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Previous Conferences 1Contents 2Executive Committee 3Invercargill Organising Committee 4Premier and Key Sponsors 5Sponsors Acknowledgements 6-7Programme 8-10Conference Opening Tim Shadbolt - Mayor of Invercargill 12 Bryan Beeston - Chairman NZ Large Herds Association 13 Steven Josephs - Chairman Southland LH Committee 14 Willie Thomson - General Manager Agro-Sciences and Summit Quinphos 14

Opening Keynote Speaker Sue Lindsay - Take Action “So This Is Success” 15

Speakers – Breaking Barriers Gordon McKenzie 16 Mike Horgan 18 Abe de Wolde 21

Speakers – Peter Hutton – Massey University 27 Young Scientists Julie Lee 28 Kirsty Hammond 30 Kiro Petroyski 32 Sarah Pain 34 Christine Walker 36 Caroline Walker 38 Lachlan Pearson 40

Speakers – What’s Below the Water Line? Garth Gallaway – Duncan Cotterill 43 Brendan O’Donovan - Westpac Bank 45 Rt Hon Dame Jenny Shipley 46Speakers – No “P” in Iceberg Mike Sabin - Methcon Group Ltd 50

Speakers – Poles Apart – International Debate George Baikie - Scottish Agricultural College 52 Thomas Clinton - Ireland 57 Larry Vanderwey - USA 58 Speakers – I.C.E. – International Compliance for the Environment Jamie Blennerhassett - Summit Quinphos 60 Tim Dean - Fonterra 64 Alistair Nelson - Rissington Breedline 66

Farm Visits David and Fiona Hughes – Ballyhooley Farms 70 Vaughan and Megan – Otaitai Dairies 72 Alfons and Gea Zeestraten – Southern Centre Dairies Ltd 74 Dallas and Kay Lucas and Peter and Cathy Donnelly – Papawai Ltd 78

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Chairman:

Bryan BeestonSecretary/Treasurer:

Delwyn Oliver

Doug Williams Brian PowersJohn Lang

Life Member: Professor KL (Jock) Macmillan Life Member: Shelagh Bragg

Sponsorship:

Angela Carpenter

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Back Row from Left: Phillip Ryan, John Lang, Glenda Warnock, Wayne Carpenter, Simon Croom, Megan Manson, Desiree Moseley, Richard Abbott

Middle Row: Steven Josephs, Eoin McKenzie, Sheena O’Reilly, Angela Carpenter, Joanne JosephsFront Row: Robyn Clarke, Angela Darke, Stuart McGregor, Jacqueline Dearlove

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Key Sponsor

Premier Sponsor

Key Sponsor

Key Sponsor

Key Sponsor

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'Specialists in Dairy Automation Solutions'

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Williams Engineering

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PROGRAMME

MONDAY, 15 MARCH 2010

8.00am Registration Desk Open (Day and Late Registrations)

Trade Display Area Open

8.30am Breaking Barriers Chair: Jamie MacKay

Pioneers in Southland

Gordon McKenzie – Born and Bred Southland Dairy Farmer

Mike Horgan – North Island Convert to Southland Dairying

Abe de Wolde – International Convert to Southland Dairying

10.00am Refreshment Break

10.45am Science in Action Chair: Peter Hutton

Young Scientists

Julie Lee

Kirsty Hammond

Kiro Petroyski

Sarah Pain

Christine Lindsay

Caroline Walker

Lachlan Pearson

12.15pm Lunch Sponsored by Ecolab Ltd

2.00pm What’s Below the Waterline? Chair: Bryan Beeston

Garth Gallaway – Duncan Cotterill - Legal Issues

Brendan O’Donovan - Westpac Bank – Financial Issues

Rt Hon Dame Jenny Shipley – International Issues

5.00pm Cocktail food and drinks Sponsored by Viterra Ltd

TUESDAY, 16 MARCH 2010

9.00am Trip to Mt Linton Station (Optional see registration form)

1.00pm Registration Desk Opens

1.00pm Trade Display Area Open to Public

5.00pm Opening

Tim Shadbolt – Mayor of Invercargill

Bryan Beeston – Chairman NZLHA

Steven Josephs – Chairman Southland LH Committee

Willie Thomson – Summit Quinphos

Opening Keynote Speaker Sue Lindsay – TakeAction

6.30pm Welcome evening, light meal and drinks, entertainment

Sponsored by Claas Harvest Centre

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8.00am NZLHA Executive Committee AGM- All Welcome

8.30am No “P” in Iceberg

Mike Sabin – MethCon Group Director

10.15am Poles Apart Chair: Maurice Hardie

International Debate

George Baikie – UK Speaker

Thomas Clinton – Ireland/European Speaker

Larry Vanderwey – USA Speaker

12.15pm Lunch Sponsored by PGG Wrightson

2.00pm I.C.E. Chair: Don Nicholson

International Compliance for the Environment

Jamie Blennerhassett - Summit Quinphos

Tim Deane - Fonterra

Alistair Nelson – Rissington Breedline

4.00pm Refreshment Break

4.15pm Presentation Young Scientist Awards

4.45pm Bill Richardson Truck Museum Tour- first bus leaves venue 4.45pm

Rotating bus service during 4.45pm – 7.00pm.

4.45pm- Drinks and Nibbles in Trade Display area

-7.00pm Free evening to experience the local cuisine.

PROGRAMME

WEDNESDAY, 17 MARCH 2010

8.00pm Farm Visits

Ballyhooley Farms (David and Fiona Hughes)

Otaitai Dairies (Vaughan and Megan Templeton)

Southern Centre Dairies Ltd (Alfons and Gea Zeestraten)

Papawai Ltd (Dallas & Kay Lucas; Peter & Cathy Donnelly)

4.30 pm Arrive back in Invercargill

7.00 pm HOEDOWN – Dinner & Dance - Themed Country Barndance –

Dress to the Occasion Sponsored by Summit Quinphos

VENUE Invercargill Workingman’s Club, Esk St, Invercargill

THURSDAY, 18 MARCH 2010

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MOUNT LINTON TRIP

For delegates that have decided to arrive in Southland a wee bit early we have an

awesome opportunity to visit one of New Zealand’s top Sheep Stations.

8am Monday 15th March 2010, arriving back in time for Opening. Lunch included.

WELCOME FUNCTION – Sponsored by Claas Harvest Centre

The welcome evening starts at 6.30pm on Monday 15th March 2010 after our opening

keynote speaker Sue Lindsay. There will be a light meal and drinks, with entertainment.

Stadium Southland.

COCKTAIL FUNCTION – Sponsored by Viterra

Cocktail Function will start immediately following close of conference (5pm) on

Tuesday 16th March 2010. Opportunity to see the Ranfurly Shield.

BILL RICHARDSON TRUCK MUSEUM

Bill had always had a deep passion for trucks and so it was only natural that he

began to collect them. The collection started with the purchase of the remains of his

grandfathers 1933 International truck. He went on to purchase a handful of trucks

over the next few years but the collection really started to expand rapidly in the mid

eighties. At the time of Bills death in 2005 he had over 170 vehicles in his collection,

numerous petrol bowsers and related memorabilia. It was the desire of the family to

see the collection continue to expand and for those interested to view it. Friday the

19th October 2007 saw the completion of over 16 months of planning, construction

and restoring with the opening of the new wing and entrance to Bill’s Truck Museum.

Tour the largest display of trucks in Australasia on Wednesday 17th March 2010, from

4.45pm

CONFERENCE DINNER – Sponsored by Summit Quinphos

The Conference Dinner takes place at on Thursday 18th March 2010.

Theme: Hoedown, Dinner and Dance, themed country barndance.

Dress Code: to the occasion.

Entertainment: Jason Schmitt

Venue: Invercargill Working Mens Club, Esk Street

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Timothy Richard Shadbolt was born on 19 February 1947 in Remuera, Auckland.

In 1966 Tim attended Auckland University but spent 1967 working on the Manapouri Power

Project in Southland. In 1968 he returned to University where he was elected to the student

executive, became Editor of Craccum and was made a life member of the Auckland University

Students’ Association, for services to students.

Tim left University in 1970 to found a commune and a concrete co-operative at Huia (Waitakere

Ranges).

In 1975 he moved to suburbia and by 1983, with three children, had been elected onto the

Konini School Committee and Glen Eden Intermediate School Committee. He was later elected

Mayor of Waitemata City and Te Atatu’s representative on the Auckland Regional Authority.

The Auckland Regional Authority and Waitemata City were abolished in 1989 as a result of

restructuring when New Zealand’s 800 local authorities were reduced to 80.

Tim lost his position to the Mayor of Henderson, Assid Corban and went to work on a dairy

farm. He was then invited by friends from Manapouri to run for Mayor of Invercargill. Tim won

the Mayoralty and served from 1993-1995. He served a second term from 1998-2001 and was

re-elected unopposed for a third term in 2001. Tim was elected with a large majority for his

fourth term in 2004, and his fifth term in 2007.

He says during the last 15 years in Invercargill the highlights have been to build an international

airport, an aquatic centre, a zero-fee educational programme and numerous promotional

campaigns.

TIM SHADBOLT, Mayor of Invercargill

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We must make a greater effort to be aware of our neighbours and

their concerns, and make sure that the tools and skills that we

use are up to the work required. There have been many instances

where machinery has failed, people not trained, the suppliers of

the gear, the system we run, are not up to the job.

At this conference you will hear from locals, both New Zealand

home grown and our New Zealander’s. You will see how Southland

has grown from a dairy resurgence in the early 90s, to be one of

the most productive dairy regions in New Zealand and how it has

attracted a large variety of people and farmers to dairy this fertile

land. Listen to some of the challenge’s that it has brought to the

area.

We have, for the second year, the young Scientists, with their

projects that they bring to publish, talk and show where their

research is taking them and you get to choose the best with the

prize package sponsored by the Large Herds association. R&D is

what will keep this industry to the fore.

The local organising committee here in Invercargill have attracted

some top speakers to give you an insight of what could be under

the water line of that Iceberg. They have The Rt Hon Dame Jenny

Shipley, Brendan O’Donovan, Garth Gallaway . We hope they can

guide us through this ice water.

This leads on well to the following day with what is fast becoming

New Zealand’s nemesis - the use of P and the effects it will have on

our society. Government and council’s can regulate this industry

because they can charge a fee, but for this addiction there needs

to be the same commitment to this problem as there attracts on

our industry, because P will do more damage to our society than

dairy.

We welcome our overseas speakers George Baikie, Thomas Clinton

and Larry Vanderway who bring a global view of their country and

how their country sees New Zealand. International compliance is

the next level of compliance, so no longer is it our own, but the

global way that our customer would like their food produced. The

customer is right so we must get the right information out there.

On the Thursday we get out and about, to see this wonderful

countryside and how well it is being farmed. The quality of

our people and their resource to do their best is a credit to our

industry.

I hope you all stay to enjoy the Hoedown on the final evening,

and that during this conference you meet and make new friends,

suppliers, and learn that the future can be navigated through these

changing times. Just as this industry has done in the past, we can

and will deal with the future. Our families and communities need

a positive dairy industry.

I would like to thank the local organising committee, for their

work in bringing you this well structured conference which was

dependent on their drive and commitment. Also to the national

executive for their support in keeping this the premium dairy

conference and to the past executive who for 40 years have kept

the dairy industry to the fore.

Bryan Beeston - NZ Large Herds Chairman Welcome to the 41st annual conference of the Large

Herds Association of New Zealand, in association with Summit Quinphos, our major sponsor

plus our gold sponsors Viterra, Alltech, Claas Harvest Centre, and Merial, who with all the other

sponsors here, make this the premier dairy conference in New Zealand.

A big welcome to Southland where we see that our industry is complying with the standards

and conditions placed on it by our council’s and government. This is just the Tip of the Iceberg.

As yet we don’t know what is below the water, yet we know there are a lot of people, wanting

to, and making a living out of this dairy industry of ours, by regulation, and more regulation,

creating barriers, constraints, and often confusion.

BRYAN BEESTON, NZ Large Herds Chairman

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On behalf of the organising committee I would like to welcome you to the 41st annual NZ Large Herds Conference. The theme of this year’s conference is “Tip of the Iceberg – Complying for the Future”.

As we all know environmental compliance issues for dairying have come under the spotlight and the focus will remain on us into the future, it is important for all farmers to be proactive rather than reactive. This is why we have invited international speakers from three countries who are dealing with growing international requirements for compliance; our own national speakers such as Alastair Nelson from Rissington Breedline, suppliers to Marks and Spencer and the Rt Hon Dame Jenny Shipley who is active in international trade especially in the Asian region; as well as many other informative and entertaining speakers who will get you thinking about meeting compliance standards.

We have also the services of both a New Zealand and Southland farming icon, Jamie MacKay, who will be both chairing a session and running his Farming Show from the conference.

The committee has arranged a trip to the Bill Richardson Truck Museum, not generally open to the public.

Because we are country folk and proud of it, we are finishing the Conference with a celebratory country hoedown dinner and dance, sponsored by Summit Quinphos.

Willie Thomson was appointed General Manager of Summit-Quinphos following its acquisition

by Ballance in July 2008, taking over from his role as National Sales and Marketing Manager at

Summit-Quinphos. In October 2009 he also became responsible for leading the research and

development efforts of both Ballance and Summit-Quinphos.

Born and raised on family farms in South West Scotland, Willie joined ICI Fertilisers in 1989 and

went on to hold various management positions throughout the United Kingdom fertiliser and

animal feeds industry. Willie relocated to New Zealand in 2003 to become SQ Regional Business

Manager followed by the positions of National Operations Manager and National Sales and

Marketing Manager.

STEVEN JOSPEHS, Chairman Southland Large Herds Committee

WILLIE THOMPONGeneral Manager, Agro-Sciences and Summit Quinphos

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Winner of the New Zealand Young Executive of the Year, Southlander of the Year, Direct Marketer

of the Year finalist and winner of the World Young Business Achievers award in Beijing China.

And that’s just some of the recognition received for this inspiring New Zealander’s dynamic

approach to life, leadership and business.

Her career has taken her from running the family farm in Southland to a stellar corporate

career in New Zealand Agribusiness, involvement in two global leadership projects and now a

partnership with one of the worlds thought leaders, business guru Tom Peters.

She is a highly sought after speaker, Master coach and consultant working with individuals,

groups and organisations throughout New Zealand and internationally.

Sue’s experiences and ideas will inspire your sense of possibility and bring your personal and

business visions alive. She will inspire you to take action but more importantly she will show you

how to take action effectively. She shares her wealth of experience, international training and

research with you, as someone who actually faces the challenges of leadership, management

and operation of diverse businesses on a daily basis, and she comes to you as someone who has

literally walked in your gumboots.

So this is SUCCESS?

Lessons learned from LIFE, LEADERSHIP and BUSINESS

Sue Lindsay responds to the question that she has been asked of her more than any other over

the last 10 years, “What does it take to be successful? And have a life as well!”

An internationally acclaimed business leader Sue has always believed that success leaves clues

and she has undertaken a global voyage of discovery looking for the answer to that often illusive

question. Her research has seen her work directly with some of the world’s most prominent

business and leadership thinkers. That research combined with her own experiences in corporate

leadership and now as an entrepreneur will provide you with insight and inspiration. This

engaging, enlightening and humour filled conversation will bring your personal and business

visions alive and inspire you to action. Sue will provide practical tools for designing your life and

business for sustainable success.

A taste of what you can expect from Sue:

SUE LINDSAY, “Take Action”

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Gordon is a third generation Southland dairy farmer and has been all of his life. He originally farmed in partnership with his father and two brothers, but the partnership has since dissolved. He and his two brothers are still involved in dairy farming with his Mum and Dad keeping a watchful eye over them all. He is presently milking 2000 cows on 3 farms with his son Blair running one of them. Gordon also owns 3 run-off blocks which are used for stock grazing and wintering – so they are self-contained.

Gordon was the Chairman of the Southland Large Herds Conference in 1993, served on the national executive from 1992-1997, and also on the committee of the International Large Herds Conference in Canterbury 2000. He was on the committee for the Southland Dairy Promotion Board in the early 1990s which sought dairy farmers to come to Southland and attended the Mystery Creek Field Days to promote this.

Gordon is a very parochial Southlander who loves the province, enjoys dairy farming, sea fishing, rugby, horse racing and loves socialising.

GORDON McKENZIE, Dairy Farmer, Southland

Born and Bred Southlander

It gives me great pleasure to be invited to speak at the Southland 2010 New Zealand Large Herds Conference on Breaking Barriers on the history and pioneering of the dairy industry in Southland. I am a 4th generation Southlander and a third generation dairy farmer.

Bit of History

My grandfather Eric owned a Jersey stud at South Invercargill in the early 1930s, delivering milk to residents by horse and cart. In 1935 he purchased a brand new Dodge truck to become the first milk vendor to own a motorized vehicle.

In 1943 they sold that farm and moved to Seaward Downs to set up a dairy farm, my father Graeme later took over this farm. My Brother Grant and family still farm this property today.

My mother and father, Graeme and Lorraine, brothers Grant, Brent and myself and families all farmed in partnership in the 1990s before eventually going dairy farming on our own accords.

Today Grant and family farm at Seaward Downs. Milking 1200 cows on two properties, plus runoff blocks.

Brent and family farm at Otama. Milking 920 cows on 2 properties plus runoff blocks.

Myself – living at Colac Bay. Milking 2100 cows on 3 properties plus runoff blocks.

My mother and father are retired on the outskirts of Invercargill.

Our family has a long history in the Southland dairy industry; both Dad and my grandfather were Directors of the Southland and

Seaward Downs Dairy Coop. My uncle Gordon served as deputy chairman to Sir Jim Graeme on the New Zealand Dairy Board.

When I left school Mum and Dad were milking 180 cows, they gave us the backing to grow into the entities we now own. My son Blair is running one of my farms with another son due home from his OE, barriers continue to be broken.

Over the years I have seen many different eras and barriers broken in Southland. Also the dairy and faming history has been part of this, in 1928-29 there were 61 Cheese Factories in Southland, in the 1990s the dairy boom arrived and has continued since.

I had the privilege to be involved in the Dairy Promotion Board of Southland in the early „90s. This group included dairy farmers, dairy company employees, real estate agents and bankers. We attended the Mystery Creek Field days with the aim to promote Southland as a province to dairy farm in with a lifestyle to enjoy. The response was unbelievable, in the first year we had 70 people showing interest in moving South, of these we received 32 new suppliers n the 1992 season, 60 in the 1993 season, 72 in the 1994, 56 in the 1995 and the expansion has continued with fluctuations ever since. These were very interesting time for us at the Field Days. I still remember being asked how long it took to get to Southland by car from Christchurch airport, they did not think

1988-89 165 dairy farms av. 121 cows/farm2003-04 580 dairy farms av. 450 cows/farm2009-10 718 dairy farms av. 510 cows/farm(Plus 30-40 dairy trusts)Milk Production 2003-04 920kgms/ha 2008-09 1040kgms/ha

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SPEAKERS - PIONEERS OF THE PLAINS

GORDON McKENZIE

we had an airport, being asked how we handled being covered

in snow in the winter, they didn’t realize that snow to 800m on

the TV forecast only covered our ski slopes. One person asked us

about ice bergs in Bluff harbour and penguins in the main street of

Invercargill. We as a group could not believe the naivety of some

North Island people to Southland, but our great Province talked for

itself the dairying flow arrived.

The Southland Dairy Industry needed the increase in supply to

expand and rebuild our dairy factory, this created many problems.

We needed extra capital for the famous saying back then “Stainless

Steel” or in layman terms to pay for our updated factory. It was

decided to increase the Southland Dairy Coop share entry from

$1 to $2/share we thought this would pass with no trouble. If

you didn’t know, Southlanders are very parochial and most are of

Scottish decent- we didn’t get the required votes to pass this – we

were in the proverbial! Myself and another member of the panel,

Mike Horgan organized people to get enough signatures to force

another SDC meeting, without the extra $1/share we had no way

of expanding our factory and we had a lot of milk coming on board.

We managed to get enough signatures – force another meeting

– we got the vote through this time, another Barrier Broken”

in Southlands Dairy Expansion. (Bloody hard work though). In

1998 SDC merged with Alpine Dairy (Canterbury based) to form

South Island Dairy Coop, then SIDC merged with NZ Dairy Group

(Waikato based, then in 2001 NZ Dairy Group merged with Kiwi to

form Fonterra. Many “Barriers Broken” for farmers from the deep

South to be involved in. The expansion also put great pressure on

the service industries in the early years, this has now changed with

many companies benefiting. The expansion of the dairy industry in

Southland in my opinion has been the most positive happening for

our province over the last 20 years. Service towns in the Southland

area were run down, some resembling ghost towns – these towns

are now flourishing also due to the dairy industry. School roles

have increased and many different nationalities have arrived in

Southland. In the early years of the dairy boom neighboring sheep

farmers also realized how much grass growth could be achieved

through the proper uses of fertilizers. Dairy farmers have now

moved into different areas of Central and Northern Southland that

were once viewed as unsuitable for dairy farming.

Summary

Since the early 1990s (in my time) Southland has come a long

way in the dairy industry, also in the way it has been accepted. In

the early years of the dairy boom the people involved in it were

often treated very unfairly – some justified but mostly very unjustly.

Southland experienced some severe growing pains but we have

grown and benefited greatly from the dairy industry. There have

been pressures put on our environment as will always happen with

growth, but having swum and lived by major water ways all my

life I can honestly say they are in better condition now then at the

outset of my life. I for one want to see the environment for our

future generations (hopefully involved in the dairy industry) remain

in our clean green state. I also believe that the sheep industry once

it gets some issues worked out has a positive future I Southland

and for the good of the province and the people involved in it we

all work together. Southland our great province futures in a very

sound state – long may it last and look after it so in finishing from

a very Parochial, Proud, Loyal Southlander many “Barriers have

been Broken” in our unique Provinces Pioneering History.

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SPEAKERS - PIONEERS IN SOUTHLAND

MIKE HORGAN, Dairy Farmer

Mike and his wonderful wife of 36 years, Maree, are parents to six adult children with

grandchildren now arriving at regular intervals. Born into dairying in Taranaki in 1952,

he emigrated to Southland in 1994 with the intention buy quality land at a realistic price.

Opportunity abounded and Mike and Maree, together with their great staff, now supply

Fonterra from seven dairy units, milking 3900 cows and farming sufficient support area to

winter all cows and grow out young stock. Mike’s interests include firstly; his family; support for

sensible environmental initiatives, particularly in dairying; Voice for Life Support; sport of most

descriptions and fast cars.

Why did we head south in 1994? Land price, land quality, cow

productive performance, further

opportunity, life style.

The upheaval both physically and emotionally of relocating a large

family aged from 7 to 21 years into a distant and at times hostile

part of the Country.

The issues of other migrants through the same era.

The diversity of agricultural enterprises operating in Southland and

their influence on dairying and vice versa. The demands made on

local service industries in those early days of numerous conversions,

their ability to cope and what the ensuing 15 years has meant for

many of those businesses.

The impact on the Edendale dairy company, the numerous

meetings discussing shareholding and

amalgamations in those 15 years to the site’s status today as the

World’s largest single site dairy processor.

Environmental impact and regulation, local reaction, local media

comment and criticism around the role of dairying in Southland in

the past fifteen years.

Was it worth the effort and expense?

WHERE DID WE COME FROM?

19

SPEAKERS - PIONEERS IN SOUTHLAND

MIKE HORGAN

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SPEAKERS - PIONEERS IN SOUTHLAND

MIKE HORGAN

21

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SPEAKERS - PIONEERS IN SOUTHLAND

Abe and Anita de Wolde started their farming career in the Netherlands where they ran a 26ha farm with about 40 cows.

In 1990 they emigrated to New Zealand and after a farm job in Canterbury they purchased their first conversion farm about 20 kilometres north of Winton.

Ignoring early advice that milking cows in Central Southland was a bad idea they converted another 10 sheep farms over the years with a ‘can-do’, ‘learn-as-you-go’ attitude. Their current operation milks 2100 cows and another 600 in an equity partnership, mostly in the Heddon Bush area, within 5km of the original farm.

About half of the cows are wintered inside in free-stall barns. These cows are milked for 300 days per year for increased efficiency. The de Woldes are passionate about good stewardship and efficiency. Production per hectare on their farms varies between 1350 and 1550 ms/ha , with the help of supplementary feed in the milking sheds.

ABE DE WOLDE, Dairy Farmer, Southland

THE FUTURE OF THE SOUTHLAND DAIRY INDUSTRY 2010-2030TIP OF THE ICEBERG - COMPLYING IN THE FUTURE

I have the privilege to share with you people my expectations for the future, say 20 years, of our dairy industry here in Southland. The emphasis here would have to be on my perception, because predicting it is probably the same as trying to predict the weather or the NZ dollar; whatever you say, the reality will be different. One could argue that my guess is as good as anyone else’s but I will have a go at it:

Change over a 10-20 year period is easily under-estimated.

When my wife Anita and I started farming at Heddon bush in 1991, we had to commit to the Southland Dairy Co-op that we would produce at least 40000 kg milk fat per year. Otherwise the tanker would stop picking up our milk as it would not be economic to drive all the way to Heddon Bush. When ordering dry cow therapy at the vet clinic we had to explain what we would use it for, and when we tried to get light bulbs for the four- wheeler, the bike guy in the shop could not work out why we would want to drive around on our ATV in the dark!

Against that backdrop, it is easy to imagine how it would be virtually impossible for anyone in the industry at that time to accurately predict the changes we have seen since then. I think it is fair to assume that the changes we will see over the next 20 years will also surpass our wildest expectations.

We are part of a global economy- the good and the bad

Living here at the “end of the civilised world” it is easy to forget that there is a big world out there and that our future is linked with the rest of the world.

In the book “Common Wealth- Economics for a Crowded Planet”, Jeffrey Sachs, a renowned thinker on world economics, identifies several trends that will shape the world’s future:

will live in urban centres.

countries. Economic growth and the spread of economic prosperity are on the way.

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ABE DE WOLDE

SPEAKERS - PIONEERS IN SOUTHLAND

Large Scale Factory

world is under threat from human activities already.

cannot escape. Most of the population growth is expected in these poorest countries.

Worldwide food demand is expected to grow by 50 % by 2030 and double by 2050 (Dr Williams-NZ Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment from 1997 to 2007).

An estimated 1.4 billion people live in river basin areas where water use exceeds recharge levels. (examples Yellow river in China and Murray Darling Basin in Australia).

At the same time, wild fish stocks are expected to fall and a growing sector of the world population is expected to grow wealthy enough to demand access to protein from meat and dairy.

I do not know what to think of climate change and the affects that might have on food supply but if it is happening, it is likely to make matters even worse.

I believe we will see a time where the question will change from “where can we sell our produce” to “is there any way we could produce more to help feed the masses”? The world will be screaming out for our products.

There will be ever increasing pressure on food producers with fertile land and reliable rainfall (like us) to produce more food- especially protein.

Anyone who thinks that the limits for dairy growth in Southland have been reached is dreaming. We will have to continue growing our industry. If we will not do it, someone else will- in our back yard!

Can this be done?

Will we be able to continue growing our industry while avoiding unacceptable damage to our environment? Will it be possible to have a healthy, prospering dairy industry co- existing with a healthy, well managed local environment here in Southland?

I believe this is achievable. To illustrate this, I would like to make a comparison between the Netherlands and Southland:

- Netherlands 1.420.000 dairy cows, Southland 496.000 (3 to 1)

- Netherlands dairy production 886.080.000 kgMS, Southland 128.634.000 kgMS; (nearly 7 to 1)

- Netherlands 17.000.000 people, Southland 90.000 (nearly 190 to 1)

- Size and rainfall are comparable

- Netherlands 300 km traffic jams on the road on an average Friday (traffic jams??)

The Dutch Agricultural sector has been able to lower its environmental impact while increasing total value of production.

So, there must be a way to grow our industry further while maintaining a healthy environment. How can this be done?

What will be the limits of sustainable growth?

The phrase is well worn here in Southland, but it is relevant. Sustainability breaks down in social, environmental and economical sustainability, provided that animal welfare standards are maintained. In Holland they call it people, planet and profit.

What can we dairy farmers do to guide our industry into a sustainable, prosperous future?

Social Sustainability (People):

Social sustainability splits up in 1) the sustainability of the lives of the people involved in our industry and 2) the perception of our industry in the eyes of the rest of society (our licence to operate)

1: Within our industry:

- We will have to be good employers and create an atmosphere of trust and support on our farms.

- We will have to take time and effort to educate the people in our industry.

- We have to use automation, like cup removers and Protrack to make work easier.

24

SPEAKERS - PIONEERS IN SOUTHLAND

ABE DE WOLDE

- If we want the next generation to fill our shoes, we will have to

get out of them first.

2: Our image:

- We will have to be conscious about public perception regarding

animal welfare and about the use of common resources (e.g.

Inductions, sheds/ winter crops or even standing stock before

trucking)

Environmental Sustainability (Planet):

- Nitrogen and Phosphate loss is probably the most pressing

problem. We will have to take ownership of the problem before

we are in a position to remedy it. The main bottleneck is winter

management; when cows are dropping nutrients and compacting

the soil while plants are inactive or not present. Winter sheds or

pads can be a big improvement.

- We will have to keep our Carbon footprint low. I do not know if

man-made climate change is nonsense or not, but a low footprint

will sell milk.

- Ammonia emission is a problem that has so far remained under

the radar. When applying manure, ammonia is emitted. This

acidifies the environment. How effluent is stored and applied

makes a difference.

- Generally we are blessed with an abundance of water. This does

not mean it is limitless. Especially in some parts of Northern

Southland, sustainable use and allocation of water is essential.

Economic Sustainability (Profit):

- I think it is important that we set ourselves up for volatility. In

recent years, the industry has focused on producing more and

more with ever decreasing margins like: “we will scrape through

when we get a mild winter and a kind spring”. Rather than trying

to control the situation we are in, we should try to make our

businesses stronger so we can deal with adverse conditions.

- We have to wean ourselves off our addiction to Capital Gain.

The journey of ever increasing land prices, fuelled by expectation

of further increases in the future has a sad ending. It has to end

somewhere. We have to structure our businesses so that we can

make an operating profit.

- There is room for a supporting industry backing up the dairy

farmers. Winter and young stock graziers or other feed suppliers

can complement our industry on a win- win basis. We will have

to take the lead to form good solid relationships built on trust

and fairness, enduring through the highs and the lows.

- I am not telling anyone “stick with Fonterra”, but I do firmly

believe that our industry will be stronger when we avoid

fragmenting it. There are sad examples aplenty of fragmented

primary industries kept down by retailers.

I believe that the dairy industry has the potential to become

extremely prosperous in years to come. Currently it feels like we

are at a crossroads.

We have come where we are by pioneering and taking risks, by

restructuring our debt and borrowing some more, by growing

faster than feels comfortable and being “in over our ears”.

After a thrilling “roller coaster ride” where the people involved

were quietly asking themselves “ I wonder how this will end”, it

seems we will get another opportunity handed to us to provide

us with a soft landing; if we get our act together and take a

leadership role now.

The years ahead of us will see a coming of age for our industry. A

different skill set will be required. We as dairy farmers will have to

take an active role in the shaping of our industry and in ensuring

that we grow our industry sustainably. As “new kids on the block”

we will have to get our “license to operate” and keep it.

What will this mean on- farm?

As an industry we managed to get a bit of a peek at the future

last year. It is estimated by an American think tank that food prices

could be three times as high in twenty years time. Last year we

found out that when product prices rise, input prices are not far

behind. Fertiliser and feed prices will be so high that waste will be

extremely costly and detrimental to profitability. The good news is

that efficient production and low environmental impact generally

go hand in hand.

Dairy farming is in essence growing feed and putting it through

a cow to convert it into milk. When we want to increase the

efficiency of the total, we can break it down in these two parts.

Harvesting more feed efficiently:

- Excellent pasture management

- Identify and renew poor performing pastures.

- Accurately match fertiliser use and crop needs

- Avoid nutrient run-off (especially in winter)

- Use of Nitrification inhibitors

- Avoid soil structure damage and promote soil health

- Excellent feed harvesting practices avoiding losses.

Convert feed into milk more efficiently:

- Ensuring animals are healthy

- Accurately match offered feed to animal requirements (e.g.

correct protein excess in spring)

- Lengthening lactations (dry cows only cost money)

25

SPEAKERS - PIONEERS IN SOUTHLAND

ABE DE WOLDE

- Increasing lifetime milk production of our cows and lowering

replacement rates.

- Avoiding feed losses, especially in the winter

- Improving the genetic ability of our cows

- Culling tail- enders

Most dairy farmers are already doing some (or most) of this,

and most of this is just good farming practice; but the need for

intensification will get more extreme because inputs and outputs

will become more expensive. It will simply be too expensive to

loose nutrients in the winter and having to replace them with

fertiliser; and it will be too costly to have your cows dry for an

average 100 days per year.

As an industry, we will have to grow with the economic incentives,

never stop learning and never stop adapting. The worst thing we

can do is do what we always did because that’s the way we’ve

always done it! We have to take an active part in the shaping of

our future; a leadership role. Our future will unfold regardless; it

will take shape somehow. It will be up to local industry leaders

however, to determine if we will have a say in the how. In the

way we plot our future we have to realise that an unsustainable

farming future (socially, environmentally or economically) is a dead

end street.

What can our local authorities and dairy support industries

contribute?

Obviously dairy farmers are part of the Southland community.

They share the same resources and have to co-exist successfully

with fellow Southlanders.

So far, our environmental problems and challenges have been

viewed in isolation; so called end-of-pipe monitoring; simply

measuring and policing the emissions of our industry. This is the

crudest way of going about it and offers only limited results.

There is an urgent need for more innovative thinking. For instance,

there might be ways to exchange nutrients and products or

resources with other industries to benefit the environment as a

whole. Examples could be to exchange manure and grain with

cropping farmers or to sell bio-energy to outsiders. To research

opportunities like this, and other innovations, our local authorities

will have to sharpen up and become more creative. So far their

actions seem limited to minimising the adverse effects of existing

farming practices. The challenge for them will be to become co-

innovators, jointly looking for solutions that will benefit us all.

Ideally a network would be set up where researchers, local authority

and dairy industry participants would jointly look for solutions and

opportunities. This network would have to be built on trust and

on the appreciation that long term, a relation of synergy is the only

acceptable option.

Asides from that it is about time that we get our own Southland

specific data, reliable, accurate and applicable to our conditions.

The Southland Demonstration Farm is trying to make a start here.

In summary: I believe that the future looks bright for the

Southland Diary Industry. It has all the ingredients of a prosperous

and pleasant existence in a rapidly changing world. We can and

should continue growing our industry sustainably. To realize this,

however, we will have to accept that we are at a cross roads, and

we will have to get involved in the shaping of our future. We will

have to initiate ways to complement our local community and to

synergise with others.

26

27

JOHN PENNO

The 2010 Invercargill conference will be the second time that NZLHA delegates will see and hear from finalists competing for the Young Dairy Scientists Communication Award.

The emphasis is on the word COMMUNICATION. Scientists are often criticised for not communicating the results of their research to herd owners in a readily understandable and usable form. This award will provide the finalist with a new “communication” experience. Each one of them must take the skills that relate to communicating scientific information within the scientific community and adapt them to deliver the same scientific message but to the end user. That end user will usually be a levy payer who likely funded the research that the young dairy scientists will describe.

PETER HUTTON

The rules for entry are quite simple. An entrant must be less than 40 years of age on the date of their presentation and have completed their most recent qualification within the last five years or still be studying for a qualification. They can be employed by a research organisation, commercial company, university or government agency as long as they are a resident in New Zealand at the time of entry.

Who are the finalists for the Award?

Seven finalists have been selected representing DairyNZ, Agresearch, Fonterra and Massey University. Each finalist submitted a conventionally written scientific abstract that allowed the scientific merit of the research to be evaluated. Once that was acknowledged, they were advised to start all over again and forget about using technical jargon supported by statistical probabilities.

What will the finalists have to do?

There are three sections to the competition. The first is to make a 5 minute PowerPoint presentation at the morning session of Tuesday, March 16. The objective for this presentation is to promote delegate interest in the research that can be discussed in detail by visiting the presenter’s poster. The presentation is followed by a single question that is asked by the chairperson. The presenter must project themselves to an audience made up of herd owners.

The second discipline involves effective use of a poster to deliver a

scientific message, usually on a one-to-one or small group basis.

It requires the presenter to be a good listener and to answer

enquirers’ questions.

The third discipline involves writing a short article that is suitable

for publishing in a magazine such as the Dairy Exporter. This is a

skill that most young scientists are not required to develop in their

scientific training. They must choose an attention-grabbing title

and follow it with a punchy first sentence that arouses the reader’s

interest. In contrast to scientific writing, they must avoid writing

a ponderous conclusion that may be “scientifically correct” but

quite boring.

Who are the judges?

There are two panels of official judges. The first is made up of

conference delegates who will judge the oral presentation and the

posters. The second panel of five includes professional agricultural

journalists, academics and research leaders. They give each article

“the third degree” as well as providing written feedback to each

finalist.

Score sheets have been drafted to be used by each panel. Feel free

to appoint yourself as a judge. Completed score sheets can be left

at the registration desk.

Please participate and make this session a success for delegates

and finalists by participating in the judging or by agreeing to be a

judge if you are approached by one of the organiser’s.

The final ranking and places are obtained by averaging each

finalist’s score for each discipline and then adding up the three

averages. Prizes are awarded for first, second and third. These

will be announced and presented at the end of proceedings of

Wednesday 17th March.

28

SPEAKERS - SCIENCE IN ACTION

Julia Lee has been working for DairyNZ for 7 ½ years. She began working there as a research technician and last year graduated with her PhD from the University of Tasmania. Her PhD investigated the effect of grazing severity on perennial ryegrass, focusing mainly on pasture production and quality, plant energy reserves and gene expression.

Severe winter grazing – the highlights

grazing.

why severe grazing during winter doesn’t reduce pasture regrowth.

JULIA LEE – Post-doctoral Scientist DairyNZ Ltd

Many farmers believe that leaving more grass behind will increase

grass growth, which creates questions around recommendations

for low post-grazing residuals.

Grazing to less than 4cm (<1300kg DM/ha) has traditionally been

thought to reduce pasture growth and cow intakes.

Generally, farmers are much happier operating at a post-grazing

pasture height of 5cm or more.

However, my recent research reveals quite the opposite – severe

winter grazing might be good for pastures.

Results reveal that grazing pastures to less than 4cm during winter

can actually improve pasture growth, probably because more light

reaches the grass stem which initiates new tillers.

My research found that grazing down to 2-4cm (4 to 6 clicks on

the platemeter) produced 18 percent more grass in the following

rotation than pastures grazed to 6cm (9 to 10 clicks or 1800kg

DM/ha).

Undertaken at DairyNZ’s Lye Farm in Hamilton, the severe winter

grazing study uncovered some key grazing management tools.

The ability of plants to overcome stressful conditions was one of

the study’s biggest outcomes.

Discovering that plants modify their biological processes to ensure

survival through severe grazing and, even more remarkably,

actually continue to grow is particularly encouraging for the dairy

industry.

Low-cost milk production is based on growing and utilising large

amounts of grazed pasture.

Therefore, the potential for further research into understanding

how plants cope with different stresses could provide the industry

with options to breed more effective pasture plants long-term.

More immediately, this information will help farmers refine their

grazing management, as managing pastures to less than 4cm

during winter will ensure high levels of pasture growth and

utilisation, along with less use of purchased feeds, leading to high-

profit farming.

The research

My 2007 winter experiment assessed growth of perennial ryegrass

pastures after they were grazed to different heights.

The research uncovered two possible reasons why severe grazing

didn’t reduce pasture regrowth.

It seems stored energy reserves are key. Otherwise known as

water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC), these energy reserves boost

growth before photosynthesis begins.

Cows grazing pastures lower than 4cm remove a portion of the

WSC, stored in the bottom of the grass stem, but because WSC

reserves peak during winter, enough energy remains for optimal

regrowth.

Despite it being a successful technique for winter grazing

management, grazing residuals to less than 4cm (6 to 7 clicks

on the platemeter) is not effective between spring and autumn.

This is because WSC levels are lower and pasture regrowth will be

reduced even after a single rotation.

Increased photosynthesis is the second reason why severe grazing

didn’t reduce pasture regrowth.

Plant photosynthesis usually occurs in the leaves, however, severely

defoliated plants have little or no residual leaf area after grazing.

A key result from my experiment was that, when required,

photosynthesis also occurs in the plant stem to compensate for

the lack of leaf.

SEVERE WINTER GRAZING - NO LONGER A NO-NO

29

SPEAKERS - SCIENCE IN ACTION

JULIA LEE

To find this out, I looked at a number of genes involved in photosynthesis and carbohydrate metabolism, as both are pivotal in controlling plant growth after grazing. Genes determine an organism’s traits and how it survives, so I measured which genes

were expressed (switched on) and what their expression level was

(how active they

were). This meant I could predict how plants coped with severe

winter grazing.

One of the most important proteins in the world, Rubisco, plays

a part in the

photosynthesis process. Its role is to take carbon dioxide from the

atmosphere and turn it

into energy-containing carbohydrates.

Expression of the Rubisco gene and Rubisco activase (a gene that

activates Rubisco) was greater in the stem of plants grazed to 2cm

compared to 6cm. This indicated that more photosynthesis was

taking place in the more heavily grazed stems (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Expression profile of two key photosynthesis genes

in the stem of plants after grazing to 2cm or 6cm height.

Greater expression indicates that more photosynthesis was

taking place.

My PhD research was funded by DairyNZ, Pastoral Genomics,

the T.R. Ellett Agricultural Trust, a Tasmanian Graduate Research

Scholarship and a Technology Fellowship from the Foundation of

Research, Science and Technology.

The research was supervised by Dr John Roche and Dr Danny

Donaghy. Dr Sathish Puthigae, of ViaLactia Biosciences, also

assisted with gene-related expertise and facilities.

Results from this research have been presented at two international

conferences in China and America. A DairyNZ pamphlet for farmers

has also been created, providing detail on optimal grazing severity

at different times of the year and why those recommendations

are made.

30

SPEAKERS - SCIENCE IN ACTION

Grasslands to MountainsPhoto courtesy of Ashburton District Tourism

I am a PhD student of AgResearch Grasslands and Massey University’s Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences. I am into the second year of my PhD which is investigating methane emissions from ruminants fed fresh forages.

Methane and what it is costing you.

When farmers hear words such as, ‘energy wasted’ and ‘carbon tax’, questions are asked.

What does this mean for me and for farming? How much will it cost? Where is the money going? Do I have to be involved and what can I do to reduce the cost?

Many of these questions are being answered by the research programmes of the Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium (PGgRc) funded by levy money from farmers and the Crown through the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (FRST). These programmes and invest in scientists, such as myself, to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) from grazing animals.

Government and Pastoral industry are addressing the issues with GHG and are striving to ensure profitability for farmers.

KIRSTY HAMMOND – PhD Student, AgResearch Ltd

METHANE PRODUCTION FROM COWS

Why should I care about methane?

By 2015, apparently farmers will have to start paying for cows

producing methane, with the money going towards purchasing

carbon credits for an emissions trading scheme (ETS). The ETS is

basically a financial market-based approach to reducing GHG.

So how is methane produced? Methane is a result of cows eating.

Within the digestive system are bugs (microbes) which ferment the

feed to produce nutrients for the cow, as well as carbon dioxide

and hydrogen gas.

Methane-producing microbes then use this carbon dioxide and

hydrogen to make methane, which is belched out.

This sounds like a relatively straight-forward process that could be

changed to reduce the methane, perhaps simply by getting rid of

those microbes altogether.

If only it were that simple. Without the microbes to convert

hydrogen to methane, the hydrogen will build up until the animal’s

digestive system slows down, along with your profit.

How is Methane in Livestock Measured?

For a lot of farmers, it may seem that this methane problem has

just appeared, not from the animal’s mouth, but rather from

politicians and scientists.

Methane has long been recognised as a waste problem, with

research dating back over 50 years.

A combination of advancing technology and research has meant

that methane can now be measured from animals accurately using

calorimetry chambers. These are clear plastic boxes each holding

one cow.

These boxes are equivalent to a four-star cow hotel, with room to

move, a constant temperature, food made available twice a day,

water when one wants it, and companions to watch on either

side.

The air entering and leaving the box is measured and the methane

production is calculated 24 hours a day.

Lost Energy

A typical cow belches over 350g (450 litres) of methane per day,

which is about 21g from each kg of dry matter (DM) eaten or

about 17g per kg of milk.

This methane is about 6-7 percent of feed energy or about 10

percent of metabolisable energy intake. It is wasted.

Another way of seeing it, methane produced from one cow over

one year has as much energy as 120 litres of petrol. This would be

40,000 litres from an average herd over a year – enough to drive

a car for 300,000km. Imagine the benefit of turning that wasted

methane energy into extra milk production.

Cost To The Farmer

Not only are farmer’s potential profits being burped away, but in

recent years the government wants to charge farmers for that

burped-out loss in profit. Current legislation suggests this to be a

cost of 2.7 cents/kg of milksolids, which is based on a carbon price

31

of $25/tonne of carbon dioxide equivalents and accounts in part

for the increase in emissions above 1990 levels.

Sounds all very unfair, so why is it happening?

In short, worldwide climate change is resulting from increased

human population.

It doesn’t matter if you believe in climate change or not,

governments have decided to address climate change to avert

irreparable damage to our planet.

Although New Zealand only contributes 0.2-0.3 percent of the

world’s emissions, on a per capita basis we are one of the highest

emitters.

So why should you pay for the world’s problems? The answer is

that nearly 50 percent of our nation’s GHG come from agriculture,

with ruminant methane representing 31 percent of total national

emissions and 64 percent of national emissions from agriculture.

This is quite huge considering agriculture accounts for about 10

percent of GHG emissions in developed countries.

New Zealand must address the GHG issue to maintain access to

international markets.

What Next?

How can these costs be reduced? Part of the answer is in the

$175 million that the government is investing over five years into

research to reduce agricultural emissions.

Recently, AgResearch scientists have shown that methane

produced per kg of dry matter eaten is quite variable, and high

intakes decrease methane per kg of DM intake.

The PGgRc has found large differences in methane emissions

between individual animals and diets (e.g. legumes verses grasses),

so there are opportunities to reduce emissions.

My doctorate research is based at the AgResearch Grasslands

Research Centre and is funded by the PGgRc and FRST. I am

studying the causes of variation in methane production from

animals eating fresh forages. It is not easy, but our ultimate goal is

to protect our environment and maintain profitability for the dairy

and wider livestock sector.

SPEAKERS - SCIENCE IN ACTION

KIRSTY HAMMOND

Invercargill - Don Street UmbrellaPhoto courtesy of Venture Southland

32

SPEAKERS - SCIENCE IN ACTION

Grasslands to MountainsPhoto courtesy of Ashburton District Tourism

Kiro R Petrovski began working with dairy cows at age 11. With a lifelong interest in animals and animal health, after completing his education he worked 2.5 years as a veterinary practitioner in Macedonia, before moving to New Zealand. He is currently working as researcher with special interest in bovine mastitis.

KIRO R PETROVSKI – PhD Student, AgResearch Ltd

STRATEGIES TO USE IN THE WAR AGAINST MASTITIS?

“To win the battle you must know your enemy”

J. B. Tito

Healthy cows are profitable. Many cattle diseases are of concern

to dairy farmers in New Zealand, but rarely one will compare to

the enemy that is the focus of this article. To put this in military

terms our enemy is bovine mastitis caused by an army of bacteria,

mainly Streptococci, Staphylococci and coliforms. The battlefield

for this war is every dairy farm in New Zealand. Recent research

shows that 14-15 cows per 100 cows per year are attacked by

clinical mastitis. Every war is associated with a financial loss and,

as a result, every farm is suffering significant financial losses.

Nationally, mastitis is costing the dairy industry in excess of $180

million per year. It is now time to learn more about our enemy’s

army. A national survey is required to gather information so that

we can adjust and appropriately deploy our defence forces for

this war. Information from this s urvey would allow us to select

our best defence forces for each particular battlefield, and apply

appropriate preventive or peace-keeping measures, at a farm level

and nationally. Implementation of effective measures to eliminate

existing mastitis (or defence forces and peace-keeping measures)

will lead to a cease-fire and will save a lot of money and reduce the

casualties. Farm profitability will improve if the recommendations

given by the National Mastitis Advisory Committee representing

the defence headquarters, the farm veterinarians and advisors as

a local command-team, are based on prior detailed knowledge of

the enemy’s army.

Our defences consist of mastitis control programmes that are

highly dependent on the abundance of particular divisions in

our enemy’s army. Studies performed previously in New Zealand

have shown a variety of divisions in the enemy’s forces. The

existence of these divisions is similar in Northland, Waikato and

Southland. Hence, there is a detailed knowledge on the various

representatives of mastitis headquarters (Figure 1). They are

the same worldwide. The Navy (Streptococci) and Air-force (Staphylococci) are the most abundant. They persistently attack

throughout New Zealand. It is also known that recently, in the

South Island, the enemy’s Artillery (coliform bacteria, such as E.

coli) is attacking with increasing frequency. This is likely due to

the changes in management on the battlefields – larger herd sizes

associated with increased use of wintering barns and stand-off

pads. Coliform bacteria are commonly associated with faecal and

moisture contamination of the bedding. In New Zealand the use

of bedding is uncommon. However, extended periods of keeping

cows off-pasture provides an excellent opportunity for the enemy’s

artillery to attack with full force.

Unfortunately, the count of soldiers in each division of the enemy’s

army on a particular battlefield is generally unknown. Even less is

known of the distribution and proportion of the enemy’s divisions

nationally.

A variety of defence forces can be used in this war to eliminate

mastitis. These are recommended by our defence headquarters

and the local command-team. Some measures will only be effective

against a particular division of the enemy

s army (e.g. vaccination against coliform mastitis), but some are

capable of fighting against a number of enemy divisions (e.g. teat

spraying and dry cow therapy). Therefore, a detailed knowledge of

the enemy’s army is essential for appropriate selection of the desired

defence forces at a particular battlefield, regionally and nationally.

This would enable the use of the most appropriate defence

force, which should result in victory at each particular battlefield.

Admittedly, the larger the battlefield, the more difficult it is to win

the battle. Unfortunately, there will be no time to celebrate the

victory as any victory is only temporary, we must always remain

on our guard. This enemy is characterised by perseverance, hence,

ongoing battles may occur on each battlefield.

In order to maintain a cease-fire, the implementation of a preventive

mastitis programme as a peace-keeping measure is essential. Such

peace-keeping measures also depend on a detailed knowledge

of the enemy’s army. The enemy’s headquarters are unlikely to

33

cooperate in peace-keeping measures. Therefore, the degree of

success depends on maintaining surveillance of the enemy and

adjusting our defence forces as necessary.

In conclusion, a national survey is required. Results from such

a survey would be used to adjust and appropriately deploy the

defence forces and peace-keeping measures used in the war

against mastitis on each farm and nationally. I have previous

experience with tactical command posts gained in the Balkans and

various insurgencies around New Zealand and am happy to offer

my services in this ongoing conflict.

SPEAKERS - SCIENCE IN ACTION

KIRO PETROVSKI

Figure 1. Members of the mastitis headquarters are the same worldwide

34

SPEAKERS - SCIENCE IN ACTION

Dr Sarah Pain graduated with a PhD in Animal Science from the University of Adelaide in

2008, where she worked as a lecturer in Animal Nutrition and Metabolism until relocating

to New Zealand to take up the position of lecturer in Pastoral Livestock Production at Massey

University. Sarah was born in South Australia, raised for several years in the Northern Territory

before returning to South Australia with her family. She completed her undergraduate degree

in Biotechnology at the University of Adelaide in 2001, followed by an honours degree in

Agriculture at the same university. Her PhD studies involved “Identifying nutritive, physical and

volatile characteristics of oaten and lucerne hay that influence the feed preferences of lactating

Holstein Friesian cows and Thoroughbred horses.” Her research interests remain in the area of

plant and animal interactions and feed preferences, which she is now applying to New Zealand’s

pasture based system and investigating ruminant feed preferences for a number of novel New

Zealand pasture herbs and legumes.

Dr SARAH PAIN – Massey University

DO DAIRY COWS HAVE A FAVOURITE FLAVOUR?

The value of any feedstuff is compromised if an animal

chooses not eat it. An animal’s first response to the

presentation of a new food can be considered the ultimate

measure of its quality.

Have you ever wondered why your cows turn up their noses at

feed that, to you, might appear to be of good quality?

This was the focus of a large research project at the University

of Adelaide, South Australia, conducted by animal science PhD

student Sarah Pain and supervisor Dr Dean Revell. The research

intended to identify and better understand what feed factors

influenced the diet selection choices of lactating Holstein Friesian

dairy cows for oaten hay.

The aim of the project was to establish reliable predictors of

preference based on a hay’s nutritive value, such as digestibility,

fibre, protein and sugar content, as well as the odour and physical

characteristics of the hay, such as colour, leafiness and chewing

toughness.

The research project conducted at the University of Adelaide

includes 89 different oaten hays that vary in nutritive value and

physical characteristics, being fed to 28 dairy cows. During the

project, pairs of oaten hay are being fed to the cows and the

preference of each hay measured.

The hay preference shown by the animals was correlated to the

nutritive value and physical characteristics of the hay, allowing

identification of some of the factors involved in short-term diet

selection.

The odour compounds that give hay its characteristic smell were

investigated using the same technology used to assess wine

aromas, and these compounds were also correlated to the hay

preferences measured.

FODDER PREFERENCE: A sight commonly seen after a preference

test, where one of the hays on offer was completely eaten, whilst

the other was not touched; illustrating an extreme preference for

one hay over the other.

Overall, the research project found that an average preference

value for an oaten hay could be predicted with a reasonably

degree of accuracy, from a range of nutritive value traits, typically

measurements of fibre, protein and sugar content. Fibre and

protein contents tended to have the biggest influence on cow’s

hay preferences.

Hay physical characteristics could also be used to predict preference

values, although not quite as accurately as the nutritive value

traits or digestibility. Of the physical traits, chewing toughness

(measured as „shear energy’) had the largest influence on cow’s

hay preferences.

The use of near-infrared spectroscopy technology was investigated

as a tool for rapid assessment of hay preference value, and gave

35

SPEAKERS - SCIENCE IN ACTION

Dr SARAH PAIN

encouraging results, with more accurate hay preference predictions

than the predictions based on nutritive value traits.

Examination of hay odour compounds indicated in combination

with nutritive value and physical characteristics, that smell is a key

driver of short-term diet selection.

Being able to predict hay preference values will increase our

ability to forecast how animals will respond to a particular batch

of hay when it is offered to them. Being able to efficiently and

reliably predict the preference value of any particular hay would

be of great benefit to hay processors, exporters, and end users,

allowing them to make more informed decisions when processing,

marketing and purchasing hay.

This research project, funded by Rural Industries Research and

Development Corporation, was completed in 2008.

For further information email: S.J.Pain@massey.ac.nz or for

copy of the full report (Publication No. 09-011) please visit the

Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC)

website: http://www.rirdc.gov.au or call +64 2 6271 4100.

Invercargill Civic TheatrePhoto courtesy of Venture Southland

36

SPEAKERS - SCIENCE IN ACTION

Originally from a Southland sheep farm, I completed a BApplSc (Hons) in Agriculture at Massey

University in 2006. Following this, I went on to work for a grass seed company, covering the

lower North Island in technical sales as well as trial and research work. I have returned to

Massey as a Research Officer, conducting a part-time PhD in soil science, looking at duration-

controlled grazing of dairy cows as a strategy to meet the Dairy Industry’s Sustainability Vision

of a 50% reduction in N loss to waterways. My other work at Massey includes teaching and

development of nutrient management courses and assisting with various research projects

focussed on nutrient management. Outside of Massey, I am an active member of New Zealand

Young Farmers, and a qualified teacher and judge of Highland & National Dancing.

CHRISTINE LINDSAY – Massey University

SAVING THE TITANIC FROM THE COMPLIANCE ICEBERGAs builders of a titanic dairy industry, New Zealand dairy farmers

and researchers must make it iceberg-proof. Our challenge is to

keep the NZ dairy farmer financially and environmentally afloat.

We must find gains in environmental efficiency. Complying

with tight environmental regulations could potentially give

us the leading edge to meet discerning customer demands for

sustainable production systems. Research at Massey University is

providing some of the answers to that challenge, by investigating

a mitigation strategy to minimise the cost of complying with

environmental regulations.

Regional Councils throughout New Zealand are setting limits on

nitrogen leaching, to minimise the decline of water quality in

lakes and rivers. Dairy farmers will need to adjust their systems

to comply with tighter nitrogen leaching allowances, or will be

in breach of the regulations. The adjustments will not come

without a cost. Therefore, it is important that simple, practical and

affordable mitigation strategies are evaluated and implemented,

where appropriate.

One possible strategy to decrease the loss of nitrogen to waterways,

while maintaining production and profitability, is to implement a

duration-controlled grazing regime of dairy cows.

Researchers at Massey University are currently working on a large

scale field trial, where cows are being grazed for 4 hours per grazing

(„duration-controlled’ grazing), or the standard practice of about

6 hours of grazing during the day or 12 hours at night. After the 4

hour grazing duration, cows are removed from pasture, simulating

a return to an animal shelter or feedpad. To ensure high marginal

returns, it is important that cows continue to graze the lowest cost

feed (pasture) balanced with a high energy supplement.

“After almost a year of data collection, the results have been

extremely positive,” says PhD student Christine Lindsay, who is part

of the Massey research team. “In the first year of the trial we’ve

seen a 41% reduction in nitrogen leaching from the duration-

controlled grazed areas, while the cow intakes and pasture

accumulation have been the same on both treatments.”

“Urine from cows is the major cause of nitrogen leaching from

pastures – the rate of nitrogen deposited in a urine spot is equivalent

to about 1000kg N/ha,” Lindsay clarifies. A year’s worth of pasture

growth on a urine patch will not utilise all the nitrogen deposited.

When the drainage season starts, the surplus nitrogen is leached.

Nitrogen losses can be decreased by reducing the time that cows

spend resting on the pasture. By removing cows to a stand-off

area after 4 hours grazing, the number of urine spots that are

deposited in the paddock is reduced and nitrogen leaching can be

lessened. The extra effluent that is produced on the stand-off area

can be spread over paddocks at an even and lower rate than urine

spots, at a time when pasture nitrogen uptake is rapid, reducing

the risk of nutrients being lost. Pasture growth response from the

returned effluent is also being accounted for in the study.

Ms Lindsay explains that “the likely adoption of duration-controlled

grazing will depend on its environmental and cost effectiveness

compared with other mitigation strategies in certain areas of the

country. What is needed is sound information so farmers can

determine with confidence which option will work best for them.”

Analysis of other parameters being measured in the trial, such as

the quantities of phosphorus and faecal indicator organisms (E.

coli) in runoff and drainage water, is ongoing. Results are being

published in scientific journals and farming publications as they

become available.

With the Regional Council regulations for nitrogen leaching

becoming commonplace throughout the country, farmers are

increasingly in need of finding practical, productive solutions.

Controlling the duration of grazing could be just the answer they

37

SPEAKERS - SCIENCE IN ACTION

CHRISTINE LINDSAY

need, particularly on farms with heavy, artificially drained soils that

already employ stand-off systems. Judging from the first year of

the experiment, the results are creating an exciting solution for

mitigating a serious issue in our industry, with more results to come

in the next two years. The compliance iceberg may be upon us –

but „berg-proofing’ the Titanic, New Zealand’s dairy industry, with

new management strategies such as duration-controlled grazing,

makes an exciting scientific challenge.

This research is being supervised by Mike Hedley, James Hanly

and Dave Horne of Massey University. The experiment is being

undertaken as part of the work conducted through the Pastoral 21

Environment Programme (C10X0603) funded by the Foundation

for Research, Science and Technology, DairyNZ, Fonterra and Meat

& Wool New Zealand.

Director of Agricultural Services Byron Taylor (left) and Researcher Christine Lindsay discussing the duration-controlled grazing strategy at Massey University’s No. 4 Dairy Farm.

38

SPEAKERS - SCIENCE IN ACTION

I am a second year PhD student at the Liggins institute (University of Auckland). I work as a

research technician for DairyNZ (based at ViaLactia Biosciences) where my primary research area

is dairy cattle fertility.

CAROLINE WALKER – DairyNZThe Liggins Institute, University of Auckland

IMMUNE SYSTEM HOLDS KEY TO COW FERTILITY

New research into the genetics associated with early pregnancy may

hold the key to improving your herd’s reproductive performance.

A significant portion of the decrease in reproductive performance

on New Zealand dairy farms over the last few decades can be

attributed to a genetic based decline in cow fertility. While there

are existing measures (e.g. fertility breeding value) to halt further

erosions in cow fertility, technological advances in the field of

genomic analysis and manipulation have even more potential to

restore, and improve, the cow’s ability to get back in calf. This

decline in fertility is linked to an increase in early embryonic death

meaning that pregnancy cannot be established. Our work is

focused on increasing early embryonic survival. We have recently

completed research which could lead to the identification of

potential gene markers for fertility, or new therapeutic options to

treat fertility problems in high producing cows. We have targeted

specific genes affecting the uterus, likely to be important to

reproductive success in dairy cows. Long-term, this could make

the breeding process more balanced – identifying not only high

producers, but also those with the genetic characteristics pivotal

to a successful pregnancy.

Our work focused on early pregnancy, when the largest proportion

of pregnancy losses occur, and looked at which genes expressed

in the endometrial tissue of the uterus are important during this

time. Around day 17 of pregnancy is of particular interest, before

the embryo is attached to the endometrium of the cow’s uterus.

The endometrium is the inner lining of the uterus that is in close

contact with the embryo and promotes embryonic development

and growth. The biological processes for embryo survival and the

establishment of a successful pregnancy are not well understood.

To improve fertility we must understand the effect pregnancy

has on gene expression (how active a particular gene is) in the

endometrium. To do this, we have utilised a tool known as a

microarray, which simultaneously measured the activity levels of

22,000 genes in cows at day 17 of the estrous cycle, as well as in

cows that were 17 days pregnant.

Just like an organ transplant requires the immune system to be

altered so it won’t reject the foreign tissue, a cow’s immune

system must also be modified so it does not reject foreign tissue

– in this case, the embryo. Our results show that genes involved

in the cow’s immune response to the embryo are highly active in

pregnant animals.

These genes are of particular interest to us, since they help the

embryo to survive within the uterus and form a close physical

relationship with the endometrium during implantation and

placentation (the formation of the placenta), which continues until

birth.

Further work is now underway to explore genes related to

successful pregnancies. This includes how the levels of these genes

are controlled and whether variants within these genes relate to

pregnancy success. Ongoing work will identify how and why

particular genes are expressed at different levels during pregnancy

and between different strains of cows.

Epigenetics will play a part in further research. Epigenetics refers

to modifications to the DNA that may alter gene expression that

are not caused by changes in the DNA sequence itself, but are

still inherited over generations. A rapidly evolving field in human

research, epigenetics is highly likely to become an important part

of future dairy science, particularly in fertility research.

The goal of this research is to identify ways to improve the inherent

fertility of the cow, meaning they will be easier to get back in calf

than has been the case in recent times. To achieve this we will

continue to investigate specific genes for genetic variations and

look into epigenetic regulation of these genes and any potential

therapeutic options that may arise.

This work has is being performed as part of my PhD studies in a joint

collaboration between DairyNZ, The Liggins Institute (University of

Auckland) and ViaLactia Biosciences, and is funded through FRST

and by New Zealand dairy farmers through DairyNZ.

39

SPEAKERS - SCIENCE IN ACTION

CAROLINE WALKER

Key points

Dairy cattle fertility is declining

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40

SPEAKERS - SCIENCE IN ACTION

New methods are being sought to control mastitis, which remains one the biggest economic

losses to the dairy industry – the average New Zealand farmer spending an estimated $11,500

every year.

Mastitis research - the highlights:

- An ongoing DairyNZ study is investigating genetic resistance to mastitis

- Results indicate that it may be possible to breed cows with a higher resistance to environmental

Streptococcal uberis mastitis

- Loss in milk production due to mastitis costs the average New Zealand dairy farmer $11,500

per annum

LACHLAN PEARSON – Post-Doctoral Scientist, DairyNZ

- There is currently no simple solution to the control of mastitis on-farm.

Studying whether some cows are genetically more susceptible to environmental mastitis infection has been a focus of my post-doctoral position at DairyNZ.

Farmer comments that some cows seem prone to mastitis, while others appear to be unaffected, suggest a possible genetic influence in susceptibility.

If so, breeding cows for greater resistance to environmental mastitis is a future possibility. However, until now, there has been little supporting scientific evidence.

Using DairyNZ’s identical twin herd, this study focused on the incidence of environmental mastitis recorded in heifers at spring calving.

Milk samples were collected and analysed for bacteria to test if some cows were more susceptible to environmental mastitis than others.

The twin herd allowed me to identify the likelihood of a heifer getting mastitis if her twin sister did. This was compared to the likelihood of it occurring purely by chance in unrelated cows.

If the likelihood of a twin sister getting mastitis is the same as an unrelated cow, there is no genetic influence.

However, if a cow is more likely to get mastitis when her twin sister does, it indicates a genetic influence in susceptibility.

Double trouble

My research data results indicated that if one heifer got mastitis, its twin was twice as likely to get mastitis (as shown in Figure 1).

This research supports the search for genes associated with environmental mastitis, which may be used with future cow breeding programmes.

Above: Identical twin heifers pose for the camera at Lye Farm, Hamilton.

Figure 1. This graph illustrates the percentage of identical twins with both members affected by environmental mastitis; compared to what would be expected in both cows if infection is not influenced by cow genetics. Infection levels were higher in heifers and after their third lactation.

Cost of mastitis

The research indicated that environmental mastitis at calving caused a 5 percent reduction in milk yield per season in infected heifers.

MASTITIS - ARE SOME COWS MORE SUSCEPTIBLE?

41

SPEAKERS - SCIENCE IN ACTION

LACHLAN PEARSON

This means approximately $80 lost milk revenue per heifer mastitis case, assuming an average $5.50 per kg milksolids payout.

In an average herd size of 366 animals, with 20 percent heifers and a 30 percent incidence of environmental mastitis (clinical and sub-clinical), milk revenue from heifers alone was reduced by $1757.

Additional costs were given in an independent study by the Animal Health Centre in Morrinsville. Their study estimated the total cost of clinical heifer mastitis as $214 per case, or $2069 per annum for the average herd which has 10 cases per year (includes costs of milk discard, cow treatment, cow replacements and labour).

Looking to the future

Extraordinary advances have been made in the ability of scientists to analyse the genetics of animals.

Some New Zealand dairy cows are genetically more resistant to mastitis – therefore, breeding for mastitis resistance offers the potential for an effective control measure, reducing costs and improving productivity.

It will also potentially reduce the future use of antibiotics and other treatments.

Though my research findings are important in the quest for genetic solutions to mastitis, the key to controlling environmental mastitis remains in having precise management practices tailored for your farm.

Best practice control methods include:

contamination

Riverton TownshipPhoto courtesy of Venture Southland

42

For FREE advice and no-obligation quote,

Phone Vern on 0274 460 165 or 0800 10 7006 or email: info@corkillsystems.co.nzwww.corkillsystems.co.nz

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Prior to installing the Varivac we were grading at every pickup for SCC (the kind of stress parents of young children can do without in spring). I have enclosed a copy of our Fonterra SCC graph clearly showing the day the Varivac was fitted. We now average 130,000 SCC and life is good. We would not hesitate to recommend Varivac to anyone else in our situation.

Best wishes and thanks again”Hamish & Maree Tong 06 272 6349

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Joanne, Bryan & grandson Jack

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0

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10-J

un20

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un10-

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ep30

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ls (

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43

Garth practises in insurance-related litigation for several insurance companies and underwriters,

particularly in relation to professional indemnity, statutory liability and public liability insurance.

Garth also has a general civil litigation practice covering litigation in all of the various Courts

and Tribunals. Most of his work relates to acting for solicitors, accountants, real estate agents,

valuers and other organisations that are defending professional negligence claims.

Recently, Garth has successfully defended a real estate agency in a test case brought by the

Commerce Commission in relation to vendor bidding. He won the case in the Court of Appeal

when the Commission appealed the High Court decision. He has acted for many clients in

prosecutions brought under the Health and Safety in Employment Act.

Other recent cases include:

of both structural and mechanical engineering) brought against it by a local authority

Employment Act 1992

In addition to his litigation experience, Garth has extensive experience in alternative dispute

resolution, especially mediation. He has also acted for many sporting bodies, administrators and

athletes. He joined Duncan Cotterill as a Partner in February 2001. Prior to this, he worked for

two large law firms in Wellington, before taking up a partnership in Dunedin in 1996.

GARTH GALLAWAY, Partner, Duncan Cotterill Lawyers

Yellow-Eyed PenguinsPhoto courtesy of Venture Southland

44Westpac’s current lending criteria apply to all applications for finance.Terms and conditions apply to Westpac products and services. Westpac New Zealand Limited.

Call our Westpac Agribusiness team on 0800 177 155.

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45

WHAT’S BELOW THE WATERLINE?

Brendan was appointed as Chief Economist for Westpac in May 2003. Prior to joining Westpac, he spent a couple of years backpacking around the world. He was Chief Economist for the National Bank and has also worked for the NZ Institute of Economic Research.

Brendan was educated at Auckland University, and graduated with a Masters, First Class Honours. His work has been published in New Zealand and International journals, he’s a regular on the speaker circuit, and provides comment to New Zealand media on key economic issues.

BRENDAN O’DONOVAN

Tuatapere Hump RidgePhoto courtesy of Venture Southland

46

Jenny Shipley, while a former Prime Minister of New Zealand, istoday a Director, Advisor

and Keynote Speaker with a special interest in business, economic and social development

opportunities globally.

She is an Independent director of China Construction Bank, one of the big four major state

owned banks in China. She has recently been appointed Chair of Genesis, one of the NZ publicly

owned power companies. She is Chairman of Senior Money International. She also chairs

Mainzeal Construction and is a Director of its parent, Richina Pacific She is an independent

Director of Momentum and ISI.

She was Prime Minister from 97 to 99 and in the preceding 7 years she was a Senior Minister

in the New Zealand Government and a driving force in the successful decade of economic and

social reforms in NZ. She retired form NZ politics in 2002.

She is a very regular visitor to China in her role as a director, a keynote speaker and in association

with her consultancy. She is on a number of advisory boards including the International Economic

Advisory Board of the City of Rotterdam. She advises companies and governments on including

geopolitical, demographic, economic and social mega trends and speaks all around the world

on these and a wide range of other topics.

She was an Initiator of the Education Forum for East Asia, now held in Beijing annually. She is

an active member and is involved in a number of projects with the World Women’s Leadership

Council and the Club of Madrid, a group of former leaders who promote democracy and

transparent economic development, globally. These activities take her to all corner of the world

on a regular basis.

Jenny Shipley is married to Burton Shipley and has two adult children. Anna 32 is Director of

Communications for Nokia for the UK and Ireland. Ben is 31 and is the Creative Director for Hill

& Knowlton, a PR company in Sydney.

WHAT’S BELOW THE WATERLINE?

Rt Hon Dame JENNY SHIPLEY, DCNZ, NZFIMFormer Prime Minister of New ZealandDirector and Advisor

47

WHAT’S BELOW THE WATERLINE?

RT HON DAME JENNY SHIPLEY

48

WHAT’S BELOW THE WATERLINE?

RT HON DAME JENNY SHIPLEY

49

BVD is the most important viral cattle disease in New Zealand. It is often a hidden disease,which quietly prevents full production in your herd without attracting attention.

The cost of BVD is substantial. It reduces reproductive performance, is responsible for weight loss and reduces milk yield.

Vaccination with Bovilis BVD breaks this cycle of loss. Talk to your veterinarian about vaccinating your herd with Bovilis BVD.

Bovilis BVD: the serious solution for a serious disease.

Bovilis® stops BVD from biting into your productivity.

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50

Mike Sabin is a nationally and internationally recognised expert and authority on methamphetamine and drug policy. He has extensive drug policy, strategy and research experience, with a uniquely balanced perspective and credibility which is widely recognised within several international forums.

Mike is affiliated with leading global policy experts and authorities on demand and supply-side reduction initiatives, which are recognized internationally as the most successful strategies to reduce drug prevalence, contrary to advocates of the harm reduction movement. He is a member of the International Task Force for Strategic Drug Policy and a fellow and associate of numerous international drug-free coalitions and specialist drug policy groups, including the highly respected National Association for a Drug-free Society of Sweden. Author of publications on the efficacy of harm prevention demand reduction focused drug policy initiatives including solutions to the methamphetamine crisis in New Zealand. Respected commentator with regular broadcast appearances from news, current affairs to documentary formats and regularly published articles and editorials. Mike is a respected expert lecturer on methamphetamine, drug abuse, drug policy strategy and responses with over 750 presentations on the national and international stage including the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs.

MIKE SABIN, Managing Director Methcon Group Ltd

The human brain is an immensely complex organ with at least 100 billion nerve cells, known as neurons that carry electrical impulses throughout the brain, each of them capable of making 10,000 connections each.

Learning new information or skills and creating and storing memories are a result of these connections being made and new nerve pathways being formed, which occurs within seconds to minutes. A healthy brain is in a constant state of change and can continue creating countless millions of new connections right up until death.

When these connections are made the electrical impulses are passed between a tiny gap in the neurons via chemical messengers called neurotransmitters, the primary one responsible for pleasure being dopamine. It is in this critical area where electrical pulses are passed via chemical messengers that drugs work.

The brain is thought to produce hundreds of neurotransmitters naturally which provide for the immensely diverse range of pleasures, moods and emotions we are capable of experiencing naturally. However there are thousands of chemicals that occur naturally or can be synthetically constructed which share properties similar to the brain’s own neurotransmitters. When these chemicals are ingested they travel via the bloodstream to the brain and mimic or inhibit the naturally occurring mood altering chemical found in the brain.

Drugs of abuse all share in common the ability to activate and stimulate these chemical messengers in the brain producing

feelings of well-being, pleasure, and euphoria. By over stimulating

the pleasure system, drugs can indiscriminately alter this critical

area and changes occur, which ultimately damages the normal

experience of pleasure.

What Is Methamphetamine (‘P’)?

pleasure and euphoria

How Does Methamphetamine Affect People?

Psychological

Physical

DRUGS AND PLEASURE

51

How Is It Used?

bulb, on tin foil

straws, rolled up money, snuff dispenser

spoon, belt/elastic tubing

Understanding Methamphetamine Addiction

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive synthetic stimulant that triggers the release of large quantities of the chemicals, predominantly dopamine, causing a euphoric high which may last for between 4 and 24 hours. Pure methamphetamine or “P” is known to produce about 12 times the levels of dopamine that normal life pleasure will, immediately causing the brain to compensate by killing off the receptors in the nerve cells which receive the pleasure. Continued use of methamphetamine results in ever increasing damage to the pleasure pathways, while requiring ever increasing amounts of the drug to achieve the same pleasure.

While initially the user may feel in control and ‘ten foot tall and bullet proof’, the reality is far from this, with continued use of the drug leaving the user unable to feel normal life pleasure without drug stimulation. Faced with abstinence the user feels as low as they did high, and must contend with overpowering biological cravings for the drug.

After use has ceased the user may be faced with months of anhedonia (loss of ability to experience pleasure) and dysphoria (the opposite of euphoria) with intense cravings which can cause many to relapse to drug use to escape the negative sensations.

Even months of methamphetamine use can cause permanent damage to the reward pathways, meaning that the user will be unable to experience pleasure in the same way they did prior to methamphetamine use.

Signs Of Meth Addiction

Behaviours

Physical

grinding

gram bags etc

What Is Commonly Found In Meth Clan Labs?

Chemicals and Substances

pads

Equipment

Protecting People & Profits Through Education www.methcon.co.nz

NO “P” IN ICEBERG

MIKE SABIN

52

Having graduated from Aberdeen University with a BSc in Agriculture, George spent 18 months

carrying out contract calving as part of a MOET project in Aberdeenshire. He started working for

SAC as an Agricultural Consultant in October 1989 in the Farm Business Services (FBS) office in

Inverness. He quickly took a special interest in financial and business planning casework, novel

crop feasibility trials (successfully instigating the first field-scale garlic enterprise in Scotland) and

livestock production, in particular beef cattle.

George gained MRISC accreditation through distance learning in the 1990s. This led to a large

amount of involvement with rental negotiations and compensation agreements throughout the

Highlands.

He moved to Orkney in the Spring of 1999 as the Area Manager for the FBS office in Kirkwall.

Since moving to Kirkwall, the office staff numbers have increased from three to nine, including

two dedicated Record Keeping Service administrators managing cattle/sheep records and other

compliance issues. They provide consultancy services to over 84% of the rural community in

Orkney, with over 300 subscribing clients. George is a board member of Orkney Auction Mart

and Local Action Group for LEADER in Orkney and Shetland.

George played a significant role in the development of the “Farming for the Future” concept

that was pioneered by SAC and NFUS in Orkney in the late 1990s. This project ran parallel to the

monitor farm concept which was being rolled out across Scotland at that time.

In August 2008, George became the Regional Manager for the Highlands and Islands Region,

which stretches for over 640 kilometres from Shetland in the north, to Campbeltown at the

southern tip of Argyll. The Highlands and Islands has a total land area of just over 39,050 square

kilometres and a coastline of over 9000 kilometres. George manages 42 staff across nine office

locations with a turnover of £2 million.

GEORGE BAIKIE, BSc., MRISC, UK SpeakerRegional Manager and Principal Consultant, SAC Consulting

53

POLES APART

GEORGE BAIKIE

54

GEORGE BAIKIE

POLES APART

55

POLES APART

GEORGE BAIKIE

56

GEORGE BAIKIE

Farming in Southland

POLES APART

57

POLES APART

Thomas Clinton is 63 years of age, married to Helen, they have 8 eight children, 6 girls and

2 boys. Born into a small family farm of 32ha, he started full-time farming at fifteen years of

age.

Thomas was involved in the Irish Farmers Association at local and national level. He headed the

credit committee during the credit crises in the eighties and served as its President for two years.

He built up family farm to 170ha owned, plus 130ha leased and rented. The family farm is a

dairy farm producing 2.7 million litres and farmed by his son John.

In New Zealand the Clintons farm 1450ha, with 2500 cows, producing 1,020,000 kg of

milksolids. They have been sold one quarter interest in 2 units with 3400 cows in Indiana and

Ohio in the U.S.A two years ago.

Thomas has property interests in Ireland, U.S.A, France and New Zealand and takes a keen

interest in dairy farming and farming issues across the world.

THOMAS CLINTONDairy Farmer Ireland, USA, France, New Zealand

Stewart IslandPhoto courtesy of Venture Southland

58

POLES APART

Larry graduated in 1990 from Loyola Marymount University with a Bachelor’s of Business Administration. In 1991, he graduated Magna Cum Laude from The University of Arizona with a Bachelor’s of Science in Agriculture. From 1991 to 1996, he worked for several large dairy farms in Arizona. In 1997, Larry and his older brother Nick started Grand View Dairy in Phoenix, Arizona. Grand View Dairy has grown in size to be one of the top ten dairies in Arizona. Along the way, the dairy was joined by younger brothers John and Mike resulting in a true family farm.

Grand View Dairy currently milks 4,900 cows in two milk barns, three times a day. The dairy has a total of 8,500 animals from day old calves to replacement springers on site. Approximately 2,000 replacement heifers are being raised on pasture in eastern Kansas. The dairy has developed and utilizes the latest in dairy automation and technology. Annually, the dairy produces 14,000,000 gallons of milk (53,000,000 liters) at 3.5% milk fat. Grand View Dairy retails feed locally through its 20,000 ton (22,000 metric ton) grain mill. Also sold are bred milking cows, replacement heifers, feedlot steers, and virgin breeding bulls to local dairymen and beef feedlots.

The Vanderwey brothers also farm 6,200 acres (15,300 hectare) within Arizona. Crops grown are baled alfalfa, barley, wheat, cotton, and melons. Grand View Dairy receives all of the barley and some baled hay. The remaining alfalfa is sold locally with some baled hay being exported overseas to United Arab Emirates. The melons are packaged, sold and distributed within the United States.

Larry is active in his industry and community as an advisor and board of director. He is married to his beautiful wife Suzy for thirteen years and together have two boys; Charlie 12 and Jack 10. Larry returns to New Zealand to speak at the large herd conference again where he was a guest speaker five years ago. Outside the business, Larry enjoys all outdoor activities and races off-road trucks professionally with his brothers.

LARRY VANDERWEY, Dairy Farmer in Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Farming in Southland

59

* Purchase any Summit Quinphos fertiliser and/or animal nutrition products for despatch between 1 March and 30 April 2010 (inclusive), and collect Fly Buys Points and you’ll go in the draw to win one prize of 10,000 Bonus Points and ten prizes of 1,000 Bonus Points. Every $100 spend qualifi es for 1 entry into the draw. The draw will take place on 14 May 2010. The fi rst entry drawn will win 10,000 Bonus Points. The next 10 entries drawn will each win 1,000 Bonus Points. The Bonus Points will be credited to each winner’s account by 21 May 2010. Fly Buys Membership Terms and Conditions also apply and can be viewed at www.fl ybuys.co.nz

CELEBRATE OUR 20TH ANNIVERSARY WITH US, AND WE COULDFERTILISE YOUR FLY BUYS ACCOUNT WITH A SHARE OF

*

Call free on 0800 784 674 or visit www.summitquinphos.co.nz

60

Dr Blennerhassett is the Technical Manager for Summit Quinphos and has over 8 years experience within the NZ fertiliser industry. Jamie holds a PhD from Massey University where he studied the potential of nitrogen in dry, hill country farms and prior to that attained a Masters of Applied Science (Hons) majoring in soil and water environmental management. Jamie’s role at Summit Quinphos encompasses a wide range of responsibilities including new product innovation and development, staff technical training and liason with industry and regulatory authorities. Jamie has an in-depth knowledge of the key environmental challenges facing the farming industry and is actively involved in producing products, services and systems that are aimed at ensuring NZ farmers can meet regulatory requirements, both within NZ and overseas.

Dr JAMIE BLENNERHASSETTTechnical Manager Summit Quinphos

61

INTERNATIONAL COMPLIANCE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

JAMIE BLENNERHASSETT

62

INTERNATIONAL COMPLIANCE OF NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT ISSUES

JAMIE BLENNERHASSETT

63

INTERNATIONAL COMPLIANCE OF NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT ISSUES

JAMIE BLENNERHASSETT

64

INTERNATIONAL COMPLIANCE OF NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT ISSUES

Tim Deane joined Fonterra in September 2007. As General Manager Milk Supply, Tim and his team are responsible for growing a sustainable and safe milk supply and ensuring the Fonterra shareholder relationship delivers competitive advantage and value.

After graduating from Lincoln, Tim spent five years working for the New Zealand Dairy Board and has subsequently held a number of senior general management roles in the pharmaceutical, agriculture and financial services sectors in New Zealand.

TIM DEANE, General Manager Milk Supply, Fonterra

The Fonterra Factory in the background

65

What you need to succeed.PKE Soybean Meal Canola Meal Tapioca Pellets

66

INTERNATIONAL COMPLIANCE OF NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT ISSUES

Alistair Nelson is General Manager for the New Zealand operations of Rissington Breedline. The Company was established in 2001 and has quickly generated a reputation as a leading supplier of innovative sheep and beef genetics and associated production and supply chain systems. RBL has now successfully implemented a completely integrated supply chain from conception through to dedicated branded retail products with Marks and Spencer in the UK.

ALISTAIR NELSON, General Manager Rissington Breedline

67

INTERNATIONAL COMPLIANCE OF NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT ISSUES

ALISTAIR NELSON

68

INTERNATIONAL COMPLIANCE OF NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT ISSUES

ALISTAIR NELSON

69

INTERNATIONAL COMPLIANCE OF NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT ISSUES

ALISTAIR NELSON

70

David and Fiona have been in Southland for the past 15 years after farming in Taranaki for two seasons. They converted this farm in 08/09, with the dairy being commissioned in December.

Farm DetailsArea: 223 ha totalCows: Jersey herd – calved down 570 09/10.Production target: 220,000kgMS.Attributes: Once a day for first 4 weeks post calving. Fully feeding cows. Predominantly grass based system with crushed

barley/molasses feed on shoulders of season (approx 80T).

Light soils- strong in the spring and autumn, dry out in summer.

Fertility marginal being ex sheep farm, P 12-15, hasn’t taken much to lift.

Regrassed 20% of farm in year one and now on 10%/annum rotation.

Fodder beet (12 ha) is planted for late winter feed for when cows return and form part of the regressing program. One paddock in late summer turned over for grass to grass.

Next season: Planning to calve 660 cows and lift stocking rate to 3.2 cow/ha.

Effluent System

Simplicity is behind the system – easy to use and fail safe.

The system consists of a stone trap; impact pond (100,000m3);

solid separator and storage pond (3,500,000m3). The system is

made from concrete and designed to be future proof.

During wetter milking months and over winter all water/ effluent

goes through the stone trap into the impact pond and pumped by

a 4kW pump (2kW stirrer) into the solid separator. The solids go

into a bunker where they can be removed by a tractor with a FEL.

The liquid is transferred via gravity into the storage pond.

During the majority of the milking season the effluent from the

shed goes through the stone trap and into the impact pond,

manual changing of a hydrant occurs so that instead of being

pumped through the separator the effluent is pumped directly to

a travelling irrigator.

The storage pond can be emptied during this process by opening a

value into the impact pond from the storage pond that is controlled

by a ballcock. When the level of the impact pond is below

22,000m3, green water can flow into the impact pond by gravity

from the storage pond to be mixed and applied on to paddocks.

The storage pond can be completely drained and is designed to be

periodically hosed clean when required. The ability for the storage

pond to fill and empty both by gravity is by having the lowest point

the height that you want the ballcock placed, effluent then moves

down the pipe when the ballcock opens. Filling the pond occurs as

the solid separator has a 1.5 working head (1.5 meters above the

capacity level of the pond), therefore water moves back into the

pond and the level stays the same in the pipes. Thus eliminating

the need for additional pumps and weak points for the system.

System information

Stone trap:

Inlet is angled 45° into the trap to force water to circulate, slowing

its momentum allowing stones to be dropped, outlet is twice as

wide to allow a gentle flow. Trap is as wide as the tractor bucket

BALLYHOOLEY FARMS – DAVID AND FIONA HUGHES

Sponsored by

71

FARM VISITS - BALLYHOOLEY FARMS

to allow proper cleaning out, which occurs fortnightly Stone trap is covered with ‘gates’. Impact pond cleaned out after 8 months use – no stones.

Impact pond:100,000m3 capacity.Operates at 22,000m3, with high level alarm at 50,000m3.Pump set 600mm above bottom to minimise stones moving through to the separator and is set on a floating pontoon.Sunken into ground with pool fencing that can easily be removed maintenance of pump.Permanent ladder to allow exiting.No settling due to stirrer.

Storage pond:3,500,000m3 capacity2.4 m deep, 31m wide. Buried 1.2 meters in the ground.Outlet/inlet in centre of pond and lowest pointNo need for safety fence as concrete wall meets ‘pool’ safety requirements, and cows able to graze edge up to concrete – minimal loss of grazing area verses clay based ponds.Permanent ladders on the inside of the pond for exiting

Travelling irrigator:Modified with help from experienced personOne arm longer than other and gearing altered to allow more even/ consistent applicationAt fastest speed applying 3.8mmGaterbuddy attached to minimise risk from incorrect set up/ end of run.

Drivers behind system

Concrete has very good longevity and the bonding between slabs allows for movement, therefore minimising the risk of leakage. There are minimal electronic parts that can fail making it simple for staff. By having no diversion there is no risk of someone forgetting to change it back – either filling pond or direct spreading with has the gaterbuddy monitoring spreader movement. The ability to empty pond without requiring extra equipment or time and able to use current resources on farm makes this system low impact on staff. A simple turn of a tap or change over a hydrant is all the labour required other than daily shifting of the irrigator when in use.

Costing

Set up including piping to service 140ha effluent area $375/cow (based on consented number 800 cows)

Ongoing cost:

Produce on average 30,000L effluent per day – pump/ stirrer run for average of 2 hours per day 6kW/hr over spreading period 12kW/hr over storage periodAble to use current resources

Tractor - clean out stone trap once fortnightly during wet period and monthly during dry. Separated solids cleaned out as required – 2-3 wheelbarrow loads produced daily (on predominantly grass based system). Spread out over paddocks.

Effluent irrigator moved daily when applying 3.8mm, stretched out when slowed to 5mm during summer months when soil capacity higher for effluent.

Over all the running costs are marginal verses the benefit of spreading nutrients over the effluent area.

Expected payback period – 5 years.

Possible improvements

Happy with system, wouldn’t change a thing.

Future upgrades for this season are for the gaterbuddy: Meters travelled (application rates), Modem and possibly GPS with exclusion zones.

If smell becomes an issue system is able to be covered and possibility for methane to be captured and used as fuel

Top Tips for designing an effluent system

separator

BALLYHOOLEY FARMS – DAVID AND FIONA HUGHES

72

FARM VISITS - OTAITAI DAIRIES

VAUGHAN AND MEGAN TEMPLETON

The farm has had four generations of Templetons and three different commercial enterprises. These include flaxmilling, sheep and beef fattening unit and as of 2002 dairy farming.

Farm Area: Area (ha) Total Farm 425 Pine Trees 16 Effective Farm 396 Milking platform 320 Feed Area (ha) Winter crop 37 Summer crop 7 Silage 65 Balage 50

Cows:Wintered Cows 850 50:50 Friesian/ jersey crossStocking Rate 2.6 cows/ ha

Location:Western SouthlandFoveaux strait makes the southern boundaryRainfall 1000 – 1100 mls / yearSoil Types 1/3 very sandy silt loam 1/3 well developed sandy silt loam

1/3 waikiwi silt loam

What is the Iceberg?

If it is the Environment then what does this mean for us?

How will it affect our ability to farm?

What will it cost?

What should we be doing now to avoid the Iceberg?

- In our businesses

- For the industry

Sponsored by

73

FARM VISITS - OTAITAI DAIRIES

VAUGHAN AND MEGAN TEMPLETON

74

FARM VISITS - SOUTHERN CENTRE DAIRIES LTD

ALFONS AND GEA ZEESTRATEN

Background

Have been dairy farming in New Zealand for 12 years, and now own 1100 ha. Came to NZ as there were no opportunities available in Holland. 90 ha were purchased at Lime Hills, with funds from the sale of an engineering business in Holland. Starting with 300 cows through a 25 double up herringbone and then purchase neighbouring land. Still on that original farm, have expanded over the past years to current size, through a series of conversions/ expansion and trading land over Southland to enable purchasing land closer to the home farm.

Currently 600 ha milking platform (over 3 farms), 500 ha support block.

Producing 940,000kgMS, with 1700 cows (552kgMS/cow). Wanting to increase to 1,100,000kgMS by increasing numbers to 2000 peak milked aiming for 3.36 cows per ha.

Running a system 5- supplements feed all year – palm kernel, wheat grain, soya, quar & molasses as and when required.

Wintering System – Barn

on the European style as it is tried and true and works.

spring (Aug/ Sept 09) were housed full time and the Autumn calving (Feb/Mar 09) cows have pasture as a major part of their diet, 70%.

come on at 4am till mid morning and then from 5.30 until 9pm. There is a weather station which controls the wind breaks depending on the temperature, rainfall and wind speed. Floors are scrapped every 6 hours.

280d storage available for effluent.

to mid may, able to extend lactation.

prior to calving. Cows calve outside.

setting up the shed and in-shed feeding system it is felt that able to lift production by 200kgMS/ha. The barn and in-shed computer feeding system is estimated to further increase production by 100kgMS/cow.

based on their production levels. The average milking cow receives 18kgDM /day :

Sponsored by

75

1kg palm kernel 2kg wheat grain 1kg molasses 1kg soya or quar 12kg pasture and or grass silage 1kg straw

Benefits:

allows for higher input system (5).

(which have a protective PVC cover)

costs

weather

Top tips for this system:

dry – (controls SCC as bacteria can’t grow in dry conditions as easily

Put down straw to encourage them to sit down.

located – ideally put matting here too.

Robots are being purchased to do this job.

will discourage cows from sitting in stalls.

Costings $/cow Total Capital: 2250 to build Income Winter Milk – barn and in-shed feeding

@100kgMS/cow 450 Milk- Increased days in milk @76kgMS/cow 345 Savings in fertiliser (nutrients) 100 895 Expenses Depreciation (30 yr lifespan) 75 Interest @ 7% 157.50 Maintenance 10 In shed feeding 100 Extra feed costs (inc tractor and feeding out) 20 Electricity 5 367.50 Total Profit 527.50 Payback is estimated to be within 10 years at

current payout.

FARM VISITS - SOUTHERN CENTRE DAIRIES LTD

ALFONS AND GEA ZEESTRATEN

76

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FARM VISITS - SOUTHERN CENTRE DAIRIES LTD

ALFONS AND GEA ZEESTRATEN

Budget for Southern Centre Dairies Ltd

77

78

Utilising Innovative Dairy Shed Effluent Treatment System as an Alternative to Storage

In 2006 Papawai Limited purchased the homestead block of Boggyburn comprising 175 hectares and in May 2008 an adjoining area of 38 hectares giving a total of 213 hectares at Centre Bush. Dallas and Kay Lucas, and Peter and Cathryn Donnelly are joint shareholders in this company. Both Dallas and Peter have a number of investments in the farming industry and they saw Boggyburn as an extension of their portfolio. “We saw potential in this Centre Bush property to improve and enhance its performance” Mr Lucas said.

Boggyburn is currently milking 550 cows and have approval to increase this number to 750 if it becomes appropriate to do so.

In July 2009, Environment Southland extended Boggyburn’s resource consent. The current effluent disposal infrastructure

needed upgrading to meet current standards and legislation. When utilising travelling irrigators, standards now require 90 days storage facilities. The partners were strongly opposed to the installation of a pond holding 3.6 million litres of untreated dairy shed effluent and the consent extension gave them the opportunity to look at alternative environmentally friendly technologies.

Currently the dairy shed effluent is piped from the shed via a stone trap to a small 275m3 storage pond before being irrigated onto their land using a Briggs travelling irrigator.

The partners liked the simplicity of the BioFiltro® technology. This would overcome their problem in an effective manner involving minimal staff input. As absentee owners, they wanted to ensure the technology offered minimal human intervention therefore reducing the potential environmental risks. The BioFiltro® technology is monitored electronically with the alarming systems connected to cellphones, including irrigator failure.

The comparison of land space that would be utilised was also attractive to Papawai. The surface area of a pond would have been 1,500m2 at 2m deep compared with the BioFiltro® technology that will use 160m2 and a weeping wall using 300m2 of surface area.

The treated wastewater may be able to be reutilised for washing down the yard after approval is gained from NZFSA. This has the potential of reducing the water usage by greater than 30%.

“We are excited about pioneering this technology in Southland for the dairy industry” Mr Lucas said. “Our consent period has doubled in comparison to what we would have achieved using the current irrigation system and it has a cost comparable to that of a lined pond. It is great to see that the local regional council has embraced this technology and granted us a 10 year consent period.”

The BioFiltro® system will allow for the herd expansion of 550

FARM VISITS - PAPAWAI LTD, CENTRE BUSH

PETER & CATHRYN DONNELLY AND DALLAS & KAY LUCAS

Cathy Donnelly and Kay Lucas herd testing on their Papawai Farm

Sponsored by

79

to 750 as required, will have no odour as with ponds, and will mitigate the potential environmental effects of untreated effluent being put onto land if there is an irrigator malfunction.

Relative Wastewater Strengths

Raw FDE Ex BioFiltro

BOD 1600 mg/l <50 mg/l

SS 6125 mg/l <50 mg/l

TKN 270 mg/l <30 mg/l

TP 48 mg/l <30 mg/l

Faecal Coliforms TNTC <500cfu/100ml

There are several significant advantages to the BioFiltro® system for dairy farms, making it highly adaptable and user-friendly:

and effluent management systems;

walls;

two and three-pond systems to meet the consent conditions for discharge to waterways or alternative disposal options eg. spray irrigation, but with significant reductions in pollutants.

The size and technical specifications of each individual BioFiltro® installation will vary depending on the individual farm, location and soil type. Unlike conventional pond or lagoon based systems, BioFiltro® requires significantly less land, is quick to install, and is fully functional within three months of commissioning. Once running, there is little operational detail required as the system is essentially natural, with no requirement for chemicals or aeration. This is a treatment process rather than a storage system.

The system utilises a unique four part treatment process. The wastewaters are applied to a packed biologically based bed reactor and filtered through support structures of sawdust, humus, carbon media and rocks. Within these layers exists aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, along with higher level organisms eg. rotifers and worms. The organic waste first undergoes bacterial degradation but in a later stage worms ingest the lower level organisms residue along with other solids to ultimately form a low volume humus (the humus contains nutrients) and high-quality liquid discharge. In the final stage, the translucent liquid output can be treated to reduce the faecal coliform bacteria before being discharged. The collected humus, which contains elements such as phosphorus accumulate on the top of the bed and can be removed periodically. In comparison to direct discharge of dairy effluent by spray irrigation there is no reduction in overall nutrient balance.

The amount of organic material consumed is dependent on the available oxygen within the system and this is a function of bed area and the biological mass, including the worms. An important

function of the worms is to aerate the system and it is in this manner that the system remains aerobic and dynamic.

The results from the Edendale pilot plant show BOD5 and suspended solids removal of 95%+ and large reductions (up to 99%+) of faecal coliforms.

The multi-level biological system ensures the absence of traditional biological sludge normally associated with wastewater treatment systems.

Nutrients are captured within the humus layer as part of the biological food chain of the BioFiltro® bed resulting in a very rich, light, friable, inert layer which needs to be removed every 12-18 months. This can be target applied to areas of a farm that may need extra nutrients. For primary waste treatment the bed size on an average dairy farm will be 160m2 for 750 cows, a dramatic reduction in non-productive land in comparison to traditional lagoon-based systems.

Alternative Treatment Systems

Comparison of the NIWA ‘Advanced Ponds System’ for 500 cows and approx 30m3/day versus the required BioFiltro plant.

FARM VISITS - PAPAWAI LTD, CENTRE BUSH

PETER & CATHRYN DONNELLY AND DALLAS & KAY LUCAS

80

Surrey Park Sports Centre, Invercargill

www.claasharvestcentre.co.nz 0800 102 101

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