ATSNEWSOC TOBER / NOVEMBER 2012

Mt Hutt embraces future for industry

ATS Supplier Awards 2012

Clear focus for farming enterprise

AgrikidsNZ encourages

children

Editorial ENquiriES

Our team welcome your contributions, enquiries and letters. Please post or email to:Charlotte Mackenzie charlotte.mackenzie@ats.co.nz

Find ATS on Facebook www.facebook.com/ 0800BUYATS

www.ats.co.nz

upcoming Events22 OctoberLabour DayATS will be closed 20–22 October If members have any emergency requirements the Duty manager can be reached on 03 307 5100 or 027 487 6865.

26–27 OctoberAshburton A&P ShowAshburton A&P Showgrounds

14–16 NovemberCanterbury A&P ShowCanterbury Agricultural ParkChristchurch

16 NovemberCanterbury Anniversary ATS will be closed 16–18 NovemberIf members have any emergency requirements the Duty manager can be reached on 03 307 5100 or 027 487 6865.

25 NovemberATS Longbeach Coastal ChallengeFor more info visit www.ats.co.nz

26 November ATS Annual General Meeting 7.30pm Valetta & Arrowsmith Lounges, Hotel Ashburton

October always heralds the beginning of the end of another year. All of a sudden the calendar begins to fill with events taking us well into December before we know it.

From the CEo

It’s no different for us at ATS. October is a busy month with planning well underway for this year’s Ashburton A & P Show, where we will once again have our marquee set up. It is a great opportunity to catch up with ATS staff and other members.

Late November sees another opportunity for members to come together, but in a much more formal setting. The 26th of November has been selected as the date for the 49th Annual General Meeting of the Ashburton Trading Society. I would urge all members to take the opportunity to attend and hear about the year’s financial performance. It’s also a great opportunity to ask questions of Directors and the ATS management team about your rural supplies co-operative.

But before we get too busy, take some time to read through this issue of the ATS News. It’s got plenty of varied and informative articles to suit all members of the family.

Our cover story looks at two generations of deer farming at Mt Hutt Station—from the 1970’s when Keith and Doug Hood bought the property, to Keith and his wife, Dennise’s ,Deer Industry Award for 35 years of service to the industry. Son Bruce and his wife Becky talk about the technology which will take the venture forward in the next few years.

We also get to celebrate with the South Canterbury runners-up in this year’s AgriKidsNZ Grand Final. The team includes two former Mid Canterbury children and they share their experiences in this important event which promotes all things agricultural to our future farmers.

Other features include a closer look at Peter and Helen Heddell’s farming operations in Sheffield, Okains Bay, Hawarden and Swannanoa; the benefits of attending the biggest conference in the world dedicated to cattle diseases; and another article in our series celebrating the International Year of the Co-op.

Neal Shaw, Chief Executive

diSClaiMEr: All information contained within ATS News is to the best of the author’s knowledge true and accurate. Opinions expressed are those of the author and not of Ashburton Trading Society. Items herein are general comments only and do not constitute or convey advice. This newsletter is issued as a helpful guide to members.

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CoNtriButorS:

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FroNt PagE PHoto

Bruce Hood welcomes the introduction of new technology in the deer industry

Contents

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Features regulars Profiles Etc2 Mt Hutt embraces future for

industry4 Clear focus for farming

enterprise 9 global cattle conference a

“must do”14 agriKidsNZ encourages

children to be active in agriculture

19 ashburton co-operative capital

22 atS Supplier awards 2012

11 Ele ludemann

13 lameness during spring

21 Commission keeps vigil on lines operations

27 More maize research, better results

31 Seed Force has a kale type to suit

35 Fertiliser strategies for brassica crops

37 Winning formula for winter dairy grazing

39 What’s holding heifers back?

17 Diversification is the key to success

Tinwald Canvas, Upholstery & Shade

25 Crash created life time opportunity

Collision Plus29 New supplier specialises in

motivation and teamwork Teamwork SI

33 Polytech provides training for farm workers to fill gap

Aoraki Polytechnic

40 Community support42 News at atS44 out and about45 Classifieds

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Mt Hutt embraces future for industryLooking ahead over the next five years, Bruce Hood welcomes the introduction of new technology in electronic ID systems to enable him and wife Becky to track the performance of the 3,500 breeding hinds at 3,000ha Mt Hutt Station. Innovation has become almost tradition at the station, where his dad Keith was an early adopter of AI and embryo transfers.

By riCHard rENNiE

“We are trying to ID the best hinds and it used to be the only way we could was if they had a stag fawn that cut velvet. But with electronic ID we can see ourselves going back to measuring growth rates—we can sort more of a stud stock side while we send the commercial herd out to run on the hills.”

Bruce is also helping develop dam-offspring ID using DNA sampling with Invermay. It’s a process still subject to a few bugs to be sorted, but he can see the benefits coming quickly once they are ironed out.

“It has to be better than what we usually have to do to try and match mums and offspring, using binoculars for days on end.”

The adoption of emerging technology is part of Bruce’s belief there is more to be done smarter, rather than getting bigger, within the station. In the past 20 years the station has exemplified the productivity gains that can be made in the relatively young deer industry, including now producing the same amount of velvet from 1,500 stags as they did from 3, 000 in the early eighties.

Deer income at the station is from multiple strands, venison, velvet, commercial sales and trophy income. The input required to develop a full stud operation proved too much of a clash with the daily operation of the station, with sales demands clashing with the busiest time of year around November–December.

“We just decided to go commercial and just offer stags to anyone interested in buying them—they are sold having run in larger mobs of 100-200, so they are used to being in larger groups.” An Eastern stag is used as a terminal sire, the ideal size in a breeding operation aiming to breed a medium size hind maturing out at 110kg on average.

“The Easterns have had a bit of a bad name for their supposed flightiness, but I think that has been bred out of them.”

Mt Hutt built its reputation on velvet production, although venison comes to the fore nowadays with steadier schedule prospects.

Trophy heads recorded with a 700 score were unheard of only 10 years ago, when 400s were considered premium, and the gains are a tribute to Keith and Dennise’s early efforts with innovative breeding programmes.

The station does not enjoy the intense growth burst enjoyed by neighbouring dairy farms, coming out more gradually from its 120 day winter.

“Often as the grass growth starts snow fall comes, and we have all the hinds, velveting stags and weaners wanting feed at once.”

The upside to the long winters is being on summer safe country that allows for yearlings to be carried through to good weights.

One opportunity to boost weaning weights lies in the potential to irrigate 50–60ha on the property up the station’s valley. It would mean hinds could free graze on high yielding lucerne crops, boosting hind milk yields and ultimately fawn weaning weights.

There only remains one large block on the station to be deer fenced, as Keith and Bruce decide the best way to approach it. They have resisted putting land into the pastoral lease programme while there is still potential to develop the large block, with the lease options also bringing their own complications.

While getting the early weight on is a big ask, Keith takes some solace from a venison schedule that has remained relatively stable in the topsy turvy world of commodity returns recently, helping balance out the lower frozen schedule from premium chilled values.

“It is a market where it seems supply and demand are in a nice balance, and the schedule seems to be offering a decent level of stability these days.”

For Bruce, returning to farm at Mt Hutt came sooner than anticipated after his brother Jason had an accident. However for someone who has always claimed an affinity with his stock, he continues to be upbeat about prospects for his industry.

FEATURE

Nor did they appreciate the deer that followed them along the road while working at Erewhon would be the source of their first herd, and the beginning of a legacy.

That was back in the early seventies. By 1977 Doug and Keith had bought Mt Hutt station, one of only two properties they had considered, and opting for Hutt on its locality.

Keith is typically modest recounting the years that followed, and the success that culminated with him and wife Dennise being awarded the Deer Industry Award this year for 35 years of service to the industry.

He recounts they were never intending to be wholly devoted to deer farming, with breeding ewes on the station topping out at 14,000 at one stage. “Today I think we have 65,” he notes. There is also 200 head of breeding cows, but accompanying them are 3,500 breeding hinds and 1,500 velveting stags, making it one of the most intensely deer focused operations in the country.

The station’s nucleus herd came from nearby Erewhon Station.

“We used to run back to the house after work for rugby training and over 200 deer would run back up the hill running free. They would run free across the station until it was legal to farm them.”

From this core of stock it soon became apparent there was more money, and considerably less labour, involved in the deer than the sheep.

However government legislation required licences to farm deer with tax incentives, and helped to push prices over $3,000 a head. There are many stories through New Zealand of farming families who found the equity in their first farm by trapping wild deer either on land or from the air, and selling them.

Keith and Doug opted for the aerial approach to build numbers. A busy day’s farming would kick off with a chopper flight out in the morning and another in the evening, bringing home a few deer each time. However drugging the animals was less than ideal, and with a bit of innovative head scratching, they soon developed a better alternative in a net gun.

“The problem with the early guns was they never had the distance you needed out of a chopper. We got involved with some guys in Te Anau, chopper boys and developed a better one with more distance in it.”

It was a case of knocking down a .308 rifle, removing the butt and installing a throw system.

Keith’s favourite was a four barrelled model built by a local farmer-engineer. Ultimately the net gun was adopted by anyone involved in the high risk business of chopper based live capture. Keith recalls more than a few choppers being downed by a mistakenly activated gun throwing the net into the rotors.

After the economics of live capture folded, the Hoods began using AI to hasten genetic gains for

velvet production and that was quickly followed by embryo transfer from UK based hinds. Although venison production has moved to the fore, the genetic gain sees them producing the same amount of velvet off 1,500 stags as they once did off 3,000.

Today Keith admits taking more of a back seat to let son Bruce push on with progress.

Far from being despondent about deer farms going into dairy operations, Keith believes the industry is in a good position, with stock well matched to demand, helping keep venison prices particularly robust in volatile times.

Velvet, while not quite at the returns he would like is finding new uses as an extract, while the high end venison market is proving resilient to the tough global trading conditions.

“I think the one thing we need more of is younger guys showing an interest in the industry, older guys are tending to drop out, or go dairy grazing.” He attributes the station’s productivity and part of his and Becky’s own success to the sheer hard work of his parents.

These days Keith has a D6 bulldozer to occupy his working hours, and some adoring grandkids to follow in his footsteps.

Historic Mt Hutt leaves a legacy for deer industryWhen Keith Hood and his late brother Doug worked building the Mt Hutt ski-field road, they had no idea one day they would be owning the property adjacent to the ski-field.

BELOW: Dennise and Keith Hood have been awarded the Deer Industry Award for 35 years of service to the industry

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Their Glen R Angus Stud is the driver of their operation, which brings together 1,240ha of land in four blocks they own, and smaller lease areas.

Peter spends most of his time in the Sheffield foothills, where they run their main stud operation on 500ha.

A similar sized farm in Okains Bay on Banks Peninsula focuses on finishing cattle, and they

own some lighter land at Hawarden, which is now on the market, and live at Swannanoa on a lifestyle block.

Their bull sale, where they put up an initial offering of 40 bulls, is scheduled for Monday 1 October.

The spring sale is their point of difference, a move they adopted six years ago after receiving a “huge dollop of snow before the sale”.

Spring also suits many of their high country clients better too, because they don’t want their bulls in winter, and they also want to wait until the bulls reach two years old. “So we don’t sell any bulls prior to then, they are all kept through winter,” Peter says.

Nor do they have to put too much weight on their young animals to meet an early sale date. Too much early weight goes hand in hand with a lot of breakdowns, he says.

The stud began back in 1994 with the purchase of seven cows from Colin Williams’ Kaharau stud at Gisborne. These were a great foundation and the pick of the 600-strong herd.

“Then we bought a bull the same year from Kaharau, we paid $26,000 for him; we called him Kaharau BMW. We paid more for the bull than we did for our car.”

Since then they have added further stud cattle from the dispersal sale of Don Borck of Lairdvale Stud at Taumarunui, who had a very strong Kaharau base to his herd.

A year or two later some very good cattle were added in another dispersal sale of the Parakowhai stud at Masterton.

Then about three-quarters of the herd of Hamish Fraser’s Emu Plains stud was added.

Now they run just over 300 mixed age cows and 95 rising two-year-old in-calf heifers.

Clear focus for farming enterprise

FEATURE

Peter and Helen Heddell’s farming business is spread widely in Canterbury, yet has a very clear focus. By MariE taylor

LEfT: Helen, Peter and Sarah HeddellABOVE: Glen R Two Year Old Sale Bulls

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After the sale they usually sell about 20 more bulls privately into the beef industry, and the remainder go into the dairy industry.

Their clients range far and wide, from high country buyers to quite a few on Banks Peninsula. The odd bull has gone to the North Island, but most years buyers come from Kaikoura to North Otago.

“Constitution and longevity—are the key focus at the glen r

angus Stud.”

Peter says they’ve changed the direction of their stud since they first sold bulls in 1996. “I have a real concern about the direction Angus is going. Beef cows are getting pushed further back into the harder country, and that requires greater constitution and hardiness.”

There’s a lot more emphasis in the industry on chasing EBV figures, and he worries about this.

“I am chairman of the Canterbury Westland branch of Angus. In my annual report I commented that calving percentages throughout New Zealand are dropping; we have probably lost 5% over the last 15–20 years. Angus is numerically the most popular breed, so we have to take responsibility for this.”

Peter says there is too much emphasis on increasing 600-day weights and too high milk figures. People are finding the resulting cattle do not have enough constitution and longevity to cope with tough environments.

These two factors—constitution and longevity—are the key focus at the Glen R Angus Stud.

“Whilst EBVs are a great tool, there is a lack of understanding

of their implications.”

He’s worried people are not interpreting EBVs correctly. For example low birthweight EBVs are popular now, but there is a direct relationship between low birthweight and a smaller sized pelvis in a cow, making calving more difficult.

“Whilst EBVs are a great tool, there is a lack of understanding of their implications.”

When they farmed the 16,000ha Eskhead Station at the head of the South Branch of the Hurunui River, they learnt a good lesson about high milk figures.

A Shorthorn bull with “far too high milk figures” left daughters which had marvelous calves as heifers. But they struggled to get back in calf, and those which did, calved later and later.

“It was easy to recognise the bull’s progeny. The bull was just not set up for a high country environment.”

Peter says there seems to be a negative correlation between constitution and high EBV figures. “It is driving a lot of the constitution out of our cattle.”

As a result of these issues he naturally mates all his bulls. “When we AI cows or do ET work there is a risk that nature’s natural selection process is interfered with.”

The national average calving is now 83%, but their stud results are much higher. For example this year only five dry cows were recorded at scanning in the herd of 300 mixed age cows, a 1.6% dry rate.

Eskhead Station was an excellent proving ground for developing their stud. “We used to supply all the bulls going in there, and finished the progeny at the Okains Bay property; the steers taken to 300kg and above. We needed cows of moderate frame to get in calf each and every year.

“We decided to thicken the cattle up and purposely went about that. Our cattle don’t have the extreme length or height that some cattle have. Eskhead was a very good lesson for us in terms of how we would keep fertility in the cow herd and produce a good marketable animal.”

Their cattle are also run under very commercial conditions, Peter says. “We do put pressure on them, I feel it is very necessary.

“We run the bulls in big mobs before we select them for the sale so that the top ones come through, rather than identifying animals at an early age and feeding them.”

At their Sheffield property they run the bulk of the stud cows, all bull calves, sale bulls, 1,000 older ewes and 500 in-lamb hoggets.

“Eskhead was a very good lesson for us in terms of how we would keep fertility in the

cow herd and produce a good marketable animal.”

They are hoping to sell the Hawarden property to buy some lighter land nearer to the wet country of the Sheffield farm, a move which will help balance out their portfolio.

FEATURE

ABOVE: Sarah is following in her parents footsteps

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They also do a small amount of cropping on some of the Sheffield flats, although most of this farm is rolling country with some steep faces.

At the head of Okains Bay, their medium to steep hills run mostly cattle, with a small Romney flock. There are 50 stud cows, and 20 rising two year old heifers and a small commercial mob of cows. “We finish our steers and heifers there.” The property is managed by Adam and Krystal Thacker.

“Her driver for the stud is producing high fertility sheep

with good carcases and stylish wool for Merino contracts.”

Back at Swannanoa, Helen is in charge. She runs a white Merino stud of 180 ewes which she has carried on since the Eskhead days, and as well as the 11ha lifestyle block, she leases 60ha of nearby land.

Her driver for the stud is producing high fertility sheep with good carcases and stylish wool for Merino contracts. Before her current stud she ran a coloured Merino stud.

“I have always liked Merinos and fine wool. The Merinos are in the 17–20 micron bracket. I prefer quality to quantity,” she says.

She also runs a dry flock of 60 for AgResearch as part of research on longevity. And as a sideline she also has a Border Leicester stud.

To make this part of the business work she has a big trailer and a set of Prattley yards, and says she is lucky to have good casual help.

“it is true that an army marches on its stomach,

and Helen quickly became involved in the earthquake

response as catering co-ordinator for the

Farmy army.”

But farming is not Helen’s only forte. An active member of Federated Farmers and Rural Women NZ, her organising skills came to the fore after the Christchurch earthquakes.

It is true that an army marches on its stomach, and Helen quickly became involved in the earthquake response as catering co-ordinator for the Farmy Army. “I just looked around and thought what can we do without getting in anyone else’s way.”

She helped produce up to 1,200 meals a day for a month after the February earthquake and for eight days after the June quake.

“During that time we went through 5.5 tonnes of meat, all donated.” She describes the local butchers who processed and bone out the meat as fantastic.

Food drops were made to a large number of families in August, and this last Christmas, hampers were dropped to more than 2,000 people.

The voluntary support was huge, including an 86 year old from Takaka who brought his digger down to Canterbury to help. “We fed 10 year olds to 86 year olds.”

Helen also helped place pets after the quake. “People in the district were wonderful, turning up at the doorstep to leave dog food and cat food.”

She also found the local police had a terrible time getting access to diesel after the quake because of the queues. Farmers were able to help out with diesel for the police, giving back-up to their system.

Meanwhile a new generation is “straightening out the oldies” as Peter puts it.

Peter and Helen’s daughter Sarah last year completed a graduate diploma in applied science after her commerce degree at Lincoln

University, where she did a double major in valuation and farm management.

She says her father is the operations manager and she is the stud manager.

“Meanwhile a new generation is “straightening out the oldies” as Peter puts it.”

All she ever wanted to do was to go farming, and she finds it very relaxing. She really enjoys problem solving on farms, looking at investments and different ways of doing things.

Involved in Young Farmers, Sarah was also part of the Farmy Army, helping with logistics after the Christchurch quakes.

FEATURE

BELOW: Helen is actively involved in the rural community

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global cattle conference a “must do”When it comes to choosing between what conferences to attend, Canterbury veterinary professionals and farmers are spoilt for choice. The region plays host to a number of informative, interesting industry gatherings, ranging from Lincoln’s SIDE, NZ Dairy Business and Irrigation NZ conferences.

By riCHard rENNiE

Adrian Campbell, a director of Vet Life in Timaru attended this year’s World Buiatrics Congress, held in Lisbon, Portugal. Buiatrics is the study of diseases in cattle, and the biannual conference is the single biggest of its type in the world.

Adrian returns recommending the conference to anyone involved with livestock production who wants to be well up on the latest developments in a critical sector of global protein production.

There is no denying the exotic appeal of the location during a cold South Island winter, but it was the breadth and depth of the subjects covered that made the arduous trip worth more than just the cultural delights of Lisbon.

“The aim for going to Buiatrics was to try and harvest as many new ideas and latest research as possible. The information we can bring to our clients from it comes from the single biggest event of its type in the world, and I was not disappointed,” he says.

The conference included research around camels, sheep and even goats, which play a key role in milk supply to some northern Hemisphere countries.

Six streams of subjects ran consecutively covering 289 oral papers, five languages, 772 poster presentations. It was attended by veterinary delegates from 66 countries totalling around 2,500 veterinary and industry associated attendees and represented a treasure trove of almost overwhelming proportions for anyone interested in animal husbandry and production.

New Zealand’s pastoral cattle systems differ significantly from the rest of the world, and could lead one to wonder how relevant many of those papers could be. However Adrian says he was struck by the common issues between here and those countries over disease and management issues.

“Some of the papers could just as easily been written and presented here, the similarities were so striking.”

One key note paper that struck Adrian of vital interest to his dairying clients was research on the interaction between environmental (strep.uberis) and udder based (staph.aureus) mastitis bacteria.

Vets normally view the two as quite separate

bacteria entities, each with a typical pattern of occurrence in dairy herds.

“As clinicians we take a fair bit of prompt from how mastitis spread occurs to find out what bacteria causes it.”

However the study results indicated the ability of bacteria to copy each other in behaviour, making diagnosis of disease cause and spread considerably more difficult than commonly accepted.

“It means as vets we have to be very careful about the conclusions we draw when assessing mastitis. For me, the interesting thing was this research was absolutely relevant to New Zealand farmers, despite coming from the other side of the world.”

He says it was also somewhat comforting to hear EU vets struggling with issues around technology transfer to their farmer clients, despite clients often only having 10 cows in a herd.

“The take home message there was that our clients are so busy, it is a matter of having to leverage off some of their time to prove the value of the services and advice we have to offer as a profession.”

He also found discussion about Johne’s disease in Europe and the United States to be refreshingly open and constructive.

Dairy herds in European countries including Sweden and Denmark recorded levels of Johne’s infection approaching 80%, while little research has been conducted on the extent of the disease here in New Zealand herds.

As a disease it could also be hard to identify, often an “iceberg” syndrome existed where a few clinical symptoms hid the full extent of infection.

European countries had identified the risks of contaminating other stock with cells shed from infected animals. Younger animals were particularly susceptible and farmers in Scandinavia were conscious of this, testing animals and colostrum before feeding it to calves.

Adrian took away some simple effective methods for minimising Johne’s infections within herds that could apply here.

“It all means work, but if we are going to do something about the problem we need to listen from those prepared to discuss their own problems and solutions.”

Three key diseases stood out among the multitude of research papers and posters—Johne’s, Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) and Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR) .

“If there was no other message around diseases it would be that these three are a key focus in these countries, and we need to be more aware of them here.

“Johne’s is now more recognised but we are struggling to put in controls around it. Some focus is starting to come on BVD, but when it comes to IBR most farmers would shrug their shoulders if you asked what it was.”

IBR is a highly infectious herpes like disease transmitted between cattle that is difficult to eradicate and requires vaccination. Most northern European countries have eradicated it, while Canada and the US have control programmes in place.

Many New Zealand farmers are aware of the heightened sensitivity to animal welfare in Europe.

“This was something I had been dreading a bit going to the conference. However, to give it credit there was an enormously rational balance to the whole issue.” He said it was reassuring that despite what New Zealand farmers may hear about welfare expectations, they were not as extreme as sometimes imagined.

“This also included the approach to the environment. We heard from a Dutch farmer converting dry land in Portugal to irrigated dairying so he could move from 30 cows in Holland to 600 there. The challenges are very similar to what we face here.”

Other similar issues vets here share with their Northern Hemisphere counterparts are gender balances, profitability, and consultancy development.

The next Buiatrics conference is due to be held in Cairns in 2014. Adrian strongly recommends it to anyone in the industry wanting to be at the leading edge of knowledge sourced from the world’s leading cattle researchers.

“Animal health is a spoke in the fast moving wheel of animal production. For us at Vet Life we certainly intend to continue attending for professional and client benefit.”

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An aunt and uncle had a large wooden phone on their farmhouse kitchen wall. When they picked up the receiver they’d always ask, are you there? If no-one was they’d wind a handle to get the attention of a woman in the exchange who would then connect them to the number they required.

Most homes in town had one black plastic dial telephone. Anywhere more than a few kilometres away required toll calls which had to go through an operator, were very expensive and generally used only for matters of great importance.

“anywhere more than a few kilometres away required toll calls which had to go

through an operator, were very expensive and generally used only for matters of great

importance.”

We also had a radio telephone. It worked well when someone was close by and listening at both ends. But there was no way to get attention if the person you wanted was further away or, as often happened, one or other party got sick of listening to all the other people who shared the channel and turned down the volume.

The next innovation was a beeper which you could call to let someone know they were wanted. The call had to be made from a phone so that only worked for the home base calling out, not from the ute calling in.

“the next innovation was a beeper which you could call to let someone know they were

wanted.”

Then mobile phones arrived. The first was about the size of a two litre ice cream container so it was mobile in the sense of being able to be used in a vehicle but not in the sense of able to be picked up and popped in a pocket or bag.

As technology has improved phones have got smaller, less expensive and able to do more.

Modern ones are not just phones, they’re mobile computers able to send and receive texts and emails, take and transmit photos and use the internet for information, directions and entertainment.

Recently a friend received a call from her son in Africa who needed a document. She scanned and emailed it to him while she was talking and within

seconds he told her he’d got it.

If reception allows, this sort of instant audio visual communication could be a boon to farmers communicating with lawyers, banks or accountants. Photos and videos could be sent to vets to show them ill or injured animals. They might also help mechanics or other trades people diagnose problems from a distance.

“recently a friend received a call from her son in africa

who needed a document. She scanned and emailed it to

him while she was talking and within seconds he told her he’d

got it.”

But the ready accessibility and connectedness has a downside.

Sometimes people pay more attention to their phones than people they are with. On more than one occasion recently I’ve been with someone distracted by text messages or emails and been tempted to ask are you here?

Are you there? Anyone who grew up without modern communication will recall the use of that greeting on a telephone when you had to go through an exchange or use a party line.

By ElE ludEMaNN

thoughts from across the rivers

Opinion

Ele Ludemann

homepaddock.wordpress.com

REGULAR

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Cows may begin to walk longer and longer distances to and from milking which will slowly wear soles thinner.

During winter and early spring deer can be affected by severe infections from the yard environment which can cause lameness in many animals at one time.

Higher sugar and protein levels in grasses may predispose grazing animals to varying degrees of laminitis. In wet conditions, bacterial populations in the environment, especially in and around sheep and cattle yards, can become very high.

It is not uncommon for sheep and cattle farms to experience outbreaks of lameness after yarding stock.

Lame animals are prone to body condition loss and production loss, and may well experience severe pain. All lame animals on farm should be attended to without delay.

Septic Arthritis

Stones commonly penetrate the soles of grazing ruminants. It is possible for these stones to penetrate the sole in thin or weak areas with subsequent bacterial invasion and infection.

In the foot, an infection can quickly become very serious and debilitating for the animal. Commonly a swelling develops around the coronary band if

the infection is not treated in time. This swelling can be a sign that the infection has tracked deep in to one or more of the joints within the claw. These animals are usually not weight bearing on the affected limb and they are in extreme pain.

In animals with this condition, which is commonly called septic arthritis, treatment with antibiotics is often very unrewarding. Amputation of the claw by a veterinarian is possibly the only solution. This procedure is relatively uncomplicated, provides a short term solution to the situation and is very economical.

Lameness in any animal should be dealt with promptly and adequately. Failure to do so can result in animal welfare concerns as well as significant reductions in animal productivity.

Foot-Rot

In grazing ruminants including deer, foot-rot is common. The bacteria that cause foot-rot proliferate in wet muddy conditions, around troughs and in gateways. Access to the skin is made easier by a pre- existing lesion. Wet macerated skin is an easy target for foot-rot bacteria.

In New Zealand, foot-rot bacteria can survive very well in the temperate environment making transfer of infection from one animal to another

possible all year round. Heavier stocking rates can increase the risk of infection transfer, especially in wet and long pasture swards.

Foot-rot lesions are seen in the skin between the claws in sheep and in cattle, hence the name “inter (between) digital (toe) necrobacillosis”.

When examining the feet of animals with foot-rot there is often mild swelling and a crack or fissure of this inter-digital area. Affected animals are lame and may have high temperatures. Male animals can develop temporary infertility. There is often a foul smell coming from the affected area.

As the condition worsens the swelling increases and the lameness gets worse. In advanced cases there is rotten flesh between the toes. Eventually this sloughs off leaving an open wound which can heal given time.

The treatment for foot-rot is penicillin, or stronger antibiotics which can be prescribed by your Vet.

Prevention strategies include draining wet areas around gateways and troughs, avoiding yarding animals in wet conditions, if possible, and keeping stocking rates sensible.

Formalin and copper sulphate foot baths are useful to control the rate of spread of infection between animals, and can also assist in hardening the inter-digital skin to make infections less likely.

VETENT RiVERSiDEAshburton 03 308 2321Timaru 03 687 4445Mayfield 03 303 6042Rakaia 03 302 7931

VETENTLincoln 03 325 2808Leeston 03 324 3575Halswell 03 322 8331

Veterinary

lameness during springLameness in all animals can become an issue as spring progresses.

By iaN HodgE, VEtENt riVErSidE

REGULAR

14 ATS NE WS

agriKidsNZ encourages children to be active in agricultureATS members Annabelle and Chris Hampton and Andrea and Kevin O’Reilly used to live in Mid Canterbury and kept their memberships when they moved south.

By MariE taylor

Now they are enthusing their children with a passion for agriculture: this year their team was runner-up in the national AgriKidsNZ competition.

The adrenaline was pumping when Elizabeth Hampton and her two team-mates competed in this year’s AgriKidsNZ grand final.

It was the second year the South Canterbury team had reached the national finals of the competition, and their experience paid off when they took out the runner-up prize.

AgrikidsNZ is part of The National Bank Young Farmer Contest family, and the grand final is run at the same time as The National Bank Young Farmers Contest Grand Final.

Elizabeth, Emily O’Reilly and Hamish Scannell—who were all schoolmates at St Joseph’s in Pleasant Point last year—made up the Sheep, Beef and Dairy team.

It was a super mix of skills which paid off for the trio: Elizabeth, in Year 9, is from a sheep and beef farm in Cave, Emily, also a Year 9 is from a dairy farm and Hamish, in Year 8, excelled at crops, seeds and machinery as his father works on a cropping property.

Hamish says the girls are “quite competitive, but I sort of just stand back”.

They had won at the Aorangi regional AgriKidsNZ finals earlier in the year. There they faced “a whole heap of quizzes and questions, and some basic activities like putting up an electric fence,” Emily says.

Elizabeth was surprised by how many people came to watch them at Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium for the grand final in late May—at the other end of the stadium The National Bank Young Farmers Contest Grand Final was in progress.

They were one of 20 school teams from throughout the country who worked through three fun-filled rounds of skills-based competition to qualify for the grand race-off.

The first round was a series of modules—including first aid where they put a sling on a patient, building a planter box, animal health, horticulture, seeds and plant identification and they also had to identify the internal organs of an animal.

“they were one of 20 school teams from throughout the

country who worked through three fun-filled rounds of skills-

based competition to quality for the grand race-off.”

The next round was a written general knowledge test, and the third round an orienteering test in the stadium.

Hamish says “we had to find things out about the Young Farmers competitors by asking people what they knew about them.”

Then in the final race-off the team had to put a seat on a pushbike, build a large picture frame and

have their photo taken, whisk cream to decorate three meringues—and then eat them.

Next up was identifying three different juices, then completing a puzzle made of tyres, before zooming across the finish line.

Hamish found the tyre puzzle the most difficult of the competition, and by this stage the adrenaline was getting to Elizabeth, she says.

When the points from the morning were added to the race-off results

Elizabeth, Emily and Hamish just missed out to the winners from the Otago/Southland region. In third place was a team from the Northern region.

After the competition there was a quick seminar where they met with the Young Farmer finalists who gave them a short speech and answered their questions.

That part really appealed to Emily. “You got to listen to the grand finalists speak, and get in amongst it and see how it is done. I really enjoyed it.”

Last year Elizabeth, Emily and Hamish competed at Fairlie, then went to the national finals in Masterton.

But it was an epic trip to get there, as flights were cancelled due to the volcano in Chile. So Hamish and Emily and their parents had to drive up overnight and catch the ferry.

BELOW LEfT: The top three teams of the AgriKidsNZ grand final

FEATURE

ATS NE WS 15

Last year they had practiced together beforehand with visits to each other’s farms, where their fathers ran them through things they might come across. But this year they were a bit more relaxed about their preparation.

Emily says their success was quite a shock to her parents. “I am not really a farming sort of person but I like it now.”

They took home some great prizes, and the best part of the whole competition was the day after. Hamish says all the participants were bussed down to Telford, a division of Lincoln University just out of Balclutha.

Later their parents treated the three of them to a visit to the Cadbury chocolate factory.

Next year Emily and Elizabeth are hoping to keep on competing through the TeenAg group at Craighead Diocesan School in Timaru. TeenAg is the intermediate stage between AgriKidsNZ and Young Farmers, and for 13–18 year olds.

They are all enthusiastic about kids getting involved in AgriKidsNZ. “It is really exciting and a good experience,” Elizabeth says.

As for the future, Elizabeth, who describes herself as “reasonably competitive” is keen on going farming. “I help Dad feed out and I like horse riding. I want to work on a farm where you can go riding. And I want to go to Lincoln University.”

Elizabeth’s mother Annabelle Hampton says Elizabeth first entered AgriKids three years ago, when the regional final was held at Methven in conjunction with a ploughing competition. They won the regional final then, and went to Gore for the national competition.

Annabelle and her husband Chris are both former Young Farmers members, and Chris helped run regional Young Farmer competitions at different times.

They’re enthusiastic about the industry and like getting children interested. “We get our local St Joseph’s Pleasant Point school to run a Young Farmers day; it’s a have-a-go day. We take things to the school, and set up a top town-type competition with gumboot throwing, climbing hay bales, and the kids love it.”

“this year we really lifted the bar with more of the same great action and a few new

twists too.”

Annabelle says it’s good the children get to have a social time and learn skills at the same time. “They are probably more knowledgeable than some of us adults especially in the way they have a go at things. And it’s a chance to see that there is a future in agriculture.”

Rosie Todhunter, the youth development co-ordinator for AgriKidsNZ explains more than 400 children from throughout the country take part in seven regional finals. The top three teams from each regional final are invited to the grand final.

“It’s great to see the commitment from these teams—they have to fundraise and make their own way to the grand final. This year we really lifted the bar with more of the same great action and a few new twists too.”

“We made things tougher this year because the competitors have proven they can handle it—some of the TeenAg competitors even tried out for The National Bank Young Farmer Contest at district final level.”

While the skills tested and taught are predominantly agriculture-based, children from all backgrounds are welcome—the kids don’t need to come off a farm. They just need to love farming, animals and being active in the great outdoors.

It’s a great way for them to get outside and get active, and all they need to bring is their determination and enthusiasm.

“It’s the perfect environment for our younger competitors to learn more about agriculture while meeting new friends from around the country.”

AgriKidsNZ competitors are automatically enrolled in the AgriKidsNZ club, receiving a seasonal newsletter. They are the first to know about all the AgriKidsNZ happenings, including being invited to enter the competition. And membership is free.

Between AgriKidsNZ and TeenAg the combined prize pool this year was more than $5,000.

AgriKids is funded by Beef + Lamb New Zealand, DairyNZ and the Sustainable Farming Fund.

For more information see www.agrikidsnz.co.nz

ABOVE LEfT: Emily O’Reilly, Elizabeth Hampton and Hamish Scannell, runners-up in the NZAgriKids grand finalABOVE RiGHT & BELOW: AgriKidsNZ competitors participating in the grand final

FEATURE

16 ATS NE WS

PROFILE

ATS NE WS 17

Tinwald Canvas, Upholstery & Shade115 Main South RoadTinwald Ashburton

Tel: 03 307 2354Fax: 03 307 2354tincanup@xtra.co.nz

ABOVE: The Tinwald Canvas, Upholstory & Shade Team—Danny Farcoe, Justin Pickford, Ronda Bellew, Jarod Tubb, Lewis Horrell, Brendon Patrick

A specialist welding machine is about to be commissioned and it will make interior door panels for cars, recreating the original factory look that is important for enthusiasts. The welder passes electricity through the vinyl to form the required pattern.

“Owners and qualified upholsterers Brendan Patrick and Justin Pickford say being

adaptable is essential.”

Brendan says the new machine is the only one of its kind in New Zealand and he is expecting inquiries from far and wide once word gets out. Enthusiasts currently have to source door panels from Australia, and it’s a costly process.

Tinwald Canvas, Upholstery & Shade will also recover and repair furniture such as lounge suites; can make squabs and cushions for a variety of settings including window seats, caravans or outdoor furniture; can cover headboards and

ottomans or make them to order; and can upholster and repair leather furniture. Fabric choices are vast, with a good selection on display in the showroom area. In the past 12 months they have knocked down a wall to create a new display area.

Customers can draw on the expertise of staff members to choose the right fabric for the right job, or they can bring in their own or interior designer requirements.

Upholstery is often influenced by fashions and trends, and it is important the business is adaptable enough to meet those needs too as they arise. Brendan says this ability to diversify is important and has contributed to the positive profile of the business.

He says customers are already turning their thoughts to the summer days ahead, with inquiries regarding sail shades and sunblinds.

Owners and qualified upholsterers Brendon Patrick and Justin Pickford say being adaptable is essential. They’ll tackle any size job from big agricultural contracts to handbag repairs or carpet binding.

Their team includes three other tradesmen and an office manager and there’s a wealth of combined knowledge and experience.

Brendan says farming customers were often after items like polytarp hay covers or vehicle seat covers, designed to protect original fabric from wet and dirty clothes.

“Come time to trade the vehicle up, you just take off the seat covers. They are definitely good for dairy farmers hopping in and out of farm utes.”

He said the business had always taken a proactive approach to keeping up with customer trends and demands, and has turned its hand to the many varied request it receives.

“We are quite diversified—anything that needs a cover, we’ll do it.”

About two-thirds of the business is made up of canvas work. This includes hay covers, boat covers, caravan awnings, shade sails, sun blinds, and much, much more.

The Tinwald Canvas, Upholstery & Shade team are also car enthusiasts and this will help grow a side of the business they are all passionate about.

Diversification is the key to successDiversification is a key driver for Tinwald Canvas, Upholstery & Shade. The specialist upholsterers and canvas fabricators have gone from strength to strength since setting up shop in the Tinwald Shopping Centre nine years ago, expanding their range of products and services.

By liNda ClarKE

18 ATS NE WS

United Travel are proud to be able to offer this exclusive opportunity for ATS members to experience the real South Africa. Join a small group of 8–12 like-minded people for a truly unique experience. The 16-day farm tour scheduled for May 2013 will include:

• Personalised Farm tours• The Royal Ag Show• Diamond Mine Tour

Call us now to find out more about this unique opportunity.

EXCLUSIVE TO ATS MEMBERS

Experience South African farming life firsthand

• Victoria Falls• Game drives and cruises

Experience South Africa the way you’re meant to…

ATS NE WS 19

ashburton co-operative capitalThe United Nations General Assembly declared 2012 to be the International Year of Co-operatives (IYC), and ATS is proud to support New Zealand’s celebrations as a Bronze Partner. In this issue of the ATS News we continue our series of articles looking at co-operatives, how they operate and why they are so important.

By aNita Body

Ashburton has earned a reputation for being New Zealand’s co-operative capital thanks to the large number of co-ops which operate within the district.

It’s a reputation which may be lost on some as not everyone recognises that many of the businesses we take for granted are also co-operatives. Electricity Ashburton, Helmack ITM, Orb, Paper Plus, FMG, and Ballance Agri-Nutrients are just a few of the many different co-operatives found in Ashburton.

New Zealand Co-operatives Association executive director, Ramsey Margolis made the observation a few years ago when visiting the district and he says it is no great surprise that small towns such as Ashburton embrace co-operatives like they do.

“Research shows that people prefer to shop at co-ops, and that they will support what they know. They like the concept of locally owned businesses,” he says.

This is backed up by a co-operative survey conducted by Horizon Research earlier this year. It found there was strong interest and support for the co-op business model, especially following the recent finance company failures in New Zealand. It also concluded it was important to most people for businesses to be honest and to have integrity.

Trust is an important factor and the reality is that members trust their co-operatives because they own them. Co-ops are locally owned wherever they are in the New Zealand, regardless of their size.

This is certainly the case for the Orb Group which is a co-operative group of 25 locally owned and operated Telecom Licensees around New Zealand. Canterbury managing director and chairman of the Orb Group board, Deane Kingan says there are certainly synergies between small towns and rural areas when it comes to supporting co-ops. “People tend to be quite loyal to the co-op they are involved with.”

With those loyalties come benefits. “It is a good structure for us, dealing with a large organisation like Telecom. It is good for us to be seen as being locally owned and operated – which we are.”

The group has 18 equal shareholders/members and a board of four shareholders which makes strategic decisions for the co-op. “Each board member has constituents or shareholders they are responsible for and any issues go to them. The Board is elected by the shareholders.”

“For us, being a co-op has created a good culture—a family culture,” says Deane.

Co-operatives exist primarily to serve their members, and their members form their local community. So it is not surprising that co-operatives also have a strong community

focus. It can be difficult to quantify this part of the business, but it is an important principle for all co-operatives.

It is part of the reason farmers are often members of several co-ops whether it be meat or dairy companies; irrigation schemes; farm or health insurance; or ATS. While it makes good business sense to be involved with these co-ops, it is also about the connections being formed with your neighbours, says Ramsey Margolis.

“Your farm is your business and your co-op is your other business—it is not really separate but an extension of your primary business,” he says.

Ultimately you are much better off doing business with a business that you own rather than one that you don’t. But you also have a role to play—it is about belonging and taking part. “Your co-op is there for you and you have to be there for your co-op.”

FEATURE

20 ATS NE WS

ATS NE WS 21

formula—that is a certain amount of percentage points less than the CPI.

The present price-quality period is running from 2010 to 2015, and that X factor has been set at 0. Quality standards are included also, based on industry index indicators for power interruption and frequency.

Price-quality paths are a direct way of influencing the line charges with each businesses’ price cap looking at the needs of both the business and its consumers. The Commission aims to make sure the business can earn enough to invest back into their network, and maintain the lines that connect to consumers, but also that their charges are not excessive. This means consumers aren’t being forced to pay more than they should.

The Commission is presently looking at resetting the existing default path to set prices that more closely align with the current and projected profitability for the non-exempt businesses.

Normally the paths are reset every five years, or in 2015 in this period, to allow a fresh look at how each path should be set. However the Commission is currently reviewing the paths with respect to asset valuations, taxation and cost allocation, and has until September 30 to complete that task.

The outcome of the reset will be price paths for those distribution businesses that provide more returns more closely aligned to regulatory principles. This may result in either price increases or price decreases.

While consumer owned businesses may not be subject to the same price quality paths, they are however subject to regulations on what information needs to be provided to consumers.

Commission disclosure requirements include information on their performance. This information is publically available so anyone has the opportunity to assess whether the lines company in question is operating in a manner consistent with what would be expected in a competitive market.

Examples of this information include data on prices, measures of quality, financial information, and forecasts of future spending. By making the information available, the Commission ensures the businesses are subject to public scrutiny, in turn helping improve company performance and transparency.

To learn more about how lines charges affect large users including irrigators, be sure to check ATS Energy’s September edition of Short Circuit newsletter at www.ats.co.nz/energy.

EnergyREGULAR

Tracey Gordon ATS Energy Account Manager

Tel: 0800 BUY ATS (289 287)

Mobile: 027 652 2133

tracey.gordon@ats.co.nz

www.ats.co.nz/energy

Commission keeps vigil on lines operationsBecause electricity lines companies are by nature natural monopolies within their regions, the Commerce Commission is charged with overseeing their pricing and operations.

By riCHard rENNiE

As such it plays a usually silent vigil over what businesses and consumers ultimately pay for access to power in their region, ensuring all parties are getting a realistic, and fair, deal on the transaction.

The Commission has the job of ensuring competitive outcomes for consumers in markets where competition is not possible. This includes not only lines companies, but telecommunications, airports and gas companies.

Supplies of electricity lines services are subject to regulatory provisions under the Commerce Act 1986. The Commission sets an electricity default price-quality path over 17 Electricity Distribution Businesses (EDB) throughout New Zealand. In Canterbury these include Alpine Energy, Electricity Ashburton and Orion New Zealand.

There are a further 12 EDBs in New Zealand that are not subject to the Commission’s price-quality regulation. These 12 are exempted on grounds they meet the “consumer owned” definition under the Commerce Act.

That is community trusts owned by consumers form the majority share holders in them, and in the greater Canterbury region these include Mainpower in Rangiora and Network Waitaki Ltd.

The electricity default price-quality path aims to ensure lines companies experience similar pressures and incentives to those experienced by companies that do have competition. This is in order to remove “monopoly” type behaviours and pricing outcomes, and balancing the need of companies to price sufficiently to re-invest into lines, and allow for future upgrades.

The default path for lines’ company pricing is set to cover a 4–5 year period and provides for the maximum price-revenue allowed for at the start of that period.

Companies experiencing special circumstances around their lines are able to apply to the Commission for a tailored price quality path if it can be justified.

The companies’ ability to increase lines charges on a per annum basis is set based on “CPI-X”

22 ATS NE WS

atS Supplier awards 2012

It’s the second year the awards have been held to publicly recognise outstanding ATS suppliers and the valuable contribution they make to ATS and its members.

Suppliers vied for three main awards—Excellence in Marketing which recognises creative flair across marketing campaigns, and innovation and interaction with ATS and its members; Emerging Business for suppliers who have joined ATS within the last 24 months and have grown and developed their businesses and ATS relationship during that time; and the much coveted Members Choice Award which is awarded to the supplier receiving the highest number of nominations from ATS members, recognising exceptional customer service and value for money.

In addition to these awards, there were also 21 Business Growth and Development Awards presented across a variety of supplier categories.

ATS invited members to nominate ATS suppliers for the Members Choice Award who could demonstrate the following criteria:

Giving members exceptional service•

Great value for money•

Going beyond the call of duty•

This year members got right in behind this award, with 60 different local businesses being nominated. ATS Partnership Services Manager, Jason McKenzie says it was great to see this level of support because members had to consciously and deliberately take the time to vote for their favourite supplier.

He says it was especially pleasing given it is only the second time the awards event has been held. Last year was a new concept and it always takes time to get momentum with new awards.

“It has been good to see members taking note of the value that suppliers are offering them.”

FEATURE

Recognition for business growth and development, marketing, customer service and new businesses were among the criteria celebrated at this year’s Annual ATS Supplier Awards.

By aNita Body

BELOW LEfT: Award winners Heather Miller (Todds of Ashburton), Nicky Milmine (Somerset Grocer) and Cheryl and Shane Stocker (Stocker Dairy Services)

BELOW RiGHT: Winners of the Members’ Choice Award Christine (left) and Tony Todd (right) with Neal Shaw (ATS Chief Executive)

BELOW MAiN: The winners from the 2012 ATS Supplier Awards

ATS NE WS 23

FEATURE

Tony and Christine Todd say the award belongs to all of the staff and shows a storewide focus on providing service which sees them go the extra mile to look after their customers. “It’s recognition of what we pride ourselves on and what we believe in.”

“We are a team and we rely on each other to look after our customers—this award recognises that the staff have done that.”

Todds of Ashburton caters for men’s and women’s fashion clothing and is a long-standing ATS supplier. The family business has been a part of Ashburton’s retail scene for more than 80 years. Over that time it has evolved and developed to meet the changing needs of its customers.

“For instance we used to be in fabrics—it used to be a big part of our business. We chose to change

that and while it was difficult for some customers at the time, it was important for the business to adapt. It was part of the changing times that we had to move with,” says Tony.

“We only won it because of them.”

He says its good practice to review what you are doing and to ask yourself if you were starting in business tomorrow what you would want to be in. If part of your current operation doesn’t fit with this, then it is time to make some changes.

Fashion continually changes and evolves and Tony and Christine say they have to ensure they are offering the right product, at the right price, at the

right time. It may be an old adage but it still holds true today.

Last year’s winner of the Members’ Choice Award was Neumanns Tyre Service—another long-established local family business which also has a lengthy association with ATS. Alan Neumann concurs with the Todd’s comments about it being a team award, saying their win was for the staff. “We only won it because of them.”

He says having an award decided by ATS members is valuable because it showed what customers really felt about the service they received. “Business awards are always good; it’s good to have a bit of recognition.”

todds of ashburton wins Members’ Choice awardWinning this year’s Members’ Choice Award has reiterated Todds of Ashburton’s long-held belief in delivering high quality customer service.

MEMBERS’ CHOICE Todds of Ashburton

EXCELLENCE IN MARKETING Stocker Dairy Services

EMERGING BUSINESS Somerset Grocer

BUSINESS GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT

Animal feed & Health—VetEnt Riverside

Building & Hardware—PlaceMakers

Canvas & Upholstery—Tinwald Canvas, Upholstery & Shade

Clothing & Accessories—Robilliards Showcase Jewellers

Communications—Farmside

Consultants—Envirocom

Contracting—Harrison Spraying Services

Electrical & Plumbing—Arthur Cates

farm Merchandise—Mainland Minerals

fencing—Ed Body Fencing

food & Liquor—Tinwald Liquorland

Home & Garden—Wrights Hot Spring Spas

insurance—Rothbury Insurance Ashburton

Motorcycles & Lawnmowers—Honda Country

Office & Supplies—Computing Solutions

Repairs, Maintenance, Engineering & Machinery—Page Engineering

Retail—Health 2000

Seed—Martin Seed Testing

Travel—Asure Accommodation

Tyres & Vehicle—Hinds Mechanical

Waste, Disposal & Cleaning—Allens Ashburton

TOP 10 MEMBERS’ CHOICE NOMINEES: (in no particular order)Braided RiversElectraServeG J BlacklowsLushingtonsMcMullan EnterprisesMitre 10 Mega AshburtonPaper PlusSmith & Church Appliance ExtremeTodds of AshburtonUnichem

ATS SUPPLIER AWARDS 2012

BELOW: The Todds of Ashburton team

24 ATS NE WS

SpRIng CLEAn yOUR EngInEBook your service at Malcolm Lovett Automotive today!

And REMEMBER:

We offer ATS Members 12.5% discount

We are your authorised Mitsubishi Parts & Service

We service and repair ALL makes and models

Malcolm Lovett Automotive299 Havlock Street, Ashburton

(03) 308 9109 malcolm.lovett@clear.net.nz

Masterguard Fire & Security Ltd 120 Moore Street, Ashburton | Phone: 307 7199

pre-Christmas alarm serviCe

get in early before we get booked out

Your complete security and fire protection

solution.Including fire and security alarm installation and service, driveway beams, alarm monitoring, guard services, fire

extinguisher sales and service and building compliance.

Fire extinguisher sales and servicing prior to

the hot summer months.We can visit you on-site to provide fire protection recommendations, sales and servicing or existing

extinguishers.

new premises from 1st nov120 Moore St

ATS NE WS 25

PROFILE

Tel: 03 308 8888collisions_plus@xtra.co.nz

Collisions Plus235 Alford Forest RoadAshburton

MAiN iMAGE: The Collisions Plus Team—Graeme Brook, Christine Muff, Ross Chapman, Nathan Duffell, Alex Rutherford, Justin Yonkunas, Corey Rose, Scott Hende

Crash created life time opportunity

Graeme says they have a combined experience of 100 years, and total control over a repair job, from start to perfect finish.

Staff work hard to ensure their workmanship is top-notch and meets the business motto “where quality counts”.

As the name implies, Collisions Plus specialises in crash repairs from a minor ding to major impact damage. The “Plus” involves much more:

Plastic repairs to most automotive parts on •cars, tractors, motorbikes and even the likes of calf feeders and other sturdy plastic itemsSuspension and wheel alignment problems•Rust removal and preventative treatments•PDR (paintless dent removal)•Chassis straightening•Resprays (including cars, caravans, boats and •trucks—almost anything considered)Pinstriping tapes•

Collisions Plus stocks spot and flood lamps suitable for tractors, trucks, boats, diggers, 4WDs and other machinery. They also sell and fit loading ramps to suit ATVs and lawnmowers, and winches that can be fitted to ATVs, 4WDs and trucks. The winch range runs from 2500lb to 20,000lb, in either 12 or 24 volt with wire or synthetic rope.

Graeme says all jobs are carried out as promptly as possible and are fully guaranteed.

Being involved in an accident can be a stressful time, arranging repairs and dealing with insurance companies, but Graeme and Christine minimise that stress. They even turned an unlucky driving experience for one customer into a happy event recently, when they presented her with a giftbasket and flowers to celebrate their 10,000th job.

The work is carried out in separate panel and painting areas and there’s no job the team won’t at least consider. They’ve repaired everything from beloved and prized special vehicles to plastic calf-feeders, and heard just about every explanation possible to explain door or bumper damage.

Graeme and Cory are happy to do free quotes and offer sound advice, saying customers with insurance repairs have “as of right” the choice to nominate their preferred repairer.

Collisions Plus are friendly, fast and efficient, and will have you back on the road in no time.

“I did a silly thing when I was a teenager. One New Year’s Eve I pranged my pride and joy, a 105 Anglia 1320 GT, into a pole sideways. As luck had it, my best mate’s father owned a panelbeating shop in Christchurch and I took up his offer to help him fix my car.”

The experience helped spark a panelbeating career that is still going strong after 38 years.

“…they have a combined experience of 100 years, and total control over a repair job, from start to perfect finish.”

Having restored the Anglia, Graeme completed a four-year apprenticeship and decided to make his way in the world starting at Ashburton, where he spent three years working for Smallbones at Tinwald.

He decided to have a go on his own account, operating as Allenton Panelbeaters, behind Placemakers. As the business and client base expanded, he employed another staff member, and eventually grew out of the premises he leased. The business then moved up the road to the Alford Forest site it occupies now as Collisions Plus. The team of eight includes Graeme, his partner Christine as office manager, plus foreman Cory, tradesman Scott, apprentice panelbeater Ross, two tradesmen spraypainters Justin and Fluff, and trainee Alex.

Graeme Brook became a panel beater by accident. Literally.

By liNda ClarKE

COLLISIONS PLUS

26 ATS NE WS

ATS NE WS 27

Each year more than 4,000 Pioneer researchers in 25 countries develop around 130,000 new maize hybrids and rigourosly test them for grain and silage yield, pest and disease resistance and their ability to produce reliable yields under a range of good through to challenging growing conditions.

From this vast pool of new hybrids, a group of experiment hybrids which have already been proven to perform in similar growing environments are selected for testing in New Zealand.

Each season the Pioneer® brand products research team plant and harvest around15,000 trial plots in key maize growing areas throughout the country. Data from these trials is statistically

analysed to ensure that the measured yield and quality differences are due to hybrid genetics and not just chance.

This significant investment in research allows Pioneer® branded products to confidently release new higher performing hybrids. It also provides the Pioneer sales team the information they need to help growers plant the right product in the right paddock.

“The hybrids we test originate from breeding programs in Europe as well as North America”, says Grant Matthews, South Island Regional Manager for Pioneer® brand products. “In the end it doesn’t matter where a hybrid comes from, how it performs in New Zealand trials determines whether it is released for commercial sale.”

This season Canterbury maize growers can choose from the following proven Pioneer® brand maize hybrids.

39V43 (CRM 72) NEW!

39V43 delivers top end yields in the available growing season. It is a surprisingly tall plant with excellent early growth, very good standability and staygreen delivering silage with superb energy and whole plant digestibility.

39G12 (CRM 78)

Excellent yields, sound drought tolerance and outstanding early growth. 39G12 is an exceptional choice for tonnage and energy in shorter season environments.

39T45 (CRM 84)

Combines excellent agronomics with top silage yields. 39T45 offers sound standability, drought tolerance and superior whole plant digestibility.

39F58 (CRM 86)

39F58 delivers great silage yields. It is a moderately tall plant with an impressive chunk cob delivering high grain silage with digestibility cows love.

38V12 (CRM 88)

Strong early emergence, excellent roots, sound stalks and impressive drought tolerance combined with superior staygreen.

38H20 (CRM 91)

Tested, tried and proven. 38H20 produces a tall plant with dependable drought tolerance, superior roots, stalks and staygreen.

P9400 (CRM 94) NEW!

A tall dense plant producing high grain content silage with superior energy and digestibility. P9400 has strong early growth, dependable drought tolerance, standability and staygreen.

“The local Pioneer® brand products field team are available to help local growers determine which is the best hybrid for their unique growing environment”, says Matthews. “Our comprehensive range of hybrids means we have the right product for every paddock”.

For more information about any aspect of growing, harvesting or feeding or to discuss how maize silage may fit into your farm system talk to your local ATS representative, visit www.pioneer.co.nz or contact your Pioneer representative on 0800 PIONEER (0800 746 633).

Seed

More maize research, better resultsPioneer® brand seeds continuing investment in hybrid research and development is making Pioneer’s commitment to increase maize yields a reality on farms all around the world.

REGULAR

ATS Seed

Tel: 0800 BUY ATS (289 287)

atsseed@ats.co.nz

www.ats.co.nz

PioNEEr Hi-BrEd iNtErNatioNal gloBal BrEEdiNg PrograMME

NEW ZEalaNd MaiZE SilagE HyBrid EValuatioN PrograMME

NEW ZEalaNd MaiZE SilagE groWEr

130,000 new hybrids evaluated each year

Selected experimental and commercial hybrids tested and compared in 230 on-farm silage trials

23 proven, high yielding maize silage hybrids available to local growers in Spring 2012

28 ATS NE WS

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ATS NE WS 29

PROFILE

rob@teamwork-si.co.nzwww.teamwork-si.co.nz

Teamwork SI367 West StreetAshburtonTel: 03 975 8505

ABOVE: Rob Stevenson, Teamwork SIHe likes to get to know business and farm owners before he decides to help. Face-to-face meetings are important for him, it allows him to get a feel for the situation and a feel for the type of person they enjoy working with.

Rob can help assess a worker’s performance (and sometimes an employer’s performance, as he stresses this is a two-way street), set performance targets, carry out background checks, negotiate a dispute resolution, recruit staff, investigate misconduct and advise on termination processes.

An important service is applicant screening. He can draft adverts, place them, select candidates and present candidates to employers for an interview. This saves valuable time for business and farm owners.

Rob says to make his cut, applicants need to be able to deliver everything the employer has set out in the advert.

Alford Forest dairy farmer Earl McSweeney has used Rob to help select two 2ICs for his 850-cow operation in the past eight years. Rob also writes employment contracts for staff on the farm.

Earl said having Rob screen applicants for jobs saved he and wife Melissa from sifting through applications and answering phone calls, trying to find people that would be suitable.

“Rob only puts the best people in front of us and he comes along to the interviews. He’s very good at questioning and engaging people. He’s a real professional.”

Rob has a big list of dairy farmer clients, reflecting the industry’s rapid growth and shortage of skilled workers.

He says sometimes employers just have to be patient. He won’t recommend someone he believes is not quite right for the job or for the situation. If that means waiting three more weeks for the right person to come along, so be it.

Rob says the temptation for many employers is to move quickly, making a snap decision they might come to regret. Many rural clients are bringing new people into their homes or communities, so getting it right is crucial.

Rob is also sometimes called on to “referee” at management or board level, where a new management level is being proposed or succession planning is on the agenda and the next generation is being handed the reins. He uses plain language to get to the crux of issues and bring about consensus.

New supplier specialises in motivation and teamworkRob Stevenson is a people person. He has a talent for picking what motivates people, how they tick and especially how they work.

By liNda ClarKE

The former police dog handler operates Teamwork SI upstairs from the Robert Harris coffee house on West Street, and has developed a Human Resources business with a wide and diverse catchment of clients. He is a new supplier to the ATS community.

The son of a sheep and cropping farmer, he has always enjoyed dealing with people – even when they were breaking the law. He left the force after 12 years and studied HR, transforming himself into a workplace problem-solver and employment matchmaker, not afraid to speak the truth.

Rob offers advice across the working spectrum, from holiday compliance, company structure, sickness and recruitment to resolving sensitive situations, disputes and succession issues. His clients include dairy, arable and stock farmers, commercial and industrial business owners.

He says the main cause of workplace conflict is mutual resentment, and he loves tackling it.

An example could be farm workers who complain they work more hours than they are paid for, farm owners say they work less. A resolution can be to adopt annualised hours. Working on the basis of 2,600 hours per year, the employee get the same wage throughout the year and any extra hours will be paid out at the end of the year.

Rob says Fonterra already uses annualised hours to cope with the demands of an industry needing labour at the peak of the season, but less in the winter. A number of his key local dairy clients are looking to implement the system too.

30 ATS NE WS

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ATS NE WS 31

There are a number of key points to consider before choosing a suitable variety. Seed Force Territory Manager David Walsh explains “Ensure a feed budget is in place to help determine your livestock’s needs, soil test well in advance and address any key nutrient requirements. Prior to selecting the variety, select the plant type most suited to your stock class and your needs. Shorter leafy types are typically used for younger stock where plant quality is crucial. Intermediate height kales are targeted towards situations where both yield and quality are important and are typically used for larger animals like cattle and deer. Giant type kales are specifically for cattle graziers where total yield is paramount”.

“it’s crucial that varieties are tested in the ‘real world’ under a range of conditions to ensure they are suitable for New Zealand’s unique environment and not just in an ideal/irrigated trial

environment.”

“When choosing a suitable variety, ensure it has been thoroughly tested and proven in your environment. Seed Force varieties come from one of the few forage brassica breeding programmes in the world. They are tested on-farm throughout New Zealand in multiple replicated trials. It’s crucial that varieties are tested in the ‘real world’ under a range of conditions to ensure they are suitable for New Zealand’s unique environment and not just in an ideal/irrigated trial environment”.

“Important considerations should be taken into account when reviewing published trial data. Note how many trials have been conducted, when the trials were undertaken and where these trials have been carried out, to ensure you are getting the best information available. This will help give confidence that the variety chosen will work for you”.

“like most farmers we were worried what was going to

happen to the quality of the crop after the event, but even having 40cm of snow flatten the stuff in June I’m amazed

how the quality and utilisation has still been fantastic.”

“Seed Force has a proven variety to meet your desired needs. SF Voltage is ideal for younger stock with its marrow stem and high proportion of leaf and lower height. SF Fuel is a very high yielding intermediate type with a good leaf to stem ratio and the benefit of being able to handle adverse weather conditions come winter. SF Inka is perfect for the grower whose main focus is total yield being a high production giant type kale,” David says.

Mt Hutt farmer, Graham Fleming had a great result with his SF Fuel intermediate kale. “We planted SF Fuel for dairy cows this winter. The crop was looking outstanding, with a measured dryland yield in May of 13,734 kgDM/ha and then it snowed. Like most farmers we were worried what was going to happen to the quality of the crop after the event, but even

having 40cm of snow flatten the stuff in June I’m amazed how the quality and utilisation has still been fantastic. I was sure the crop was going to be a write off, but because the stem didn’t crack and break it ensured the quality remained throughout the grazing period. We’ll be growing more SF Fuel again”, says Graham.

David offers some advice to get the best from your seed investment “Ideally use seed treatment to help protect emerging seedlings from insect attack. It is important to monitor for establishment pests such as slugs, grass grub, Nysius and Argentine stem weevil.

After establishment brassicas are susceptible to many insect pests which need to be controlled when they reach certain levels.

Get advice from your local ATS rep about options to control these pests and any herbicides that may be required to remove any weed competition. Ensure the nutrients required for a healthy crop and expected yield are applied when needed. Kale responds well to phosphorus and nitrogen, so make sure these nutrients are not limiting during plant growth. Any potential trace element deficiencies should also be addressed, especially boron”.

“Choosing the correct variety together with quality advice from your ATS representative will help ensure your kale crop reaches its potential, helping improve your bottom line”, David says.

Seed

Seed Force has a kale type to suitForage kales play a major role in many farmers’ winter feed programmes and when used correctly can ultimately lead to improved productivity.

REGULAR

ATS Seed

Tel: 0800 BUY ATS (289 287)

atsseed@ats.co.nz

www.ats.co.nz

ABOVE: Graham Fleming’s SF Fuel kale after the snow, maintaining its quality and showing high utilisation

32 ATS NE WS

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ATS NE WS 33

PROFILE

ABOVE: Kara Steedman on location at the Rural Training Farm in TimaruMAiN iMAGE: Aoraki Polytechnic Ashburton campus

Aoraki Polytechnic37 Alford Forest Road AshburtonTel: 03 308 8280

study@aoraki.ac.nzwww.aoraki.ac.nz

Polytech provides training for farm workers to fill gapAoraki Polytechnic is introducing flexible study next year to help fix a regional shortage in skilled farm workers.

By liNda ClarKE

farming from sheep and beef to dairying, cropping and horticulture.

“Research shows that farmers will hire for attitude rather than skills, opting to train staff themselves, adding pressures to already constrained time. We provide the skills training and knowledge acquisition for productive staff so that farmers do not need to, because of this, trained students are snapped up quickly, often before they have completed the study”

Mal said most polytechnic students moved on to hands-on jobs in the dairy industry; some continued to study to progress and become farm managers and owners.

While there is an acknowledged shortage of agricultural workers around the country, the dairy sector is especially short. It is estimated at least 2000 more workers are needed every year to cater for growth in the sector and to replace those who leave. Farm and herd sizes are increasing, so employers are seeking staff with good management skills and understanding of all areas of their business.

Hands-on agriculture work is no longer seen as a last resort—a job that you seek when other options have been exhausted. With the size and complexity of today’s farms, employers are increasingly looking for qualified, multi-skilled

staff, and there is significant demand for highly trained workers.

Business acumen and management skills are essential to profitable farming.

“Business owners and farmers recognise they need to continually upskill themselves, but need to do that while keeping the business operating and running day-to-day. There are many management functions that require attention in a farming business from employment and human resources processes through to compliance with a range of regulatory requirements. We want to make our business training relevant and practical to provide real improvements to the bottom line of the business. This means providing time efficient options for study and access to people that have succeeded in these areas.”

The flexi-study options from next year mean farmers, farm managers and others can work on their business skills when they weren’t working on the farm.

Course details can be viewed online at www.aoraki.ac.nz. Watch for details of the new study programmes when its 2013 calendar is released later in the year.

School-leavers and people already in jobs will be able learn basic farm skills or improve their farm management skills through full-time, part-time or extra-mural Aoraki courses.

With almost half New Zealand’s export earnings coming from agricultural products, educating people for jobs in the primary industries is important.

Head of the polytechnic’s agriculture and trades school Mal Kendrew said many jobs in Mid and South Canterbury related to agriculture or industries that supported it. Those studying at the polytechnic were learning skills to help them enter the industry or move up in it.

The shortage of skilled farm workers means people from cities or urban centres are needed to fill the gap.

The polytechnic offers a range of diploma and national certificate courses that provides practical training in animal handling, animal health and safe operation of rural machinery. There are also agribusiness options for those wishing to enter or upskill for management roles.

Most of the current students are new to the agricultural scene. They include young people just out of school, older people wanting a change of career and people needing to know more about the primary industries to secure jobs in the agricultural servicing sector.

Mal said the polytechnic study options can be varied to accommodate students that wish to specialise or those that need a good grounding in all aspects of

34 ATS NE WS

ATS NE WS 35

Increasingly popular throughout much of the country, brassica crops are grown in a wide range of conditions, both in low- and high-fertility soils, and often into paddocks that have contained run-down pasture, as a break crop during a pasture renewal programme.

Like all fast-growing crops they have high requirements for nutrients, and their fertiliser requirements are affected by the nutrient reserves already present in the soil, and by yield goals.

If fertiliser is to be used efficiently, soil testing is imperative.

Ideally, this should be done well before you sow—the best time is during the paddock selection process, up to a year before planting. The early start is needed to allow time to correct soil pH to 5.8-6.2, the ideal range for brassicas (and for any subsequent pasture).

If soil pH is too low and lime needs to be applied, it’s best to allow a year for it to take full effect.

A generic soil test can be used, but the Ballance Brassica Soil Test has been designed specifically to test for nutrients that are important in growing a good brassica crop.

Research carried out by Crop & Food Research has shown that crops respond strongly to nitrogen and phosphorus availability (see the graph far right).

Dry matter yield responses to applications of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilisers from the first harvest of Pasja (From: Wilson DR et al.,

‘Forecasting fertiliser requirements of forage brassica crops’, Proceedings of the NZ Grassland Assoc. 2006: 68)

Although crops respond strongly to these two nutrients, the levels required will vary depending on existing soil levels, which will be affected by paddock history.

Nitrogen applications typically range between 250 kg N/ha and 350 kg N/ha. If the paddock has come out of pasture then the requirements will be lower than if it has come out of another crop.

Some nitrogen is generally applied at sowing to get the crop off to a good start, with the bulk applied later.

If phosphorus is required (Olsen P<15-20), it is best applied down-the-spout for shallower rooting crops (like turnips) as this has been shown to give better results than broadcasting.

Brassicas need good levels of potassium, but in most cases this requirement will be filled by existing soil reserves. To minimise the build-up of anti-nutritional SMCOs, sulphur should not be applied if soil sulphate levels are between two and ten.

The key micronutrient brassicas require is boron—deficiencies can result in plant health issues such as brown heart in swedes.

The starter fertiliser typically supplies the crop’s nitrogen, phosphorus and boron requirements. You could use Ballance’s cropzeal DAP boron boost for this role, as it has been developed

specifically to meet brassica crop requirements.

It’s a compound fertiliser, which means that every granule contains the same ratio of nutrients, so they are evenly distributed throughout the crop. This is of real benefit when dealing with boron, as the low rates used make it difficult to achieve good spread with a blended fertiliser.

Overall, the fertiliser strategy you use for this year’s brassica crop will depend on the type of crop you’re growing, the fertility of the soil that the crop will go into, and your sowing method.

Nonetheless, for every situation there is an optimum approach that will deliver good nutrient use efficiency, and reduce costs or improve yield.

Talk to your ATS or Ballance representative to determine the best approach for you.

Fertiliser

www.ballance.co.nz

Fertiliser strategies for brassica cropsIn recent times, attention within the fertiliser industry has been focused on the need for improved nutrient use efficiency, in all aspects of fertiliser use. One of the crop types that have been studied in this respect is brassicas.

artiClE SuPPliEd By BallaNCE agri-NutriENtS

Anna Bedford 027 499 7617

Russell Hamilton 027 677 4499

Michael Robertson 027 464 2972

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ATS NE WS 37

Regal® kale has been the mainstay of their dairy grazing operation for more than five years, keeping the 1600 to 1800 cows which arrive from neighbouring dairy farms each winter well fed, content and healthy.

“the whole plant is edible. Stems vary in size from your

little finger to your thumb with the odd one a bit bigger. it is never woody, so cows and

sheep will eat it down to the ground.”

Regal®’s reliability year after year has enabled them to develop a winning formula for winter dairy grazing since quitting sheep six years ago. Their Buccleuch property, below Mount Somers, used to be all sheep, carrying 2200 ewes, until they decided to sell up virtually the whole flock because of a lack of profitability. “In July, I would have made more money dairy grazing than over a whole year with sheep,” says Peter. Cows arrive at the end of May, with the last leaving around the end of August.

Grazing bulls up until this year, these have also made way for greater numbers of young dairy

stock, with almost 500 rising one and two-year heifers on-farm.

Each year 75ha—about a third of the farm—is planted in kale, with 55ha of this in Regal®. They also trial the latest new release kale every year, but have yet to find another that performs better than Regal®. “Our order for next year is in with ATS Seed already.

“The whole plant is edible. Stems vary in size from your little finger to your thumb with the odd one a bit bigger. It is never woody, so cows and sheep will eat it down to the ground. While the lower part of the stem is not as nutritious, stock won’t waste it. They love the stuff.”

“it’s the only kale i know that the cows will bag up on.”

Some cows calve before returning home, and Peter says he has never encountered any metabolic animal health problems in cows eating Regal® kale. “It’s the only kale I know that the cows will bag up on.” About 10kg drymatter/cow of kale is fed a day, supplemented with wheat straw. Using GPS on the tractor to measure each feed break means Peter knows exactly how much to feed, based on the number of cows.

“It takes two of us to feed out wheat straw in the morning, because cows are lying down chewing their curd. At around 10am I shift the break and cows will wander up, but they are not rushing to feed as they are well fed and content.”

“regal kale has performed so well that very little silage has

been required over the last few years…”

Despite being a dryland property, Regal also yields consistently well. “We only budget on 10 tonne/ha because it is dryland, but are getting 12 to 16 tonne/ha. We’ve never had a failure since we’ve been growing it.”

Regal kale has performed so well that very little silage has been required over the last few years and the farm now has one year’s supply of silage in reserve.

Winning formula for winter dairy grazingWintering dairy cows eat like royalty on the Mid-Canterbury dairy grazing unit of Peter and Rhonda Reveley, thanks to aptly-named Regal® kale.

artiClE SuPPliEd By Pgg WrigHtSoN SEEdS

REGULAR

Seed

ATS Seed

Tel: 0800 BUY ATS (289 287)

atsseed@ats.co.nz

www.ats.co.nz

Sowing rate1 bag/haTetra pack = 27kg/haDip pack = 23 kg/ha

38 ATS NE WS

ATS NE WS 39

Dairy farmers and graziers have a difficult job balancing stocking rates against forage supplies in terms of both quality and quantity but the growing message is that regular steady growth is better than slow growth followed by faster bursts.

Slower than required growth rates could be a consequence of a lack of feed and/or inadequate quality in that feed relative to the needs of the animals.

Growth rates up to three months of age seem very close to target but start slipping behind target through the first summer.

In the absence of heat stress, climatic conditions should be good and 120kg calves eating leafy summer grass should be hitting growth targets provided mineral and trace element deficiencies are being covered and parasites are being controlled.

Phosphorus supply may be marginal and trace elements such as copper, selenium, cobalt and zinc could all be limiting growth and frame development.

Energetically, summer grass should be capable of maintaining growth rates at target levels but protein supply may become marginal and higher fibre levels in stalky grass could impact on dry matter intakes.

Fat deposition requires more energy than

muscle so young growing animals require less energy to gain a kg of body weight than fattening animals (see table).

If 13 month old yearlings can achieve 0.65kg/day in the spring what is reducing growth beforehand?

The low concentration of soluble carbohydrate and high concentration of protein in autumn pasture has been associated with reduced efficiency of energy for growth. Feeding some low protein, grain based feed during the autumn period could help to maintain growth rates at target levels.

During the winter, a 230kg heifer needs about 33 MJ ME for maintenance in dry calm conditions but may need 20 to 50 percent more on wet, windy days.

Even if sufficient pasture is available, the quality with respect to fibre and protein content may make it difficult for heifers to consume sufficient to make up for the effects of inclement weather.

Supplementary feeding may need to be considered – especially if forage supplies are limited or utilisation reduced by inclement conditions.

Live weight at 15 months of age is crucial for reproductive performance so growth rates above target in the second spring are

important to help compensate for some of the earlier shortfalls. Whilst yearlings are better able to cope with the challenges of feed quality and winter weather than calves, they have the increasing added burden of being pregnant.

Anyone dissatisfied with the performance, fertility or survivability of their first lactation cows may wish to consider where heifer growth has slipped below targets and how it can be prevented in the future.

LIVE WEIGHT (KG) MJ ME/KG GAIN

100 22

150 24

200 27

250 30

300 34

350 38

400 41

The metabolisable energy requirement above maintenance for live weight gain in replacement heifers.

Nutrition

What’s holding heifers back?Evidence is mounting that on average New Zealand dairy heifers are failing to reach live weight and height targets at all ages and that both subsequent milk production and reproduction are being affected.

By dr roB dErriCK, SEalESWiNSloW ltd

The range of SealesWinslow nutritional products are available through ATS.

REGULAR

40 ATS NE WS

ATS is committed to being actively involved in the community and supports a variety of sponsorship projects, most recently, Ashburton’s new Riverside Sport and Leisure Centre.The centre is set to open late 2014 or early 2015 and will include swimming pools, indoor courts, spectator seating and office space for sports codes.

ATS CEO Neal Shaw says the centre will be a valuable community asset. “As a large Ashburton employer we want to be actively involved in attracting people to live and work in Ashburton. We also want to support initiatives that provide greater benefits to the families that are involved in the ownership of ATS and we believe this is the case with Riverside as this will be an asset that will last for generations to come.”

atS proudly supports riverside Sport and leisure Centre

iMAGE: Brian Leadley, Trustee of the Ashburton Stadium Complex Trust and Neal Shaw, ATS Chief Executive

COMMUNITY SUPPORT

ATS NE WS 41

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DISCLAIMER: Products available through ATS Stores, members price as pictured. We cannot guarantee availability of stock on all pictured items.

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42 ATS NE WS

News at atS

Patch the

Join atS at the ashburton a&P ShowThis month sees the celebration of the 135th Ashburton A&P Show and once again ATS are inviting members to come and join us at the ATS Member’s Marquee.

ATS members and their families are welcome to come and enjoy the hospitality at the marquee with complementary lunch and beverages.

The A&P Show is a popular event for town and country folk and this year’s theme “Sheep— versatile and sustainable” provides the opportunity for many displays and exhibits to celebrate and showcase this important member of many farming operations.

So come and join us and have a ringside view at the Ashburton A&P Show on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 October 2012—remember to bring your ATS card to gain entry to the ATS Member’s Marquee.

Making your direct debit processing easierProcessing your accounts has just got even easier.

ATS has improved its direct debit process to exclude returns. This means the amount on your statement will now be the same as the amount taken from your bank account. In the past this wasn’t always the case, especially when returns were made prior to paying your ATS account.

In recent years there has been an increase in the number of members using cash accounting software resulting in the need to improve our direct debit process, so now it’s even easier for members to reconcile their accounts. For further information contact Niki-Lee Francis, Office Manager on 0800 BUY ATS (289 287).

instore days colouring competition winnersCongratulations to the deserving winners of the ATS Instore Days colouring competition and a big thank you to all of the children who entered this popular competition. There were plenty of great entries, making the judges job a difficult one. After careful deliberation, prizes were awarded to the following:

Poppy

Huntaway

4–7 years old category 8–10 years old category

Winner: Henry Goodes

Runner up: Brianna Sloper

Winner: Harriet Stock

Runner up: Jessica Barron

ATS NE WS 43

Patch the

Poppy:

Daniel McBain

George Robins

aorangi Holstein Friesian ClubCongratulations to Natasha Rankin and Aaron Berry of Triberry Stud who took out the Aorangi Holstein Friesian Club’s overall award for Highest Milk Solids in each age group, and who were placed second overall for the Highest Average Herd Production of Milk

Solids at the club’s recent annual awards evening. ATS was pleased to sponsor the event and would also like to congratulate Bryan Beeston of Padlea Dairies who was placed second in the Highest Milk Solids in each age group category and was joint winner of the Highest Lactation Worth in each age group.

atS longbeach Coastal ChallengeThis year’s ATS Longbeach Coastal Challenge is shaping up to be bigger and better than ever.

ATS is proud to once again sponsor this popular event which will be held on Sunday 25 November 2012. All proceeds from this year’s event will be divided between the Longbeach Primary School and the Hinds and Districts Lions Club.

With races to suit all ages and abilities, the ATS Longbeach Coastal Challenge is a great family day out. Three different course options traverse three farms south-east of Ashburton, including the historic Longbeach Estate.

The mountainbike options include a 35km Classic Mountainbike race, a 23km Recreational Ride, a 23km Team Event and a 12km Family Ride.

Last year the 12km Recreational Walk and the 12km Recreational Run events were introduced, and this year a 21km Off-Road Run has also been added to the programme.

For more information on the ATS Longbeach Coastal Challenge or to download an entry form visit www.ats.co.nz. Alternatively, you can pick up an entry form from any of the three ATS stores.

Popular Christmas House tour returnsSave the Children’s popular Christmas House Tour is returning to Ashburton this year. “All Things Christmas” is the theme for this year’s tour which includes decorated houses along with crafts, food and music.

It will be held from 4pm–7pm on 25 November and is always a popular event. Tickets go on sale at the beginning of November and will be available from the Save the Children Shop, Tancred Street, Ashburton.

The tour is a fundraiser for the Mid Canterbury branch of Save the Children NZ Inc which works to create a better future for children. Proceeds from last year’s garden walk at Coniston went towards the Journey of Hope project helping the earthquake affected children of Christchurch.

atS sheepdog mascotsThe newly introduced ATS mascots proved popular at the recent ATS Instore Days, and many children took the opportunity to put forward their suggestions to name two of them—a huntaway and a heading dog. This competition drew plenty of interest and we would like to thank all of the children who entered. The dogs now have names—the heading dog is named Patch and the huntaway dog is Poppy. The competition winners are:

Poppy the

Huntaway

Patch:

Ella McDowell

Emma Gould

Kaitlyn Gould LEFT: Steph Beeston (ATS Dairy Key Account Manager) and Natasha Rankin

atS Seed Pasture EveningATS Seed has once again hosted an informative and practical information evening focussed on pasture renewal and management.

Key industry representatives from Agriseeds, Agricom, Ballance, CropMark Seeds, Nufarm and PGG Wrightson Seeds all took part in this event which was aimed at sharing knowledge around the planning, establishment and management of new pastures. It was also an opportunity to showcase new products.

ATS Seed holds a unique position in the market place as an independent supplier. It means the ATS Seed team can recommend the best product and solution for your farm, and members can be assured they are getting the best information and competitive pricing for their individual requirements.

Information evenings, such as this one dedicated to pasture renewal, are one of the ways ATS Seed can help members with their pasture needs. For more information on this event and other services offered by ATS Seed, call the team on 0800 BUY ATS (289 287).

44 ATS NE WS

atS out and about1. Maree Smith, Rakaia Store Manager (left) and Jim Haig, Castrol Area Sales Manager (right) present Leo Donkers with a Suzuki LTF-400 won at ATS Instore Days 2012 / 2. Daniel McBain, winner of naming Poppy / 3. Ella McDowell, winner of naming Patch / 4. Chrissy Harley and Lisa Miller at the ATS Seed Pasture Evening / 5. Maree Smith and Mike Cox at the ATS Seed Pasture Evening / 6. Gordon Monk and Richard Sheppard at the ATS Seed Pasture Evening / 7. John Greenslade, Blair Sewell and Dan Symons at the ATS Seed Pasture Evening / 8. Megan Christie from Laser Plumbing & Electrical presents Karen Young with an iPad won at ATS Instore Days 2012 / 9. Olly Dickson and Jeff Brown at the ATS Seed Pasture Evening / 10. Steph Beeston, Alan Bird and Graeme Fulton at the ATS Seed Pasture Evening

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ATS NE WS 45

Classifieds uSE your atS Card aNd SaVE

Full of Colour this SpringCelebrate the spring weather with a beautiful and colourful flower arrangement from Allenton Florist. Perfect for a special person or occasion.

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