Ashburton Courier: March 11, 2021

RURAL
26 Ashburton Courier, March 11, 2021
www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz
IN BRIEF
FEEDLINE
Areas of the Northern South Island
are beginningtolook dry again,
especially Marlborough, North
Canterbury andBanksPeninsula.
ButBeef+LambNZ remindfarmers,
concernedabout feed levels
headingintoautumn,that the
droughtand feedline is still open.
Drystock farmers can call 0800
BEEFLAMB(0800 233 352) or
email drought&feed@beeflambnz.
com to speaktosomeone who can
help puttogetherafeed budget and
identify managementoptions.
NORTHLANDDAIRY
FARMER
KatrinaPearson has won Northland
Dairy Industry Awards Share
Farmer ofthe Year. The former
police officerwantstochange the
opinion of people who criticise the
dairyindustry without lookingatthe
facts.
Ms Pearson wasnamed winner of
the2021Northland ShareFarmer of
the Yearatthe region’sannual
awards dinnerheld in Whangareion
Tuesday night, winning$7250 in
prizesplusseven merit awards.The
othermajor winners were Ravindra
Maddage Don (dairy managerofthe
year) and Bella Wati (dairy trainee
of the year).
DAIRY LEADERS MEET
Risingtomeetenvironmental
challenges andsupportingeach
otherthroughchange willtop the
agenda when Dairy Environment
Leaders meetinWellington on
March 16-17.
Dairy Environment Leaders
(DELs) are leading farmers from
across the country, who workwith
otherfarmers,their communities
and decision makerstodrive
positivechange.
ARABLE GROUPS
FORMED
The newly formedGrowers Leading
Change arableknowledge
exchange programme is up and
runningwith the establishmentof
the firstthree Arable Growth
Groups.
GroupsinMid Canterbury
(focusing on understandingthe
environmental andfinancial benefits
of soil quality), South Canterbury
(grass weedmanagement) and a
nationalgroup(adding value to
small arable businesses)have been
confirmed.
Methven heifers in prime form
JeremyDuckmantonhas won
braggingrightsinthe Methven
A&PAssociation on­farmdairy
heifercompetition.
Mr Duckmantonwon the
rising two­year­old class and
wasdeemedthe overall
competition winner with most
points.
In theother two categories,
Nathan andGreta Currie won
rising one­year­old class while
Marthie andMark Wrighthad
thebestline of rising two­yearold
heifers exhibited by a
grazier.
Dairyheifercompetition
convenor Phil Lowe saidthe
competition was well
supported with16entries in
the three classes from within
the Methvenarea.
JudgesDavid Kelk and Luke
Gilberthad their work cut out
choosing the winnersduring a
full day’sprogramme. They
started at 8am and finished at
5pm,hesaid.
There was also agood turn
out of people who gathered at
each destination that judging
was taking place, he said.
Thestock were of
exceptionally high quality,
which made it harder for the
judges deciding winners and
placegetters.
Stocklines’ high quality was
likely due to thekind winter,
Dairy Holdings’ grazing manager
Adam Mielnik places alot of value
on crush protection devices being
attached to quad bikes. PHOTO SUPPLIED
Methven A&P Association dairy heifer competition judge Luke Gilbert.
amount of feedall year and the
quality of the heifersinthe
region, he said.
The competition was oneof
onlytwo on­farm A&P
competitions still held in
Canterbury since Mycoplasma
bovis stoppeddairyevents
happening at the shows. The
other is at theAmuri A&P
Show.
‘‘We are verylucky our
Big focus on roll bars
Dairy Holdings’ grazing managerAdam
Mielnik was in the middle of fittingrollbars to
the company’s fleetofquadbikes when afarm
worker was killedinaquad bike incident.
Dairy Holdings, who have their headoffice
in Ashburton,isamulti­milliondollar
corporate dairycompanywith 60 dairy
properties in the SouthIsland.
Thequadbike fatality happened in
Waimatein2019.
Mr Mielnik wasinthe process of getting that
very quadbike equippedwitharoll bar,or
crush protectiondevice (CPD), when it
happened.
“I took thatpretty hard because Ihad
orderedarollbar for that quadbike aboutfive
daysbeforethe accident. It was afreak thing,
but it was preventable,” he said.
“A lot of people think it won’thappento
them, but it could, it happenedtous.
‘‘If you are in that situation you needtobe
able to hold your handonyour heart and say
thatyou’ve doneeverythingyou could do to
look after your staff, and if you can’t do that,
you’re going to havetolive with that for the
rest of your life.”
In 2020 there were seven quad bike
fatalities, according to WorkSafe, whichwas
the second­worst yearfor workplace quad
bike deathsonrecord since 2006. In 2015there
community getsbehind us,’’ Mr
Lowe said.
He thanked those who
entered,sponsors and
spectators who supported
judgingand prizegiving.
werenine fatalities.
Since2006therehave been 74 quadbike
deaths categorised as workplace fatalities,
and already this year there havebeentwo
deaths within aweek in Hawkes Bay.
DairyHoldings sawfitting roll bars as part
of theirhealthand safetydrivetoprotect their
workers. Theyhave afocus that alsoincludes
trainingand awareness, havingthe right
equipmentproperly maintained and checks
on wellbeing.
Mr Mielnik helps to overseeabout 10
grazing blocksacrossthe South Island.
Quad bikeswere essential equipment, fitted
with Techno electricfence winders to quickly
shiftherds across the pasture.
He saidall farmersneedtofocus on health
and safetyaswell as productivity.
“Thisisabout getting everyonehomesafely.
It got our people thinking differently about
how theydothings.That’s good,because a
changeinbehaviour is what we are tryingto
encourage” Mr Mielnik said.
The company investigated several types of
roll barsand decided on Lifeguard CPD, made
by AgTech Industries; it is on the listofCPDs
that qualifyfor an ACC subsidy.
The company said betterreporting has
shown there wereregularminorincidents
involvingquad bikes.
RDRML
RotaryFish Screen Project
Purpose. Environment.
Partnership.Innovation.
Excellence.
• DairyNZ accreditedEffluent
Pond Design andConstruction
• Pond Constructionand
Irrigation Development
• Hedgeand StumpRemoval
• Farm Conversions
• DairyTracks–
Lime or Gravel
• PumpHire
• Wellsand Galleries
• Bulk Earthworks
• Subdivisions
• Site Works
• Tree Shear
• Transportation
2354507
• Come to the Mayfield Show–Sat13March
• One of our MASSIVE rotaryscreens will be on display
• 8.5m long cylindrical screen –2.1m in diameter
• Information on-site
• Pump screen demo by AWMA
2364849