Venison industry planning productivity improvement

Moves are afoot to improve the productivity of New Zealand’s venison herd, which could result in an average carcase weight of 64 kg in ten years time, a better quality and improved supply of venison for exporters, along with improved earnings for producers.

A group of 40 participants have had input to the Productivity Improvement Programme report which was endorsed by the Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ) board in mid-July, after having received support at the 2012 Deer Industry and CERVETEC conferences and endorsed by the New Zealand Deer Farmers’ Association.

Concluding that the venison industry’s productivity mantra ‘More deer, heavier, earlier and betterremains valid, the Productivity Leadership Group, lead by Wanaka veterinarian and farmer Dr Mandy Bell, realised that productivity improvements to date had taken place in the market. They determined that money will be better spent now achieving practice change in the deer industry, rather than generating new knowledge. The report has emphasised the importance of implementing new knowledge and best practice on farm and says that the goal of productivity improvement is to produce more profitably, rather than simply increase volume.

Critical areas of the programme of work are: to better manage deer to maintain and achieve optimal health; to look at improvements in feeding; and in the areas of genetics and physiology.

The PLG has calculated achievable targets and an understanding of ‘The Prize’, based on the successful implementation and reasonable levels and rates of adoption of the programme of work among deer industry participants. Targets include an additional nine kg to bring the average carcase weight to 64kg in 10 years time, an increase of 2.8 percent per year for kg output per hind and an additional $1.48 per kg output (earnings before interest and taxes) by 2022.

The draft programme of work is to be discussed with participants in the Productivity Improvement Programme. DINZ is currently planning the implementation of the work and how best to fund it.

You can read more about it in Deer Industry News (issue 55, pages four to five). Click on the photograph above for a pdf of the magazine.

Sheep scanning recognised as revolutionary tool

A revolutionary tool for reproductive management of sheep in New Zealand, which has contributed to the country’s improved meat production over the past two decades, has been recognised in the inaugural Sheep Industry Awards, alongside the top flocks and sires for genetic merit.

About 200 people attended an event in Invercargill earlier this month to celebrate sheep farming excellence and to witness the presentation of nine awards covering genetics, production and business innovation. Results of the genetics-related awards were calculated based on breeders’ performance in SIL-ACE (Advanced Central Evaluation) – the large-scale, across flock and breed genetic evaluation of more than 280 ram breeding flocks.

The Silver Fern Farms award for sheep industry innovation went to Rowan Farmer, who was responsible for introducing and promoting sheep pregnancy and eye-muscle scanning technology to New Zealand.

Farmer set up Stockscan in 1991. The primary aim was to scan sheep for eye muscle area, but Farmer’s experience with quarantined sheep at Invermay gave him an insight into the management benefits of pregnancy scanning. Since then, the practice has expanded to include the identification of twins and triplets. Scanning has revolutionised the reproductive management of sheep throughout New Zealand.

In addition, the country’s top performing breeders of meat yielding sheep were honoured. Joseph and Judy Barker’s terminal sire flock ‘The Burn’ Texel stud in Mid-Canterbury rated highest for genetic merit across the SIL-ACE evaluation, The dual purpose (ewe breed) flock rated highest for genetic merit was ‘MNCC’, Edward Dinger’s Coopworth stud in the Waikato. The same flock also won the Alliance High Performance Flock award.

B+LNZ geneticist Mark Young says the process of identifying the top-performing flocks involved analysing the top 25-50 percent of rams for each specified set of traits, before then adjusting the results to account for variatons in flock size.

“This exercise also identified highly-rated sires that were making a big impact in industry. The B+LNZ Super Sires are rated in the top 10 percent for genetic merit in indexes of merit across key traits. They are also rams which have been used a lot, so have the most progeny,” says Young.

The B+LNZ Ltd Award for an individual or business making a significant contribution to the New Zealand sheep industry went to Dr Jock Allison ONZM. Two of the highlights of his career, from the sheep industry viewpoint, have been his work with the Booroola Merino which led to the discovery of a major gene fecundity gene and for importing the East Friesian sheep to this country.

The idea to hold an awards ceremony was initiated by B+LNZ Farmer Council Member and ram breeder Russell Welsh. Welsh says the dairy industry’s track record of celebrating success promoted him to suggest the awards ceremony. “It highlights best practice and,by default, that lifts all farmers.

B+LNZ Ltd chairman Mike Petersen says it is great to see farmers driving an initiative which celebrates the sheep industry, while also highlight the immense value of SIL’s database to the sector.

Other award winners on the night were:

  • AgITO Business Farm Trainer of the Year –Smedley Station and Cadet Training Farm.
  • Dual Purpose plus Worm FEC Flock (Index: Reproduction + lamb Growth + Adult Size + Wool + Parasite Resistance) – Nithdale Romney flock, owned by A Tripp of Gore.
  • Dual Purpose plus Facial Eczema Flock (Index: Reproduction + lamb Growth + Adult Size + Wool + FE Tolerance) – ARDG Romney Flock, R & G Alexander of Tirau.
  • Beef + Lamb New Zealand Super Sires – in addition, top sires were also picked out in six categories: terminal; dual purpose*; dual purpose high performance*; dual purpose plus meat yield*; dual purpose plus worm FED; and dual purpose plus facial ezcema tolerance. A Coopworth Ram owned by Steve Wyn-Harris of Waipukerau won three of those spots (marked *), really making it the Super Sire.

For more information see www.beeflambnz.com.

 

Input sought on animal welfare proposals

Meat exporters, processors and producers have an opportunity to give their input, alongside other interested parties, to the Government’s proposed changes to New Zealand’s animal welfare system.

Primary Industries Minister David Carter says the proposals set a strategic direction for animal welfare and improve the way the current Animal Welfare Act 1999 operates.

“Animal welfare matters. It matters because how we treat animals says something important about us as a society. It also matters for New Zealand’s reputation because our trading partners and international consumers rightly expect us to maintain high standards of animal welfare.”

The proposed national strategy, the first of its kind, will canvass the views of stakeholders with animal welfare interests, identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current system and set a vision for New Zealand’s animal welfare system into the future, the Minister says.

“The proposed changes to the Animal Welfare Act will clarify the way it operates and make it easier to enforce.”

Radical change is not proposed, as the suggested values, outcomes and approaches are already implicit in the system, neither is it seeking to lift standards, the Ministry for Primary Industries’ discussion paper says. A key proposal is that codes of welfare, which currently set the standards for animal welfare, are replaced with a combination of regulations and guidelines. Regulations will be directly enforceable in law. Guidelines will provide information and advice but will have no legal effect.

Delivering the strategy will require action from the meat industry in terms of implementing industry schemes to improve welfare; recognising and building stockmanship skills, educating members about best practice and meeting standards, measuring animal welfare performance and engaging with the public and consumers. It also encourages continuing collaboration in setting standards, co-investing in research, contingency planning and the existing joint Government/industry initiative to improve animal welfare compliance.Many of these actions are already in place.

The closing date for submissions is 28 September 2012. Read more about how to make a submission and to read the discussion paper.

Cooper ‘walking the talk’

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Cooper ‘walking the talk’

The purchase of a 245 hectare sheep and beef finishing farm last year means that Siver Fern Farms’ chief executive is now ‘walking the talk’, according to an article in the Otago Daily Times. As a farm owner, the article says, Cooper better understands farmers’ problems and challenges and is using that knowledge to help shape the company to meet those needs. Read more …

Market will cope with extra lambs

The market should be able to cope with the expected one million more lambs this season, suggests meat industry commentator Allan Barber.

Responding to recently released figures from B+LNZ Ltd’s Economic Service Barber points out that last year’s 4.4 percent reduction led sheep numbers to an all time low and that this season saw a bounceback of 2.6 percent, largely from an increase in ewe hoggets.

“Providing adverse weather doesn’t cause larger than anticipated lamb losses, there is every reason to expect one million more lambs on the ground this season,” he suggests, adding that this will prompt the question as to whether the markets can absorb the extra lambs, given the flat state of most overseas economies and the significant amount of inventory clogging up the pipeline.

“Past experience suggests that the pipeline will free up, so buyers will hopefully start to place orders again in the not too distant future. In addition, the growth last season meant that farmers held back stock and continued to put weight on. At the same time, meat exporters failed to give the right market signals soon enough, because they had to keep prices high to secure throughput,” explains Barber.

“Assuming the law of climatic averages reasserts itself, the coming season will return to more normal conditions. Therefore, the conflicting messages of procurement and market price will not be so far out of kilter again and supply and demand will be more complementary.

“If not, we will have to pray for an outbreak of rational behaviour from producers and processors!”

Barber notes that the changing nature of land use in New Zealand can be seen from the fact that the North Island is now home to more sheep than the South Island for the first time in living memory. At the same time, the South Island, assisted by irrigation, now has 35 percent of the country’s dairy cows, “a proportion which was inconceivable 15 years ago,” he says.

 

Lever for high standard food production

It’s happened at last. New Zealand’s new National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) scheme has gone live, which is  welcome news for beef exporters, adding another level of traceability to their product lines

The new National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) Act, which came into effect on 1 July, sets out the legal framework for the collection of information on livestock, their location and movement history throughout their lifetime. It also outlines the governance arrangement and powers for the NAIT organisation.

The scheme is mandatory for cattle from 1 July 2012 and for deer on 1 March 2013 and, according to MPI director general Wayne McNee, forms part of New Zealand’s world-class biosecurity system.

“In the event of a disease outbreak, NAIT and Farms Online will help give assurance to our export markets that New Zealand has identified and contained all of the affected animals.”

Under the NAIT scheme, cattle and deer are tagged with an electronic NAIT-approved RFID ear tag and the NAIT database stores information about each animal’s individual RFID number, its location and the contact details of the person in charge of the animal.

Announcing the news, Primary Industries Minister David Carter said: “NAIT is an important partnership between industry and the Crown which began eight years ago in recognition of the growing need for better animal identification and tracing systems.”

The Minister is delighted that over 30,000 producers and their properties are already registered on the database, which he says is a significant step in protecting New Zealand’s farmers in the international marketplace.

“Lifetime animal traceability is an asset that New Zealand can leverage as part of its international reputation for producing food to the highest standards. It is also an opportunity for farmers to increase productivity by identifying superior animals.”

MIA chief executive Tim Ritchie reiterated the MIA’s support for NAIT: “We see NAIT as an essential tool to minimise and manage risk and impact in the event of a biosecurity incursion and, also, to provide customers and regulatory authorities in our export markets with increased confidence and surety of the integrity of New Zealand’s meat and meat products,” he said.

This article appeared in Food NZ magazine (August/September 2012).

Nearly quarter of a billion being invested in red meat

Nearly a quarter of a billion dollars is being invested by the meat industry and the government in projects aimed at adding a potential $3 billion to returns over the next decade.

Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI)’s director-general Wayne McNee took the opportunity at the Red Meat Sector Conference to announce approved funding for the latest Primary Growth Partnership programme, which will enable the production of high-value marbled grass-fed New Zealand beef for premium export and domestic markets.

The initiative will develop marbling in grass-fed beef in the New Zealand beef herd, using Wagyu beef genetics, McNee explained. “MPI will invest in this programme with Brownrigg Agriculture and Firstlight Foods. The PGP is committing $11 million over seven years, for a programme worth a total of $23.7 million.”

Marbling, the distribution of fat through meat, is a primary determinant of quality in table beef in international markets such as Japan, China and the United States. Internationally, such high quality beef is produced mainly from cattle housed in pens and fed grain. ANZCO Foods has been producing a supply of hand-selected steers for Japan, raised on grass but finished on Canterbury grain at the Five Star beef feedlot near Ashburton for over 20 years.

To produce a comparable meat fed using New Zealand grass, the new PGP programme is aiming to develop an integrated value chain for the beef. It will combine high marbling Wagyu sires for the yearly mating of dairy heifers and cows and the development of rearing and grazing systems that will support year-round growth of the cattle.

McNee said the programme aligns well with the Red Meat Sector Strategy.

“The programme will produce unique New Zealand high-value beef for discerning consumers. It will link specialists in dairy farming, cattle breeding, finishing, processing and marketing and deliver market signals effectively right through the value chain,” he said.

David Brownrigg of Brownrigg Agriculture says it will be a significant opportunity for beef and dairy farmers to lift the quality and value of their calves and finished cattle.

“The New Zealand dairy sector represents an under-utilised resource for producing quality beef calves. Brownrigg’s Wagyu crossed with ‘Kiwi’ dairy cows and Angus beef cows will produce outstanding beef and help us lift our game in international markets,” according to Brownrigg.

Gerard Hickey, managing director of Firstlight Foods says a planned marketing programme to selected high-end global consumers will enable beef farmers to build their businesses with confidence.

Minister welcomes announcement

Welcoming the announcement, Minister for Primary Industries David Carter says, “The Government’s total investment so far of more than quarter of a billion dollars in PGP programmes, demonstrates its firm commitment to boosting economic growth through primary sector research and innovation.

“All New Zealanders stand to gain from the partnership because, alongside our internationally prized lamb, our beef sector is pivotal to the success of our economy.”

The announcement lifts the total government-industry PGP spend over the past three years to nearly $600 million. Nearly $86 million of government PGP funding has been allocated to three meat industry projects worth a total of nearly a quarter of a billion dollars to date. These are estimated to potentially put over $3 billion more on the country’s GDP by the mid-2020s.

To date, PGP-supported meat projects include funding of up to $59.5 million over seven years for the $151 million Farm IQ project with partners Silver Fern Farms, PGG Wrightson and Landcorp Farming aimed at creating a demand-driven integrated value chain for red meat. Seven project streams and 18 sub-projects are working to improve the capture and utilisation of both market and farm production information. The information will then support the development of new value-driven genetics and extension work that underpin the programme.

Another $36.6 million PGP project with NZ Merino, including $15.15 million of PGP funding, is looking to develop merino sheep with meat, wool and other products suitable for market demands over the next seven years.

Also in the wings, is a project that has been approved to business plan stage and will potentially to be funded to the tune of $37 million, led and matched by funds from Beef + Lamb NZ Ltd focused on implementing a number on-farm elements of the Red Meat Sector Strategy. Other meat industry projects are also in the pipeline, according to MPI.

The PGP is expected to be fully subscribed by next year, says McNee.

An abridged version of this article appeared in Food NZ magazine (August/September 2012).

Farmers recycling more plastic

More than 650 tonnes of plastic farm waste has been recycled nationwide during the past year thanks to a government-funded scheme, according to the Environment Minister amy Adams.

Under the product stewardship scheme, Plasback supplies more than 1,000 recycling bins to New Zealand farms and collects agricultural plastics such as bale wrap, silage wrap and covers, agrichemical containers and crop bags. The waste is then recyled into plastic resin pellets and then reused in new plastic products.

“Many farmers have been frustrated by the lack of options for dealing with plastic farm waste and know that burning or burying waste is not a sustainable option,” Adams says.

“This voluntary scheme is about getting alongside farmers and providing an environmentally-friendly alternative.”

The programme received $130,000 from the Government’s Waste Minimisation Fund which supports projects that increase resource efficiency and decrease the amount of waste going to landfill.

Product Stewardship Schemes, which meet the criteria for reducing waste and environmental harm are accredited by the Minister for the Environment.

Transformational change (and how to make it)

One farmer who has made transformational change to his farm business is Marlborough farmer Doug Avery.

In an inspirational and entertaining presentation at the Red Meat Sector Conference, he talked of working “smarter and harder” and the need to “lift yourself up above and see what’s going on around you.”

The tipping point that made him see that he needed to change was sustained drought in the region, over a period of eight years,  which meant that Bonavaree Farm and the Avery family were facing a very uncertain future. In 1998, Doug Avery attended a seminar where Lincoln University pasture Professor Derrick Moot proposed using lucerne as a primary grazing pasture plant. Using that idea started change.

In 2004, with the area still gripped with drought, the NZ Land Care Trust answered a call for help from Avery and a few other farmers. A six-pronged attack on failed systems was engaged with science and the help of funding from the Sustainable Farming Fund and others. This saw the transformational change of the operation from one of failure to one of success.

Having run the emotional gamut of the ‘Three Ugly Sisters’ – envy, anger and blame – Avery realised, when he started looking, that there were some things he could control and others he was concerned about – climate change, weather and the value of the dollar – that he had no control over at all.

Avery realised three things: that the farm business could run 44 percent less sheep but only produce five percent less product; also, that a one percent increase in soil carbon can increase water holding capacity by 144,000 litres per hectare; and, finally, “how much time do we spend telling our story?”

Change of mindset

A change of mindset was also needed, he decided. He would work in what he calls the influence circle, become proactive not reactive, move to solution and enquiry (away from blame and excuse), he would influence thinking and adapt his business systems to the changing climate.

Better practice influenced the systems in place at Bonavaree, says Avery. The year was broken down into three periods: the risk period from mid-December to mid-February where they farm as little as possible; the recovery period from mid-February to late winter, when crops are grown on summer-fallowed land and ewes and hoggets are mated on lucerne and the system charges back into life; and the revenue period, from late summer till mid-December.

“We grow our stock at fast rates to finishing weights before the summer dry,” he said, adding that ewes wean fat and the ewe weights are heavy.

Precious water was conserved by using summer fallow, which intercepted the weed cycle, storing water and creating a water reservoir. Organic matter was built into the soil by stopping tillage. Plants were used that could tap water from deeper layers and also create rapid animal growth and performance. Finally, animals were made for performance, using designer genetics.

Results

The results today speak for themselves. “Lots of wonderful lambs that grow like mushrooms”, and “hogget scanning gone from 40 percent to 165 percent”.

Today, Bonavaree has 1,500 hectares owned and 280 ha leased which will be wintering 13,000 stock units this year (5,000 sheep, 1,650 cattle), growing 90 ha of lucerne for seed and the family is retiring an increasing number of natural areas production. The property has six full-time staff and lots of busy contractors.

Better practice

Better practice for Avery is about using quality contractors, rather than trying to purchase expensive machinery and do it himself, using smart systems like Farmax, inspiring the young who learn by what they see, working with good value chains and smart brands, growing top crops and lambing onto top quality feed, he said.

Reminiscing to the start of his transformational journey, Avery said: “I always wondered why somebody didn’t do something about that, then I realised I am somebody.”

His message for farmers looking to create resilient businesses is to create relationships, manage the soil and water “more crop from every drop”, look at the plant selection for sites and purpose, manage feed supply and demand, work with the natural forces of the local climate, collaborate with science, agency and industry, engage in processes which create financial reward and to create a culture of excitement and fun in the work place.

Bonavaree is now looking to build on its successes through improved management structures, more measuring and collaboration through FarmIQ, better feed conversion in the rumen, improved plant mixes and genetics (plant and animal) and enhanced native plantings and over lay business, says Avery.

Doug Avery has received a number of award for his work at Bonavaree including the 2008 Green Ribbon from the Ministry for the Environment, 2010 Lincoln Foundation South Island Farmer of the Year, 2011 Marlborough District Council Farm Environment Award and the 2012 New Zealand Land Care Trust Ambassador title.