North Canterbury News: April 08, 2021

RURAL LIFE
28 North Canterbury News, April 8, 2021
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&WILD GAME
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FENCING
• Post Driving
• Stock Fencing
• Stockyards
• Post and Rails
• Lifestyle etc
Ph Andy Horn
021 214 1201 or
(03) 314 9460
The Widest
Music Variety
Phil turns to earthquake repairs
By DAVID HILL
PhilSmith is lookingforward to having
moretime at homeafter losinghis seat on
the Beef and LambNew Zealand board.
While disappointed to loselast month’s
northern South Island board election, Mr
Smith says he looks forward to getting on
withearthquake repairs at his Balmoral
farm, nearCulverden.
‘‘I want to thank the farmers who have
supported me overthe years.After the
(2016) earthquake, being able to visit and
helpfarmerswho were affected by it was
areal privilege.
‘‘Wewere affected too, so it will be good
to get on with our own earthquake
repairs.’’
Rebuilding the homestead andrepairs
to otherfarm buildings willkeep him busy
for the nextyear or two.
First elected to the board in 2015, Mr
Smith served two termsand is proud to
haverepresented ‘‘a grounded farmer
view’’.
During his time on the board, Mr Smith
worked on gatheringfarmerfeedback on
Beefand Lamb’s marketing direction,
which led to the Taste Pure Nature
marketing campaign in Chinaand North
America.
‘‘I did quite abit of workinthe Tri­Lamb
Partnership, trying to keep the flow of
lambfrom New Zealand andAustralia into
the UnitedStates.
‘‘Since Covid, it’s been donebyZoom
calls, so it’s been abit more difficult.’’
Overthe last few years, muchofthe
board’s time has been taken up discussing
freshwater, biodiversity and climate
change legislation, and Mr Smith says his
work is incomplete.
‘‘I’mstill working on that with (Climate
Change Minister) James Shaw and I’ve just
heardthat he has agreed to come down
and talk with farmers in the Canterbury
area,sohopefully we can have some
influenceinto discussionsaround native
biodiversity.’’
His Balmoral property comprises 958
hectares, which Mr Smith farms with his
wife,Sue, running 10,000 to 12,000stock
Looking ahead
... Culverden
farmer Phil Smith
has enjoyed his
time on the Beef
and Lamb New
Zealand board.
PHOTO: FILE
units includingsheep, Angus breeding
cows and grazingdairycows and heifers.
‘‘I’ve always saidIwas afarmer before I
wasadirector.Ihave thoroughly enjoyed
my six years on the board and Iwouldn’t
have doneanything different.
‘‘I’ve had alot of callsfrom individual
farmers thanking me for what I’vedone
andthat’s quite satisfying.’’
Ashburton farmer Kate Aclandwon the
race to be the northern South Island
farmer representative, receiving5303
votes to Mr Smith’s 2511 votes.
Farmers may look to sky for internet solutions
By DAVID HILL
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Space­age innovationcould
providebenefits to farmers,
Andrew Hoggard says.
The Federated Farmers
nationalpresident left his
Feilding farmtovisit Kirwee
for the recent SouthIsland
Agricultural Field Days.
He said it madeapleasant
change fromZoom meetings,
which had become the norm
amidCovid­19 uncertainty.
While broadband
connectivity had improved,
there were still manyparts of
the country beingleft behind.
He hopedNew Zealand’s
growing space industryand
the increased presence of
satellitescould improve
things for farmers.
‘‘More and moreitseems to
be meetings on Zoomand it
makes achange fromdriving
effectively six hours in aday
for aone­hourmeeting,soI’m
enjoyingsmashing out some
farmwork and then throwing
on ashirt and being part of
the meeting.
‘‘I’m certainly seeingabit
on the Starlink satellites
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coming out from SpaceX and I
do think they could effectively
be agame­changer for rural
connectivity in New Zealand.
‘‘From the pricepoint
they’re talking about, it could
be cost­effective for alot of
farmersand providesome
really good speeds, and then
there’s the question of what
elseyou could add on to that.’’
Given the increasing
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03 349 5975
compliance requirements
placed on farmers, satellite
technologycouldsimplify
recording and storing of data
for farmers, Mr Hoggard says.
But more thought needed to
be put into regulations, such
as for winter grazing, stock
exclusion, nitrate limitsand
biodiversity rules, ratherthan
‘‘a one sizefits all approach’’.
‘‘You’vegot to look at each
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Canterbury
Grassroots ...
Federated
Farmers North
Canterbury
territory
manager Harry
Matthews, left,
chatstonational
president
Andrew
Hoggard.
PHOTO:DAVIDHILL
catchment separately. You’ve
got to go ‘what are the
activities that cause
degradation?’, if there is
degradation, and it’s different
fromwhere Iaminthe
Manawatutodown here in
North Canterbury.
‘‘Every area is different. It’s
got different challenges and
different solutions and that’s
where it needstobebased.’’
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