Supplement to Te Awamutu Courier, Tuesday, May 18, 2010Supplement to Te Awamutu Courier, Tuesday, May 18, 2010

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IHC thanks top calfrearers for donation

TC180510RR02THANKS from IHC: Some of the top calf rearers, from left, Nicole Foster, Mark Foster, Jo Taylor, LloydWeal, Sue Krielen, Eddie Krielen and Janice Te Brake with IHC Calf Scheme area coordinator KevinCorboy (right) — who was also a top rearer for the scheme.

A group of the best calf rearerscontributing to the IHC CalfScheme were thanked recentlywith presentations from sponsorsAllflex.

Farmers, the Verstappens, Fosters,Corboys, Te Brakes, Weals, Taylors,Coulls and Courtmans, all had calves inthe top pen at the sale — helping raisemoney for IHC.

Area coordinator Kevin Corboy saystheir contribution, and in fact everyonewho is part of the scheme, helps IHCraise one million dollars each year.

The organisers like to acknowledgethe efforts of the best performers, butgive their sincere thanks to everyonewho takes part.

All dairy farmers are sent an invita-tion to be part of the IHC Calf Scheme,

and in this area should receive a follow-up from Mr Corboy and fellow volunteerPeter Addison.

Mr Corboy says the scheme is a veryeffective fundraiser, and a simple wayrural folk can assist this worthwhilecause.

Anyone wanting more informationis welcome to contact Mr Corboy (8717965).

RURAL ROUNDUP, TUESDAY, MAY 18, 2010 374

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SMASHing event for small herd owners

TC180510RRSP03LOCAL farmers Fran and Tony Allcock together with Joyce Brown (right) came up with the idea of a smallherds conference.

Small herd dairy farmers will get alook at the big picture at a newevent designed to fill a gap in theagricultural calendar.

Smaller Milk and Supply Herds(SMASH) events will be held in Waikatoand the West Coast in June for farmerswith herds of around 250 cows or less.

The event is the brainchild of Franand Tony Allcock and neighbouringfarmer Joyce Brown, who when seeingthere was a Large Herds Conferencedecided that small herd farmers wouldbenefit from an event as well.

The SMASH events are organised bya group of volunteer farmers who aresupported by DairyNZ and assisted byAgResearch.

The programme has a list of speakersincluding farmers, industry leaders, inter-national and New Zealand consultants,and research strategists.

“Small herd farms are the grassrootsof the industry. You don’t need to be bigto be important to the industry,” says MrAllcock.

“They have proven to be some of themost resilient businesses in dairying andwill be here for the long term.”

Mrs Allcock, who is the chairman ofSMASH, says the event will provide agreat networking opportunity.

“The events will allow like-mindedpeople who are all working in the same

situation to share ideas and gather tipsand information which will hopefullymake their role a little easier.

“This is an opportunity to addressthose issues that are unique to smallherds.”

The couple are small herd farmersthemselves and are clearly happy in theirroles.

Mr Allcock is the third generation tofarm the 89 ha farm in the Waikatosettlement of Te Rore and his son is thefourth.

“Our family has been on that land for112 years now. We have 230 cows andI am quite happy with that number.’’

Mrs Allcock says there are manybenefits to remaining a small herd farm.

“You can make a good living with aherd that size. And more than that, youcan still have a good life-style. You don’thave to get bigger to get better.”

For more information about theevents or to register phone 0508 4SMASH (0508 4 76274) or go towww.smallerherds.co.nz

Registrations close at the end of May.SMASH EVENT DETAILS

West Waikato: June 8 at NarrowsLanding, Tamahere

East Waikato: June 9 at LonglandsRestaurant, Matamata

West Coast: June 10 at Shantytown,Greymouth

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Even rural dogs protest waste dumpingHuman excrement, used toilet paper, dirtynappies, tampons and waste water isamongst rubbish being left in rural com-munities and the countryside by a growing numberof freedom campers.

Rural Women New Zealand has recentlysurveyed its members on the environmental impactof the increasing use of “sleeper vans” with no on-board sanitation facilities.

Responses from all over the country indicatethat the thoughtless actions of some tourists arehaving a visible, and possibly detrimental publichealth impact, on the rural landscape.

“Even the dogs cross to the other side of the

road when they come across human waste’, says aRWNZ member from Owaka, whose son regularlyshifts stock along a road in the Catlins area.

“There are several little lay-by areas along theway that are kept mowed and tidy by DoC, but areoften used by freedom campers for an overnightstay. Of course there are no toilet facilities sopeople dump anywhere.”

Rural Women New Zealand national vicepresident, Liz Evans, says that members had firsthighlighted the freedom camping issue in 2008 andrepresentations had been made to the newlyformed Freedom Camping Forum at that timeasking for a commitment to educate and inform

tourists about their rights and responsibilitiesregarding the safe disposal of waste from sleepervans.

“We welcome tourists to the countryside, but weare not living in the middle ages here when sewagewas dumped in the streets, deposited on the riverbanks or in the bush.

‘‘Neither do we want farmers’ food productionpaddocks and vineyards contaminated”, says MrsEvans.

“Feedback on this issue has come frommembers as far north as Kaipara Harbour to theMarlborough Sounds, Golden Bay, Canterbury,Otago and Southland.

‘‘ A common theme has been real concernabout the environmental impacts on the land andwaterways caused by indiscriminate dumping ofhuman waste.”

Rural Women New Zealand has recently writtento the Tourism Association New Zealand to askwhat progress has been made in the last two years.

Many Rural Women New Zealand members arecalling for the mandatory fitting of porta-loos insleeper vans, or banning the vans altogether.

‘‘There’s also a need for more public educationabout legal effluent dump sites and a consistentlocal government policy on road side camping,’’says Mrs Evans.

4 RURAL ROUNDUP, TUESDAY, MAY 18, 2010

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Challenges for dairy farmers

JENNY SHIPLEY

Local resident impressed with speakers

Former Prime MinisterJenny Shipley haschal lenged NewZealand’s dairy farmers toprosper from the markets oftomorrow by acting now.

Mrs Shipley, the finalspeaker at the inauguraltwo-day DairyNZ Farmer’sForum, said the dairy indus-try needed to look to Asiafor opportunities.

“They regard you veryhighly [in China] but do yousee them as partners?” sheasked the 850-strong audi-ence at the Mystery CreekEvents Centre in Hamilton.

“Those who work outhow to leverage them aspotential partners, in myview are the people who aregoing to be substantiallywealthy in 10 or 20 yearstime.

“Are you sure thatowning 100 per cent ofsomething that globally isrelatively small, is your beststrategy? Or indeed owning45 or 55 per cent of some-thing very large.”

“There is more you can

do to be wealthy andsustainable. The question of

what is the right strategy foryou is an ongoing questionand whether or not you havethe right leaders across abroad enough focus for yourindustry to prosper. Thoseare the two challenges I wishto leave you to reflect on.

Mrs Shipley’s speech

was a fitting end to theforum which was the largestgathering of North Islanddairy farmers for manyyears.

The second day of theforum was kicked off byDairyNZ Chief ExecutiveTim Mackle who outlinedthe challenges and oppor-tunities for the decadeahead.

“Realising the opportun-ity in front of us will bechallenging, but it’s doableand we do have so muchgoing for us – as you wouldhave heard many timesbefore people have got toeat, and the outlook fordemand for our high qualityfood is very positive,” DrMackle said.

“New Zealand dairyfarmers are a resilient bunchand I am confident we canadapt to the challenges andachieve that opportunity,”he said.

Mr Mackle was thrilled bythe turnout to the forum andis looking forward to nextyear’s event.

“The presenters over thelast few days will leave us allwith something to thinkabout as we all strive tobetter our great industry.

“Our job now is to thinkabout how we might make iteven better next year,” hesaid.

Farmer feedback for theevent was positive withmany enjoying the practicaladvice from workshops aswell as the more strategicdiscussion.

Te Awamutu farm ownerPat Edwards who went toboth days of the event saidthe levy was well spent, onwhat he thought was one ofthe best conferences he hadbeen to.

The highlights for MrEdwards’ were spread overthe two days.

“Yesterday the mainspeeches with Henry vander Heyden (Fonterra Chair-man) and the minister ofAgriculture were good andtoday I felt the scientists thattalked about feed conversionefficiency were excellent.’’

Are you prepared for a disaster?The chairman of theWaikato Civil DefenceEmergency Manage-ment Group says nationalstatistics on natural disasterpreparedness underline theneed for more public educa-tion in the Waikato region.

A recently released Stat-istics New Zealand surveyshowed only 15 per cent ofhouseholds nationally areproperly prepared for a dis-aster with enough food and

water for three days as wellas an emergency plan.

Waikato CDEM chairPeter Lee says the WaikatoGroup is already looking toboost public educationefforts after a Ministry ofCDEM report recentlyhighlighted the need formore work on this front inour region.

“The need for people topay more attention to thedisaster preparedness mess-

age has obviously beenhighlighted by tsunamialerts.

“While we work throughthe process of how to bestimplement the recommen-dations in the ministry’sreport, the Group will con-tinue its existing public edu-cation work.”

Mr Lee says this existinggroup public education workincludes:• Promoting and upgrading

www.waikatoregioncdemg-.govt.nz• Local councils and emer-gency operating areas doingpublic education work inschools linked to the nationalprogramme What’s ThePlan Stan?• Liaison with communitygroups over preparedness• Participation in publicinformation open days suchas during national DisasterWeek activities.

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Bococks collect second herds award

TC180510RR05AJUDGES David Ireland and Steve Skelton take a look at Merridowns Man Josey Ex4, 625kg M/S in 281 days at four years.

TC180510RR05BPRODUCTION PAIR: Merridowns Man Lunar Ex2, 517kg M/S at three years (left) and Merridowns Free Crunch Ex2, 484kg M/S at two years.

Fresh from wining the On Farm Teams Competition at the TeAwamutu A&P Show, Eric and Colleen Bocock ofMerridowns added to their award collection with success inthe 2010 Te Awamutu Jersey Cattle Club’s On Farm HerdsCompetition.

Earlier in the season they won the A&P award and The SemexNational Jersey On Farm Challenge for Region 2 Waikato andSouth Auckland.

Judging for the herds competition took place over two days asjudges, David Ireland and Steve Skelton, visited the farms. Bothwere very impressed with the high standard of animals on show.

RESULTSClass 1, Herds Team of 10 cows, LJ Hooker Trophy

sponsored by Power Farming Te Awamutu: E and C Bocock,187.85, 1; B and P Thompson, 185.55, 2; J and T Bailey (Arapunifarm), 184.68, 3; R and E Riddell, 183.95, 4; J and T Bailey(Glasson Road), 183.09, 5; N and J Riddell, 181.39, 6; J and AEllis, 181.15, 7; P and M Johnson, 178.25, 8; R and S Hamilton,176.88, 9; A and V Lockwood-Geck, 173.55, 10.

Class 2, Team heifers two years in milk, Pam ThompsonTrophy sponsored by Tony Cook Groundspread: E and CBocock, 186.17, 1; A and V Lockwood-Geck, 185.42, 2; B and PThompson, 184.08, 3; J and T Bailey (Arapuni farm), 183.91, 4;J and A Ellis, 182.5, 5; J and T Bailey (Glasson Road), 182.13, 6.

Class 3, Team of yearling heifers by one sire, BillClements Memorial sponsored by Total Tree Care:B and PThompson, 108.18, 1; R and E Riddell, 103.78, 2; J and A Ellis,100.88, 3; R and E Riddell, 100.12, 4; A and V Lockwood-Geck,94.42, 5.

Class 4, Team of heifer calves by one sire, sponsored byVision Genetics: E and C Bocock, 105.32, 1; J and A Ellis,104.8, 2; J and A Ellis, 103.26, 3; A and V Lockwood-Geck,102.68, 4; E and C Bocock, 101.42, 5; J and A Ellis, 101.16, 6.

Class 5, Classic 3-year-old, Heron Hill Shield sponsoredby Road Haulage: E and C Bocock, 287.5, 1; R and M Shaw,286, 2; E and C Bocock, 280.7, 3; R and E Riddell, 272.9, 4; J andA Ellis, 271.1, 5; B Thompson, 271, 6; P Thompson 270.3, 7; Aand V Lockwood-Geck, 269.9, 8; R and E Riddell, 259.4, 9; R andM Shaw, 256.8, 10.

Class 6, Superior Cow, R and M Trophy sponsored byInterlac: E and C Bocock, 288.5, 1; J and A Ellis, 287.5, 2; J andA Ellis, 287, 3; B Thompson, 286.5, 4; J and A Ellis, 272.3, 5; Rand E Riddell, 268, 6; A and V Lockwood-Geck, 265.3, 7; R andE Riddell, 265, 8; J and A Ellis, 262.5, 9; R and M Shaw, 251.5,10.

Class 7, Jersanne Trophy, restricted to members withstud name not more than 12 years old, sponsored byLiberty Genetics: N and J Riddell, 94.5, 1; J and T Bailey, 80.25,2; N and J Riddell, 79.75, 3; J and T Bailey, 74.5, 4.

Class 8, Highest pointed cows for confirmation,Willersden Trophy: E and C Bocock, 94; Riddell Family, 92; Jand A Ellis, 92; E and C Bocock, 90.5; B Thompson, 90.5; BThompson, 89.5; Riddell Family, 89.5; E and C Bocock, 89.5; Aand V Lockwood-Geck, 89.5.

6 RURAL ROUNDUP, TUESDAY, MAY 18, 2010

MAIZE HARVESTING AND CULTIVATION DEMO DAYSMay 19th & 20th - Matangi Road, Hamilton

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Demo days for latestharvest machinery

TC180510RR06CASE IH 7120 in action.

I t’s harvesting season and so theconditions are perfect for farmersand contractors to try new machin-ery and test tractors at the GiltrapAgriZone demo days tomorrow andThursday at Matangi.

Giltrap AgriZone sales managerBen Peters says these are interestingdays out for anyone who likes machin-ery and the ideal opportunity to showCase IH — a world leader in combinesand tractors as well as machinery fromKuhn, Lely, Hubbards and Duncan.

‘‘The Case IH 7120 axial flowcombine will be demonstrated in grainmaize, along with the full range oftractors from 85-300 horse power,including the new Puma CVT (variabletransmission) range.’’

A range of Kuhn cultivationmachinery will be on display includingplough, discs, spike rotor, powerharrow, and Kuhn mixer wagon andMuckspreader will also be on display.

‘‘Giltrap AgriZone is the centralNorth Island dealer for sales, service

and parts for Case IH,’’ says MrPeters.

‘‘All farmers and contractors arewelcome, whether you are interestedin the smallest tractor and bale feeder,or combines and planters, or simplykeen to see the latest shiny kit atwork.’’

The demo days run 10am-3pmboth days at the site on Matangi Road.It will be signed from the main roads.

For more information phoneGiltrap AgriZone (07) 827 7159.

RURAL ROUNDUP, TUESDAY, MAY 18, 2010 7

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Enterprising RuralWomen recognised

TINEKE VERKADE

Rural Women New Zealandrecently announced theNorth and South Island win-ners of the Rural Women NewZealand Enterprising Rural WomenAward 2010.

The winner of the North Islandprize, sponsored by Access, isTineke Verkade from Ohaupo.

Her Waikato-based company‘Homeopathic Farm SupportLimited’ supplies high qualityhomeopathic products andinformation support to farmers andrural livestock holders throughoutNew Zealand and overseas.

Mrs Verkade started her busi-ness following a career in nursing, abackground in science and aninterest in complimentary medi-cine.

She studied naturopathy andmedical herbalism as well ashomeopathy and has been in pri-vate practice since 1991. Her aimis to provide easily available,affordable and effective compli-mentary animal health remedies.

Judge Margaret Chapman says“Tineke has built up an impressivebusiness from early days ofskepticism and little belief inalternative methods of healing fromthe farming community.”

Nowadays more than a quarterof Fonterra dairy farmers and manysheep and beef producers usehomeopathy.

The South Island prize,sponsored by Ballance Agri-nutrients, waswon by Tracey Robinson of Cosy ToesLimited.

Her company, based in Rotherham,North Canterbury, is an online and mail orderretail business, specializing in 100 percentNew Zealand made merino wool socks,merino clothing and other New Zealand woolproducts for babies and children.

Both winners will attend the RuralWomen New Zealand national conference inOamaru next week when the supreme

winner will be announced.The Awards were judged by Margaret

Chapman (Rural Women New Zealand presi-dent), Theresa Gattung (Wool Partners Inter-national) and Doug Langford (past chairmanof Access Limited).

The judges were impressed by the inno-vation and adaptability of all the entrants inthis year’s Enterprising Rural Women Award,many of whom have had to overcome avariety of obstacles to run a business from arural location.

8 RURAL ROUNDUP, TUESDAY, MAY 18, 2010

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Check drench before useGeneric or household brandscan be fine for home bakingand breakfast cereals, butbuying them for livestock drenchingcan have some hidden conse-quences.

‘‘The active ingredient in ageneric drench may well be thesame as that used in brandedproducts, for example moxidectin inCydectin. However there is more toa drench product’s effectivenessthan just what its active ingredienthappens to be,’’ cautions PfizerAnimal Health Veterinary Advisorand veterinarian Victoria Chapman.

As active ingredients come ‘offpatent’ they are increasingly avail-able to other manufacturers toproduce as generic products. Thelast few years have seen a flurry ofdrench actives such as moxidectincome out of patent protection.

However there is more to aneffective drench than simply havinga known active ingredient within it.There can be significant differences

in the persistency and spectrum ofactivity of the drench, depending onhow that active is incorporated intothe drench formulation.

‘‘It is not only about the active,but the other ingredients used in thedrench ‘recipe’, and how all thoseelements interact in the final formu-lation and process.’’

Even established manufacturersof well known branded products canpoint to products where drenchpersistency is impacted by adding orsubtracting different components.

Cydectin Oral, one of the mostwell known and respected drenchbrands has a well established persist-ency claim of 35 days forHaemonchus contortus control, and21 days for Ostertagia circumcincta.

However when formulated asCydectin Plus Fluke, those persist-ency claims dropped to 14 dayseach.

Chapman can identify severalgenerics on the market that farmersshould look hard at before opting as

a drench treatment.‘‘The first example is generic

moxidectin. The generic productExodus Oral has no persistentactivity claims, completely differentto the original branded productCydectin Oral, which has the claimsmentioned above. Another is ageneric eprinomectin pour onwhich has no persistent activityclaims and a 10 day meat with-holding period, also completelydifferent to the original product.’’

A generic may work on differentspecies, but for how long and howwell could come down to formu-lation specifics. Here it pays to lookclosely at label claims for persistencyand species.

Perhaps surprisingly thereappeared little price advantage inpicking up a generic over a knownbrand of drench from the vet or ruralretailer.

‘‘Common sense suggests youwould want to be paying substan-tially less, but in some cases they

simply are not cheaper. The genericdrench is coming from a companythat has not had to invest in theusual R and D costs to get the activein the first place.

As a result of this, you wouldexpect the prices to sit well belowthe branded product, but so oftenthey don’t.’’

There was also a wider issue atstake, about where the next genera-tion of drenches were going tocome from. The R and D invest-ment of Pfizer Animal Health wasover US$300m last year. A keyfocus of this R and D spend is ondeveloping the next generation ofdrenches.

‘‘Supporting drenches fromcompanies that invest back into Rand D ensures progress in animalhealth research.

The sustainability of the industryis far more assured, thanks to thesecompanies and their investment,which you are less likely to see froma company selling a generic.’’

Fertiliser self-regulationnot working: Edmeades

I ndependent Soil Scientist Dr Doug Edmeades has calledfor a rethink about the need for a new ‘Fertiliser Act’ toprotect farmers from overzealous fertiliser companies.Hamilton based, Dr Edmeades operates his own

science consulting business, agKnowledge Ltd.In the latest edition of his popular product and service

guide, Fertiliser Review, he reviews the scientific evidencefor the claims made about three new nitrogen (N) products:LessN (Donaghys Industrys Ltd), ecoN (RavensdownFertiliser Cooperative Ltd) and SustaiN (Summit-QuinphosLtd a wholly owned subsidiary of Ballance AgriNurientsLtd).

Dr Edmeades said, ‘‘all three products have beenrecently introduced into the New Zealand market withclaims that are not supported by the current scientificevidence.’’

‘‘There was a time,’’ Dr Edmeades said, ‘‘that this typeof activity was limited to the fringes of the fertiliserindustry.’’ ‘‘Regretfully it appears it now becomingmainstream.’’

‘‘It appears that self-regulation of this industry is notworking’’, said Dr Edmeades.

‘‘When the Fertiliser Act (1960) was repealed in the1990’s it was replaced by Fertiliser Quality Council whooperate a voluntary quality assurance scheme (FertMark)under the Federated Farmers.’’

‘‘This scheme has limitations. It is concerned solely withthe ‘truth of labeling’ of fertilisers — in other words, are theclaimed nutrient contents correct. It does not address thevital question; are the claims made about the effectivenessof the product correct?

‘‘The problem, in this case, is made more difficult forfarmers because all of these three products are claimed tohave environmental benefits, which are of course difficultto see and measure.’’

‘‘The fertiliser industry is vital to ensure thesustainability of New Zealand agriculture.

It is also the largest item of expenditure in most farmbudgets.

Farmers need the assurance that the products theypurchase are supported by sound robust science.’’

Banks need to play part

Banks must provide cash-strapped farmers with at leastenough finance for stock feed and generally supportthem through Waikato’s drought, says Peter Buckley,chair of the Waikato Regional Drought Committee.

Mr Buckley, who also chairs regional council Environ-ment Waikato, was commenting after a recent committeemeeting, which had invited five of the main rural lendersalong to discuss drought-related financial issues.

Only one banking representative, National Bank’snorthern regional manager Stuart Ewing, turned up,although the Bank of New Zealand invitee sent apologies.

‘‘Confirmation of a higher Fonterra payout forecast isgood news for dairy farmers. But I have been hearingcomment from farmers generally that banks are tighteningtheir purse strings in the current tough conditions and one ofmy main concerns is that they tighten up so much that it startsto affect animal welfare,’’ said Mr Buckley.

‘‘We must look after our animals properly for their sakeand for the future viability of farms. Banks, whose rural loansare paid back from farming receipts, could be shootingthemselves in the foot if they don’t extend enough credit tokeep animals healthy and productive for the future.’’

The National Bank’s Mr Ewing said after the meeting thatthe National Bank was committed to helping farmers getthrough the drought. ‘‘The National Bank lent farmers $2billion over the last year to keep many afloat through theglobal financial crisis and we are committed to continuing towork with farmers to help them through this drought.’’

At the meeting, Mr Ewing agreed to take a leadership roleamongst lenders and facilitate and chair a sub-committee ofbanks and other professionals to look at the farmer financialissues involved.

It will report back to the drought committee.Mr Buckley said that, depending on what the finance sub-

committee came up with, one option was for a Waikato localgovernment delegation to approach the Minister of Agricul-ture in Wellington about how banks were dealing withdrought-affected farmers.

RURAL ROUNDUP, TUESDAY, MAY 18, 2010 974

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TC180510RRSP09ARIGHT: Winners of the2010 Waipa-KingCountry Comedy Cupfor Rural Women wasthe team from theKorakonui branch(from left) RachaelHyland, Wilma van derHulst and AnnCrichton.

TC180510RRSP09BLEFT: Best display atthe meeting wascreated by the Pokurubranch. It included abeautifully feltedhanging, photos,medals and wartimememorabilia. Eachdisplay also included‘vinegar’ cakes withthe best created byNancy Anderson fromKorakonui.

Anzac Day provided a focus for Waipa-King CountryRural Women at their provincial meeting.Highlight of the day was the Comedy Cup whichhad 14 teams competing from local branches and washosted by Mangapiko and Kawhia branches.

The winning team came from Korakonui, while twoteams from Te Rore tied for second place.

The theme for the day (which was chosen by the lateMargaret Seager) was ‘Wartime Memories’.

Members enjoyed a variety of games and competitions,including knitting rolling easter eggs into horseshoes,creating military hats from newsprint and testing memoryof songs form the 1940’s.

Winning entry for a display on a card table was createdby Pokuru.

The best ‘vinegar’ cake was made by Nancy Andersonfrom Korakonui.

During the afternoon a community singalong ofwartime songs interspersed with members memories ofthat period were enjoyed.

Probably lastKaimanawahorse musterThe Kaimanawa Wild Horse Muster which begins thismonth may be one of the last.This year’s muster will take numbers down to justover 300, meaning DOC won’t need to muster next year.

After that, DOC is hoping an immuno-contraceptivevaccine - yet to be trialled on horses - will be available.

‘‘The vaccine is still under development and we don’twant to leap in and use it before knowing its effects, buteventually it may become an important tool in themanagement of the herd,’’ says DOC Palmerston Northarea manager Jason Roxburgh.

So if you have ever considered owning a Kaimanawawild horse, now is the time, says Simone Frewin of theKaimanawa Wild Horse Welfare Trust Inc.

"Applications are now open to adopt a horse from thisyear’s muster, which will start this month. There will beabout 150 horses seeking suitable homes."

Potential homes are checked for suitability. Wild horseowners will need solid cattleyards with good winter accessfor a stock truck. Owners will also need to be experiencedwith handling horses, preferably young or unhandledhorses.

For further information and application forms, emailsimone@wildhorses.org.nz or phone (06) 376 3838 orvisit www.kaimanawa.homestead.com

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Farmer informationday at WaiwhakarekeThe ‘right plant in the right place’ tohelp protect the environment is thetheme of a farmer information day atthe Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park inHamilton on Wednesda, June 23.

‘‘Planting trees and other vegetation inthe right place can help farmers protect boththe environment and their financial bottomline,’’ said Waikato University’s ProfessorBruce Clarkson, a specialist in environmentalrestoration.

‘‘I encourage farmers to attend the openday at Waiwhakareke as presenters will begiving out a range of valuable technicalinformation.’’

Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park isspread over 60 hectares on a working farmon the north west outskirts of Hamilton,bounded by Baverstock, Rotokauri andBrymer Roads. The vision for the park is tocreate a self-sustaining habitat sanctuary thatrepresents the original ecosystem diversity ofthe Hamilton Basin. This involves a recon-struction from farmland of native lowland andwetland ecosystems once widespread butnow rare in the Waikato.

This reconstruction is being supportedfinancially by Hamilton City Council,Environment Waikato, the University ofWaikato and the Waikato Catchment Eco-logical Enhancement Trust.

At the information day, organised by theWaiwhakareke Advisory Committee andFriends of Waiwhakareke, topics to becovered include:

· What to plant where — for example onsteep erodable land and wetland margins.

· How to use wetlands as a nutrient/waterrunoff treatment facility.

· How this working farm is beingconverted to a natural heritage park for theWaikato region

EW chairman Peter Buckley said: ‘‘Workat Waiwhakareke is a very good example ofhow co-operation between various agenciescan help promote environmental protectionand more sustainable agriculture. ‘‘

Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park ison Baverstock Rd, Hamilton (oppositeFarnborough Drive) and the information dayruns from 10am-noon. Participants areadvised to bring gumboots.

Champion that nearly wasn’tA top dairy industry breeder hasrevealed that one of the world’s bestJersey sires — which ultimatelybecame responsible for boosting NewZealand’s milk productivity by millions ofdollars — was hours away from being writtenoff as useless.

‘‘It’s embarrassing and it’s for that reasonI’ve never admitted it to the sire selection guysat Livestock Improvement (LIC), but I guess itmakes for an interesting story,’’ said RodneyShepherd, a retired Stratford farmer whonow lives near Oakura on the Taranaki coast.

Mr Shepherd attended LIC’s PremierSires day in Hamilton where his elite bull,Shepherd’s Noontime, was inducted into theco-operative’s Hall of Fame.

Shepherds Noontime has made LIC’sPremier Sires team for the past five consecu-tive years.

In the spring of 2008 he reached hisproduction peak, producing enough semenfor more than 180,000 separate artificial

inseminations throughout New Zealand.Up to the end of the 2008 season, the sire

had produced 30,000 milking daughters —all of which are expected to generatehundreds more dollars of profit, per year,than the average 1995-born cow .

Since the Sire Proving Scheme’s incep-tion in 1953, just 52 bulls have made the Hallof Fame.

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Managing a tight Autumn

By Darren Sutton— Waikato FarmWise consultant.

Travelling around the Waikato Iam seeing the full range offarms, from those that havegood pasture covers and cow conditionto those that don’t.

In some areas we are seeing anumber of farms suffering conditionsas bad as, or even worse than thosefaced in the drought of 2008, withfarms in the East and North Waikatoregions particularly hard hit.

If the two key areas of pasture coverand cow condition are not corrected byearly July, we can expect lower milkproduction for next season and poorerreproductive results.

The Waipa region has receivedsome rain, and although varyinggreatly, we are starting to see a lift inpasture growth rates.

But is your farm on track to hit thepasture covers you need, and are yourcows in good enough condition forcalving?

An average pasture cover (APC) of2,200+ Kgs DM/ha should betargeted, and animal body conditionscore (BCS) of 5.0 for MA cows, and5.5 for heifers should be aimed forcoming into calving.

You have two options to achievingthis — cross your fingers and hope forthe best, or sit down and develop a feedbudget, either by yourself or with somehelp. Planning a feed budget will giveyou some control over the situation andallow you to prepare for your feedsituation on farm, in early July.

ACT NOWAssess your current situation.1. Plate-meter your whole farm to

assess APC.

2. Walk through all mobs of animalsand visually score condition.

· If you don’t think that you are anexpert at BCS, then call 0800 4DairyNZ (0800 43247969) for theirbooklet on scoring cows which willprovide even a complete novice withbasic condition scoring skills.

· Or get your neighbour over toscore your cows, and then you scoretheirs.

3. Also score your pastures.· How much damage has been

done?· Do you need to under-sow with

annuals or perennials?· The lower your APC, then move

more to the Italian types.· Set your own personal targets.Cow condition is not negotiable.· Trials show that cows which calve

at 4.0 BCS compared with cows at 5.0will produce 10-15 kgs MS less.

· They will also take 7-10 dayslonger to begin cycling and increasednon-cycling cows at PSC by 14-17% inyounger cows.

· Final pregnancy rates will alsodecline from 92% to 85%.

· Other effects include higher ani-mal health costs.

· So aim for 5.0 for MA cows and5.5 for two and three year olds.

APC targets can vary depending onsoil type, expected growth rates andability to feed out supplements throughthe winter and spring.

The wetter the farm and the morelimited ability to feed supplements, andtherefore the higher APC needs to be.Aim between 2,200 to 2,500 kgs DM/ha.

Complete a feed budget.· Once you have worked out your

starting and finishing points, you canwork out a feed budget to see if you canachieve those targets realistically.

· Be realistic on pasture growthrates, don’t over-inflate these.

· If you are not confident to do afeed budget yourself, seek the help ofyour advisor, as this is a critical tool forsuccess next season.

Take action now.· Many feed budgets I am seeing

show a feed deficit because of the needto feed cows at 10-12 kgs DM/cow/day for 60-90 days to gain 1.0-1.5BCS.

· How big is the feed deficit? 100 or500 kgs DM/ha APC?

· Depending on the deficit, you canchoose a combination of the toolsbelow. If needed, under-sow yourpastures. Remember strong pasturesare the engine room of your farm.

TOOLS TO CONSIDER· Apply nitrogen at rates of 30-40

kgs of N/ha. This is the cheapestsource of ‘bought-in’ feed. Even at$700/tonne applied, and a responserate of 10:1, this equates to 15 centsper Kg of DM. But NOW is the time toapply, while soil temperatures arehigher.

· Grazing cows off for a period. Itcan be hard to find grazing close by, butsometimes the numbers work. Forexample, grazing-off at $20/head foreight weeks plus cartage at $20 eachway, if cows are well fed at 10 kgs DM/hd/day, equates to a cost per kg DM of36 cents. Balage, hay and maize baleswill cost more than that.

· Supplements are generally hard tofind and can appear expensive. Themost easily sourced option is PalmKernel at around $270/wet tonnedelivered. At 90% DM and 5% wast-age, the cost is closer to $315 pertonne fed. However, it takes about 170kgs of PK to put on 1 BCS (costing$53), and you will get another 15 kgsof MS from that cow if she has a BCSof 5.0 instead of 4.0. At a $6.00payout this translates to a return of$90. There is also the better repro-ductive results to factor in.

· Reducing cow numbers is a harddecision to make, but this might beprofitable in the long run. This allowsthe remaining cows to be better fed andreduces whole farm demand. Checkwhere you sit in the ComparativeStocking Rate curve (CSR). If you areover 90 kgs LWT/t DM (liveweight/tonne/dry matter) then, unless youhave access to guaranteedsupplements coming on-farm now, andin the spring, it might pay to sell aportion of your herd.

To summarise, take stock of yourcurrent farm situation. Do a feedbudget to see where you are most likelyto be by July. Then act.

Money not invested now to hitthose critical targets could be the mostexpensive decision you make.

Fieldays ‘Big Little Town Festival‘Every year, the New ZealandNational Agricultural Fieldaysattracts large numbers to theWaikato region. Over the four days ofFieldays, thousands flock to MysteryCreek Events Centre.

Accommodation facilities in the areaare occupied months in advance, result-ing in visitors staying in smaller townson the fringe of Hamilton.

For these guests, the local commun-ity charm of these townships is not oftenexperienced and is a great promotionalopportunity for the town.

So get into the rural spirit and showthese visitors who has the finest town inthe Fieldays BIG Little Town Festival.

With the help from local i-sites, thereare many ways to be involved in The BigLittle Town Festival.

The more creative and original theideas are, the better. Parades and schoolart installations are promoted in thefestival although the most prevalentaspect of the festival is the retail windowdressing competition.

Stores embellish their windowdisplays in what they believe to be theessence of Fieldays. The retailers com-pete for cash prizes and contribute tothe overall honored award, the FieldaysBig Little Town Community FestivalTrophy.

The initiative was launched in 2008and has seen many towns benefit fromshowing their support with the biggestagribusiness exhibition in the SouthernHemisphere.

The festival encourages towns to getin the Fieldays spirit by celebrating the

rural roots of the Waikato. Conse-quently, this encourages the guests tospend time in the region by enjoying theattractions, cuisine and shopping onoffer.

Towns which have already regis-tered in the Fieldays BIG Little TownFestival are; Matamata, Morrinsville,Tirau, Putaruru, Tokoroa, Cambridgeand Te Awamutu.

Judging takes place on 8-10 Junewith criteria based on innovation,imagination, presentation and agricul-tural focus. Each town will be judged bya local personality, town Mayor and aFieldays representative.

This is a chance to be involved in thebiggest event in the Waikato bydisplaying community character to thethousands of visitors in the region.

12 RURAL ROUNDUP, TUESDAY, MAY 18, 2010

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Closing the season

By Hamish Burdon — Cardon Dispute Resolution.

The last quarter of this season has beenincredibly difficult with the dry periodhanging around. This will make closingout this year’s sharemilking contracts moredifficult with pasture covers not meeting therequired level at June 1.

Leaving the issues to sort themselves isnot an option as often the sharemilkers finalmilk payments are reliant on certain criteriabeing met. Act now and resolve issues whilstyou are still on farm.

Over the last couple of years I have beenamazed at the amount of times final wagesand milk payments have been held backbecause obligation were not met by theemployee or sharemilker.

The farm owner or employer is oftenlegally justified in withholding final paymentsif they have to pay contractors to come in anddeal with problems they do not have timerectify themselves.

This will be your money they will be usingand it may well be to do with simple thingslike mowing the lawns or cleaning the insideor outside of the house.

PASTURE COVERAscertain what pasture cover and sup-

plement you currently have and are requiredto have at June 1 when you leave. Communi-cate with the farm owner and bring in a Farm

Consultant if necessary.Have a plan and preferably put it in

writing.If it appears that the feed requirement is

still not going to reach the desired level,address this issue prior to June 1. Completeanother farm analysis in the last couple ofdays in May.

JOB CHECKLISTMake sure you are aware of what tasks are

required to be completed before you leave thefarm.

Preferably get this in writing and checkthem off with the farm owner.

If you do this in the week prior to leaving,it will give you the opportunity to re-addressany concerns that the farm owner has so as toensure you receive your final milk payment.

HOUSINGThis is not only an issue for sharemilkers

but farm employees as well. Be aware of whatis required to be done prior to moving out ofthe house and arrange time to achieve it.

Arrange a house inspection with the farmowner so any issues can be discussed andaddressed.

If issues arise, bring in a third partybecause everyone has a different standardwhen it comes to leaving a house at the endof the season.

A good rule of thumb though is to askyourself if you would be comfortable movinginto this property in its current state.

The secret is always to communicate andbe proactive. It is always best to leave ongood terms and often it’s the little things thatwill sour a relationship at its conclusion. Ifthings do go wrong you need to be aware thatthere is a process that needs to be followedand timeframes that need to be adhered to.

I have seen several parties lose theopportunity of addressing the issues solelybecause they did not raise the issues withinthe timeframe outlined in their contract.

Check your contracts and follow theprocess outlined if need be. Good luck andalways attempt to leave with a handshake.

EW support for marinefarming developmentEnvironment Waikato is supportinggovernment moves to develop marinefarming while still protecting theenvironment and interests of other users ofcoastal areas.

The Government has recent lyannounced it is looking at a range ofamendments aimed at boosting theaquaculture sector’s potential to generatesustainable economic growth for NewZealand.

Chairman Peter Buckley said theregional council supported a strategicapproach to the sustainable growth ofaquaculture.

‘‘Marine farming could create up to 600new jobs and inject $200 to $300 millioninto the Waikato economy over the next 20years,’’ he said.

‘‘We’re keen to promote economicgrowth but there are also environmentalconcerns that we must take into account.

‘‘So we’re looking forward to workingwith the Government, industry and otherstakeholders on developing a nationalaquaculture strategy and plan that supportsthe goal of reaching $1 billion in sales by2025 while also safeguarding our environ-ment.’’

The proposals include a range ofmeasures including removing the require-ment for aquaculture to occur only inaquaculture management areas.

Currently 1500 hectares are allocatedfor aquaculture in the Firth of Thames, anarea of significant ecological value. Shellfishis the only type of aquaculture permitted inthese areas, but kingfish, for example, couldprovide returns of more than $400,000 perhectare — more than 10 times higher thanshellfish.

While responsibility for the manage-ment of aquaculture will remain withregional councils, the reforms includeagreement in principle to establish a powerfor the Minister of Fisheries andAquaculture to amend regional coastalplans in exceptional circumstances where itis in significant regional or national interest.

‘‘This is one proposal we will bewatching carefully and working closely withGovernment and industry to balance theeconomic benefits and the environmentalimpacts of marine fishing in the regionaland national interest.’’

The Aquaculture Reform Bill is beingdrafted and is expected to be introduced inmid-2010.

RURAL ROUNDUP, TUESDAY, MAY 18, 2010 13

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By Gareth Jinks —associate in theTe Awamutu fi rm Gyde Wansbone.

Is that repairs orcapital expenditure?

For most farmers, the end of Maywill bring to a close what I am surehas been another busy season, aswell as the conclusion of their account-ing year.

With that in mind it is a good time toturn your mind to any repairs ormaintenance that might be neededaround the property, and if possible,think about bringing forward the timingof the expenditure to before the end ofthe month.

That way, you will be able to benefitfrom a deduction in your 2010 taxreturn instead of your 2011 return. Afew days difference in the timing ofexpenditure now can make a wholeyear’s difference in the timing of any taxrelief you might get.

In order for any expenditure to beclassed as revenue in nature and gain animmediate deduction in the accounts,rather than being classified as capital in

nature and being included in the assetschedule, three key principles must beconsidered.

Firstly, we must identify the relevantasset. Secondly, we must ascertain thenature, extent and cost of the workundertaken. Thirdly, we must deter-mine whether the work has repairedand/or maintained the asset (revenue)or whether it has substantially improvedor changed the asset (capital).

Often the distinction between capi-tal and revenue is easy to see.

A new tyre on a ute is obviouslyrevenue in nature.

A new ute on the other hand iscapital, no matter how beat up the oldute it is replacing might be.

There are however certain areasaround the farm that deserve closerinspection.

An asset may be made up of anumber of smaller parts that cannotoperate on their own, but togetheroperate as one.

The most interesting example of thisis what the IRD refers to as ‘milkingplant’, that is all items of plant thatperform the milk extraction process.This can include any number of highlypriced pumps or coolers that are uselesson their own and can only be used aspart of the milking plant as a whole.Whilst the cost of replacing inexpensiverubberware is certainly of a revenuenature, so is the cost of replacing anexisting vacuum pump that might runinto thousands of dollars. Both costsonly restore the milking plant to itsoriginal state. The whole milking plant

is the relevant asset, not the vacuumpump or cups.

Once the asset has been identified,we must consider the nature, extent andcost of the work.

Whilst assets under $500 can beexpensed immediately, regardless oftheir nature, there is no threshold atwhich expenditure changes fromrevenue to capital. More important iswhether the expenditure is recurrent ora one-off. Monthly payments for theup-keep of the tractor, however highthe running costs, paid out of thenormal bank account suggest theexpenditure is revenue in nature. Aone-off payment funded by a new loanwould suggest it is of a capital nature.

Finally, the renewal or replacementof defective parts would be classified asrevenue, whilst the renewal or replace-ment of substantially the whole assetwill be capital in nature. It is importantto think about what your intentions arein carrying out the work.

Repairs restore an asset to itsoriginal function irrespective of howmodern the new parts are compared tothose you replace, but if you hope thatthe work will improve or alter theoperation of the asset significantly, thisis capital expenditure even if the cost isless than on going maintenance.

If in doubt about anything youshould contact your accountant whowill be able to advise you on the natureof you expenditure and here at GydeWansbone we would welcome anyenquiries. You never know, you couldbe pleasantly surprised.

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Find leaks and fix them

EARLY warning signs: A pressure gauge on the water line or pilot light on apump can alert you quickly to possible water losses on the farm.

By Gord Stewart, a specialist in water use and conservation. He is assisting DairyNZ with the SmartWater Use on Dairy Farms programme. Dairy farmers can go to www.dairynz.co.nz/smartwaterusefor more information and ring 0800 4 DAIRYNZ (0800 4 324 7969) to order materials.

Dairy farmer Terrymagil l says he’sprobably no differentthan most other dairyfarmers.

‘‘We know water isessential for dairying, butwhen you have adequatesupplies you can take it a bitfor granted.’’

While the ‘carbon foot-print’ idea has been aroundfor a while, Terry notes themore recent talk of a ‘waterfootprint’ really got hisattention.

Terry grew up in a farm-ing family near Hinuera, butit was in his early 50s whenhe realised the dream ofowning his own farm. Heand partner Sue now run230 dairy cows on 82 hanear Te Poi. The farm wascertified organic in 2004.

Their commitment tosustainability was rewardedwith two honours at the2009 Waikato BallanceFarm Environment Awards.

Terry says the SmartWater Use on Dairy Farmsprogramme is spurring himto greater action. ‘‘Theresource kit is a useful tool,’’he says. ‘‘It includes practi-cal ideas for change andimprovement.’’

Terry checks the flag onthe water tank every day onreturning to the farm fromhis law practice in Mata-mata. His farm manager isonto it and there are goodwater management prac-tices in place.

‘‘Our challenge now isimproving the water systemon our run-off property,’’says Terry.

Water supply here comes

via an easement from theneighbour’s property. TheMagills intend upgradingwater lines and installing astorage tank at a high pointto gravity feed the farm.

But with the water foot-print in the back of his mind,Terry recognises that smallleaks in l ines andoverflowing troughs can losea lot of water if they’re notrepaired promptly.

The answer to this is asimple ‘alert’ system thatcan let you know water isrunning when it shouldn’tbe. The tank water flagcertainly helps, but otherthings can provide immedi-ate feedback.

I f household watercomes from the farm supply,low pressure at the tap canalert you to possible waterloss on the property.

A pressure gauge on aline feeding water to thefarm registering lower thannormal is another sign wateris being lost somewhere inthe system.

If a storage tank andpump provide water downthe farm, a pilot light on thepump serves as a visual alertthat the pump is on. If it’srunning when it shouldn’t be— when the cows are in theyard, for example — youcan turn it off then go andlook for the cause. A stand-

ard spotlight works, but anLED type — visible from adistance and even in daylight— is worth the small extracost.

Ask your water supplyspecialist about pressuregauge options or your elec-trician about pilot lights.Both are inexpensive add-ons to the farm water systemthat can pay off fast.

Even the ‘click, click’ ofan in-line dispensing systemis a good way to monitorwhen water is running andalert you to possible losses.

All farms are different, soit’s a matter of decidingwhich system works best foryou.

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A sheep jetter inan art gallery?

By Chris Grenfell — a solicitor in theTe Awamutu fi rmEdmondsJudd.

When does an automatic sheepjetter count as an artisticwork? The answer, is whenthe automatic sheep jetter has beencopied by another person and a claim isbrought under the Copyright Act 1994.

There are legendary stories in his-tory where inventors, often ridiculed bytheir peers, create an invention oradapt a process which revolutionisesthe industry and sometimes even theworld. Edison and his light bulb, Belland his telephone, Ray Kroc and his BigMac and Electroquip Limited and itsautomatic sheep jetter.

Perhaps the last one on the list is notexactly revolutionary technology, how-ever, under the Copyright Act 1994Electroquip Limited is entitled to pro-tection from its drawings and designsbeing copied.

This matter was determined in theHigh Court recently when a claim wasbrought under the Copyright Act 1994to prevent Craigco Limited copying andselling an automatic sheep jetter whichincluded a light sensor to initiate thedipping of sheep.

For the uninitiated an automaticsheep jetter is a machine which auto-matically sprays sheep as they pass insingle file along a race.

The idea is for each animal toreceive enough insecticide but no more,and for the spray to cease as soon asthe animal has passed through themachine.

In order to have the protection ofthe Copyright Act it was necessary forElectroquip Limited to prove that theautomatic sheep jetter and itsassociated drawings and designs were‘‘artistic works’’.

There is great debate in differentcountries as to what amounts to ‘artisticworks’.

In Australia recently, there havebeen a number of cases which relate tothe design of yachts with the designersclaiming copyright ofthe work as an artisticwork rather than as adesign (for which theperiod of copyrightdiffers).

In Australia thecourts have beenreluctant to acceptthat an industrialdesign of a yachtcould amount to anartistic work despitethe objections of the designer whobelieves that their work is of such astandard and beauty that it is capable ofbeing artistic in its own right.

Perhaps fortunately, ElectroquipLimited did not have this difficulty inproving that its works were covered bythe Copyright Act and did not need toprove that an automatic sheep jetterwould be an appropriate piece in an artgallery.

As New Zealand is a nation ofinventors who are able to build a rocketout of nothing more than a roll of toiletpaper and some number 8 wire, thequestion begs as to what protection theinventor of the next piece of revolution-ary equipment has over that invention.

There are a number of ways oflegally protecting works of art andinventions.

Some of these are defined in thelaws of the land such as the CopyrightAct and the Trademarks Act 2002.

Also the common (judge made) lawprotects people who suffer fromanother person improperly passing offtheir goods or services as their own.

Confidential information can also beprotected, provided that the informa-tion is truly confidential and steps aretaken to maintain that confidentiality.

But what aboutthe person that has atruly great idea? Thelaw is very slow toprotect people’sideas.

Therefore if youhave an idea for abrilliant movie, novelor invention it isnecessary to recordthat idea by way of awritten document or

to seek patent protection of the ideathrough the Intellectual PropertyOffice, otherwise anyone that hearsyour idea could beat you to the punchand enjoy all the benefits that comefrom putting your great idea into effect.

If you feel that you have the nextgreatest kiwi invention then it is import-ant that you discuss ways of protectingthis idea with a lawyer or patentattorney.

Practising since 2001, Chris Grenfell is a specialist dispute resolution lawyer who works in the area,of civil (including relationship property), commercial, employment, property and rural disputes. Heregularly appears in the High and District Courts and other specialist tribunals.

15 Albert Park Drive, Te Awamutu• Phone (07) 872 0236 • Fax (07) 871 7654

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Practising since 2001, Chris Grenfell is a specialist dispute resolution lawyer who works in thearea, of civil (including relationship property), commercial, employment, property and rural disputes. He regularly appears in the High and

District Courts and other specialist tribunals.

Chris Grenfellchrisg@edmondsjudd.co.nz

16 RURAL ROUNDUP, TUESDAY, MAY 18, 2010

132 Kihikihi Rd, Te Awamutu Phone 871 3079www.wilksbrooke.co.nz

GRANT WILKSMob (027) 4 948 672

gwilks@wilksbrooke.co.nz

NEIL GOODRICKMob (027) 292 9040ngoodrick@wilksbrooke.co.nz

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