Just a wee note to say I am really busy writing for people who pay me, so I will soon be back on my “Sheila’s Soapbox” to quote Jamie Mackay.

I had a giggle just now, looking at my site, which says someone did a search for Skellerup Young Farmer of the Year 2013. Good luck with that.  Trustbank Skellerup, WestpacTrust, Wrightson Agmardt, The National Bank…. now The ANZ Young Farmer Contest 2013. A few changes. At the weekend (once I’ve meet my Dominion Post deadline) I will tell you all about the Grand Final (last weekend) and even put up a post about the Farmer of the Year field day I attended a couple of weeks ago…. I”m late…  I know!

So before I go back to work, here are some pics of the winner, Tim van de Molen representing the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Young Farmers Region.

In the studio with host Mark Leishman

that trophy is heavier than it looks

Tim and the “magnificient seven” or other six!!!

Tim and his family

You have to love the pay rise (he works for ANZ!!)

It is so true, even for my generation more so than my kids. I heard someone complaining the other day about not being able to get rid of their nappies easily in summer with a fire ban on. My two were in cloth nappies (nothing like a few hours on the line with wind and sunshine and thank goodness for Napisan) for two years each (apart from nights) and we never struggled to get rid of bags of used nappies. And I tell you, it spurred on the need for toilet training!

Anyway, here is the piece… it’s called Being Green.
Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the older woman, that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren’t good for the environment.The woman apologized and explained, “We didn’t have this green thing back in my earlier days.”The young clerk responded, “That’s our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment f or future generations.”

She was right — our generation didn’t have the green thing in its day.Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were truely recycled.But we didn’t have the green thing back in our day.

Grocery stores bagged our groceries in brown paper bags, that we reused for numerous things, most memorable besides household garbage bags, was the use of brown paper bags as book covers for our schoolbooks. This was to ensure that public property, (the books provided for our use by the school) was not defaced by our scribblings. Then we were able to personalize our books on the brown paper bags.But too bad we didn’t do the green thing back then.We walked up stairs, because we didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks.But she was right. We didn’t have the green thing in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby’s diapers because we didn’t have the throwaway kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy-gobbling machine burning up 220 volts — wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.But that young lady is right; we didn’t have the green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house — not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn’t have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn’t fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.But she’s right; we didn’t have the green thing back then.

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.But we didn’t have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 23,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest burger joint.

But isn’t it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn’t have the green thing back then?

There are many locals who could learn from this person.

We would be quick to put the boot in if the driver was doing something dumb, so I thought I would give the same credence to something good.

Well done Mr Fonterra Tanker Driver.

it has been about four years since I last “went mental” about school buses.

Back in 2009, I had this to say …

And it earned me one of my first interviews on radio’s The Farming Show…. although as people have been telling me all… the… time lately – I haven’t been asked to go on for a while so I mustn’t have anything good to say lately! (Damn, I just discovered all my links to TFS at the top of my page are kaput, probably as a result of its new website. Gutted. I don’t have copies.)

Happy to note I have not been as busy on here because my freelance business is going extremely well  I coordinated the editorial for three rural features in the DomPost this week and am about to start on a customer profile for Ravensdown and a newsletter for Nuffield NZ…

And it is raining beautiful sweet delicious rain over Takapau.

My son is annoyed because it is his first rep soccer practice after school today, but as my daughter so aptly put it… “what is more important Lachlan, soccer or the future of our whole farming industry?” Well said that girl.

Au revoir.

We recently had the centenary of the first ballot farms on the Otawhao Block. It was an awesome weekend. Roll on 125th! Well, maybe the mid-winter Christmas party first?

Good food, good company, good weather (privately hoping for rain as we were (are still) in the middle of a drought)… did I say good food?!

To mention a few of the people, chairman Graeme Heald, the oldest pair – Eros Olsen and Tony James, Tony James and the Hunt boys (Simon and Peyton) cutting the cake, the cake, the Somervell siblings (on the back of the Old Truck) and the Olsen sisters… and the evening session was held at the newly refurbished Vincents at Oruawharo (the former St Vincent’s Catholic Church in Takapau – click the link for weddings).

Night of Winners

Hawke’s Bay’s agribusiness community was out in force last night to celebrate a string of awards that recognise excellence in the primary industries.

350 guests packed the events centre at Showgrounds Hawke’s Bay to enjoy an evening of fine food, entertainment and celebrate with the worthy winners.

The big winners on the night were Danny & Robyn Angland, who took out the prestigious Silver Fern Farms Hawke’s Bay Farmer of the Year title for their management of the iconic Hawke’s Bay farming enterprise Kereru Station.  Danny has been Manager of the 2847ha Station since 2007.

Peter Tod, Chairman of the Silver Fern Farms HB Farmer of the Year committee said “Kereru Station is a large scale farming operation intensively managed with a high level of attention to detail, Danny has a clear focus and vision of how to integrate multiple stock classes on a variety of land types”

“The Hawke’s Bay A&P Society invites you to the field day at Kereru Station on the 9 May 2013, this is your chance to see what makes this Farmer the 2013 Silver Fern Farms Hawke’s Bay Farmer of the Year.”

Rowan Sandford a third year Lincoln University Student received the Inaugural Lawson Robinson HB A&P Society Scholarship, set up in partnership between the Hawke’s Bay A&P Society and Lawson Robinson Barristers + Solicitors to recognise outstanding academic and leadership qualities in a student currently enrolled in a land based study program.

Ponty von Dadelszen was awarded the Laurie Dowling Memorial Award for outstanding contribution to agriculture in Hawke’s Bay.

Steve & Jane Wyn-Harris were named Hawke’s Bay Farm Forester of the year, a field day will be held on their property on the 18 May 2013.

Pekapeka Wetland (care of the HB Regional Council) has been given a Pride of Place distinction award from the New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architects.

According to the council press release, the citation for the award states that Pekapeka Wetland provides a range of experience opportunities for users and acknowledges the contributing work of Shannon Bray Landscape Architect.

“This is one of three awards for Pekapeka Wetland since 2009, realising its champion value and raising the awareness of wetlands throughout Hawke’s Bay,” said Stephen Cave, HBRC’s Operation Environmental Manager.

The award recognises Pekapeka Wetland as a high quality interpretive site for wetland restoration.  It is noted for integrating public accessibility with educational features, using local materials and stories (and many of the photos on the info boards are mine!)

Stephen Cave is quick to acknowledge a number of the project’s key supporters, particularly Shannon Bray, Waa Harris, Peter Dunkerley, the Community Foundation, Rotary Club of Stortford Lodge, Eastern and Central Community Trust and the preliminary work of Titchener Monzingo Aitken Ltd. Iwi groups plus many children from schools (particularly Pukehou School) and Kiwi Conservation Club have played a key role in planting areas around the swamp.

What is it?

It is a significant pest of brassica vegetable crops. Its caterpillars feed voraciously on host plants reducing them to a skeleton. In New Zealand, it poses a major threat to commercial and animal forage brassica vegetable crops.  It could also have serious consequences for the survival of many of New Zealand’s 79 native cress species.

Its  caterpillars and eggs are found in clusters on host plants, particularly nasturtiums, honesty and brassica vegetables. To identify it, please look here.

Taken from the DOC website

The caterpillars become more visible in their later larger stages when they are speckled greyish-green and black with three yellow lines along the body. The larger caterpillars have lots of pale hairs. Fully-grown caterpillars are 50 mm long. In contrast, the small white butterfly caterpillar is uniformly green with a faint yellow line along the top of its body and grows to about 30 mm long.

If you suspect an infestation call the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) on 0800 80 99 66.

The great white butterfly has been spreading since it was first found in a Nelson city garden in 2010. The butterfly species can fly long distances, sometimes hundreds of kilometres, so will spread throughout New Zealand unless stopped.

Public and farmer help in looking for and reporting infestations is essential if this pest is to be eradicated.

It was a great day hosted by East Coast supreme winners Terry and Judy Walters, apart from the fact it wasn’t postponed due to rain (which obviously we would have been pleased about).

My Mum is here to stay for a few days so I am not wasting time with her by typing lots of words, so I will let the photos  talk for themselves…  :)

(All photos copyright Kate Taylor – please do not copy without permission.)

More photos here

Enjoy!

With 70,000 small bale equivalents sent or about to be sent to the North Island from the South Island, Federated Farmers robustly states its position following some media reports.

“There is some confusion in the media about Federated Farmers efforts to get feed from the South Island into the North Island for drought stricken farmers,” says Bruce Wills, Federated Farmers President. 

“Some articles and stories appearing in the media are incorrect and understandably are causing confusion and concern within the farming community.

“This is a really tough time for drought affected farmers. Federated Farmers wants to help where we can and have been working very hard to do so.

“With the entire North Island drought declared, feed is required from the South Island. While commercial operators are selling feed from the South to the North, it has become apparent that there is a constraint with transport capacity. 

“To address this Federated Farmers has been working with potential shippers, feed suppliers and third party supporters. 

“David Clark, the Vice-Chairperson of Federated Farmers Grain & Seed and others are working incredibly hard to pull a number of shipments together. 

“Using the services offered by Pacifica Shipping and Hamburg Süd, a number of shipments have been completed with another being loaded today.

“Federated Farmers, together with road transport operators, Pacifica Shipping and Hamburg Süd have completed the following shipments totalling 2,320 twenty-bale equivalents:

• One small shipment from Timaru to Napier
• 23 containers from Lyttelton to Tauranga
• 30 containers from Lyttelton to Napier, which arrived in Napier this week
• 20 containers from Lyttelton to Tauranga being loaded today.

“Over the next two weeks we will be shifting a further 50 containers north and by that stage Federated Farmers will have facilitated the movement of 3,520 twenty-bale equivalents.

“This equates to over 70,000 small bale equivalents of ryegrass straw/ryegrass hay. 

“Each shipment has been for about 500 twenty-bale equivalents and has been pre-committed and financially underwritten by third parties. We are looking at further shipments of a similar scale

“While this has been underway, Ravensdown then kindly offered us space on a larger vessel to ship about 4000 twenty-bale equivalents from Lyttelton to Napier and Tauranga.

“This was welcome but it was complicated and we were unable to get all of our ducks lined up by the required deadline.  We reluctantly had to let that opportunity go as it was simply too big a shipment to get everything organised on a tight deadline.

“Critical to the success of our feed operation is getting firm commitments from farmers to buy and pay for the feed.  This must be a commercial operation because anything less could undermine the wider North Island feed market.

“There are also issues around ensuring appropriate feed quality, transport logistics, risk management around shipping the physical product and managing any bad debts.  Farmers would also be required to pick the straw up from the Port on the day it arrives.  

“There are limits to what even Federated Farmers can do as we are not a transport operator, feed merchant, bank or rural trader. For a shipment of this, far-larger scale, we needed signed contracts from farmers and/or a third party to mitigate risks if farmers didn’t pay, if it was rejected, damaged and to assist with other risks.

“The reality with this shipment is that we could not get either third party support or firm commitments from individual farmers to take and pay for the bales. It gets a bit tricky if you have 4000 large bales on the wharf and no one there to pick them up or pay for them.

“While we had to let that ship sail, we have continued the smaller shipments detailed earlier.  Federated Farmers is also working hard to get another large shipment up and going over the next four to six weeks too. 

“I must firmly say that Federated Farmers will leave no stone unturned to make the transport of feed from south to north happen.  We are doing that right now with a ship being loaded today and tomorrow in Lyttelton.

“It is incorrect for people to hear Federated Farmers is doing nothing when 70,000 small bale equivalents have been or are being shipped south to north.

“Federated Farmers will continue to work on another big shipment and we will advise of more detail when we can,” Mr Wills concluded.

Federated Farmers continues to operate its 0800 Feed Line 0800 376 844 where both farmers who have surplus feed or who need feed can register their interest.  The Rural Support Trust is available on 0800 787 254.