minutes faster than the next compet-itor so I should be able to go out with a bang.”

Liefting first entered the competition in 1975, at the suggestion of another con-tractor, qualifying for the Silver Spades doubles finals and for the Golden Pliers singles finals.

He has watched the sport grow from

one competition at the National Fieldays to a range of events all across the coun-try filled with highly competitive fencers of all ages.

“There’s a good turnout at all the regionals,” Liefting says. “The quality is high; it’s getting to the point where the only way to tell the difference is a spirit level and a tape measure.”

And while there are speedsters coming up through the ranks of younger competi-tors, some are saying it may be difficult to keep up with Liefting’s pace.

The South Auckland fencer has been first in 28 of the 40 years he has competed, beating competitors half his age. He once finished in the finals 90 minutes ahead of his nearest competitor.

Hawkes Bay fencing contractor and 14-time Wiremark Golden Pliers winner Paul Van Beers says Liefting brings a big element of excitement to the competi-tion. “He keeps the element of speed in the competition.”

Liefting has had more than his fair share of wins, taking home the Wiremark Golden Pliers award in 1986 and 1997, win-

ning the double Silver Spades competition four times and being named world cham-pion in 2008, at age 53.

Taking part in the Wiremark Golden Pliers has opened up opportunities in New Zealand and around the world, he says. And gym training and half marathons keep him in shape for competitions.

Liefting admits the sport has taken its toll on joints and muscles. “I got a titanium knee 18 months ago and had a shoulder reconstruction one year ago. It’s not get-ting any easier.”

But he’s not quitting fencing. He plans to spend his free time running workshops and entering regional competitions in two-man teams with young fencers looking to get into the sport.

Competition heats at this year’s Fiel-days will be held on the Monday June 8 .The Bill Schuler Novice Round final will be held on Wednesday June 10, the Wire-mark Golden Pliers Championship finals on Thursday June 11 and Fieldays Silver Spades Championship finals on Friday June 12.

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Nick Liefting plans to retire from competitive fencing after this year’s Fieldays competition.

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ALAN HITCHCOCK’S farm at Te Poi, on the Mata-mata—Tauranga road, is the site of the Forsi Innova-tions prototype effluent system.

Hitchcock had previously dealt with Forsi Innova-tions, which also runs a water filtration business.

His farm, 155ha (eff.) of flat land, is about to start its third season in his ownership, wintering 480 cows.

“When we arrived we knew our effluent disposal was marginal and we had to do something about it,” he says.

The flat farm has a high water table and had many paddocks humped and hollowed. Because these drain to a waterway, spreading more liquid effluent was not an option.

The Forsi containerised effluent system was running for a short time before the herd was dried off.

Says Hitchcock, “When you see [dirty] mate-rial going in and crystal clear water coming out you are seeing a major breakthrough in treating dairy effluent.”Tel 021 685 411www.forsi.co.nz

DIRTY IN, CLEAR OUT

Plug ‘n’ play effluent treatment for launch at FieldaysEFFLUENT TREAT-MENT in a 40ft shipping container is out there now, from Forsi Innova-tions, Matamata, and will be publicly unveiled at National Fieldays.

A prototype has been running on a dairy farm at Te Poi.

The system enables dairy farmers to comply with all dairy effluent and water consent regulations well into the future, says managing director Terry Hawes.

“We’ve been work-ing on this for some years and now have a system we believe will be fully com-pliant and need no expen-sive ponds and irrigation systems. Our checks show that the water is close to New Zealand drinking water standards so it can be irrigated with no per-mits needed,” says Forsi operations manager Craig Hawes.

Central to the system’s effectiveness is a screen separator of Forsi’s own design.

“We were not happy with the commercial

screens available and the results they delivered. Our screens extract more solids and are self-clean-ing either automatically or manually.”

The system takes effluent from the cow-shed, through separation screens and the contain-erised processing plant, producing clean, clear, pathogen-free water ideal for yard washing or irri-gating to pasture, the company says.

Solids extracted during primary screen-ing are bunkered for later

spreading. And the solids extracted during second-ary (fine) screening inside the container – referred to as ‘chocolate mousse’ because of its texture – may either be added to the primary-screened solids or further treated separately and kept apart for other uses. It has higher nutrient concen-tration than the primary-screened material.

In operation, efflu-ent from shed and yard first passes through a sand trap, then through a Forsi-designed primary screen

TONY HOPKINSON

separator outside the container, then through

screen separation (For-si’s own design) inside the customised container, then through final pro-cessing – ozone tanks and a UV treatment that ren-ders the water potable quality, Forsi says.

Only one day of work is needed to connect the container to external piping and electricity.

“Processing will con-sume only 8kW power. Cost benefits are obvious when you compare that with the 20kW and bigger motors to run stirrers and pumping motors, plus the labour needs; then there’s the elimination of land-wasting effluent ponds.”

Terry Hawes and the prototype effluent treatment system.

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42 NZ NATIONAL FIELDAYSAll-in-one dairy vat controller, monitorDAIRY AUTOMATION and refrigeration systems will be prominent on the Tru-Test site, as will livestock elec-tronic ID and weighing equip-ment, says Verne Atmore, New Zealand sales and mar-keting manager.

The dairy gear will include the recently released VatMan-ager all-in-one vat controller and monitor.

Tru-Test Group, after 50 years of farming innovation and manufacture, “has inno-vation deeply embedded in its philosophy, and strives

to seek out and encour-age creative thinking, drive innovation internally and commercialise great ideas from farmers,” Atmore says.

“The company looks con-stantly at better ways to help farmers optimise their assets. Grassroots innovation has been [our foundation] since

Waikato dairy farmer John Hartstone came up with his idea in 1963 on how to sample milk.”

Atmore suggests farmers “come and talk to us about what can make a difference to productivity onfarm. We can help with NAIT requirements and managing data integra-tion.

“We can clarify what’s happening with MPI’s new cooling regulations for raw milk and how to invest wisely in dairy refrigeration to minimise the risk of having

milk rejected. “And we can show you

options for identifying best producers, managing mating, drying off and culling to get the best out of a dairy herd, and growing out young stock well to optimise genetic input. The advice is free and can save money.”

The company is again sponsoring the Grassroots Innovation Award, an award seen as a ‘launch pad’ for many Kiwi inventions and ideas. www.trutest.co.nz

THE ANNUAL toil of calf rearing just got easier with the launch of a ‘premium’ mobile calf feeder range designed to save time, money and effort, says the developer, Stallion Plastics.

The new ‘2020 MG and OT mobile feeder range’ has been created to make easier the back-bending, time-consum-ing work of calf rearing, says chief execu-tive Grant Allen – himself a dairy farmer.

“We’ve spent a lot of time talking to seasoned dairy farmers and I look at what works – and what doesn’t – on my own farm. In particular, we get feedback from time-challenged farming women heavily involved in calf rearing and cleaning feeding equipment,” says Allen.

Key features of the new range of eight different models includes: new larger 500 and 1000L tanks, redesign of

tanks for easier cleaning, lower inspec-tion visibility with repositioned side access and new larger tank lids with three-way locking system (more acces-sible and built to withstand high wind).

The trailer units have greater stabil-ity from their lower centre of gravity and their frames are stronger, heavier gauge galvanised steel.

The washing systems are ‘click and

clean’ and new easy-to-turn Hansen taps are great for cold, tired hands.

New outer plastic coatings repel dirt and are easy to clean.

All are in stores nationwide from June 1. Launching at Fieldays will be a new larger 2.5L feeder bottle and a new goat feeder range.Tel. 0508 688 688www.stallion.co.nz

CALF FEEDER TO SAVE TIME AND MONEY

ENTRIES HAVE closed for the Fiel-days No.8 Wire National Art Award.

National Fieldays and Waikato Museum are looking to the arts community for No.8 wire innova-tion, offering a first prize of $8000.

Fieldays head of events Lee Picken says the award draws on an iconic farm product and translates this through talent and ingenuity into an art form.

“Entries must be 75% No.8 wire which leaves scope for other mate-rials to be combined with wire to create a winning artwork. This award promotes ingenuity and takes everyday practical agricul-tural products into the art gallery.”

Last year Fieldays doubled the first prize money to $8000 and the award was won by Te Awamutu mother and son Nick and Dagmar Elliot with Rustic Hinaki.

The contest is longstanding at Fieldays and culminates in a month-long exhibition: the final-ists’ work will be on show June 5-29 at ArtsPost Galleries & Shop, Hamilton.

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NEW FEATURES on 2015-16 Krone Swardro swathers will enhance their reputation for good performance, low running costs and long working life, says local distributor Tulloch Farm Machines.

Their maintenance free rotors and rotor gearboxes have Duramax cam tracks backed by a three-year manu-facturer’s warranty.

The new features will ensure even better performance on New Zealand paddocks, Tulloch says.

A new tine design has a profile progressively curved from the tip and along its full length, to lift crop gently and minimise losses, and to eliminate soil contamination thereby improv-ing crop quality. It also causes min-imal damage to the sward, resulting in faster re-growth and potential for higher forward speeds to boost daily outputs.

An upgrade to the chassis uses 5mm framing, and a re-designed axle transmits less load onto the main frame, helping reduce transport or storage height to 4m maximum. An

optional tine folding kit reduces this height even further.

The fully pivoting rotors use the maker’s Jet Effect rotor which com-bines with the Tridem undercarriage to cause the rear bogies to ‘touch down’ first, followed by the front wheels when lowering and the reverse

when lifting. This averts contamina-tion from tines hitting the ground, particularly on headland turns.

The swathers are available in either TS (side delivery) or TC (centre delivery) formats, in operat-ing widths 6.2 to 8.8m.www.tulloch.co.nz

FENCING SYSTEMS manufacturer Strainrite has used clever design and modern manufacturing technology to refine an old concept, and introduce the Tangle Free electric fence standard.

The standard has a specially moulded pigtail loop insulator with no internal wire, thereby eliminating the risk of electrical shorts that ocurr when insulators wear through.

Made from UV stabilised, wear resistant polymer to withstand harsh New Zealand conditions, the stan-dard’s poly-wire/tape makes them easy to install and reduces the risk of wire/tape ‘falling out’ a fence line is being moved.

The moulded profile of the loop has no sharp edges, so minimises any chafing, and the narrow tape open-ing prevents the annoyance of heads ‘interlocking’ – common with standard designs, the company says.

Available in 6mm light, 6mm long and 7mm heavy-duty sizes, all the standards have galvanised spring steel shafts and a galvanised pressed steel foot, said to be stronger than mild steel or plastic.

Strainrite general manager Brian Collins says “the concept of a loop

top pigtail has been around for many years.

“We’ve listened to users around the country to come up with this new design and we see the Tangle Free offering giving more choice to farm-ers.”www.robeng.co.nz

NEW TAKE ON OLD DESIGNBetter performance promised

Tulloch says the new Krone Swadro swathers will perform better on New Zealand paddocks.

Tangle free electric fence.

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44 NZ NATIONAL FIELDAYSDon’t fence me in

No need to stop for this gate

FOR THE second time, Taragate Ltd will be the principle sponsor of the fencing demonstration area.

This site is a must if you’re inter-ested in fencing. It will be the place to go to get free advice and to have a chance to win “exciting” prizes.

For the first time, a selection of tractor driven postdrivers will show what these machines can do at the all new ‘driving range’.

Three professional fencers will be available each day from 9am to 4pm to answer questions, and to demonstrate how to approach any fencing job.

Demonstrations will include post footing, stays, fence repairs and more. Each day a programme of the day’s activities will be displayed at the front of the site.

A full range of fences – organic, electric, post and batten, netting, post and rail, and more – will be on display.

Small competitions will be staged and visitors may enter a draw to win a 200cc go-kart.

The fencing demonstration area is hosted by Taragate with support from Eurocorp, Permapine and Farmlands.

A GOLIATH version of the Ride Over Gate (ROG) will show on the Innovations site and at the Wrangler site.

The ROG, launched 2011, can be driven over by a quad, ute or even a tractor, without letting stock through.

Now comes the maker’s new Goliath Gate.

The gate opens with just a nudge from a bike or four-wheeler, closing when the vehi-cle has passed. And it suits mobile feeding troughs and mobile calf feeders.

It’s ideal for high-traffic areas and beside houses and sheds, as a

backup to a road gate or for get-ting in and out of paddocks.

But ‘full-size’ vehicles – utes, tractors, even farm trailers – posed a challenge, hence the new model.

The Goliath Gate is wider (4, 4.3 or 4.6m options) and much taller so that a vehicle’s front wheels remain on the gate, hold-ing it down, as the rear wheels drive onto it.

Instead of a large steel struc-ture, long, flexi fibreglass rods are used so as not to damage the vehicle that is crossing. A small steel section on one side allows 4-wheelers to cross. The Goli-

ath can withstand heavy loads because the gate lies supported on the ground while the vehicle crosses.

Thomas Chatfield, Otakiri, drives a tractor and feedout wagon over a Goliath Gate sev-eral times a day at his wintering barn – driving straight in with-out having to get off to open the gate. And because the cows will not try to cross, he doesn’t have to thread his way through them.

Robert Cleland, Paroa Stud, has installed a Goliath on his main tractor thoroughfare, and drives his ute over the gate with-out having to consider stock.

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A NEW roll-up tonneau cover – called Advantage – from Best Bars uses a ‘clever’ alloy frame fixed to the top of the well-side tray with specially designed brackets to lock it into place; it doesn’t require holes drilled into the sides of the vehicle.

Removable ribs inside the cover keep it taut, providing a smart and attractive appearance, and keeping the weather at bay, says John Frear, the company’s sales and marketing

manager.The cover

simply rolls up when the ribs are removed and stored behind the cab for load-ing or transport-ing tall or bulky items. Elastic straps keep the rolled up cover tightly in place while driving. The material used

is a heavy-duty vinyl, which still retains its soft feel, even

though it is tough.

“The new cover combines

the flexi-bility of tradi-

tional fabric covers, but without the need to

drill unsightly holes in the side of the vehicle to install hooks for

bungy cords,” Frear says. “The frame holds the cover

firmly in place and it’s easy to unclip and roll back to allow access to the full cargo space, while the supporting frame pre-vents stretching or wear.

“Installation is a breeze for ‘under rail’ liners and only minor modifications needing to be made to the liner if they are the ‘over rail’ type.” www.bestbars.co.nz

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■ Front-axle suspension option on 4-cylinder models

■ Optional cab suspension available on all models

■ Visio or standard roof choice to suit a wide range of tasks

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■ Loader-ready-from-factory option includes a huge range of features to enhance ease of fitting, use and control.

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MF 5600 SERIES FEATURES

The MF 561 unloading hay bales.

Loader-ready tractors to go on show

FIVE NEW, 3- and 4-cylinder MF 5600 series models from Massey Ferguson are purpose built to deliver exactly the right specification for the 85-120hp sector.

The new MF 5600 series are built ‘loader ready’: models come with a factory-fitted sub-frame and a wide range of novel features and controls to ease and enhance operation.

Available in three power sizes (85-100hp), the 3-cylinder 5600 models are powered by AGCO Power engines and are based on the current 2.4m wheelbase chassis. Available with the maker’s Essential specifi-cation cabs, these models all have the simple, reliable Dyna-4 16x16 transmission.

The larger 110hp and 120hp models again use AGCO Power engines, but in a 4-cylinder configuration with a new larger 2.55m chassis. These two models are available in Essential cab specification with a Dyna-4 transmission, while the Efficient specification upgrade comes with the Dyna-6 24x24 transmission. Both the Essential and Efficient models have the completely new front axle suspension option designed and manufac-tured by Massey Ferguson.

With maximum (ISO) power of 85, 95, 105, 110 and 120hp, the MF 5600 series offers a choice to meet all customers’ specific requirements in this important market sector which appears to be expanding rapidly.

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SPANISH FLAIR ADDEDORIGIN AGROUP Ltd, the recently appointed New Zealand distributor of Gascon International products, will have them on show at Fieldays.

Gascon, founded in 1870, is located in Huesca, Spain, where it makes a range of cultivation machin-ery. It is said to be regarded as among the most reliable companies in the sector and as one of the largest

makers of disc harrows in Europe. All Gascon machines are designed

for reliability and low operating costs, and meet ISO 9001 certification for manufacture.

Products include disc harrows with V-shape offsets and X-shape tandems with working widths from 3m fixed frames up to 6m hydrau-lic folding versions. They also make

specialised disc harrows for vineyards and orchards.

Besides disc harrows, Gascon also makes for deep sub-soilers – V-shape subsoilers, straight line subsoilers in three rows, subsoiling ploughs, cul-tivators, vibro cultivators, tine har-rows, and chisel cultivators.Tel. 07 823 7582www.originagroup.co.nz

Improvement focus for farmer co-operativeHELPING FARMERS raise produc-tivity and prosperity will be the focus of LIC’s two sites.

In addition to its main site the co-op will have another for its newly formed subsidiary business LIC Automation.

Chief executive Wayne McNee says both will focus on farm improve-ment, the LIC Automation site dis-playing automation and sensor technology systems from Protrack and DAL.

The co-op will show every-thing it has to offer “that can help our farmers improve their prosper-ity and productivity,” McNee says. “And it will celebrate some of the industry’s success, and how much improvement our shareholders have achieved.

“The rapid growth of the dairy industry for 100 years is a great suc-cess story. Farmers have… made the most of new technologies from LIC that help them farm more efficiently. We think Fieldays is a great opportu-

nity to recognise that.”LIC will have knowledgeable staff

on both sites, ready to discuss the co-op’s services and solutions, and talk about the challenges they are cur-rently facing.

“These conversations give us the insights to understand what our farmers need from us, so we can develop and deliver the right solu-

tions,” McNee says.New gear on display will include

an automated heat detection system for herringbone dairy sheds and a new smartphone app to record and review health treatments, plus tenta-tive bull teams for the 2015-16 season, online tools to improve herd repro-duction and developments in short gestation genetics.

LIC chief Wayne McNee.

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BREAKING NEWS

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AN APP downloadable free to Android and iOS devices will put Fieldays navigation and news at visitors’ fingertips.

The app, using iBeacon technology, comes in English, Chinese, French, German, and Spanish.

Marketing manager Rebecca Wylie says it is a “huge advance that will enhance visitors’ experience, putting their fingers on the pulse”.

“They can create their own schedule for visiting favourite suppliers or view-ing favourite events, receive notifications via the iBea-cons on site, pin to the map where their car is parked, find their friends and check the weather.

“The news section lets users choose to receive the latest Fieldays news direct to their phone, and there’s a social media function. With this, visitors, exhibitors and media have access to Fiel-days Instagram, Twitter and Facebook feeds, tap into the

‘FieldaysNZ’ hashtag and capture and share their own moments with the Fieldays camera.

“We’re proud to be able to

roll out something so user-friendly and innovative out to our customers.”Fieldays App features

Point of interest: find the closest food vendors, first aid, and other essentials. View event information such as gate opening times, and ticket prices.

Proximity-based messag-ing: relevant to the location of users, the app delivers con-tent, offers and information that visitors want.Fieldays weather

Fieldays map: allows users to see

their location relative to points of interest rep-resented by pins. Keep track of where their car

is by dropping a pin on their map in the app.

Friend-finder: users can share their location

with Facebook friends who have the app on their phone.

Fieldays schedule: lets users see what’s happen-ing –

seminars, demonstra-tions, Rural Bachelor heats, etc. Users can create an itin-erary for their time at Fiel-days.

Fieldays exhibitors’s tag: users can view all 900 exhib-its and get a rundown of what each offers and where to find them.



FIELDAYS AT FINGERTIPS‘Handypiece’ cuts the mustardHANDYPIECE HAS introduced a portable shearing handpiece useful for farms and lifestyle properties.

At 100g lighter than a stan-dard handpiece and with power to burn, it also has variable speed from 2400-3500rpm.

Powerful, brushless motor technology means there is no more heat build-up than you would get from a traditional wall powered plant. Users are reported as saying it has as much power power as a mains-powered unit.

During trials on all types of sheep, Golden Shears finalists Arron Haynes and Murray Hen-derson were down to one minute per sheep.

In practice, when used for dagging, crutching and cows’ tails, the unit runs well at about a mid-speed of 2700rpm. And in shearing it achieves a nice cut when wound up to its maximum 3500rpm.

Alpaca shearers will welcome a traditional handpiece slim to hold and speed reducible to that of a clipper.

The unit comes with a lith-ium battery, battery charger, belt,

holster and pouch all made from heavy duty leather, a 5m extension cord and a purpose designed carry bag.

Visit Innovations area or see: www.handypiece.co.nz

David Fagan knocked out a fleece in 24 seconds using the Handypiece-Pro.

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Fendt upgrades 700 Vario seriesThe Fendt 700 Vario (145-240hp) has undergone major upgrades, the distributor reports.

These include a new, improved engine that can drive implements at lower engine speed for unrivalled efficiency, new wipers with a 300 degree wiping field for greater visibility, and LED headlights with levelling.

The 6.06L 6-cylinder engine with common rail and SCR technology results in fuel efficient tractors that comply with the Tier 4 Final emissions standards using exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and a coated soot filter (CSF).

A new 4-speed (540/540E/1000/1000E) PTO system also gives the operator a wider choice to ensure economical operation.

Further upgrades to the 700 series include a dual-circuit braking system whereby drivers only need operate one brake pedal which is 100% compressed air-based. The single-wheel brake found in previous

models, which offers high maneuverability, is still available as an option.

The 700 Series also offers a larger hydraulic pump as an option to meet extra demand for high oil flows.

The driver is not forgotten either, with a new front wiper with a large wipe angle of 300 degrees, a new steering column switch and a spray nozzle integrated into the wiper arm. These

improvements offer a wide, unobstructed view to the wheel arches and the front mounting area.

New optional LED lights ensure good visibility dipped and main beams have the latest Bi-LED lamps with headlamp leveling; the work lights and corner lights are also LED.

Other features: a new Varioterminal 10.4-B with a new terminal holder, new touch technology and an LCD display with LED backlight; VarioGuide automatic steering, VarioDoc documentation, Isobus implement control, camera functions and a greater Bluetooth range. www.fendt.com.au.

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INNOVATION IN dairy technology from the GEA equipment range will include WestfaliaSurge and Milfos milking equipment, Houle effluent handling equipment and Norbco barn systems.

GEA is working with Calder Stew-art Rural Buildings to build Norbco barns and its Fieldays site will have a partial section of a Norbco barn.

GEA capital equipment North Island sales manager Adam Frank-lin says the barn structure is aimed at giving site visitors a sense of scale and dimension, incorporating bails and a Houle scraper system.

“With interest increasing in barn housing systems, we want to give farmers a better sense of the barn ‘experience’ and what sort of dimen-sions cows enjoy, and the type of equipment that integrates into a barn environment specifically designed for cow comfort.”

The company is also exhibiting its Houle slope screen separator, with a

screen shape and design that has no moving parts, keeping maintenance simple and minimal.

GEA’s high compression XScrew press will be displayed for the first time, intended for dairy effluent output with higher than average solids content.

The company’s dairy hygiene divi-sion FIL will present its ‘Quality Milk’ programme – a simple, two step for-mula where a clean dairy + healthy cows = quality milk.

The programme links FIL’s new dairy detergents with udder health treatments including Teatshield and Iodoshield teat sprays.

A display of Milfos iCORE milk-ing technology will show how the system can be upgraded and future-proofed for matching to the level of data capture that best suits a farmer, “safe in the knowledge that if they wish to move up another level they do not have to install a completely new system to do so”.

Although the MIOne robotic milker may not physically be on site, a video feed from a farm installa-

tion will show the level of innovative technology in the MIOne system. The latest robotic arm will also be on dis-

play, showing how simply it operates and its focus on udder health.www.gea-farmtechnologies.com



Milfos rotary display will show the iCORE technology featured in this dairy, including iPUD display units with heads-down display.

Dairy barn will have milking and handling equipment on display

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Gallagher promises more zap!GALLAGHER WILL unveil its most powerful-ever energiser, a robust “supremely portable” strip grazing unit and a clever little dual purpose insulated handle.

The M10,000i Energizer packs a whopping 100 joules of stored energy to provide plenty of power over longer distances, says national sales manager Peter Nation.

“Combining sheer brute force with incredible intelligence, the unit delivers advanced monitoring capabilities to give farmers peace of mind their animals are where they should be.

“A controller unit monitors performance and highlight any faults in the fencing system, and can be positioned up to 50m from the main Energizer in a conveniently accessed and highly visible location.”

Optional accessories include a remote controller that enables the farmer to quickly locate faults within a monitored zone, turn the Energizer on or off remotely, and test a fence once a repair is completed.

Also new to the Gallagher fencing range is the S10 Solar Energizer. Perfect for strip grazing, this robust and highly portable unit makes a great alternative to battery-powered systems, says Nation.

“We’ve put it through its paces in testing. The super tough casing is drop resistant and waterproof. And it’s effective even for areas of lower sunshine as it will continue to operate for up to three weeks without sun.”

The company has also extended their range of ring top posts by adding a new 728mm version that’s ideal for farmers who prefer a slightly lower fence height. Made from heavy duty glass-fibre nylon, the head eliminates the risk of shorting and makes it easier to handle and erect standards.

Also on the site will be two portable fencing handles – insulated and dual purpose.

The connection hook of both these products has a ring top design to ensure the handle will not bounce off the fence wire. These handles can be attached to poly wire or poly tape using a simple loop.

A streamlined design makes it easy to wind the handle in through pasture, and a large moulded hand grip avoids

the risk of shock to the user.

The dual purpose handle has extra connection points,

allowing farmers to safely liven the fence from either the reel or handle end.www.gallagher.co.nz

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World leading performance!You can check out our range of world leading brands this year at Fieldays®. This includes the New Zealand launch of the new Kawasaki Z7 wheel loader range.

We’ll also have a selection of Kobelco products on display. Kobelco is a world leader in fuel-efficient and emissions-efficient excavators that meet the toughest environmental standards. The Kobelco range features compact and heavy excavator models, plus models designed to increase productivity by working long hours without refuelling.

Visit us at sites I12 & I14 at Fieldays® for the New Zealand launch of the new Kawasaki Z7 wheel loader range.

Rural-News_Fieldays2015.indd 1 25/05/2015 2:04:17 p.m.



Claas Cargos 8000 series will debut at the Fieldays.

OFFERINGS FROM some of Europe’s leading farm machinery manufacturers, including Claas, Amazone, JCB and Fliegl, will be on display at the Claas Har-vest Centre display.

General manager retail, Roger Nehoff, says the introduction of the Axion 800 Cmatic series means the German manufacturer now offers CVT technol-ogy on 15 models from 145hp to 410hp.

“The new Axion 900, Axion 800 and Arion 600/500 series have been well received by local pro-ducers and the availabil-ity of the optional Cmatic transmission will increase their popularity,” Nehoff says.

“With four-point cab suspension, smart onboard technology and a range of options that allow customers to con-figure their tractor exactly

as they want it, these are comfortable and versatile machines.”

Making its NZ debut is the Claas Cargos 8000 series of ‘compact’ dual-purpose forage loader/transport wagons.

“With a loading volume of 30-41 cubic meters, these three new models have about 20% less capacity than the 9000 series and are just the right size for local conditions,” Nehoff says. “Importantly, all three models can be converted from a high performance loader wagon to a forage transport wagon in 15 minutes. Removing the loader unit allows the wagon to be used for transporting other materials throughout the year, and it increases the wagon’s capacity by three tonnes.”

The new Claas Disco

mowers and mower-con-ditioners come in 28 new models with oper-ating widths from 2.6 to 9.1m. These include the Disco 9200 front-and-rear mower-conditioner com-bination, which won a Machine of the Year award at the SIMA agricultural expo in Paris.

All models have the new Max Cut cutter-bar, whose one-piece, wave-shaped bar support allows the cutting disc modules to be set much further forward than before. In combination with the specially formed wear inserts, this creates an enlarged cutting area and ensures optimal cutting quality, efficiency and durability under all conditions.

New at Fieldays will be the Fliegl ADS120 push-off spreader wagon, which enables fast and efficient

Classy range of gear on show

spreading of manure. It holds 14 cubic metres (12 tonnes), and has a low centre of gravity for opti-mum stability. Features include a hydraulically adjustable drawbar and an optional tailgate which enables it to be used as a push-off trailer.

The site will also dis-play the latest spreading technology from Ama-

zone, “ZA-TS mounted and super capacity ZG-TS trailed models that set industry benchmarks for precision, efficiency and operational ease,” Nehoff says.

The latest models have integrated weigh-cell and tilt sensor technology, electronically controlled hydraulics, GPS auto-mated part-width sec-

tion control and headland systems and easy-to-use ISOBUS-compatible ter-minals.

“They’re easy to oper-ate – you simply enter the desired spreading rate and drive off,” Nehoff says. “The two weigh-ing cells detect any devia-tion between the desired application rate and the amount being discharged.

Also, the on-board tilt sensor measures any devi-ation in the centre of grav-ity, front to back and left to right. The processor then automatically adjusts the electric metering shutter slides to ensure an even spreading pattern.”www.claasharvest-centre.co.nz

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Big tech secrets to be revealedTWO BIG secrets in “breakthrough, revolutionary” dairy platforms and technology are being tightly held by Waikato Milking Systems (WMS), says chief executive Dean Bell.

And there’s another new product too, but farmers must wait for Fiel-days to hear about them all, Bell says.

“For 30 years WMS has designed and manufactured game-changing dairy technology…. The three new products we have in the wings, to be launched on the first day of Fieldays, are world-firsts and revolutionary.

“One of them is the new Centrus 84-bail rotary platform but the other two are under wraps. We want farm-ers to be the first people to see them, hence no advance promotion.

“But one marks the biggest break-through in the design of rotary dairies in 20 years. We’re very excited about all three products…. Suffice to say all three will have a material impact on the efficiency of the farm dairy and on herd management.”

The WMS site this year is about ‘Changing the face of dairy technol-ogy’. All the new products embody that, as do the other products now market leaders.

Says Bell, “Until now many farm-ers have only heard about our prod-ucts and this is an opportunity for them to see and talk about the tech-nology so they can better understand how it will complement their farm-ing system.

“Our Centrus composite platform display always attracts a high level of farmer interest because its construc-tion is so different from anything else on the market.”

The Centrus rotary, 80% lighter and stronger than concrete plat-forms, is multi-layered, including Kevlar used to make aircraft and bul-let-proof vests. “Its lightness means less electricity is required to rotate it and there is less wear and tear, saving on maintenance,” Bell says.

“Centrus platforms are in demand for large herds and farms milking more often than twice a day; they have particular appeal for farmers in countries where 24 hour milking is not uncommon.”

Also on the WMS site will be prod-ucts that improve efficiency and/or reduce the cost of milking. “Opera-tional costs of milking machines can be significant, and our variable speed

drive delivers significant power sav-ings.”

Two products are aimed at min-imising mastitis, the company says. The WMS swing arm system “per-fectly aligns the cluster during milk-ing in herringbone sheds, ensuring every quarter is milked, promoting good udder health and minimising mastitis,” Bell says.

“Our SmartD-Tect automatically tests each quarter at every milking identifying [any risk of ] mastitis at every milking, enabling early inter-vention.”

The company’s electronic milk meter, introduced in 2014, “tests every cow at every milking so the farmer can see what each cow is pro-ducing, the flow rate and milking duration”.

And addressing the issue of farm labour, the company says its Smart-ECR automatic cup remover can be customised to suit farmer and herd preferences.

Bell points to his company’s record of innovation, performance and durability, “with oversight of every aspect of every product – from design through to the finished prod-

uct. We engineer complexity out of our milking solutions and build in a robustness which few can match, and we back that up with superb service”.

“Innovations aside, one of the most important aspects of our product and service offering is that all elements of the Waikato Milking System range are future-proofed.

“We understand farmers don’t want to [buy] large capital items which become outdated so future-proofing is factored into everything we do so enhancements can simply be retrofitted.”www.waikatomilking .co.nz

Waikato Milking Sys-tem chief Dean Bell is promising ‘break-through’ products at this year’s Fiel-days.

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Kuhn to unveil new gearKUHN FARM Machinery NZ will showcase a number of new machines from this renowned manufacturer.

The Performer trailed cultivator is a multi-purpose unit that can work in stubble or previously cultivated ground. Based on a central spine frame of 300 x 300mm, the cultivator com-prises four elements which allow indi-vidual configuration of each to suit the job in hand.

Two rows of 510mm discs cut all residue across the full width of the frame, and are followed by four rows of tines with a 280mm spacing and a non-stop coil spring protection rated to 800kg for mixing or deeper loos-ening. The third element comprises a set of smaller diameter levelling discs for a tidy finish, and the rear element a 700mm diameter, ‘V’ profile roller with a weight of 225kg/m for final consolida-tion and moisture retention

By adjusting or removing individual sections, the cultivator can be used for trash incorporation and mixing with all units in place, deep loosening with the front disc set lifted, or fast stubble cul-tivation for ‘chitting’ with just the discs lowered. Discs can be operated as shal-

low as 7cm, and tines have a range of 5-35cm. With operating widths of 4-5m, power requirement is from 60hp/m, with a maximum permitted of 500hp.

The FC 3160 trailer mower con-ditioner (cutting width 3.1m) has the maker’s Optidisc cutterbar suspended under the main frame, following ground conditions closely to minimise damage to crop and ground.

Each cutting disc has two quickly attached blades, and a protection system called Protectadrive which shears the main drive to the disc around a preformed stress groove. Cutting

height is adjustable up to 90mm with optional skids. This ensures minimal damage if any obstructions are hit at speed and 15 minute repair times.

Following up the cutting unit is a rotor conditioner with the choice of swinging steel flails or crimping roll-ers for more delicate crops. Both sys-tems are protected by shear-bolt to the main rotor. Completing the pack-age is the Gyrodine power hitch head-stock at the front which allows turns over 90 degrees without damaging the drive line, and oversize tyres at the rear which help carry the machine and pro-

tect the ground in all conditions.The GA 9531 is a twin rotor central

delivery swather with a raking width of 8.40-9.3m. Suspended off a central spine, each rotor has 15 arms with four tines per arm, to ensure clean raking in all conditions. One of the main fea-tures of the swather is its rotor drive gearboxes with a two-stage reduction drive to ensure trouble free, extended life. Each rotor is carried on a six-wheel undercarriage to ensure good ground following and clean raking, and has hydraulically adjustable swath width to produce a neat row for different types

of harvest unit.The RW 1610 E-Twin is a trailed

table wrapper with a heavy-duty low chassis that enables it to handle silage bales to a 1200kg capacity. Bales are lifted onto the four belt wrapping table, while a second bale can be carried by the lifting arm as the unit is travelling for the next bale. Film is applied by a pair of reels that pre-stretch and apply film with a 66% overlap, so reducing wrapping times by 50%. In-cab con-trols allow automatic or manual oper-ation.www.kuhn.co.nz

The win rotor rake. The E-Twin bale-wrapper.



New seeder American technology in European package

WITH ITS manufactur-ing base in the corn belt of the US Midwest, Great Plains has a reputation for building strong and highly accurate planters.

It has recently devel-oped an eight row planter for the European and Aus-tralasian markets with a working width of 6.0m, but folding down to 3.0m for transport.

The new Yield Pro YPE-825A planter has Great Plains’ Series 25 opener, Air-Pro meters and Clear-Shot seed tube to deliver accurate seed placement at faster speeds, and it can plant a whole host of crops from maize to canola with pre-cision.

“This planter is ideal for contractors or large farming operations that grow big areas of maize,” says NZ distributor Power Farming’s seeding and cultivation equipment specialist John Chapman. “Anyone familiar with American maize plant-ers will appreciate this is a strong machine and well built.

“It has a more refined design to suit the Euro-pean market and comes with the option of a large, centrally placed fertiliser box.”

The Yield Pro YPE-825A can plant a range of crops in eight or 16 rows depending on whether it

has conventional config-uration or uses the Great Plains’ Twin-Row system.

In GP Twin-Row set-up, two rows of seed are placed seven inches apart on both sides of a cen-treline. This increases

field utilisation from 14.4% to 44.8% and allows more space per plant, increasing light utilisa-tion from 30% to 90% @V7. It also allows roots the maximum area in which to form while not being squeezed by neighbour-ing plants. This increases grain yields and green leaf yield as the plants produce a bigger stalk and more leaf, so there is a double benefit in maize silage.

Yield Pro planters can be configured with four different row spacings when working in con-ventional format: 70cm, 75cm, 76.2cm (30 in), and

MARK DANIEL

[email protected]

With harvest opera-tions unaffected by the Twin Row system, and

yield benefits in the range 10-15%, the system should find favour with Kiwi

operators.www.powerfarming.co.nz

80cm, and the three wider spacings in Twin-Row format.

At the business end of the drill, Great Plains’ Series 25 openers run on a parallelogram system with 57-227kg pressure

per unit, and depth con-trol from 0-9cm, allow-ing the drill to operate in cultivated and direct drill-ing situations. Pneumatic power feeds the seed from each row’s 53L tank and moves fertiliser from the 1700L tank, while applica-tion rates are controlled via ground-driven wheels.

The pneumatic system in Great Plains Series 25 openers uses air pres-sure rather than a vacuum to place the seed on the plate, Chapman says.

“The pressure system requires less air to oper-ate and is more reliable than vacuum systems. Sin-gulation is achieved with four brushes and the pres-sure holding the seed in place releases as the seed

enters a bank of anti-static brushes just before it reaches the top of the ‘clearshot’ tube.

“Once the seed is in the tube it falls by gravity down the ‘clearshot’ tube that is shaped to the work-ing speed. At this point a seed firmer immediately presses it into the seed-bed. The result is a very accurate system with no moving parts, maintain-ing [at least] 99% accu-racy at working speeds of 8-10km/h.”

Great Plains’ 8-row planter has been developed for the Australasian market.

State Highway 2 Kerepehi, R.D.1 PaeroaPhone: 0-7-867 6712 www.quinn.co.nz

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56 NZ NATIONAL FIELDAYSNew generation tractors designed with the operator in mindTHE FOURTH genera-tion of the Valtra T Series offers models with 155-

250hp and up to 1000Nm torque, a large amount of power to take on demand-

ing tasks. They are available with

two transmission variants

The Valtra T series offers models from 155-250hp.

– Versu and Direct. The Versu models have

the maker’s AutoTrac-tion automatic clutch function for its power-shift transmission, which allows shifts automati-cally by monitoring travel speeds, unlike competi-tor systems that look at engine speed. Additional features such as hill-hold and hydraulic assistant aid the driver with transport and frontloader operation. The Powershift operates with five steps in four gear ranges, plus 10 speeds in the creeper ranges, giving a total of 30 forward and 30 reverse speeds.

The Direct transmis-sion, built in-house by Valtra, offers three driv-ing modes. The default is pedal mode (auto-matic): the driver sets the target speed with the drive pedal. In lever mode (automatic) the driver sets the target speed by the drive lever. In manual mode the driver can set separately the engine revs and manage the driving speed independently with the drive lever.

T Series models are powered by 6.6L or 7.4L AGCO Power engines. Exhaust emissions are minimised by a Tier 4 Final SCR system. The SCR system and opti-mised turbo and engine package results in excel-lent fuel efficiency and eliminates the need for an exhaust gas recirculation system or diesel particu-late filter.

The T174 model comes standard with Valtra’s

EcoPower feature. When the driver presses the eco button the nominal engine speed drops to 1800rpm while torque increases. This reduces fuel con-sumption by about 10%, lowers the noise level and extends engine life. In addition, the Sigma Power feature, standard on all models, increases engine output by 15hp when the PTO is under sufficient load. The transport boost function in turn raises an extra 15hp in the C and D ranges.

The most striking fea-ture of the fourth gener-ation T Series is its new cab – stylish, spacious and quiet. Pillars that curve outwards maximise inte-rior space for the driver and keep the external dimensions compact. The cab is now 20cm wider by the driver’s seat than the previous generation, for plenty of room.

Electrically heated front and rear screens, a front windscreen wiper sweeping 270 degrees, fac-tory-fitted parking cam-eras, LED working and rear lights, and six square metres of glass combine to offer unsurpassed vis-ibility if optioned. Also, the optional roof window helps when operating a frontloader.

Other features include stereo with subwoofer, cool box, TwinTrac reverse-drive system that can be adjusted laterally and a factory-fitted, fuel-powered, phone-operated auxiliary heater. www.valtra.com.au

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Eyes in the skiesAERONAVICS DESIGNS and manufactures industrial drones for application in four primary industries including agriculture.

Typical uses include eye-in-the-sky for monitoring stock and checking fences or waterways, carrying sensors for precision agriculture or carrying sound devices for mustering stock or scaring

birds away from orchards. The domestic drone

industry is the largest technology growth market and agriculture is singled out as by far the largest user group. The advantages are enormous and will only increase as the technology is further developed.

The simplest offering is an eye-in-the-sky for monitoring and inspection, says Southland farmer Hugh Gardyne. Two years spent using the technology has shown

him that 80% of time is spent travelling a the farm looking for potential problems, in 20% of that time a real problem is found, and a drone saves 45% of the commuting time around the farm.

“We are using our drone supplied by Aeronavics for general farm use providing ‘eyes in the sky’ to monitor stock. Our main use is checking for cast stock, monitoring sheep at lambing time and some mustering.

“Fifty per cent of the

cast sheep flown over by the drone could right themselves, if got to early enough. We saved about 40 ewes x $300 = $12K per year,” he explains.

“Another use is monitoring water infrastructure to make sure stock have access to water and checking waterways for stock in trouble. A 1.25hr trip on a quad around all the troughs takes the drone just 15 minutes – finding two-three leaks a year.

“The drone reduced

MARK DANIEL

[email protected]

our quad commuting by 2000km last year. We’ve saved $8000 and lowered our accident risk.

“We also use the drone to check weeds and pests around the farm in hard-to-access areas.”

Gardyne says they have used the drone for farm and drain mapping and

photography“For drainage mapping

you could be paying $1600 for a half day with a helicopter, whereas a drone can do it in minutes.”

Visit at the Innovation Accelerator area near the Innovation tent.www.aeronavics.com

“The drone reduced our quad commuting by 2000km last year.”

Typical uses on farm for drones is eye-in-the-sky checks on stock water and fences.

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Origin Agroup broadens rangeNEW PRODUCT and new models across Origin Agroup’s range will be of special interest to Fieldays visitors.

A new name in disc harrows and chisel plows

has arrived here with the release of Gascon International. Products include disc harrows with V-shape offsets to X-shape tandems in working widths from

3.0m fixed frame up to 6.0m hydraulic folding versions.

Pottinger Novacat rear mounted disc mowers from 2.62m up to 4.3m cutting widths will be

on display. New features will include hydro-pneumatic suspension and an optional hydraulic ram fitted to the left hand

lower link for easy attachment and removal from the tractor.

The new X8-ED double rear mower-conditioner with new ‘vortex’ conditioners will interest operators looking for high capacity, along with Pottinger’s popular Alpha Motion front mounted mowers.

New twin rotor rakes from 6.9m to 7.6m working widths will be released along with a 1252C four rotor swather rake.

A new range of mounted and fully trailing tedders from 7.81m to 13.2m working widths have a unique headland lifting system, and newly designed tine arms which produce an

even spread pattern to maximise productivity and increase forage quality.

Also on display will be Pottinger loader wagons with automatic knife sharpening said to save up to 5L fuel per hour.

Alpego power harrows are available in working widths from 2.5 up to 7.0m with 400hp rated transmissions. And this maker’s Roto-Pick one pass rotary cultivator, with automatic leveling board, leaves a smooth no-ridge seedbed.

This machine is reckoned ideal for one pass cultivation direct into existing pasture or after crops, to save time and cost.

A new Cambridge ring design (Plus Ring) has extra weight added to the roller for improved soil consolidation. Its castings are stronger to

improve reliability and service life.

A three year warranty underscores this improvement.

Rollers from 5.3m up to 8.3m widths, with hydraulic folding frames down to 2.5m transport width, are available.

Two Hatzenbichler model seeders will be on display with from 8 to 16 outlets to suit 2.5m to 12m working widths, and suitable for fitting to any power harrow, cultivator or roller. They offer a versatile and cost effective way to quickly sow forage crops, turnips and grass.

Hatzenbichler seeders use a positive cog belt and pulley seed drive system, and come in manual or

electric variable drive options. They seed as low as 1.0kg/ha at speeds of 2km/h.

Bogballe GPS controlled twin disc fertiliser spreaders suit dairy, cropping and drystock farming; Bogballe’s noted 4x overlap accuracy is renowned.

Bogballe uses environment-friendly border spreading controls that are simple to calibrate and adjust with optional variable rate controllers with or without weigh scales.

Manip tractor front loaders will be on site, showing new designs and features. Models and sizes are available to suit all tractor makes and models.Tel. 07 823 7582www.originagroup.co.nz

A new name in disc harrows and chisel ploughs will now be available in NZ with the release of the Gascon range.

Its castings are stronger to improve reliability and service life. A three year warranty underscores this improvement.

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INNOVATION IN ELECTRIC FENCE HANDLINGCARRY-MATE electric fencing gear is made from rotationally molded high density polyethylene, giving it enough strength and flexibility to handle everyday farm use.

It is designed to transport, deploy and retrieve elec-tric fence standards while interfacing with electric fence reels. It improves organisation and safety and provides a systematic approach to portable fencing.

It can easily be stored and safely and easily trans-ported by means of its attachment system that can be mounted on most farm vehicles. It will also carry reels.

See it at the Innovations site or visit:www.carry-mate.co.nz

Massey to launch new compact tractors

MASSEY FERGUSON is strengthening its position in the specialist tractor sector with the launch of two models, which make up the MF 3600 Series.

This compact tractor range boasts excellent agility, power and stability, and they are ideal for nursery work, vegetable harvesting, and orchard and vineyard applications.

With power outputs 84hp (MF3640) and 102hp (MF3660), these nimble tractors have respon-

sive common rail engines and industry leading fuel economy, Agco says.

The common rail engines perfect suit spe-cialist tractor users’ main tasks of spraying and transport, plus cultivation and lighter duties. Maxi-mum power is developed at just 2000rpm – more power at the PTO and lower fuel consumption and noise.

Constant power at 1800-2200rpm enables operators to throttle back and work at lower revs, saving fuel and the need to change gear.

A further benefit of the

tractors’ electronic engine management is greater convenience and con-trol with a new electronic hand throttle, plus engine speed memory.

Further boosting output and convenience,

both MF3600 model trac-tors are available with a new 24/12 power shut-tle transmission compat-ible with the SpeedShift two-speed PowerShift unit. Together these fea-tures maximise control

and convenience for the operator.

The 24/24 mechani-cal shuttle transmission is optional on both models. A new declutch button, fitted to the top of the gearlever, allows opera-

tors to change a mechan-ical gear, stop and pull away without having to use the clutch foot pedal.

The SpeedShift button, alongside the de-clutch control on the gear knob, ‘splits’ each of the four gears, under load. This provides a total of 24 forward speeds and 12 reverse, from the four gears in three ranges. PowerShift operation is easy and simply involves pressing the SpeedShift button to change up or down.

A new interior for cabs, available on all V, S and F versions, offers better

comfort and control. Externally, a new verti-

cal exhaust pipe improves visibility by ‘disappear-ing’ behind the cab post. Inside there are new switches and layout along with new levers to control the three point linkage and hydraulic valves.

Operators will appre-ciate the new Grammer pneumatic suspension seat and noticeably qui-eter environment.

The MF3640 is avail-able in vineyard, special and fruit versions; the MF3660 in fruit version.www.masseyferguson.com.au

Massey Ferguson is aiming to strengthen its position in the specialist tactor market with the launch of the 3600 series.

MARK DANIEL

[email protected]

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MACHINERY & PRODUCTS 61

The enduring Kiwi love affairTHERE’S NO doubt about Kiwis’ love affair with the Toyota Hi-Lux: 104,469 units sold since its launch in the late 1970s.

But traditional buyers feeling the ‘itch’ in the last two years have tended to stray into a ‘tryst’ with other brands, per-haps because Toyota had extended the sales period of the current generation VII models to 11 years, rather than the more con-ventional seven years.

But things are about to change!

Utes, big players in New Zealand, account for about 20% of total sales. In the year 2014, Hi-Lux held the No.1 spot in the 4x4 sector with a market share of 27%, but fell to No.3 in the highly com-petitive 4x2 arena with a share of only 16%, and saw the Ford Ranger pip them

by 556 units to taken the overall first place.

Toyota NZ general manager sales, Steve Prangnell, comments that “the loss to the blue oval in the last two years could squarely be put down to a gap in the current product range that did not include an automatic transmis-sion in the 4x2 sector, which accounted for around 40% of sales”.

At a recent media event at Toyota NZ in Palmerston North, Prang-nell said the Toyota

Hi-Lux “had held the posi-tion of NZ’s favourite ute for 32 years since its launch, and the Genera-tion VIII would win that crown back with the most extensive Hi-Lux line-up yet”.

And so it should, with a range boosted to 21 vari-ants from the current 12, with nine all-new models – five with automatic transmissions and three with 2WD. Those 2WD machines will be offered with the cab of the 4WD for better visibility and a “tougher” look, and are aimed at users who don’t need 4WD, but want to look the part. The 21 vari-ants will be spread over four ranges: S, R, SR5 and SR5 Limited and will see a host of changes.

Hi-Lux will be longer (+75mm), wider (+95mm) and have greater ground

clearance (+64mm). The chassis frame, rails and cross-members will be bigger by up to 30mm, and overall there will be an additional 120 weld points. This increase in dimensions will incurr a weight penalty of 270kg, but will raise pay-load capacity by 11% and towing capacity by 25% to a whopping 3500kg.

The fit and finish of the new Hi-Lux has a greater attention to detail as demanded by today’s buyers, so there is more chrome, more alloys and terrain specific tyres, and better lighting at the front end. Neither is the rear end left out: a longer, wider tray will take a stan-dard 1m Euro pallet, and will have modern pre-req-uisites such as a rear view camera, privacy glass and black running boards.

Two engine variants

will be on offer: an all-new 1GD, 2.8L diesel deliver-ing 130kW and up to 450 Nm torque, and the current 1GRFE petrol

engine with 4.0L, V6 configuration devel-oping 175kW power and 376 Nm torque. Interest-ingly, the new diesel will appear first in the new Prado SUV sometime soon.

Engines will be cou-pled to all-new 6-speed manual and automatic transmissions, the former using the IMT (intelligent manual transmission)

that prevents ‘shift shock’ and ensures smooth gear changes.

As expected with any new vehicle launch, safety is always a long way up the agenda and the new Hi-Lux will have seven airbags and rear view cameras along with ABS, traction control and an

extremely useful func-

tion called trailer sway

reduction.The vehicles for

the NZ and Austra-lian markets will be built in Thailand, and will be on offer with confirmed specifications and prices during the last quarter of the year. They should set the scene for Toyota to recover its crown in 2016www.toyota.co.nz

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From gold standard to the gold card!If you’ve made the trip south on SH1 from Christchurch, and passed through Hinds, you can’t have failed to notice the busy factory making bright red farm machinery. Hinds, named after the river, named after Reverend Hinds, a founder of the Canterbury region, is better known for Robertson Manufacturing. Machinery editor Mark Daniel reports.

FOUNDED IN 1977, on the eastern side of the road, Robertson Engineer-ing had a staff of Don and one other and produced grain trailers, sheep ramps and mothering pens.

In 1981, the company became the South Island’s first manufacturer of feed wagons; business boomed

as farmers took to using silage as a supplementary feed, and staff numbers ballooned to eight.

Back then design usu-ally started with a sketch of a machine in chalk on the workshop floor and started from the ground up.

Seeking a change of

direction, Don and wife Delma sold the business and moved to the West Coast where they started farming, until 1989, when they heard the business had folded – so they sold up and headed back east across the pass.

At this time they also bought the old Wright-

son/Dalgety building that stood on the west side of SH1, and a whole lot more space. This led to a major expansion in production of the feed and tip trail-ers that were the roots of the Robertson business in 1977.

Over the years, the company introduced fer-

tiliser spreaders, silage grabs, muck forks and a range of quick hitches.

Throughout the years, Don Robertson has had a philosophy epitomised by one of his many say-ings: “build it right, build it once”. He believes the time should be taken to

get the design right, and use quality materials to ensure a trouble free life.

He also sees the need to keep in regular contact with the end users, who suggest improvements that have been incorpo-rated into the designs over the years.

With the growing suc-cess of Robertson Engi-neering products in New Zealand, the word hit the streets and doors opened for exports which, to this day, took the Robertson brand to Australia, Chile, South Africa and even Denmark and Wales.

Delma Robertson

Contact AES direct or your local AES dealerFREEPHONE 0508 78 78 7846 Sir William Ave, East Tamaki, Aucklandwww.aesblasters.co.nz

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From gold standard to the gold card!

Throughout this time Don has been involved in all aspects of the business, from design to manufac-turing, attending demos and field days and spend-ing many hours behind the wheel of the delivery truck. This has kept him in touch with the business, but more importantly with the customers.

So fast forward to 2015, and what’s changed? Don has become one of Win-ston’s warriors and hit the age of 65. But he doesn’t show much sign of slow-ing down too much. He is still involved actively in the business, but taking a particular interest in the design of new products and the evolution of exist-

ing products. Nowadays design is

done using a CAD tool that can create a ‘virtual’ machine on the computer screen, and potential problems can be identi-fied before a single piece of steel is cut. Indeed, the newly launched Little Ripper bale feeder took innovation honours at

the recent South Island Agricultural Fieldays and added another great choice for New Zealand’s farmers.

Today the busi-ness employs 22 people,

including 14 in produc-tion, and turn out two-three units per week

The same principles hold firm today as back when Robertson Engi-neering started – good

design, using the best materials and attention to detail. This includes regu-lar contact with end users and 24/7 parts and service back-up.

They say that with age

comes wisdom and when recently asked “what’s changed?” Don com-mented “we use a hell of a lot less chalk nowadays!” Happy birthday Don; have a Pig’s Nose on us!

Don Robertson

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64 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS

Attachment range added to product list

HAVING RECENTLY taken the Manitou tele-handler franchise in Waikato to service their mostly dairy focused cus-tomer base, Giltrap Agri-zone saw a need for high capacity attachments to exploit the high capacities of these machines.

The company says the Prodig range of attach-ments offers buckets, forks, grabs and handling

equipment that meet the needs. Design and build quality, using high grade steels, ensures a trouble free and long life.

One standout machine in the range is the Shear Genius, which com-bines the attributes of a re-handling bucket with those of a shear grab and should prove extremely useful in silage clamps or around feed-pads for load-ing mixer wagons or feed trailers.

Available in 1500, 1800

and 2200mm sizes with respective capacities of 1.0, 1.3 and 1.6m3, the con-ventional style bucket has a shear grab with hardened and tempered blades to cut a clean face at the silage clamp, and so reduce secondary fermen-tation. Double acting rams (nickel chromium plated) power the unit.

The outer corners of the shear have exten-sions that stop the main

blade hitting the ground. Its geometry enables it to open far enough to slice silage bales in half, for dumping into wagons, while retaining the plastic wrap and bale netting with a retainer built into the upper edge of the bucket.

In essence, the design might allow users to look at replacing a bucket, shear grab, silage grab and bale fork with one multi-purpose unit.

MARK DANIEL

[email protected]

PRODIG, THE COMPANY❱❱ Founded by Nolan Bros 20 years ago.

❱❱ Located in County Carlow, SE Ireland.

❱❱ Attachments for agriculture, construction, waste handling, grain. handling

❱❱ Design and evolution using 3D CAD software

ROUND BALEAGE TIPPER

SMITH ATTACHMENTS has recently released a car-rier for motorcycles and quads. Light enough to be bolted to the rear carrier of a two wheeler and not affect stability or access to the rear portion of the seat, the unit has a neat clamp that allows up to 20 standards and two rolls of wire to be carried safely.

A handy tray stores tools or lunch if you’re out for a long day. Contact your Farmlands Store or motorcycle dealer

Handy bike carrier

ROUND BALEAGE tip-pers are used extensively, particularly in the South Island for bale placement in break crops for winter feeding out.

The new James double tipper, developed from the company’s existing model, has a mechanically activated single or double trip system for easy bale placement.

Close-coupled on the three point linkage, it

removes the potential for front axle overload when this task is carried out by a front end loader.

Priced from $3300.www.james-engineering.co.nz– Mark Daniel

Call 0800 804 458 to find your local dealer. Or visit our website, www.giltrapag.co.nz

Our feed out equipment helps you cram more into every day. The stable includes forage wagons, bale feeders and mixer wagons. The right tool saves you time, so you can make every minute count.

YOU GAIN PRODUCTIVITY ONE MINUTE AT A TIME



Why it pays to be part of the solutionIT WAS good to see many of our members take the opportunity to attend recent roadshows held by Rural Contractors NZ nationwide last month.

These events provided an excellent chance for contractors to get an update and all the latest information on important topics that impact on our sector and businesses, a benefit of belonging to RCNZ.

In all, 12 roadshows were held in May – six in the North Island and six in the South Island. The events held at Gore, Ashburton, Palmerston North and Cambridge doubled as the regional zones’ annual meetings and I want to especially thank all who came and participated.

Also before each of these four events, the agrichemical applicators’ division of RCNZ held a workshop led by industry spray guru Noel Blackwell, at which all registered chemical applicators attending

earned three professional development points towards renewing their certification.

This year’s roadshow presentation covered proposed new health and safety legislation and regulations, the Safer Farms programme, codes of practice for using tractors and other self-propelled agricultural vehicles and the meaning of these changes for agricultural contractors.

As I pointed out in my column last month, it is important we all fully understand what the new health and safety legislation means for individual contractors and, just as importantly, how it will affect

directors of companies, sole traders, employees, volunteers and anyone who ‘works’ in and for our businesses.

A highlight for me was the attendance at our Cambridge roadshow of Ross Grieg from Immigration NZ. Ross is the Immigration NZ area manager for the North Island and was keen to attend our meeting and hear rural contractors’ concerns and issues in employing overseas staff – especially getting people back for a second and third year.

I am pleased to report this was a very positive meeting. Ross took away plenty of feedback from the gathering, including how we all try our damnedest to employ Kiwis first and foremost, but that trained, experienced operators from overseas fill a vital gap in our industry.

Ross is teeing up a meeting with me and Immigration NZ officials in Wellington to discuss

our concerns further, and all going well I will be able to report back on this meeting in my next column.

They say you can judge the strength of an organisation by the way it keeps its membership informed. That’s why I believe Rural Contractors New Zealand (RCNZ) is an important body that all contractors should to be a part of – because events like our roadshows are tailored specifically for those of us working in the rural

contracting sector.Equally important

is how these events also provide a chance for RCNZ members and other interested

parties to get along and tell us what the issues, challenges and concerns are for them. We can then take this feedback back up the chain to the

board, which can tackle these issues on a national level and hopefully get results that benefit all members.

Meanwhile, as mentioned earlier, this year’s RCNZ annual conference will be in Blenheim from June 22-25. If you have never attended a national conference, I

highly recommend you do. The theme this year is ‘Doing it Smarter’ – with an agenda chock-full of presentations on how to get smarter in running

your business and using the latest technology.

I can’t overemphasise the fantastic opportunity this provides to meet up with contractors from all around the country, learn new stuff and have a bit of fun. Registration forms and information on the annual conference is on the RCNZ website or email: [email protected] for all the details.

I hope to see many of you in Blenheim in June. I can assure you it is well worth the trip.• Wellsford agricultural contractor Steve Levet is the president of Rural Contractors New Zealand (RCNZ).

It is important we all fully understand what the new health and safety legislation means for individual contractors.

www.kawasaki.co.nz0800-4 KAWASAKI (0800-5292 7292)

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(your surname as reference) PLUS telephone or email us, saying which product(s) you want.

Pest Free Domesticforhomes,garages,etcto200sq,m–$159.90 incl. GST & post.

Pest Free PROforlargehomes,smalloffices&factories,etcto400sq.m–$299.95 incl. GST & post.Pest Free CommercialNew,improved,fordairysheds,grainmills,etc.$1250 incl. GST & post.

STOP RATS with Pest FreeBuywithconfidencefromauthorisedruralsalesagentN+J Keating, 70 Rimu Street, New Lynn, Auckland 0600.Tel. 09 833 1931, cell 021 230 1863;[email protected]

HIGH COUNTRY 4X4 SAFARIS

All routes provisional

STUNNING SELF DRIVE SAFARIS FOR 2015/16

ALL SAFARIS ARE • SELF DRIVE • PROFESSIONALLY GUIDED WITH RADIO COMMUNICATION TO EACH VEHICLE

• QUALITY ACCOMMODATION AND MEALS INCLUDED • ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE OFF ROAD TRAVEL

See our web site; www.nzadventures.co.nzor email; [email protected] the coupon or Phone/Fax: 03 448 9582 or 027 550 6727

✂

Please send me more information.

Post to NZ Adventures, 110 Hillview Road RD1, Alexandra 9391

Name: ...................................................................................................Address:..............................................................................................Ph: ...............................Email: ............................................................Vehicle Type: .................................................................................

HIGH COUNTRY HERITAGEFully guided six day Safari from Blenheim to Otago. Follow the golden tussocks along the Alps through 22 famous high country stations (incl Molesworth Station). Travel over private station tracks and through remote and spectacular terrain. Enjoy station lunches with the run holders.

WEST COAST EXPLORERFive days from the dry tussock lands of North Canterbury to the beech forest of Buller and the West Coast. Explore the heritate of ghost towns like Big River and Denniston. Follow historic trails and drive through the thrilling underground river and miner’s tunnels of Napoleon Hill.

FLYSTRIKE AND LICE❖ Fantastic Penetration❖

NO ONE BEATS OUR PRICE

• Make a big job quick & easy• Total body coverage,

2.5 litres/sheep

PPP Super Jetter

Free Range & Barn EggsSUPPLIERS OF:• Nest boxes - manual or

automated• Feed & Drinking• Plastic egg traysQUALITY PRODUCTS MADE

IN EUROPE OR BY PPP❖ A trusted name in Poultry Industry

for over 50 years ❖

on Duals for more traction, stability, flotation, towing power, versatility.

Be Safer With Clic Duals Wheels

www.clicdualwheels.co.nz

Clic Wheel Systems Ltd, ROTORUA Phone/Fax 07 347 2292

See us at National Fieldays Site C3B

www.clicdualwheels.co.nz

Phone: 04 384 7683 • Fax: 04 384 7689Email: [email protected] Dixon St, Te Aro WellingtonPO Box 9254, Wellington 6141www.metshop.co.nz

Weatherstations, unusual gifts and science support for over 40 years...

The Met Shop

WE’RE ONLINE!

Fully insured and qualifiedwww.mccproperty.co.nz | 03 960 8632

[email protected]

Birdproofing/Pest Control➼ Bird Net

➼ Bird Spikes➼ Hotwire

➼ Bird CullingWE CONTROL ALL PESTS

We can proof your tractor to your milk shedwww.nzchillersandcoolrooms.com | 021 389 198

Get upto date news at www.ruralnews.co.nzLATEST STORIES EVERY DAY

www.ruralnews.co.nz

BREAKING NEWS

MANAGEMENT STORIES

MARKETS & TRENDS

MACHINERY REVIEWS

COMPETITIONS

AND MUCH MORE...

CHECK OUT OUR

WEBSITES

NEW! QUALITY 3 LAYER VAPOR RAINWEAR! BREATHABLE 10,000mvp WATERPROOF 20,000+mm, STRONG - HIGH ABRASION RESISTANCE!

Please add $12 Freight per order

valued at$600

$200valued at$400

$150 valued at$350

$140


RURAL TRADER 67

ONE STOP WATER SHOP

Culvert Pipes Phone 0800 625 826

for your nearest stockistNew Zealand’s CHEAPEST Culvert Pipes!

FREE joiners supplied on request.

•Lightweight,easytoinstall

•Madefrompolyethylene

McKee Plastics Mahinui Street, Feilding

Ph 06 323 4181 Fax 06 323 [email protected] | www.mckeeplastics.co.nz

300mm x 6 metre ................................ $410

400mm x 6 metre ................................ $515

500mm x 6 metre ................................ $690

600mm x 6 metre ................................ $925

800mm x 6 metre .............................. $1399

1000mm x 6 metre ............................ $2175

1200mm x 6 metre ............................ $3475

Joinerssupplied FREE with culvert

pipes

ALL PRICES INCLUDE G.S.T.

ANOTHER MAN SAVED BY LIFEGUARD

How much is a life worth - it’s a small price to pay

DON’T BE TOLD QUADS DON’T NEED CRUSH PROTECTION!It’s the unxpected that causes rollovers. Lifeguard is proving it saves lives. It is the only fl exible CPD and the safest in the world. You can buy one today for $1,200 +GSTContact us on 0800 782 [email protected]

Guy Scullin attributes his lucky escape to getting a Lifeguard. “Without it” he says “it was potentially a life ending accident.”

• ATV Carrier Mats • Exit/Entry Areas• Calf Trailers • Horse Floats & Trucks

• Weigh Platforms • Bale Mats • Comfort Mats for Wet & Dry Areas

• Utility Deck Matting

Phone: 0800 80 8570www.burgessmatting.co.nz

Rubber Safety MattingCRAIGCO SENSOR JET

P 06 835 6863 - www.craigcojetters.com

DEAL TO FLY AND LICE

• Cost Effective

• Complete Package

• Unbeatable pricing

• Performance Guaranteed

ZETOR DIRECTGenuine

PartsPh 0061 35482 3277Fax 0061 35482 3288

or [email protected]

0800 379 247see it now

DIESELHEATER

www.avonheating.co.nz

DOLOMITENZ’s fi nest BioGro certifi ed

Mg fertiliserFor a delivered price call...

0800 436 566

CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITES

www.ruralnews.co.nzwww.dairynews.co.nz

@rural_news


Visit www.lastrite.co.nz for more quality products

10 HALL ROAD, RD5, WHANGAREIPhone 09 438 8907

FOOTWEAR LTD NZ MADE BOOTS

HUNTER BOOTS Comfortable, durable and stylish. The heavy duty sole construction makes this a robust boot

designed for climbing over rugged ground. This boot has a soft toe and is made from a thick Mad Dog Nubuck Leather, stitched and screwed construction with a rubber, replaceable sole, that is glued and screwed. Soft padding for ankle support

and D-Rings for your laces are an added advantage. Great fitting boots full of comfort, ideal for those long hunting

and tramping trips.

TUSSOCK SOFT TOE TRIPLE/SINGLE HOB NAIL, HEAVY DUTY LEATHER This boot is designed

for heavy duty use on high country farms and over alpine terrain. This boot will handle tough environments. With an upper

constructed from heavy duty leather, a tough heel counter for better ankle support and a full bellows tongue for

greater water tightness. A leather insole and triple bend leather runners, with a stitched and

screwed construction and heel and toe plates. Triple or single Hob nails. Tricounis available with tungsten tipped teeth.

Tussock made to order only. Sizes 4-15 including half sizes.

SOLAR PACKAGESGrid Tied and Off Grid

Starting from as little as

$6750 + GST

Call us today on 0800 229 669www.abwelectric.co.nz

INDUSTRIAL8-700 KVApowered by John Deere®

RESIDENTIAL10.5-16 KVApowered by Kohler

Just order your Dual Axle or Tandem Trailer NOW to avoid disappointment for June / July / August Delivery

~~Specialists in ATV Trailers ~~

NEW! 3600 x 1800 Dual Axle Calf Trailer

Also 3000 x 1500 Available

see Farmlands or ph 0508 805 801 working with farmers for 40 years

NEW! “Fence Mate” Fence Standard & Reel Carrier

www.agro.basf.co.nz

SHARPEN®, Kixor® and the X® logo are registered trademarks of BASFSHARPEN® is registered pursuant to the ACVM Act, 1997 No. P8391

Available from your local rural supplier or call BASF on 0800 93 2273

BSF0079 02/15 P

Now with a label extension, SHARPEN® also provides the bene t of nil milk residue, short withholding periods for grazing (2 days) and slaughter (14 days).

A reminder for maize growers!Sharpen®, when used with acetochlor, is also registered for pre-emergent weed control in maize. Details on our website

SHARPEN® IS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL HERBICIDE LAUNCHED WORLDWIDE IN THE PAST 20 YEARS.Mixed with glyphosate, SHARPEN® is a proven solution for rapid pasture burndown and glyphosate resistant weeds.

SHARPEN® is the only herbicide in New Zealand to contain KIXOR®, a unique and powerful active ingredient from entirely

new chemistry. It’s powerful enough to provide increased broad spectrum control of previously hard-to-control broadleaf weeds.

THE SHARPEST PASTURE BURNDOWN

SOLUTION

($5,399.25 INCL. GST)


SUZUKI AUTOMOTIVE DEALERS:WHANGAREI PacifIc Motor Group ...................................09 430 4390NORTH SHORE Winger Suzuki North Shore ..................09 441 4750AUCKLAND Winger Suzuki Greenlane ............................09 524 6030MT WELLINGTON Moyes Panmure ..................................09 570 7840PUKEKOHE Winger Suzuki .................................................09 239 2389HAMILTON Winger Suzuki..................................................07 838 1249MORRINSVILLE Nicholson Suzuki ...................................07 889 7042MATAMATA Nicholson Suzuki ..........................................07 888 7059PAEROA Whyteline Limited ...............................................07 862 8783WHAKATANE Nicholson Suzuki ........................................07 308 6334ROTORUA Grant Johnstone Suzuki .................................07 349 2221TAURANGA Tauranga Motor Company ...........................07 578 1378TAUPO Taupo Motor Company .........................................07 378 2946GISBORNE Gary Bates Limited .........................................06 867 9438NAPIER Bayswater Suzuki .................................................06 833 5718HASTINGS Hawkes Bay Suzuki ........................................06 876 3142NEW PLYMOUTH Autocity Suzuki ....................................06 769 5371PALMERSTON NORTH Eurocar Suzuki ...........................06 356 6363WANGANUI David Jones Motors ......................................06 345 5115

LEVIN Horowhenua Motor Company ..............................06 368 7169PARAPARAUMU HMC Kapiti ..............................................04 298 8089TAWA Mexted Motors .........................................................04 232 8144LOWER HUTT Brendan Foot Motors ................................04 587 0005BLENHEIM Wadsco Motor World ......................................03 578 5199NELSON Nelson Bays Suzuki ............................................03 548 2235CHRISTCHURCH Hollands Suzuki ....................................03 366 5261TIMARU Hollands Suzuki ...................................................03 688 8297DUNEDIN Gilmour Suzuki ..................................................03 474 1670QUEENSTOWN Winger Suzuki ...........................................03 442 8989INVERCARGILL Southern Automobiles...........................03 211 2233

SUZUKI MOTORCYCLE DEALERS:KAITAIA Kaitaia Motorcycles ............................................09 408 1950KAIKOHE Renton Motors (1976) ......................................09 401 0313WHANGAREI Pacific Motor Group....................................09 430 4390DARGAVILLE Randells Suzuki ...........................................09 439 6952WARKWORTH Warkworth Motorcycles...........................09 425 8535AUCKLAND Holeshot Motorcycles ..................................09 486 5187AUCKLAND Colemans Suzuki ...........................................09 303 1786

PUKEKOHE MR Motorcycles ..............................................09 237 3095PAEROA Whyteline...............................................................07 862 8783MT MAUNGANUI Moto City ...............................................07 927 1340HAMILTON Boyd Motorcycles ...........................................07 838 1209MATAMATA Phil’s M/C Centre...........................................07 888 7604MORRINSVILLE Phil’s M/C Centre ...................................07 889 7686TE AWAMUTU Wilks Penny Motorcycles ........................07 871 3069PUTARURU Phil’s M/C Centre ...........................................07 883 7602WHAKATANE Underwood & Wilkins M/C ........................07 308 6166ROTORUA Bike Force ..........................................................07 348 9171TAUPO Darryl August Motorcycles ..................................07 378 8342TAUMARUNUI Bike Torque ................................................07 895 7994NEW PLYMOUTH New Plymouth M/C Centre ................06 758 4449GISBORNE Gisborne Motors .............................................06 867 6759HASTINGS Bay Motorcycles ..............................................06 878 3289HAWERA Action Moto Suzuki ...........................................06 278 4160WANGANUI Whitelock Suzuki ...........................................06 345 3462WAIPUKURAU Central Bikes .............................................06 858 8983DANNEVIRKE Dannevirke Suzuki .....................................06 374 2925FEILDING Gary Worsley Motorcycles ...............................06 323 6256

PALMERSTON NORTH Courtesy Motorcycles ...............06 356 2195PAHIATUA Motorcycle HQ .................................................06 376 7163MASTERTON Fagan Suzuki ................................................06 378 6159LOWER HUTT TSS Red Baron ............................................04 569 3989MOTUEKA Murray Thorn Motorcycles ............................03 528 9992NELSON Nelson Motorcycle Centre ................................03 548 3786BLENHEIM Wadsco Motorworld .......................................03 578 5199AMBERLEY Arthur Burke ....................................................03 314 0127CHRISTCHURCH Avon City Suzuki ...................................03 341 3490ASHBURTON Jeff Marshall Motorcycles .........................03 308 2055TIMARU Mike Gould Suzuki...............................................03 688 4802OAMARU Young Motors .....................................................03 434 5354DUNEDIN McIver & Veitch .................................................03 477 0236BALCLUTHA PowerZone Suzuki .......................................03 418 4672GORE Hokonui Suzuki .........................................................03 208 5271WINTON Winton Motorcycles ...........................................03 236 7231INVERCARGILL Southern Suzuki ......................................03 214 4467


GRAB THESE DEALS AT FIELDAYS® OR SEE YOUR SUZUKI DEALER TODAY:

KingQuad 400 4X4 AUTO

$9,995 EXCL GST

LT-A400F

($11,494.25 INCL. GST)

$1,001SAVE • Electronic fuel-injection

• 4-stroke, 4 valve engine• Selectable 2WD/4WD CVT transmission

with Hi/Lo ratio and reverse• Torque-sensing limited slip front differential • Disc front brakes and sealed rear brakes• Twin shock rigid rear axle• Comfortable T-shaped seat• 24 Month/15,000km warranty

Mudbug FARMBIKE• Quality made in Japan• Dual side-stands• Comfortable seat• Handlebar-mounted carrier• 125cc 2-stroke• 6-speed

$2,995 EXCL GST

TF125

($3,444.25 INCL. GST)

$551SAVE

KingQuad 500 4X4 AUTO• Liquid cooled fuel injected 4-stroke• CVT transmission with Hi/Lo ratio and reverse• Push button 2WD/4WD select with diff-lock option• Independent front and rear suspension• Disc front brakes• Fully sealed oil-bathed multi-plate disc rear brake• 24 Month/15,000km warranty

$11,300 EXCL GST

LT-A500X

($12,995 INCL. GST)

$1,000SAVE


$12,995 EXCL GST

LT-A500XP

($14,944.25 INCL. GST)

$1,051SAVE


$13,995 EXCL GST

LT-A750XP

($16,094.25 INCL. GST)

$901SAVE

FARM WORKER VERSATILE• Fuel-Injected 1,300cc• Hi/Lo ratio 4WD/2WD• 500kg payload• Full canvas cover• Folding rear bench seats• Folding windscreen• Special entry level model• Optional Maxxis tyres and


$13,990 INCLUDES GST

$5,039*DEPOSIT

FARM WORKER WELLSIDE• Fuel-injected 1,300cc• Hi/Lo ratio 4WD/2WD• 500kg payload• Fibreglass roof & bulkhead• Wellside tray• Optional stock crate• Optional tow bar, Maxxis

tyres and bullbar shownNo helmet required

INCLUDES GST

$16,990

$6,090*DEPOSIT

$5,739*DEPOSIT

FARM WORKER MULTI PURPOSE• Rugged all-terrain capability• Hi/Lo ratio 4WD/2WD• All-weather protection• Fuel-Injected 1,300cc• Optional tow bar, Maxxis

tyres and bullbar shown• 500kg payload• Folding windscreen• Optional stock crate availableNo helmet required

INCLUDES GST

$15,990

KingQuad 300 4X4 MANUAL• Independent front and rear suspension• Selectable 2WD/4WD• 3-speed sub-transmission with 15 forward gears• In-gear starting ability• Front diff-lock in super-low ratio• Front disc brakes and sealed rear drum brakes• Sturdy front and rear cargo racks• Heavy duty towbar• 24 Month/15,000km warranty

$1,301SAVE$7,995

LT-F300F

($9,194.00 INCL. GST)

EXCL GST


* Deposit $5,038.20, first payment $5,039, second payment $5,039. Total amount borrowed $10,078.


• Number one selling 200cc farmbike

• Quality made in Japan• Dual side-stands• Electric start 4-stroke• 5-speed• Comfortable seat• Handlebar-mounted

carrier• Large 12V headlight

• Fuel-injected 1,300cc• Hi/Lo ratio 4WD/2WD• 500kg payload• 1,550 x 1,600mm galvanised

steel and ply deck• Fibreglass rear cab and roof• Work bar and tow bar• Optional Maxxis tyres and


TROJAN

$4,695 EXCL GST

DR200SE

$596SAVE FARM WORKER

FLATDECK

INCLUDES GST

$20,590

$7,492*DEPOSIT


FREE BULLBARS ON THE FIRST 20 FARM WORKERS

SOLD

ALL FARM WORKERS

1⁄3DEPOSIT

1 ⁄3IN 12 MONTHS

1 ⁄3IN 24 MONTHS

4.95%

INTEREST**

THE SIDE-BY-SIDE FOR ALL SEASONS

Like us on Facebook

WWW.SUZUKI.CO.NZ

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PROMOTION: Offers are available from participating Suzuki dealers until 30 June 2015 or while current stocks last. Excludes fleet purchases and all other promotions. Product availability: At the time of printing the number of units and colour options were correct. SNZ Ltd reserves the right to change specifications, appearances, models, colours and other items shown in this catalogue at any time without notice. Colours and specifications may differ slightly from those shown within this catalogue. MOTORCYCLE: Some prices are recommended retail excluding GST, motorcycle savings shown include GST. AUTOMOBILE: Full details of Zero Dollars Down, S-Cross Save $2,000, Grand Vitara Free Adventure Pack and Jimny Free Accessory offers are available at www.suzuki.co.nz. Zero Down weekly payments based on nil deposit, 5.9% interest rate and a 5 year term. Payments include on-road costs, a $395 documentation fee and a $13 PPSR fee. Normal lending credit criteria apply. FARMWORKER: Farm Worker interest rate of 4.95% applies on the amount borrowed. Documentation fee of $395 applies plus a PPSR fee of $13.00. Finance to approved purchasers, normal lending criteria apply. Farm Worker finance and Bullbars offers are not provided in conjunction with any other promotional activity. ACCESSORIES: Accessories are covered by their own manufacturer’s warranty conditions.

SUZUKI NEW ZEALAND LIMITED 1 HEADS ROAD, WANGANUI.

*See IMPORTANT INFORMATION below for full terms and conditions of these offers.

COMING SOON

SEE IT AT FIELDAYS PER WEEK

$138PLUS NO DEPOSIT FINANCE FROM JUST

PER WEEK$120PLUS NO DEPOSIT

FINANCE FROM JUST

$2K OFFSAVE $2000 ON EVERY S-CROSS

MODEL

FREEPACKADVENTURE • SATELLITE NAVIGATION

• BLUETOOTH• REVERSE CAMERA • NUDGE BAR• ROOF RACKS

NO DEPOSIT FINANCE ACROSS THE AUTOS RANGE*

NEW CARS FROM JUST

PER WEEK*

$76

FROM JUST

PER WEEK$89

WWW.SUZUKI.CO.NZ

PLUS MORE GREAT TRIED & TRUSTED SUZUKI FIELDAYS DEALS INSIDE AND AT PARTICIPATING DEALERS NOW!


Jimny Sierra shown with accessories.

$8,995 EXCL GST

KINGQUAD 400 4X4 MANUAL LT-F400FL4

($10,344.25 INCL. GST)

$2,151SAVE

CHOOSE $1500 OF FREE ACCESSORIES

NO DEPOSIT FINANCE AVAILABLE ON JIMNY

NO DEPOSIT FINANCE ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE ENTIRE

SUZUKI AUTOS RANGE

FROM JUST

PER WEEK

$94

Plus...

See back page for details

Mudgrip Tyres • Fog Lamps • Bull Bars • Bluetooth Floor mats • Tow Bar… and more, it’s your choice!

I joined the industry as a young motorcycle mechanic in 1984, about the time

when Suzuki invented the farm Quad, right here in Wanganui, where we still

serve the rural community from today. While others come and go, we’ve

been through thick and thin with farmers and we’re here to stay. Suzukis

are honest, reliable, built for the job and always well priced –

especially with our 2015 Tried and Trusted Fieldays deals.

Simon Meade

General Manager of Motorcycle/ATV Marketing

SUZUKI NEW ZEALAND

rural news 2nd june 2015

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