North Canterbury News: September 23, 2021

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Sun needed for spring growth By DAVID HILL North Canterbury’s contractors are looking forward to some sunshine. Contractorsspoken to by North CanterburyNews say the new season promises to be aproductive one, provided the weatherplaysits part. After the drought conditions in recent years,anabundance of winterrain has recharged groundwater and provided the moisture needed for spring growth. Elmwood Ag owner Bill Mason says the cool, early spring weather meansthe new seasonisslow gettingunderway. ‘‘We’re slowly getting into cultivationand drilling and we usually get into baleage in late SeptemberorearlyOctober. ‘‘Its lookinglike it (the baleage) will be a bit later this year, butitshould be apretty good season withall the moisture we’ve had. We just need the heat and we will be right.’’ Elmwood Ag services farmers in the Waimakariri district and expects to get into makinghay aroundChristmas time,and sowingwinter crops in between. Asmalloperator,MrMason brings in a coupleofcasualstaff to help him get throughthe busy period. At this time of year Sanders Contracting owner Stuart Sandersdoes some earthmovingwork to keep him busy until the baleage is readytocut. ‘‘It is lookinggood at present with the rain we’ve had, as long as we get some good rain later on and some sun. Everything is starting to move, we just need mother nature to do its bit for us. ‘‘I don’tthinkthere’smuch surplus baleageorsilage around, so farmers will need to start building that up again.’’ Markham Street, Amberley |Karaka Road, Waikari www.arthurburke.co.nz Ready to roll ... North Canterbury agricultural contractors are ready for the new season. Mr Sanders doesn’texpect to do much baleageuntil nextmonth, but if there’s plenty of moisturesome farmers will get a second cut in the New Year. ‘‘It’s looking good at present withplenty of ground moisture. The late winter rains made things abit wet,but we’re definitely not complaining.’’ Fletcher Farmsowner Nigel Fletcher has asheep, beefand cropping farm at Waikariaswell as his contracting business, and says‘‘as long as the grass grows’’ it will be agood season. ‘‘From afarming perspectiveit’s been a bit of abattle so we needwarmth,and as far as hay and baleage goes, there’s nothing left locally. ‘‘Everything that’s going to be available is going to be madeover the next few months.’’ RURAL LIFE North Canterbury News, September 23, 2021 PHOTO: FILE At this time of year Mr Fletcher and his team are starting to plantcerealcrops, spring barley and summercrops like brassicasand kale,and doingthe maintenance on the balersand wrappers in the shed readyfor the new season. Fletcher Farms serves farmers in Waikari, Hawarden,Waipara and Scargill, makingbaleagefrommidOctober, and hay and combine harvesting in the NewYear, beforeautumnsowing. Mr Fletcher has managed to retainsome staff over the winterand expects to have his usual team of workers back over the summer. ‘‘We probably need to get another truck driver, but otherwiseweare prettywell lined up. We don’t rely on overseas workers, we employmostly locals and kiwis.’’ Lecturer finds novel way to help farmers Farmers can improve their decisionmaking skills without having to stop milking. Lincoln University honorary associate professor Peter Nuthall has released an audiobook, The Intuitive Farmer,which is written in an innovative novelstyle and tells the fictional story of group of farmers meeting to improve their intuitive decisionmaking skills. It is based on actual data collected from hundreds of farmers. Each chapter addresses adifferent issue affecting farmers, such as risk management, benchmarking, budgeting, planning, negotiation skills, active listening and farm ownership. By the end of the novel, the listener will have absorbed important farm management principles and practices through the activities and findings of the group, Dr Nuthall says. Improved intuitive skill requires farmers to constantly and objectively selfcritique their decisions so that slowly, the appropriate approach becomes second nature as part of their kit of intuitive tools, he says. The book is described as the first of its kind to be applied to agricultural management practices, providing a source for farmers, agricultural and farm management students, and people involved in agricultural industries. An Amazon review described The Intuitive Farmer as an innovative and useful resource for farmers. ‘‘Having the author appear as a character in the book is anice bonus, as it gives the reader arare chance to get an insider’s view on the personal and professional life of aresearcher,’’ the reviewer wrote. Dr Nuthall’s next book in the farm management series is called The Decisive Farmer and will be published before Christmas by the Professor Peter Nuthall Commonwealth Bureau of Information (CABI). Asample of the audio book can be accessed on the Google Play app. Sales: John 03 3140132 |Service:Anton 03 3140134 31 Trusted in NorthCanterbury since1935 Suzuki LTF400F Manual King Quad Retail $13,999 2191656 2020Model Runout NowOnly $12,999 INCLUDING GST Limited Stock Available.All Prices IncludeGST FENCING • Post Driving • Stock Fencing • Stockyards • Post and Rails • Lifestyle etc Ph Andy Horn 021 214 1201 or (03) 314 9460 Providing helicopterservices to the North Canterburyand Marlborough region. • Spraying • Lifting • Fertiliser-liquid &solid • Frost control • GPS proof ofplacement • Pest control • Fire • Mustering 25 years experience Call for afree farmvisit, advice and non obligation quote. 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RURAL LIFE 32 North Canterbury News, September 23, 2021 Feed those twin lamb ewes Strong lamb prices are an added incentive for farmers to maximise preweaning growth rates this season. Beef +Lamb New Zealand facilitator and farm systems scientist Dr Tom Fraser says ewes need amassive amount of feed in early lactation to provide adequate milk for their lambs while maintaining or recovering body condition. In week six aewe feeding twins requires more 4.27kg of dry matter per day, reducing to 3.84kg of dry matter a day by week nine. Dr Fraser says this means they should be running on to pasture covers of 1300kg to 1400kg of dry matter per hectare. ‘‘If pastures covers are too low, she physically cannot take enough food in.’’ North Canterbury farmers Tom and James Maxwell mobup setstocked ewes and lambs into small mobs of around 200 ewes as soon as they have finished lambing and rotate them around six or seven paddocks, moving them every two to three days. This means both lambs and ewes are getting the pick of the best possible feed. ‘‘Don’t try to clean up paddocks at that time of year,’’ the pair say. The pair admit it is alot of work, as many mobs will have been shifted over 25 times before weaning, but they believe it is well worth the effort. The Maxwells make use of the 2410273 ONLINE MEAT SALES MEAT2U.NZ HOME KILL &WILD GAME MEAT PROCESSING 313 0022 Spring lambs ... Mums of twin lambs need to be wellfed. PHOTO: FILE subterranean clover endemic in their hill country pastures to drive preweaning growth rates. This means actively managing the sub clover to allow it to set seed in latespring and early summer and not grazing it too hard. They also found apreweaning drench made abig difference to lamb weaning weights. Farm consultant Jansen Travis says farmers often fall down in that late lactation period by not having the highquality feed lambs need. ‘‘In the early phases, pretailing, quantity is the issue, but after tailing it’s about quality,’’ he says. He says highlegume systems, or where legumes have been introduced, hold their quality and this is reflected in lamb performance. Country of origin ... NZPork wants country of origin labelling now. PHOTO:NZPORK Label delay frustrates New Zealand’s porksectoris disappointed ‘‘countryoforigin’’ labellinghas been delayedagain. The Governmenthas announcedthe regulations covering fresh and chilled food,including pork and curedpork have been delayed for three monthsuntil February 2022. ‘‘We wereeagerlyawaiting these regulations to come into force in November,’’ NZPork chief executive DavidBaines says. ‘‘Without theseregulations, imported pork can be ‘hidden’ in ham and bacon processedinNew Zealand underalabel ‘MadeinNew Zealand’.’’ Research by NZPork indicates many consumers are surprised when they learnpork in these products may be imported fromanumber of countries. ‘‘That’swhy thisthree month delayis hugely frustratingfor our New Zealand farmers when cheaper pork imports, that don’thavetomeetNew Zealand’s high welfare or environmental standards, can be presented to consumers without clear labelling,’’MrBainessays. ‘‘While we appreciatethe delayisdue to the disruptionand uncertainty caused to business by thereemergenceof Covid19, we are particularly disappointed that the regulationswill notbeinplace for the Christmas period like we expected. ‘‘Despite theregulatory delay, NZPork will still be encouraging consumers to look on the label and ask retailers for NewZealand born and raisedpork, especially goinginto theChristmas ham season.’’ The regulations will enable consumers to be moreinformed as to where their food is being imported from and what pork is New Zealand born and raised, Mr Baines says. NZPorkremains concerned the regulations are not comprehensive becausethey will not apply to all imported pork, he says. ‘‘The regulations willonly cover fresh, chilledpork and curedpork. ‘‘Pork processed in otherways will not have to be labelled. ‘‘That means imported porkwouldbe labelled withits countryoforigin if presentedas‘fresh’ (chilled), whilethe same product,ifmarinated or infused, would sit alongside New Zealand pork andescape the need for labellingas imported.’’ TheGovernmentinitially delayed country of origin labelling in May last year as part of its measures to manage business disruption duetoCovid19. Glen RAngus Annual Bull Sale On-farm Auction & online 35 Rugged 2-year-old Bulls Monday October 4 th –1.30pm Open Day to view bulls: Tuesday September 28 th from 1.00pm Sandown 445 Deans Road, SH72, Darfield Video of bulls on Call Peter Heddell on 027 436 1388 LK0108375©
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North Canterbury News: September 23, 2021

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