Young Farmers a Cool Group to belong to, especially if you are at Massey University

This week has been a huge week for Young Farmers & Young Farmer Clubs in New Zealand. The National Bank Young Farmer Contest has been completed & Michael Lilley from Tasman has won this prestigious competition & been crowned Young Farmer of 2012. Michael is a Veterinarian working at Murchison on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. He is a recent graduate from the Massey University Vet School. My congratulations to Michael & his wife Kelly….it was excellent TV & a really positive story for NZ agriculture.

http://www.youngfarmercontest.co.nz/index.asp?PageID=2145867758

NZ Young Farmers is a vibrant progressive organisation that’s” on the move” & “cool” to be a member of or be associated with.
http://www.youngfarmers.co.nz/  

The Young Farmers has modernised & is attracting motivated & enthusiastic young people from both rural areas & towns to come together. It’s highly social but there’s a strong learning component & what’s most exciting is that it is successfully attracting bright young people into agriculture.  http://sarainterrupted.blogspot.co.nz/2012/05/national-bank-young-farmer-grand-final.html 

I’m proud to say that the Massey University Young Farmers Club has the biggest membership in the country & is a very active group on campus.

• Club Meetings

- Biggest membership in the country – over 130 signed up members

- Well structured, often have guest speakers, National Chairman, Fafe sage, Local consultants

• Professional Development

- Generate leadership Programme – 2 courses this year (see photo)

- First Aid Course, Heavy traffic licence, farm safe course.

• Community Fundraising

- Get involved in the Community - Industry research discussion groups – farm succession

- Silage stack covering

- Tidying up rubbish at Esplanade Day.

- Setting up stables at dressage nationals at Manfield Park

• Regional Competitions (National Bank Young Farmers Contest)

- 3 members in Regional final – Taranaki/Manawatu – James Lawn, Calvin Ball, Cam Shaw (see photo)

- Annette Crawshaw winner of the Regional Stock judging competition

- Over 20 members entered the Young Farmer of the Year District Finals.

• Events
- Recently held the inaugural Duck Shooters Ball/Wild Foods Festival – over 50 wild food dishes ranging from goat kebabs to venison and paua pies.

- Coming up the legendary Bus ride to Hell

Are you young? Are you bright & enthusiastic about farming & food? Are you looking for a “cool group” to be in? If so contact your local Young Farmers!

"TEAM TALK" The Best Farm Business Management Tool I've Seen for Decades!

“TEAM TALK….I believe this on-farm staff/team communication system to be the most innovative development I’ve seen in Farm Business Management for decades”

TEAM TALK is a very exciting new on-farm computer communication system that is simple to use and empowers all staff members to take responsibility for their individual roles on the farm. It permanently records what has previously been keep on hundreds of bits of paper, whiteboards and shed notice boards.

TEAM TALK does not replace good person to person communication on a farm but enhances it significantly. I see it as being like a computerised template that with Ginny Neal’s help you can create a unique system tailor made for your farm & your team of staff. I imagine that each farm will develop a personalised or custom made TEAM TALK system for their own farm. 

 I’m very impressed!

“TEAM TALK” has been created by Ginny & Stu Neal (Farm Manager at Castlepoint Station, a large sheep & beef station on the South Wairarapa coast of New Zealand). Stu was a participant in the Rabobank Farm Managers Course where they had to do an individual project as part of the course. http://www.rabobank.co.nz/Rural/Education/Pages/FMP.aspx

They are in celebration mode as Stu has been notified that he was one of the 3 finalists from last year’s Rabobank Farm Managers’ Course in Brisbane chosen to go back this year to present their project……..his of course being the TEAM TALK now implemented at Castlepoint Station. Castlepoint Station owned by Anders & Emily Crofoot, who recently won the Wairarapa Hill Country Farm Business Award, in part due to the excellent staff communication system. Ginny Neal was until very recently a local country school teacher, now she has set up her own company AgRecord, to help other farmers to use & implement TEAM TALK on their farms & with their teams of staff.

AgRecord's flagship system is called TEAM TALK. It can be best described as an on-line internal communication system which assists with the efficient and effective day to day running of agri-businesses. 

 TEAM TALK is completely individualised for each business and can either be started from scratch or include existing documentation.  The concept itself is completely new to the agri-business industry and has already revolutionised the businesses it is being used by. 

 TEAM TALK encourages staff members to be a part of the business by ensuring accountability for pasture measuring, tallies, quantities, weights etc that they add.  One of its main features is the ability to store all information in one place thus replacing the 'bits of paper'  that never actually end up being recorded or they get lost.
  Users access TEAM TALK by logging in via the internet – this means it is accessible from any mobile or wi-fi capable device such as a phone, ipad, laptop etc and from anywhere in the world.  
It is a powerful tool for absentee owners or those that spend a lot of time away from the farm/office.  Staff/members can also access it 24 hours a day 7 days a week allowing them to enter information when and where it suits them.  Clients can contact AgRecord via Skype meetings and have their tailor-made system designed for them without even having to meet.  This is a huge saving on time and travel for both Client and AgRecord and allows you to spend this time actually creating the system for your farm team.

AgRecord  provide the client with regular updates on their system build and can even share what it is looking like during the design process ensuring it meets the clients requirements.

The TEAM TALK concept was adapted by Ginny Neal from a platform she has been using in schools for a number of years.  Ginny has grown up farming and has a background in educational management and many years of experience in IT.

Clients so far have included the following on their TEAM TALK system:

 Work schedules 

 Stock rotations

Key events & activities 

 Current hazards list

 Animal Health Plan

 Maps of the property

 Repairs and maintenance schedule

 Plant and machinery maintenance schedule

 Movements of team members over the week (leave, off- farm activities etc)

 Health and safety programme

 Inventory of sundries etc quad tyres, workshop supplies

 Chemical inventories and spray records

 Staff leave form

 HR policies etc Health and safety videos

 Live calendar

 Stud stock information

 Milking information

 Rainfall

 Videos/photos

 The list is limitless.....each system is completely different depending on the needs or requirements of each agribusiness. 
Pasture wedge graphs can/could be entered by one staff member & shared with everyone. Your "Team" might include the Farm Consultant or Vet. If a staff member leaves your team they can no longer participate in TEAM TALK.

All this information is ordered chronologically and all past records are stored on the system, thus building up 'history'.  The functionality of TEAM TALK is very straightforward: -

 The person designated as the system manager has ultimate control over what goes on and stays on the information system.

 The platform is only accessible by those the system manager has invited to  'belong'.

 Team members can contribute information (e.g. stock weights, tallies) and any entry sends an alert to the system manager.

 Maps, spreadsheets and pictures, videos, live calendars can be readily imported into the platform.

 It has safety features that make it 'Herd Manager/shepherd/staff proof'.

 It is accessible from anywhere in the world as it is stored on the web.  Users can access it from any mobile Smart Phone or wi-fi device if not in front of their desktop.

What I really like about TEAM TALK is that it has been created in the farm kitchen, by a Farm Manager, his very creative wife & a real life farm team, on an innovative award winning farm. 
It’s an extra ordinary new Farm Business Management tool which I think you should investigate.

Contact details

ginny@agrecord.co.nz

Skype  ginny.neal

"Manawhenua" the value placed upon land within the Maori culture

“Manawhenua” is one of the operating values of the Kapenga M Farming Trust. The exact English translation of “Manawhenua” is difficult to explain. However it relates to the pride and soul of Maori people & their attachment to traditional lands. Manawhenua is about creating links between the people & the land. The concept of ‘mana whenua’ has many layers of meaning. It tells of important relationships that Māori have with whenua (land) and of the value placed upon the land within the culture. The key to the Trust’s success is a fundamental determination to maintain the manawhenua ownership & guardianship of the land for future generations & to grow the expertise amongst its own people with the expectation that eventually all its staff, including farm consultants, sharemilkers, managers & farm staff will have “whakapapa” (genealogy) to the land. The Kapenga M Trust has 915 registered shareholders from the Tuhourangi people.  

 Kapenga M Trust near Rotorua is one of three finalists in this year’s Ahuwhenua BNZ Maori Excellence in Farming Award 2012. The Ahuwhenua Award looks at many Farm Business Management aspects of Maori farming. Governance of the Farming Trusts is a key component that is being judged. Kapenga M Trust has a clear vision statement (see photo) & the strategic plan includes 5 points that drive the direction of the farming business. 

The retention of the land. 

Maintaining the unity within Kapenga M.

 Maintaing the authority & leadership of the Trust. 

Encourage young people to participate in the Trust.

 Promote farming amongst our young people.

 What many farm businesses lack is a clear vision & a 5 point business plan.

The Kapenga M Trust farm milks 1000cows at peak on 334ha of steep to rolling Central Plateau land. The farm employs 50:50 Sharemilkers Edwin & Marianne Schweizer. 
In the following video clip Edwin explains much about his role & his management. The video was produced by Kerry Fowler of Vid Pro Quo. 

 Watch the YouTube video here! http://youtu.be/T9qpKaKVojc 

 At the very wet field day Lee Matheson (Farm Supervisor, Perrin Ag Consultants Ltd) led the discussion about the farm’s production efficiency & farm business management performance using the NZ Dairybase.

 Paul Bird (well known to many UK & Irish pasture based dairy farmers) facilitated the day. Maori have some major challenges ahead such as getting skilled & capable young Maoris into both farm management & farming staff roles on the Maori Trust farms. Kapenga M has been a foundation investor in the Te Arawa Future Farming Training programme. 

The Ahuwhenua trophy is designed to encourage Maori best practice in Farm Business Management.

The three finalist's this year are demonstrating good governance & clear visions with the owners' values built into the Business Plan. The values are driving the direction of the business & the Strategic Management decisions made. I am confident that this year 3 of the best Maori dairy farms are finalists in the Maori Excellence in Farming Award.

"Kaitiakitanga" nurturing our Natural Resources & People for a prosperous future

“Kaitiakitanga” in Maori means to nurture our natural resources & people for a prosperous future.  

This is one of 5 Farm Business Management values set out by Tauhara Moana Trust, one of three finalists in the BNZ Ahuwhenua Maori Excellence in Dairy Farming Award 2012. Maori Trusts have different business objectives to most other NZ dairy farmers. 

The Maori Trusts will not sell traditionally owned land & there is a responsibility to their people (shareholders) that extends beyond an annual dividend. As traditional lands will not be sold there is a responsibility & I believe a demonstrated understanding that they (the Maori Trusts) must care & nurture the land for the benefit of future generations. Sustainability extends to the people & the Maori Trusts desire to encourage their own people into jobs & positions of responsibility on the farms. This is a major challenge for Maori.

 At the moment the very best Trusts appear to be demonstrating good governance over the farm businesses. 

Tauhara Moana Trust has strong leadership & a very good management team.

 The Ahuwhenua Trophy & competition is a very good way to demonstrate “best practice” in Farm Business Management. The performance of the three finalists this year will effectively lift the bar for all Maori Trusts managing farms in NZ. However the real challenge is getting talented young Maori Farm Managers & Sharemilkers. 

Paul Bird facilitated the fieldday (achieving a fine sunny day for a fieldday is ofcourse a facilitation skill)

Tauhara Moana Trust has risen from near financial disaster (Crafars) & recovered during a drought year. This has shown real guts & determination & very good leadership. What I really liked about the management style was the focus on pasture management & the brilliant HR management. All staff are encouraged to take full responsibility for their part in the farm team's performance.

Tauhara Moana Trust’s other four stated business values include:- Integrity, Excellence, Innovation & “Tikanga”. 

“Tikanga” means that we will be respectful of each other’s cultural values.

 In an unstable world, where peace & harmony seem very thin on the ground, I find it uplifting that a Farm Business has a stated business value that includes respect for each other’s cultural values & differences. 

All farm businesses everywhere can learn much from the goverance & business values of Tauhara Moana Trust at Taupo.

 It raises the question….What to you stand for? What are the values which are important to you & your family? Are your family values stamped into your Farm Business & the way in which you conduct business both on & off the farm?

A Once A Day Milking Dairy Farm System Needs a Different Mind Set?

I wonder if OAD (Once a Day) Milking farmers should be farming like TAD farmers (Twice a Day Milking)?  After all they are completely different farming systems. Or are they really different? 

This is potentially a very interesting debate. Should all pasture based farmers farm in the same way or are the systems sufficiently different that they should develop different methods & different objectives? Organic dairy farms have developed different systems & objectives from conventional farms. So should OAD farmers farm as TAD farmers or develop a completely different system? It’s early days so let’s debate the issue.

 Innovative OAD (Once a Day) Milking Dairy Farmers from all over New Zealand met at Eketahuna this week to be part of Dr Colin Holmes’ OAD Milking discussion group. Colin with the help of DairyNZ started the group some time ago on the very same Tararua farm where we met this week. 

 Sherryn & Dale Marshall farm OAD on a tough steep farm but have done remarkably well given the terrain. In the photos you can see the green outline of the milking area up on the steep hill country. The Discussion Group agreed that it was an excellent farm for OAD milking because of the distances & steepness of the tracks & grazing. The cow condition of the OAD herd was excellent & a credit to their management & the care & attention of their farming team. 

I love the cut & thrust of a good discussion group where new ideas are scrutinised, & everyone goes home thinking with plenty of food for thought. However it is the first OAD Milking group I have ever been to where much of the debate was about how much supplement was being fed? I have never heard OAD milking farmers debating the merit of 300kgsN per ha per year vs. 200kgsN. These OAD farmers were farming like & thinking like TAD farmers. So is the “OAD Milking System” the same as or different from the TAD milking system? I would argue that the 2 systems are as different as “Chalk & Cheese” (an old saying from Gloucestershire comparing the then wealthy sheep farmers from the chalk country of the Cotswolds vs. the then poor dairy farmers from the Berkley Vale near Thornbury, UK). 

Once a Day Milking is a low input farming system that is ideal for pasture only fed cows. It is potentially a very profitable system, but only if the operating costs are kept very low. OAD herds have in my view the potential to produce the same Milk solids per cow as they were on TAD. This is because of the wide genetic variation within XBred cows as to how they adapt to OAD milking. There is the very exciting possibility of developing a OAD milking cow that is very different from the cows we see today being milked OAD.

  Goals of OAD Milking Herds .  

To produce the same total milksolids on OAD as they used to on TAD, with same number of cows. (but not the same cows).   

Select hard & Cull hard to capitalise on the huge between cow variations. 

Aim for 1kg MS per kg of LWT on OAD milking.

 Means you must weigh cows & herd test.

 Profit levels of 40 -50% GFR. 

Have a real Family life. 

Very focussed on being sustainable & very resilient. OAD Milking dairy farms have a real opportunity to be show that they have a truly sustainable farming system. A crucial aspect of OAD milking is how it can be a people sustainable system. 

 The 8 main points of Sustainable Farming are:-
To have a sustainably profitable farm business.
To manage soils for the future with less dependence on fertilizers & to build Soil Organic Matter (SOM) so increase soil carbon storage.
To reduce Energy consumption by reducing demand & generating on farm energy. To lower the Carbon Footprint of milk.
To better manage Water (conserve & reduce use), reduce pollutant losses.
To improve Dairy cow welfare, fertility & animal health.
To have a sustainable people practices.
To increase the bio diversity on the farm.
To develop long term business communication strategies not only with buyers, but with the professional support teams & the local community. 

The bottom line is that I believe OAD milking farms, people & cows are uniquely different from TAD farms. Therefore there are strong arguments to support a different breeding objective & a whole lot of different thinking that is uniquely OAD thinking.

If profit is the primary goal for a OAD system then why are you feeding concentrates(especially poor ones) & why are you even considering extra N fertiliser????

Every time a dairy farmer spends money they reduce their own profits & increase someone else's profit!

 I challenge all OAD farmers to aim for a really low input low cost pasture based system where all excess costs are screwed out of the farming system. Have the courage to tread a different path that is family friendly & highly resilient to price fluctuations.

 Go for it! If you don’t agree then feel free to debate it with me by adding your comments in the comments box below.

Great Discussion Group Colin & Leo. Well done!

Genius...A Dairy Farm Team Whiteboard communication system.

Tauhara Moana Trust near Taupo is a finalist in the 2012 Ahuwhenua Trophy BNZ Maori Excellence in Farming (Dairy) Awards. http://www.ahuwhenuatrophy.maori.nz/?p=1994  
 At a recent “Green to Gold” Discussion Group I was privileged to meet Olly & Kim Gibberd who are milking over 1600 cows on the 693 ha effective Tauhara Moana dairy farm. Olly & Kim are the DairyNZ Central North Island Focus Farm.  I expected to see excellent farm management (which is what I witnessed) but I wasn’t expecting to see a Farm Business Management innovation in the Herringbone shed office.

 In the office was the most amazing & well thought out Dairy Farm Team Whiteboard Communication System. This is very definitely Kim’s baby but it has evolved from a very strong leadership approach by both Olly & Kim. Although they lead by example, their leadership style is one of allowing the Farm Team to manage themselves & to take individual responsibility for their own actions in contributing towards the overall Farm Performance.
 Olly sets the work environment boundaries & the tone in which he expects the team to work together. Everyone in the team knows what the farm business targets are & what is expected of them as individuals in the team. 
What Kim has done is a piece of Farm Business Management genius. She has embedded the key leadership philosophies and the daily tactical management tasks into a Whiteboard Communication system, which is very visual, clearly understood & on which every farm team member contributes every day. This has been achieved by using a series of large Whiteboards around the milking shed office walls. Each Whiteboard is a communication system to individual team members & management. Tasks are set & once completed, all recorded as having been successfully finished. Essential animal health recording of treatments, withholding periods & cow ID are all recorded on the Office Whiteboard system. There is a separate Whiteboard to identify weeds & spraying tasks….this is based on a large farm map. 

The list of Whiteboards includes paddock grazing records, lameness, monthly milk production actual vs targets, jobs needing to be done, a monthly calendar, staff roster, days off & supplies needed.
 Olly & Kim have developed their own unique staff bonus system called the $5 Bonus…it’s based on a $5 reward for a job well done & a $5 penalty for not being at work on time or a job not completed (especially if it causes other staff problems e.g. not shutting gates)…..& you guessed it there’s a “$5 Whiteboard”. Fines are written in red & bonuses are written in blue……it’s very visual & every team member’s bonus performance is clearly visible.

 The Whiteboard system & the different boards have evolved over time. Even the board titles started as permanent pen but once firmly established have evolved into professionally produced by a local sign writer specialising in Whiteboards. There is huge benefit in Kim’s system being highly visible in the epicentre of the farm…the Milking shed office. In this way everyone is fully informed & able to contribute & record key daily management information.

 I think this system could over time evolve further to be computer/smartphone based using cloud technology.

 Each dairy farm could develop their own “Whiteboard Communication System” but don’t rush in and get a heap of boards produced. The Tauhara Moana system has developed over time with staff involvement (it has not been imposed from above) & a Farm Management leadership style which devolves responsibility to the Farm Team to manage, operate & take ownership. 
The Ahuwhenua Trust Awards field day at Tauhara Moana, just north of Taupo is on the 3^rd May. I suggest you put it into your diary & on the day have a look at the Whiteboards in the Milking Shed Office. 

Congratulations Olly & Kim, I was very impressed.

If Dairy Farmers want to FARM in the BLACK they Need to be GREEN

The NZ dairy industry is in a very interesting place right now. On one hand they generate serious export dollars; their contribution to the national income is undeniable. The wealth generated by dairy products means that most New Zealanders enjoy a good standard of living. On the other hand they are viewed by increasing numbers of thinking New Zealanders as exploiting our natural resources to the detriment of the environment. Sir Paul Callaghan spoke at the “StrategyNZ: Mapping our Future conference” in March 2011, pointing the finger at dairy farmers but also illustrating the economic reality.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhCAyIllnXY&feature=related 

Dairy farmers have a real challenge: - to produce milk but to reduce the impact on the environment.    

Andrew, Jenny & Fred Hayes are NZ Landcare Trust Ambassadors. In 2005 they won the BFEA- Heritage Restoration Award on their dairy farm for their work around Lake Kaituna & Lake Komakorau. Lakeland Farms surround both of these Waikato peat lakes. Dairy Consultant Alison Dewes (Headlands) told the Waikato Balance Farm Environment Award Alumni Field day that the Hayes family farm system is strongly aligned to their values & beliefs to improve the environment in which they farm. They are aware of what impacts their farm has on the wider environment & they are open to new ideas & ways of thinking. Andrew & Jenny like to measure, assess & review their performance on a regular basis. They have formed a Lake Care Group & invited in many outside experts such as University of Waikato (Prof David Hamilton), water quality PhD student Bex Eivers, Environment Waikato & DairyNZ to help them improve & restore their peat lakes. Involving a wide range of outside people & other local farmers has brought together scientific & regional expertise & practical common sense.

I was particularly impressed with the work experienced Dairy Consultant Alison Dewes (Headlands), has brought to the farm. 
  http://www.headlandsenviro.co.nz   

 Her work suggests that moderate stocking rates, close monitoring of inputs & costs can generate more profit when there is an environmental “push” & focus by the farmers. This is a seriously important message as many farmers believe that complying with environmental standards will in some way reduce their profitability. The Hayes farm is a shining example that their passion for a better lake environmental outcome has in fact improved many of their key production efficiencies & increased their profits. This year they expect to harvest 14.5 TDM/ha of pasture (which puts them in the top 5% of Waikato dairy farmers). The profit per ha is very high & means their Return on Assets (ROA) is over 9%. Over the last 8 years they have reduced nitrogen use from 180kgsN to 30kgsN/ha/yr. Nutrients are much better utilised & recycled with 90% of the farm is covered with farm effluent once a year & no fertilizer is brought onto the farm. So it can be done & the Hayes family are a very good example to all dairy farmers in NZ.

Prof David Hamilton explained to the field day that the Waikato Peat Lakes were formed 15-18,000yrs ago & are today biodiversity hotspots that have important functions of moderating extreme flood events & reducing nutrient flows into the river systems. The health of the lakes reflects the health of the landscapes. Relatively low cost on farm changes are considerably more affordable that major lower catchment mitigation which is prohibitively expensive. There are 94,000ha of peat soils in the Waikato with 80% developed into agriculture & horticulture. Developed peat soils are highly productive soils but there is a risk of them being over drained & lost to farming.

Andrew Hayes created a 16ha buffer zone around the peat lakes, which were badly silted & completely retired a further 2ha of land. Willows were removed & more suitable species planted in the buffer zone. On the 10 inflow drains silt traps were constructed. Bex Eivers PhD study is looking at the effectiveness of the silt traps. The work around the lake & the more water that is being retained in the lake has had a positive impact on the farm as the retention of moisture has helped to minimise the peat shrinkage & Andrew doesn’t have to cultivate the peat soils. A flatter milk production curve has resulted from more summer pasture growth. Andrew quite rightly credits what is happening in the soil & water as being vitally important & Consultant Alison Dewes (a key team member) focusses on pasture grazing management, profit & cost control. 

There is a saying "that YOU (farmers) can’t be GREEN if you are in the RED." Very true! However it is also a truth to say "that if YOU (farmers) want to be in the BLACK you must also be GREEN."