THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2014

PLUS: Radio personality DOMINIC GEORGE

Price rebalancing a slow process

COMMENTwith FRAN O’SULLIVAN

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2 Te Awamutu Courier Thursday, October 9, 2014

WhatyouheardnotwhatIsaid

Dominic George hostsFarming First,5am-6am weekdayson Radio Sport.

COMMENT

withDOMINICGEORGE

Rural radio personalityDominicGeorge vents his viewshere every Thursday

Ruthless ribbingoverrecreationbrings

homophobic feedback

HOW ISEE IT:Netballisn’t justfor girls,but it’sappallinglyfrustratingtowatch.

PERCEPTION is an odd beast.It is naturally the truest thingwe know as it’s our ownexperience and yet at the

same time peculiar to those aroundus who perceive things differently.The saying, “You hear what you

want to hear,” is very much linked tothat, and it’s understandable. If Iwere to list the things I’ve been calledthroughout my brief existence to datethere would be no room for anythingelse to write. Most of them aretongue-in-cheek, some derogatory,the odd one complimentary and asmall number genuinelypraiseworthy.But I’ve never been called a

redneck— until now. In fact, regularlisteners of the Farming Showwillknow JamieMackay regularly refersto me as a communist. He never letstruth get in the way of a good story. . .Nevertheless, there’s a first time

for everything. I refer to an emailfrom a listener who took umbrage atlast Friday’s Farming Show, inparticular the segment with JeremyRookes and Jason Uden, otherwiseknown as the Two Famers Js, andtheir Friday Face-Off.The writer was with his gay son

when he heard Rookes volunteer thealarming information he partakes ina local netball competition. Exactly.What ensued was amerciless ribbingof the hapless Rookes fromUden andI, which he thoroughly deserved.However, the writer says he was

“appalled at the homophobic attitudedirected at Jeremy for playing agame of netball”. He continues, “Myson found the comments offensive,derogatory and downright redneck. . . He said to me that rugby wasactually gayer than netball.” Thewriter concludes, “How about a littlebit more understanding of how otherpeople live their lives.”There was plenty more, but all in

all it was a fair and reasonedcomplaint and I could understandwhere he was coming from. Theproblem is, I’m not sure he heard itthe sameway others did.I replied thus:“Mr . . . , thank you verymuch

indeed for your feedback regarding

Friday’s Farming Show. JamieMackay has passed on yourcomments to me as he is currentlyout of the country under the guise of‘work’. I’ve taken the liberty of re-listening to the audio in question ontwo occasions andmust say Idisagree with your assertion that theattitude of Jason and I to Jeremy’snetball playing was homophobic. Atleast mine certainly was not.“On the show Jeremy takes a

figurative walk into the Lion’s den byproclaiming life is so good as a sheepand beef farmer he has copiousamounts of spare time to indulge insuch pastimes as recreational sport,one of those beingmixed twilightnetball. Jason and I are instantlybemused and befuddled at his choiceof sport, given it’s traditionally afemale activity, albeit notexclusively.“Jeremy then rubs salt into his

self-inflicted wound by divulging thefact that, as part of the competition-winning side, he partook in theconsumption of a drink he refers to as‘passion pop’. I wonder aloud, tongue

firmly in cheek, whether or not I’mtalking to a male or a female? Heassures us all he is indeed amale.“On reflection, our taking the

mickey out of Jeremy for playingnetball was exactly that — forplaying netball and really hadnothing to do with his sexuality. I findnetball an appallingly frustratinggame to watch and tend to avoid itlike the plague.“Incidentally, I wonder if that

saying will change given thefrighteningmortality rate resultingfrom the recent ebola outbreak? Idigress.“At one point Jason does begin to

take things a tad too far in myopinion and I pull him up on itimmediately.“I do genuinely apologise if your

son was offended by the commentsmade, that was not our intention. Tellhim I once had a science teacher atschool who took great delight atwinding up the rugby players byproclaiming the sport was inventedby homosexuals to vent theirfrustrations! Does it really matter if

rugby is more gay than netball?Again, the ‘ribbing’ for Jeremywas inrelation to the sport, not his sexualpreferences.“As to your final point, I can only

understand how I live my life, but asa proud father of three boys myself Ican understand why you feltcompelled to write and express yourdisappointment in the segment.“I assure you I have no prejudice

against race, colour, creed orsexuality— each to their own, exceptfor referees, traffic wardens andtelevision programmers. They aredespicable.“Once again, thanks for the

correspondence and I wish you andyour son all the very best.”Perception. You see, in mymind

netball and ‘passion pop’ are theculprits here, certainly nothomosexuals. More feedbackwelcome— it’s good for columns.

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Thursday, October 9, 2014 Te Awamutu Courier 3

Fran O’Sullivan is abusiness columnist forthe NZ Herald andAlexander Speirs(right) is a businessjournalist for HeraldBusiness Reports

BeefingupofskillsneededNathanGuy retains hisministerial role but heneeds todigdeep to changeapassable performance last time

OPINION

withFRANO’SULLIVAN

Businesswriters FranO’SullivanandAlexanderSpeirs call the shots here every Thursday

WEWILL ENCOURAGEMOREWATERSTORAGEPROJECTSFOR IRRIGATION.

WEONLYCOLLECTANDSTOREABOUT2PERCENTOFRAINWATERTHATFALLS INNEWZEALAND.WEDON’THAVE

ASHORTAGEOFRAIN- IT JUSTFALLS INTHEWRONGPLACES

ATTHEWRONGTIME.

STUCK IN: NathanGuywithHikurangiSwamp farmerEdwinSmith after yetanother flood inNorthland.

THEannouncement ofJohn Key’s ministerialline-up for National’sthird term in

government featured a handfulof surprises, particularly wheresecurity and intelligence areconcerned— but he opted toprimarilymaintain the statusquo in the agri-sector.Nikki Kaye vacates her role

asMinister for Food Safety asshe prepares to handle the ACCportfolio, replaced by JoGoodhew.Minister for PrimaryIndustries Nathan Guywillcontinue on in the role— adecision he said he was“thrilled” about.Guywill look to build onwhat

onwhat was really only apassable performance in his firstterm. He helped navigate somerocky roads with Fonterra inparticular in the past 12months,but had issues withmeat exportsto China and botched a high-profile attempt to lower thesnapper catch limit.Those two situations in

particular showed a need tostrengthen his political skills.This term is the opportunity toshow a better performance.Strength in the primary

industries portfolio is essentialfor New Zealand to sustain afast-growing economy.For New Zealand to thrive in

the coming three years, it willtake some cunning, skill andprobably a little bit of luck.The strength of the dollar

remains a hindrance to industryand the drop in global dairyprices will have to be addressed.National have also set

themselves the lofty goal ofdoubling the value of NewZealand’s exports from $32billion to $64 billion by 2025.That means the top of Guy’s

mandate will be adding value toexport products in the comingterm and laying the foundationfor compound growth in years tocome.Guy says that “we as

government have a big role toplay, but we can only do somuch. The challenge will alwaysbe for industry to drive the

wealth in the primary sector.”A big part of that equation

from the Government’s side willbe securing improvedmarketaccess for exports around theworld.Whether the Trans-Pacific

Partnership opens doors in thatregard remains to be seen,however recent progress— orlack thereof— has hardlyengendered confidence thatnegotiations will wrap in theforeseeable future.Guy’s directive should be to

get things right on the homefront first and foremost. It seemsthat he would agree, saying that

biosecurity will be his numberone focus ahead, with irrigationfollowing closely behind— twofactors he sees as crucial toimproving our export potential.“Wewill encouragemore

water storage projects forirrigation.We only collect andstore about 2 per cent ofrainwater that falls in NewZealand.We don’t have ashortage of rain— it just falls inthe wrong places at the wrongtime.”The Government has set

aside $120million for the Crownirrigation Investment fund, afigure which Guy says could riseas high as $400million as part ofa play to unlock an extra $4billion for the economy.However, the Government

chooses to proceed on theirrigation front, making sure itgoes hand in handwith animproved environmentalfootprint will be an importantplay— from a publicity andsustainability standpoint.While the Greens overplayed

their hand in this regard at theelection, guiding industry astheywork towardsmoresustainable practices and areduced impact on landwill be adefining challenge for Guy in thecoming years.Guy says that he has “strong

industry support”. That could betested if he is tomake some ofthe hard decisions which arebound to arise as he attempts tonavigate what is sure to be achallenging few years ahead.

4 Te Awamutu Courier Thursday, October 9, 2014

CourierTe Awamutu

CIRCULATED FREE TO 12,109 HOMES THROUGHOUT TE AWAMUTU AND SURROUNDING DISTRICTS. EXTRA COPIES 40c.

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1585 Alexandra StTe Awamutu

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FREE courtesy cars availableInsurance Approved Repairs

Published Tuesday & Thursday THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013

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BRIEFLYBreast screen

The Waikato Breast Screenmobile unit is currently in TeAwamutu.

Women between the agesof 45-69 are eligible for freescreening at the unit which isbased in Selwyn Park (behindthe Te Awamutu i-Site VisitorInformation Centre).

The unit will be in TeAwamutu until June 14, thenwill return between August 12and September 13.

To make an appointment orfor enquiries phone 0800 270270 200.

Chasing ‘slam’Victory for Andrew

Nicholson at Badminton,starting tomorrow (NZ time),would see him become the firstKiwi and only the second riderin the world to take the RolexGrand Slam.

Kihikihi’s favourite son hastwo of his most experiencedhorses, Avebury and Nereo,on the card.

The rider who winsBadminton, Burghley andKentucky consecutivelypockets $US350,000.

The action gets underwaywith the first horse inspectionon Friday morning (NZ time),followed by two days ofdressage, the cross country inthe early hours of Mondaymorning and finishing with theshowjumping on Tuesday.

Secure homesBurglaries in the Waikato

have soared over the schoolholidays.

Hamilton TacticalCoordinator, Senior SergeantFreda Grace says there havebeen 99 burglaries reported inthe Waikato between ANZACDay and Monday morning.

"In many cases theburglaries involved youngpeople targeting electronics,alcohol or other easilytransferable goods.’’

Ms Grace urges people toget back to basics — securingproperties, making contactwith neighbours, recordingserial numbers of valuablesand reporting any suspiciousactivity.

FINAL PUSH: Downer contractors prepare Alexandra Street outside Te Awamutu College for new seal.

Final stage of majorproject under way

Work has begun on sealing TeAwamutu’s Alexandra Street,the final stage in the upgradeproject.

The sealing work will takeseveral weeks and is being donein small sections to minimisetraffic delays as well as disrup-tion to residents and businesses.

The underground work isalmost complete, with newwater and wastewater pipes nowlaid down most of Alexandra

Street from Tawhiao Street tothe railway crossing outsideFonterra, said Waipa DistrictCouncil service delivery mana-ger Barry Bergin.

‘‘We are pleased with theresult of the work to lay thepipes, and now we are askingresidents and businesses to bearwith us as we enter the last stageof this major project,’’ MrBergin said.

The cost of the $2 million

upgrade has been reduced bycombining the water servicesworks with the road reconstruc-tion.

Sealing work has begun out-side Te Awamutu College to takeadvantage of the reduced schooltraffic during the holidays. Thesection outside Fonterra will bedone last to coincide with thefactory’s quieter period.

There will be some timeswhen homeowners and busi-

nesses face restricted access,and the contractor, Downer isworking with those affected totry and keep disruption to aminimum. Traffic delays arepossible and detours away fromAlexandra Street may also beused during this phase of work.

dents, businesses and motoristsfor their ongoing patience as wec o m p l e t e t h i s i m p o r t a n tupgrade work,’’ Mr Bergin said.

dminton,w (NZ time),ecome the firste second riderke the Rolex

ourite son hasxperiencedand Nereo,

o winghleycutive

0,000.ets undse inspng (NZdays ofoss cou

of Mondashing witTuesday

homethe Waikat

er the schoo

ticalnior Sergeanys there havees reported inween ANZACy morning.es theed youngelectronics,

easilyds.’’

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of valuablesy suspicious

RURAL

Property GuideTE AWAMUTU

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TE AWAMUTU’S MONTHLY MOTORING FEATURE, THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2013

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The Te Awamutu Courier has been serving Te Awamutu for over 100 years, it is delivered free every Tuesday and Thursday to over 13,968 urban and rural homes throughout Te Awamutu and surrounding areas. The paper circulates to a closely developed farming district renowned for its primary production and strong commercial, farm, horticulture and secondary industries. Other regular publications are the Rural Roundup, DriveBy, Te Awamutu Property Guide and The Land.CIRCULATION 13,968* (7059 urban, 6909 rural)

The Te Awamutu Courier is delivered free to every urban and rural home in these areas:• Te Awamutu • Kihikihi • Pirongia • Ohaupo • Kawhia • Ngahinapouri • Te Pahu • Tuhikaramea • Rukuhia • Rotorangi • Maungatautari • + Rural Deliveries north of Otorohanga township

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SUPPLEMENT TO TE AWAMUTU COURIER, TUESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2014

RURAL

ROUNDUP

North Is. Schedule This Last Year Versus$/kg CW net Week Week Ago 5-yr Avg

BEEF GRAIN & FEEDOVERSEAS PRICES FARMGATE PRICES

DAIRY FORESTRYPOWDER PRODUCTS FAT PRODUCTS

GlobalDairyTrade Previous Year VersusUS$/t Auction Ago 5-yr Avg

MORE: The information above is extracted from key reports produced by NZX Agrifax, the leading provider of specialist industry data and intelligence on the New Zealand sheep, beef, dairy, forestry, venison, wool and grain sectors. Please contact us to view the full reports. www.agrifax.co.nz | info@nzxagrifax.co.nz

metservice.com | graphic compiled by

North Is. Schedule This Last Year Versus$/head net Week Week Ago 5-yr Avg

SHEEP WOOLOVERSEAS PRICES FARMGATE PRICES

WMPAMFAverage

P2 SteerM2 BullM Cow

Lamb 17.5kgLamb 19kgMutton 21kg

40

60

80

100

120

Sep�12 Mar�13 Sep�13 Mar�14 Sep�14

NZ$/t

200

400

600

800

Oct�12 Apr�13 Oct�13 Apr�14 Oct�14

NZc/kg

29�Micron 39�Micron Lamb

200

300

400

500

Oct�12 Apr�13 Oct�13 Apr�14 Oct�14

NZ$/t

Milling�wheat Feed�wheat Feed�barleyOct 12 Apr 13 Oct 13 Apr 14 Oct 14

Milling�wheat Feed�wheat Feed�barley

250

350

450

550

Oct Jan Apr Jul

NZc/kg�(net)

5�yr�avg 2013/14 2014/15Oct Jan Apr Jul

5�yr�avg 2013/14 2014/15

The number of cattle available for slaughter is still low and beef operating rates keep increasing, driven by procurement pressure, high US prices and a lower dollar. Operating rates have reached new highs at $5.50/kg for export steers, heifers and bulls.

� �

GDT prices continued declining at the October 1 auction. WMP prices dropped 10% to new lows. This month WMP volumes off ered on the GDT are forecast to hit its peak for the season. Buyer demand is not suffi cient to meet these volumes without prices being impacted.

2443 2692 5208 –31% 3117 3264 5062 –27% 2599 2795 4980 –27%

4.99 4.96 4.32 +25%

106.67 106.07 100.54 –1%

4.94 4.94 4.01 +32%

115.98 115.34 109.20 –1%

3.82 3.82 3.09 +34%

61.68 61.68 62.42 –3%

� �

The fi rst new season lambs of the year were sold at saleyards in the past week and Christmas premiums are now being paid for lambs that meet the desired weight range of 14-23kg. These premiums have pushed the gross schedule for lamb to at least $6.40/kg.

� �

50

75

100

125

Oct Jan Apr Jul

NZ$/hd�(n

et)

5�yr�avg 2013/14 2014/15

2000

4000

6000

Jun Sep Dec Mar

US$/t

2012/13 2013/14 2014/15

FIRST DROP IN RED HOT UNITED STATES BEEF MARKET chris.taylor@nzx.com

The fi rst declines in the red hot imported US beef market were posted last week. US buyers have started to opt out of the market as prices exceeded US$3/lb. Following a quiet week a fortnight ago, prices had a big drop last week. Imported 95CL bull beef fell 8% from its peak and 90CL beef dropped 5% to trade at US$2.94/lb and US$2.84/lb respectively. Prices are still historically very high, up 45-47% on a year ago and with the easing dollar prices in New Zealand dollar terms is 52-55% up on last year.

Australian exporters are making full use of the high prices on off er. In the last few months, Australia has shipped huge monthly totals of beef to the US, setting a new record for exports to the US in the month of September with 47,238t shipped.

Early reports suggest that October will be another big export month. However the Australian kill should eventually slow. Recent rain has brought some relief to Australian farmers, and meat companies there have lifted farmgate prices sharply to keep their plants full. It has worked so far but the kill should slow drastically with the looming wet season from December.

Imported beef pricing in the US is expected to ease but remain well ahead of year ago levels and even with the huge shipments of Australian beef, the US market is expected to remain in defi cit in 2015. This should leave New Zealand beef producers in a good position in 2015.

CHRIS TAYLOR – Agriculture Market Analyst

100

160

220

280

340

Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep

USc/lb

5�year average 2014�15 2013�14 2012�13

US Imported 95CL Bull Price

10

20

30

40

50

J F b M A M J J l A S O t N D

thousandtonne

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec2014 2013 2012

Australia Beef Exports To US

9Oct2014

1/10/14 � � �

� � �

�� �

As at October 6, 2014

Last 15 Days

The NZX Pasture Growth Index (PGI) is

an indicator of potential pasture growth

based on three key climatic variables –

temperature, moisture and light.

Pasture Growth Index

Above normal

Near normal

Below normal

NZX DAIRY PGI

NZ Feed Grain IndicatorNZ Feed Grain Indicator

Agrifax Log Price Indicator

Wool Prices

Agrifax WMP Price

North Island Steer Schedule

North Island Lamb Schedule

Thursday, October 9, 2014 Te Awamutu Courier 5

Price rebalancinga slow processNo.8 WIREwith DOUG LAING

JOHN WILSON

"We challengedourselves to come upwith ways we could get inbehind them as only a co-operative of our strengthcan do."JohnWilsonFonterra chairman

International dairy prices are nowwell below levels that will besustainable in the medium term andall signs suggest a prolonged periodof low prices will be required inorder to soak up the current globalmarket surplus, says Rabobank inits quarterly report.The report, published this week,

indicates that the orderly decline inglobal dairy prices that becameevident in the second quarter thisyear set in well and truly during thethird quarter.Rabobank’s Hayley Moynihan

says that milk production has con-tinued to expand strongly in globalexport regions.Meanwhile, China has pulled

back from buying on the interna-tional market as it concentrates ondigesting stock accumulated thisyear.“However, while a bottom

appears to have been reached forNew Zealand and Australian exportprices, market rebalancing will be aslow process and price recoverylooks some way off,” she says.BOOST IN SUPPORT

Fonterra has signalled an importantstep-up in its relationship withfarmers, rolling out Farm Source toprovide more support for farmersand bolster the co-operative’s veryclose connection with ruralcommunities.Farm Source combines service,

support, rewards, digital technologyand financial options for farmerstogether with local Farm Sourcehubs to support the major dairyingregions throughout the country.Fonterra chairman John Wilson

says Farm Source’s seed was

discussions withfarmers and the“together asone” principlebehind co-operatives.“We have

been talking toour farmers a lotabout what wecan do to furthersupport themand their busi-nesses. “Wechallenged ourselves to come upwith ways we could get in behindthem as only a co-operative of ourstrength can do.“Co-ops have always been about

unity and collective strength and wehave a lot of both.“This is about putting it to work

for our farmers so we all benefit.”QUEST FOR THE BEST

THE QUEST TO FIND THE TOPMAORI SHEEP AND BEEF FARMFOR THE NEXT AHUWHENUATROPHY BNZ MAORI EXCEL-LENCE IN FARMING AWARD ISNOW ON.The chairman of the Ahuwhenua

trophy management committee,Kingi Smiler is urging individuals,trusts and incorporations to enterthe competition. He says there arehuge benefits in just entering.Entry forms and details at

ahuwhenuatrophy.maori.nz

6 Te Awamutu Courier Thursday, October 9, 2014

CONTACT USADVERTISING

Alan Price 07 871 5151 xt 703alan.price@teawamutucourier.co.nz

EDITORIAL

Dean Taylor 07 871 5151 xt705dean.taylor@teawamutucourier.co.nz

NATIONALADVERTISING

Matthew Sherry 021 2710364matthew.sherry@apn.co.nz

NATIONAL EDITORIAL

Colleen Thorpe 021 775 005colleen.thorpe@apn.co.nz

The Land is published every Thursday in APN Regional Newspapers throughout the North Island.

Gettingtogripswithbasics

Challenges to farmbusinesses, through theenvironment andmilk price volatility, bringaneed tosharpen the focusonpasturegrowthandutilisation.However, debate continuesabout how tobestmanage

grazingof dairy pastures

PASTURE

ESSENTIAL: Keepa closewatchon regrowth.

withDAVIDCHAPMAN

■ Continued p7

TOHELP steer the debate,it is useful to consider theunderlying principles ofpasture growth and the

effects of grazing on growth andpasture accumulation.

ENERGY FROMSUNLIGHT: THEPRIMARY PLANT FOODThe starting point for under-standing plant growth and pas-ture yield is the capture of light.Light energy is used by leaves forphotosynthesis, providing energyfor plant growth. In this sense, we

can view light as the basic food-stuff of plants.Pasture yield accumulation

was first related to light capturein the 1950s. British researcherstook this a step further by work-ing out how dry matter flowsthrough plants and the canopy aspastures regrow from a post-grazing residual up to the ceilingyield. What this uncovered isfundamental to the way pasturesare now managed.

PASTURE REGROWTHAFTERGRAZING

Grazing or harvesting pastureremoves leaves and deprivesplants of their primary foodsource — light energy. Generally,the first leaf after grazing isrelatively small because the planthas little energy for growing thisleaf and, therefore, leaf size isrestricted.But once grown the first leaf

adds more energy to the plant, sothere is more energy for the nextleaf, which will be a bit bigger.This pattern continues until theplant has regained its full energystatus.Leaves have a limited lifespan.

Ryegrass is often termed a three-leaf plant because it generallysustains a maximum of three liveleaves on a tiller at any point. Soonce the third new leaf has beenproduced (termed the three-leafstage, see figure 1), the first leafproduced immediately after graz-ing will start to die.Ultimately the pasture will

reach ‘‘ceiling yield’’ (shown by xin figure 2), while plants are stillproducing new leaves, but theamount produced is cancelled bythe rate of leaf death. At thispoint, the rate of loss through theold leaf dying is on a par with newleaf production.Therefore, dead material will

continue to accumulate at thebase but no additional leaf mater-ial for grazing is accumulated.

OPTIMUMTIME TOGRAZE

The commonly seen S-shapedregrowth curve is shown in bluein figure 3.This charts the build-up in

total pasture cover from theprevious grazing. Cover builds up

quite slowly to begin with,accelerates, then levels off to-wards ceiling yield.Figure 3 also depicts two

growth rate curves calculatedfrom the s-shaped regrowthcurve, which can help determinethe optimum time to graze to

KEY FINDINGS■ Sunlight provides the basicfood for plants, in the form ofenergy.

■ Graze between the 2&1/2-3leaf stages to maximiseenergy capture, the efficiencyof grass growth and long-term yield.

■ Allowing growth tocontinue beyond this pointmeans pastures will reach aceiling yield after which nofurther dry matter willaccumulate, and pasturequality will decline.

■ Achieve an even andconsistent grazing residual —between 3.5-4.5cm on a risingplate meter so pasturesquickly re-establish leaf areato capture light energy.

■ Principles of pasturegrowth should be balancedwith overall farm systemconsiderations.

Thursday, October 9, 2014 Te Awamutu Courier 7

key tomanaginggrowth■ Continued from p6

Regrowth (greenleaf) after 24hours from a lowand mediumresidual.

GRAPH 4

maximise leaf accumulation.Instantaneous growth rate is the

daily rate of net pasture growth thatcontributes to net pasture accumu-lation. Instantaneous growth in-creases initially as new leaves areformed and no leaf death is occurring,and then declines as leaves start todie and cancel out the rate of new leafproduction.Average growth rate is the amount

of pasture grown since the lastgrazing (current yield, less residual atlast grazing), divided by the numberof days.When the maximum average

growth rate is reached (arrow infigure 3) this indicates the optimumbalance between the amount of newleaf produced and the amount of oldleaf dying. Beyond this point theefficiency of further increases inpasture cover is declining, therefore itis the optimal point to graze.So how can farmers identify this

point?The curves in figure 3 are all

determined by the sequence of leafproduction and leaf death (figure 1).Therefore leaf stage can be used toindicate the optimal grazing point.Generally, maximum average

growth rate occurs at approximatelythe three-leaf stage after grazing(figure 1), so monitoring leaf stage is apractical way to track what ishappening.

GRAZINGRESIDUALIMPACT

The previous analysis of pasturedynamics and identifying the opti-mum grazing point is based on pas-ture regrowth following grazingresiduals of 3.5cm to 4.5cm com-pressed height (7 to 9 clicks on risingplate meter).The residual from which pastures

regrow impacts on pasture dynamics,subsequent growth rates and theoptimum timing of grazing. Figure 4demonstrates the impact of differentpost-grazing residuals (low, mediumand high) on average growth rateduring the next regrowth cycle. Thishighlights that:■ Time taken to reach maximumaverage growth rate (shown by thearrows) is very short with a highresidual (a: blue line) and very longwith a low residual (c: black line).■ The actual growth rate reached atthe maximum average is lower for thehigh residual (y) and the low residual(z) compared with the medium re-sidual (x).Hence, the amount of pasture left

behind after each grazing impacts onthe optimum time to graze again andthe maximum average growth rateachieved. Therefore, this affects theamount of pasture available at thenext grazing. In other words,residuals play a key role in overallpasture growth.Ensuring post-grazing residuals

are consistently managed within atight range (3.5cm to 4.5 cm com-pressed height) will enable plants tocapture as much sunlight energy aspossible, and convert this into feed forcows by:■Minimising the amount of old leafmaterial left behind after grazing.This will lead to the best possiblegrowth rates allowing tiller size anddensity to adapt to a consistent lightregime after each grazing. Thisminimises the lag in the accumulationof new green leaf. When consistentresiduals are achieved, about 25, 35and 40 per cent of total final yieldcomes from the first, second and thirdleaves produced.

■ Allowing light to reach deep intothe sward to stimulate the productionof new tillers. This keeps tiller densityhigh, allowing the pasture canopy toquickly regain full light interception.FARMSYSTEMCONSIDERATIONS

On the farm, implementation of thepasture growth principles is compli-cated by the need to balance animalrequirements and feed supplythroughout the year.There are times when farmers

need to bend the rules of pasturegrowth to improve overall farm sys-tem outcomes. Consideration ofdeviations leads to improveddecisions.Transfer of autumn and winter-

grown pasture to feed the milkingherd in early springA common objective of grazing

management during late autumn/winter is to transfer autumn/winter-grown pasture into early spring, toachieve target pasture covers atcalving and meet the pasturerequirements of the milking herd.This is achieved by lengthening

the rotation in autumn and winterbeyond the time taken to grow threenew leaves. Although this will resultin some leaf death, feed can betransferred from a period of relativelylow feed demand to a period of highfeed demand.

LATE SPRING—MANAGING PASTURESURPLUSES ANDQUALITYDuring late spring, pasture growthrates often exceed herd demand,resulting in periods of temporarypasture surplus and, if not wellmanaged, will result in reduced pas-ture quality and subsequentlyreduced animal performance.

Removal of pasture surpluses(taking paddocks out of the round forsilage) can reduce grazing intervals,resulting in grazing some pasturesbefore the two-and-a-half to three-leafstage. Where harvesting surpluses isnot desirable, short grazing intervalsmay reduce pasture growth.

MANAGING PASTURECOVERS

Pre-grazing yield must be managed tooptimise pasture utilisation andanimal performance, while allowingtarget residuals to be achieved. Therecommended range is 2600 to 3200kgDM/ha for lactating dairy cows.During periods of rapid growth and

on nitrogen-boosted pastures, grazingmay need to occur between the two totwo-and-a-half leaf stages in order tomeet pre-grazing cover targets.

FAST FACTS■ Leaving a high residual canlead to fast rotations, whichmeans the extra growthavailable from the third leaf islost.

■ Ensuring post-grazingresiduals are consistentlymanaged within a tight range(3.5cm to 4.5cm) will enableplants to capture as muchsunlight energy as possible.

■ When consistent residualsare achieved, about 25, 35 and40 per cent of the total finalyield comes from the first,second and third leavesproduced.

8 Te Awamutu Courier Thursday, October 9, 2014

Payout drop reinforces value of trainingAgribusinessmanagementcourses are agoodway

for farmers to keepabreastof changing times

GOODCASHFLOWBUDGETDEVELOPMENTAND IMPLEMENTATION

ARECOREPARTSOFSUCCESSFULANDPROFITABLEBUSINESS

PERFORMANCE.

TRAINING

FONTERRA’S forecast of adrop in themilksolidpayoutmeans there’s anurgent need for farmers to

review and revise budgets and tomonitor cashflow going forward,to ensure debt levels don’t riseunnecessarily.Agribusinessmanagement

training is one way farmers canaddress these issues and applybetter management practices totheir businesses.As farm budgets come under

scrutiny, farmersmay need to cutback on spending or look atincreasing their milk productionand improve on-farmperformance to offset the lowerpayout.Primary ITO’s diploma in

agribusinessmanagementencourages farmers to hone theirbusinessmanagement skills sothey canmanage risks such as avolatile payout and take control oftheir business.Key learning areas such as

business and finance, wherestudents learn how to developandmonitor financial plans,monitor on-farm performance

against objectives, and develop abudget to share with their bankmanager or accountant, are alldirectly applicable to the farmer’sown business.Cath Blake, manager of dairy

training, says: “Good cashflowbudget development andimplementation are core parts ofsuccessful and profitable businessperformance.“The skills farmers gain by

completing the diploma inagribusiness really assist inmanaging financial risk such asthe drop in payout this season.“This financial capability helps

farmers to look to the future goalsof the business and gives long-term confidence that the dairy

industry is a great business to bein.”The cost of human resources

can also be a point of contentionwhen budgets are tightened. Staffare often let go or professionaldevelopment and training costs

are slashed at times of reining-inexpenses. DairyNZ strategy andinvestment leaderMark Painesays: “Recruiting the right staffand keeping staff motivated canmean staff turnover is reduced.‘‘The cost of staff turnover to

the dairy industry is around $300million a year.‘‘If we can hold on to our good

staff this in turn can lead to betterbusiness performance.”The diploma in agribusiness

management includes humanresourcemanagement as a keylearning area, and supportsfarmers to build productive farmteams.Farmers are given the tools to

recruit, select and induct staff,and are taught how to build goodworking relationships and assessperformance.The agribusiness diploma is a

collaborative project betweenPrimary ITO, DairyNZ,Beef+Lamb and HortNZ, whichwas developed in response toimproving agribusiness skills andidentifying that managementcapability is a key factor in thesuccess of agribusinesses. Thediploma is open to farmers as wellas horticulturists andagribusiness operators.

■ To speak to a Primary ITOtraining adviser aboutagribusiness diploma coursesstarting in your area, call 080020 80 20 or visitprimaryito.ac.nz/diploma