Disambiguating the gumboot, and other Farming Issues

[Snoopy]

The PGW thread is becoming a little busy, so I thought it worthwhile to set up a thread for farming issues in general that don't necessarily relate to one specific company.

I have made time this week at the film festival to see "The Moo Man", the story of everyday life on a family dairy farm in England. You may think farmers have a hard time in NZ, but I don't think I would like to be farming milk over there.

The guy had a herd of some 75 cows (the average English herd is around twice that size today apparently) , and was being paid 27p per litre for his raw unprocessed milk by the supermarket buyers. The problem was his cost of production was 34p per litre! The film was dated 2013 but I guess it was filmed in calendar year 2012. His solution? Reinvent home milk delivery in bottles!

Our farmer was really pushing the whole organic thing. Brought a cow down to the seaside of the town he was going to start delivering in for a photo shoot. Seemed to go down well with the English punters. But selling raw organic milk in the volumes he was doing? I am not sure that would be allowed in New Zealand.

Over here we have problems with TB associated with possums. Over there the problem animal is badgers. The herd gets a once a year check by the vet, before he is allowed to sell his milk like this. Not much footage of his cows 'wintering over' though. Only a rather relieving shot of the cows stampeding into the paddock come spring time.

I will try to do some homework to translate the milk prices mentioned into NZ dollar milk prices.

SNOOPY

[CJ]

But selling raw organic milk in the volumes he was doing? I am not sure that would be allowed in New Zealand. I beleive it has to be at the farm gate, no further and cant be advertised as for human consumption. Basically just exemptions so you and your family can drink your own product. Lots of rules as its frowned upon. Was a 20/20 on it last year I think with a guy selling 'bath milk' or maybe it was 'pet food' at a farmers market and even that was in breach of the rules.

[Under Surveillance]

Shouldn't this be on the Off Market Discussions forum?

[winner69]

Shouldn't this be on the Off Market Discussions forum?

Why ....relevant to many nzx companies

I didn't realise there were separate forums ....silly me

[Snoopy]

This is a topic of relevence to both PGG Wrightson and Synlait especially, and other companies as well when water issues are looked at in a wider context than just Canterbury. I attended the public forum put on by the Southern Environmental Trust in Christchurch last night.

The longer back story is about the sacking of the Canterbury Regional Council (Environment Canterbury) a few years ago over their inability to satisfy the farmers. Christchuch City people who cared (there are some) were outraged at this abolition of democracy. But what is done is done and I think it is worth outlining the issues going forwards from here.

SNOOPY

[Snoopy]

The longer back story is about the sacking of the Canterbury Regional Council (Environment Canterbury) a few years ago over their inability to satisfy the farmers. But what is done is done, and I think it is worth outlining the issues going forwards from here.


The meeting opened with an address by Ken Hughey (water quantity and quality issues) from Lincoln University who has family farming ties to the Hurunui district. The message: Canterbury high country lakes and rivers (in general) are in good condition and those large rivers fed by lots of snowmelt remain in good condition until they discharge into the sea. Every other river and lake is either in serious trouble or on the verge of being so.

The 'solution' is to divert alpine water into the overextracted over nutrified rivers to repair some water quality. But if you want to get back environmentally to how things were 50-100 years ago, forget it. This will cause too great a sacrifice in production and jobs that are needed for the economy to turn over. The water planning process is looking out to 2040, and things are not expected to happen quickly. Ecan has divided the Canterbury catchment into regions and local consultation is happening. But all decisions made are going to be made by consensus. That means that no-one is going to get everything they want.

The previous publicly elected Ecan was (apparently) less consultative. The amount of water that a farmer could draw was dictated from above. Unsurprisingly this resulted in many legal actions. It was thiis it seems that required the national level government to step in and sack the elected Ecan. However, since the sacking it is only the Hurunui region that has made real tangible progress, mainly becasue they were further along with their planning to start with. I got the impression there are vested interest battles brewing in the other Canterbury sub regions.

SNOOPY

[percy]

Organic farmers may find this site of interest;
www.laverstokepark.co.uk

[Snoopy]

The meeting opened with an address by Ken Hughey (water quantity and quality issues) from Lincoln University who has family farming ties to the Hurunui district.

Second speaker was Pat McEvedy, the Selwyn district councillor, who is involved in overseeing the large earthworks and underground pipes that make up the Central Plains Water scheme. He was an activist farmer in the disruptive days and described himself as a poacher turned gamekeeper. One issue that has caused dissent is grandfathering of water rights. Some generous earlier consents are going to have to be partially withdrawn. Granting new consents at the same rate per hectare will destroy the Canterbury plains. Put bluntly, you can't have some farmers more equal than others! Given the intergenerational scope of the planning, this adjustment my take a couple of decades. But it will be necessary if everyone is to receive a sufficiently appertising slice of the pie.

SNOOPY

[Snoopy]

Second speaker was Pat McEvedy, the Selwyn district councillor, who is involved in overseeing the large earthworks and underground pipes that make up the Central Plains Water scheme.


Third speaker was vetenerian turned dairy farmer Clair McKay. Clair emphasised that the water issues are not just a dairy issue. They apply to arable farming, and other animal farming as well. Clair emphasised that riparian planting and some fencing was a realtively affordable solution to stopping too much nitrogen going into the waterways. Another would be to build large sheds to keep cows inside for the winter. She added that grass feeding of animals was always going to produce excess liquid effluent, compared to barn housed cows that are grain fed. Many of these problems can be dealt with at a price. But by spending money on sheds and planting and fencing, the capital cost of the farm increases. So how do farmers get a return on that capital? Answer: Put more stock on the land! So sometimes the solutions aren't the solutions you think they are.

Much of Canterebury may be a 'peak cow' already. There isn't a way to put more stock on the land without completely destroying some most of the smaller rivers and lowland lakes. However, there are farms that have reduced their stocking rate, yet managed to extract more milk in total. So not being able to expand the dairy herd does not mean that farmers will necessarily be worse off. There is a lot of clever technology coming on stream. Concise measurement of moisture in small areas with irrigation adjusted to suit is one. Fine point monitoring and a computer controlled proportional response enables existing resources to be used in a smarter way.

SNOOPY

[Snoopy]

Third speaker was vetenerian turned dairy farmer Clair McKay.


Last speaker was Jay Graybill, from the Fish and Game council. Jay went into more detail on just what is water pollution. Nitrates leaching into the rivers are one. But phosphates are also going into the water. Also e-coli, bacteria associated with faeces. Finally the was turbidity: churned up soil not necessarily toxic chemically, but very disruptive of the water ecosystems nevertheless.

All of this stuff is very bad nes for fish, both introduced and native.

SNOOPY

[Marilyn Munroe]

As they say in the wild west;

Whiskeys fer drink'n waters fer fight'n.

Be interesting to be a blue duck watching an on-site meeting of interested parties discussing water quality issues if there is a change of government at the next election.

Boop boop de do
Marilyn

[horus1]

When you consider the cost in the future of Co2 emissions and the affect of all this diaring plus no water this whole episode ,driven by the national govt , will be seen as worse than think big. A disaster happening in front of your eyes.

[janner]

Organic farmers may find this site of interest;
www.laverstokepark.co.uk

Sorry perc.. Did not find it interesting..

But there again I am not an organic farmer ..

Or even an Organic believer..

Having been raised by my Grandfather in a rural back water of Devon ..

Where Anglo Saxon was part of our speech.. Along with Anglo Saxon farming methods..

They have taken on the advances..

It is still a Paradise.. A show case for farming ..

Please do not bring up " subsidies "..

They are only taking advantage of the " Hand outs "

The same as South Auckland is..

Both would survive with out them :-)))

[percy]

What a disappointment you are.
There was I thinking you would really enjoy a nice Buffalo milk ice cream, after a good feed of Buffalo Meat Balls.!!!!!

[janner]

What a disappointment you are.
There was I thinking you would really enjoy a nice Buffalo milk ice cream, after a good feed of Buffalo Meat Balls.!!!!!

The ice cream sounds enjoyable..

We have enough Balls served up to us of all creeds and denominations.. ..


Why would you try to introduce more ???

[kiora]

Soil Moisture update
https://www.niwa.co.nz/static/climate/smd_map.png?1234

Looking better

Beef prices fat & Store lifted by $0.50 /kg
Sheep flock still declining.Lambs will be in short supply latter in season

[kiora]

Rabobank Report
http://www.rabobank.co.nz/Research/Documents/Agribusiness_monthly/2015/Agri_Monthly_Mar-2015_NZ.pdf