AgriBusiness News May 2018

3
The Troughton farm.
Waikato farmers changing
old farming attitudes
At the foot of the Kaimai Ranges lies the
Troughton dairy farm. Ben and Sarah
Troughton sharemilk 500 cows on the
200-hectare property, which is owned by
Ben’s parents Terry and Margaret, and has
been in the family for more than 100 years.
A
lot has changed over
the last century, and
the current generation
of Troughtons are embracing
a variety of sustainable and
environmental farm practices
because, as Ben says, it’s their
duty to do so.
“At some point you have to
change that old attitude of ‘this
is how it’s always been done’
and start thinking about the
sustainability of our land and
the environmental impact we’re
leaving,” he says. “It’s time to
stop making excuses and start
doing our bit.”
The Troughtons say they’ve
incorporated sustainable practices
slowly over a period of 10
years, a process Ben says is well
worth the time and effort.
As regional councils around
New Zealand implement policies
to mitigate nitrogen leaching
and improve water quality,
farmers are looking at options
to reduce surplus nitrogen
on-farm while retaining a profitable
system. Some of these
options include controlled use
of fertiliser and effluent, using
low-nitrogen supplements and
reducing cow numbers.
On the Troughton farm,
they’ve reduced
their herd number
from 700 to
500 and introduced
split calving
in autumn
and spring,
year-round oncea-day
milking,
controlled feeding
and stand-off
periods, and irrigating
effluent
onto crop paddocks.
“Our production
is down
about seven per
cent, but it’s outweighed by
the facts our cows and calves
are healthier, we have smaller
breeding costs and our vet bills
are down.”
The Troughtons have also
made smaller sustainable
IT’S ANOTHER
THING WE
CAN ADD TO
EVERYTHING
ELSE WE’RE
DOING.
changes to their farm operation.
“Things like scraping the feed
pad instead of hosing down,
being conscious of our water
use in the shed, composting,
and riparian planting alongside
our drains – little things that all
add up.”
They’re keen to incorporate
solar energy in the milking shed
and experiment with growing
more of their own feed in an
effort to reduce imported and
chemically sprayed feed.
Nitrogen leaching is also an
issue Ben is conscious
of. He’s
experimented
with plantain,
mixing it into
grass seed mix,
and he’s currently
re-grassing
some of his
paddocks with a
mix of Ecotain,
ryegrass and clover
as part of a
pasture trial with
researchers from
the University of
Waikato.
Ecotain hit
the headlines last year when
proprietary seed company Agricom
announced research findings
that showed the plantain
cultivar facilitated a significant
reduction in nitrogen leaching
from livestock urine patches, by
Sarah and Ben Troughton.
as much as 90 percent in some
cases.
Ben says plantain has been
part of his pasture and grazing
planning for a while, but the
research announcement was
welcome news.
“We’d been using plantain,
before Ecotain, in our grass seed
mixes. We also used it in pugged
areas as we found it took well to
disturbed soil - it grew well and
helped settle the damage.
“Plantain’s been around for
a while so it was great to hear
about the research findings on
Ecotain. It’s another thing we
can add to everything else we’re
doing.”
He says there’s no magic
bullet for solving environmental
issues on-farm, but he’s heartened
by the efforts being made
by industry to provide more sustainable
options.
“I couldn’t sit here and say
one thing in particular is going
to solve all of our problems. It’s
a matter of looking into what’s
out there and incorporating
what you can and what’s right
for your farm.”
He says there’s nothing stopping
other farmers from making
the move to more sustainable
farming practices and he’s keen
to see more move down this
path.
“It’s absolutely about attitude.
We have to stop sacrificing
the health and quality of our
land for short-term gain, for the
quick wins,” he says. “Milk production
will always be a factor
for dairy farms, but for the sake
of a few extra milk solids we
can take steps now that’ll result
in long-term results.”
New general manager announced for Quantec China
Hamilton-based dairy
biotechnology company
Quantec has announced
the appointment of Kirin Tsuei
as general manager to oversee
the development of its company
in China.
Mr Tsuei will oversee
sales and distribution in China
through Quantec’s newly-established
Wholly Foreign-owned
Enterprise (WFOE). A WFOE
is a company established in
China but wholly-owned by
one or more foreign investors.
Mr Tsuei has a wealth of
experience in medical nutrition
as a sales representative for
Mead Johnson and Novartis in
the US and was most recently a
business development manager
for New Zealand Trade and
Enterprise in Taiwan.
Quantec specialises in
extracting high-value bioactives
from natural ingredients
which are developed into proprietary
ingredient formulations
for use in human and animal
health products.
One of the bioactive ingredients
they formulate is IDP
(immune defense proteins), a
natural anti-inflammatory agent
derived from fresh, pasturised
cows’ milk.
Quantec has been doing
business in China for six years,
with its strongest market in IDP
for health supplements and
products.
Managing director Dr Rod
Claycomb says where previously
the sale of IDP into
China was managed from New
Zealand, the appointment of
an in-country general manager
will solidify Quantec’s presence
in China and streamline its
activity in the Chinese market.
“Quantec China will be the
key focus for driving business
in-market, rather than managing
everything from New
Zealand,” says Dr Claycomb.
“With the Chinese market in
such a strong position, we felt
the time was right to invest in a
China base.
“Mr Tsuei has significant
experience in the medical nutrition
field and I’m delighted to
welcome him on board. His
skills and knowledge will be of
immeasurable benefit to Quantec
China.”
First on Mr Tsuei’s agenda
is overseeing the application for
Blue Hat approval for IDP. Blue
Hat is China’s formal certification
of health food and supplements.
He will also oversee the
launch of Quantec’s Epiology
skincare range, which uses IDP
as its active ingredient to treat
mild to moderate acne.
Epiology launched in New
Zealand in 2014, and currently
has approximately 10 percent
share of the acne skincare market.
It is stocked in 60 percent
of pharmacies throughout the
country. Epiology also launched
in Mexico in 2015.
Mr Tsuei says he’s excited
to join Quantec as its China
general manager. “China has a
burgeoning nutritional supplements
market, and with IDP
having been received so well,
Quantec’s new general
manager Kirin Tsuei.
I’m confident Epiology will
cater to an emerging niche of
people in China looking for natural
skincare.”
Epiology is expected to
launch in China late this year.
Dr Claycomb says Quantec’s
expansion in China is a
stepping stone for the company
to help other similar New Zealand
businesses looking to do
the same.
“There is strong demand
for quality New Zealand-made
health products in China. Our
medium-term goal is to partner
with other similar health products
to launch into the Chinese
market, which we anticipate
having a positive effect on New
Zealand’s export economy.”
See Quantec award story on
page 6.