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Upside Down
Upside Down
A British study tour of farms on New Zealand's North Island
Sorry I'm late
Well, reader, I should apologise for the delay in continuing the story of the Upsidedowners, but I was finding the writing of this blog at midnight and beyond rather tiring, so decided to put it off for a day (or night) or two, and time has just slipped by. Believe me, it has not all been easy going. For instance, it wasn't until I got home and found the manual for my rather over-complex camera that I found out that I had at some time switched off the autofocus, which explains the disappointingly blurred photo of an up to date Farmers Weekly in an improbably-named Karagahake Gorge(sorry, guys!). Luckily, sometimes it did manage to get some things sharp, like the attached pictures of the FW regular, George Moss (if I can get that bit to work). George was kind enough to invite us to look at his herd and farm on a day that was a public holiday locally. His was actually the first dairy herd we had seen up close - and several of the party were beginning to show symptoms of dairy-cow withdrawal. This followed a look at an unusual farm diversification: using land for a set in not one but several world-wide blockbusting movies - a hobbit village, complete with pub, mill, bridge, gardens, washing lines and hobbit holes with chimneys - and paying visitors, lots of them. Apparently the first set was typical movie style: cardboard and polystyrene, leaving little behind and only photos and storyboards for visitors to gawp at - rather disappointed visitors, I imagine. When the film makers came back (to make The Hobbit, after the Lord of the Rings trilogy, if you're not familiar with hobbits in general), the farmers - a trio of brothers who have proved that their initial careers as a hot gun shearer and a successful accountant have been fine schooling in shrewdness and dealing with high finance - insisted on permanent structures and have the franchise director, Peter Jackson as co-investor. The result is impressive, not least a full size artificial tree made of steel and glass fibre with thousands of individually attached leaves overseeing the village of Hobbiton. Lunches, souvenirs, as well as tours of the farm's sheep flock and dairy herd - no wonder they were coy about the extent of its contribution to farm profits! Not so George Moss, who was very open about his business, though we struggled to re-orientate ourselves to a milk pricing that was based directly on fat and protein production and pricing, together with an annual profit distribution from the milk buyer, Fonterra, from whom shares have to be purchased in proportion to the volume of milk produced. It's like buying a licence and then getting an annual dividend on it. It must make budgetting even more of a guesswork exercise than usual. George's herd looked well; he has another being milked by a new limey (and he has written of all the travails that involved). George is clearly a well-known, respected and influential personality, who is getting plenty of milk out of well-managed, clover rich permanent pasture. He is also a successful consultant with a cyclopaedic knowledge of the industry. We had the pleasure of his company on an evening cruise on the Waikato river on a hundred-year old paddle steamer. - an interesting boat that proved rather smaller than I had imagined and that reacted alarmingly to people moving from side to side of its narrow cabin. I became the balancing figure on an upper deck, dodging fro side to side to try to keep the craft level so that the skipper could steer it through occasional shallows and submerged trees. That was when we didn't get to the hotel until nearly midnight and I gave up on daily blogging! We're nearly there now - a succession of lectures at Ruakura research institute; more dairy farming courtesy of a day arranged for us by Fonterra; a 66-stall rotary parlour with all the automation and electronics you could wish for; a farm sore that gave the whole group hats; a disillusioned veg. producer on some of the best dirt they have (just outside Auckland and being built over); and finally a woolshed supper on the prettiest farm we saw. I'll try to sum up our impressions in my next.
Research
Today we worked hard at obtaining individual and group responses to a number of environmentally-focused, taxing questions. First up was a detailed and testing examination of the long-term environmental and social benefits of a major plank of New Zealand policy: namely care and sustainable maintenance of the considerable volume of maritime environments by which the two islands are surrounded. The measures put in place have included the establishment of a substantial number of maritime reserves, with strict and draconian enforcement measures for those who trespass on the spirit and operation of such wildlife safety areas. These are designed to ensure that no further environmental degradation occurs in the defined area. One such marine reserve is at Whitianga, which has necessitated us staying for a Sunday in one of the most beautiful and diverse areas of New Zealand, and checking out the long-term impacts of the reserve – from a glass bottomed boat equipped with two 115 hp outboard engines and a certain amount of snorkelling gear. We are delighted to be able to report that locals say there has been a 20-fold increase in some species within the reservation – and that the water was lovely! We went on from this arduous and demanding exercise to explore some of the opportunities for thermal power and heat generation, whereby digging a precisely specified and carefully constructed hole in a specific sandy location resulted in the ingress of water that was actually hot – as was the underlying sand base, as could be revealed by a cautious wriggling of toes and the gradual submegence of ankles and legs under the sand. While this unarguably reduced the height of the head of the wriggler above mean water levels, it also resulted in the raising of their overall bodily temperature, not to say an increase of the rare (to us) risk of scalding from a sand pool on a beach. These investigations were carried out carefully but enthusiastically by a number of our group, specially equipped with suitable hand-operated excavation tools. Others, at some personal cost, confirmed the value and effects of the heated water by lying down in it, with no concern for their individual safety or discomfort. Further, this particular investigation was also being carried out at the same time and in virtually the same place, by a wide range of other teams, mostly from other nations, including Japan, Korea and other Asian countries. It has to be admitted that they appeared to be suitably adroit and efficient in their working practices and to have reached similar conclusions – though of course they cannot be verified until published independently and eventually peer-reviewed. In the meantime, it is not altogether unlikely that members of our team will repeat the investigations in Norfolk and Suffolk, sadly areas with much less reported geo-thermal and earthquake activity than Hot Water Beach in North Island. We are confident that this barrier will be overcome and that shortly we will be enabled to exploit this almost limitless power resource; however this may take longer than anticipated, leaving the Kiwis with a field free of competition and an unfair advantage worthy of reporting to the WTO. Or at least, they will continue to have a tourist attraction. And we did all that on a Sunday! Next a move to the dairying area of Hamilton and a return to an intensive study programme. Richard Rampton, NRBAS, Easton College
Rotorua and beyond
Rotorua is where the hot springs are – it is of course strange for us to see steam rising from holes in the ground, or at least to catch the rotten egg smell that goes with it.. It does seem to linger and catches you even when there is apparently no bubbling mud near by. Today we ahve been guests of the Rotorua and District Agricultural Association at their A & P (Agricultural and Pastoral) Show. They treated us well (of course they did – this is New Zealand and that’s what they do) but it was a bit of a surprise to hear the PA saying “Today, Richard Rampton is with us”; that obviously meant nothing to anyone and actually would have probably have been just as much a mystery if announced in Norfolk! At least hey did go on to explain that we were a party of farmers from East Anglia. It was really entertaining show with cattle, sheep and alpaca (large classes) judging; vintage machinery; horses, including a large Western riding class; axemen ; stiltwalkers – all the fun of show in the country for country people. There is an Agrodome sheep show at the showground. We watched a performance (and of course one of our number got involved). Most of the audience came from Japan and Korea, and apparently, with three shows a day, they play to about 300,000 a year (at $40 a pop, I believe). That’s real agri-tourism. I thought the most spectacular thing was the axeman competitions, in which men (actually with one woman) compete to chop a substantial log in half, whirling razor-sharp axes into vertical and horizontal logs. The top competition involved halving a log on top of about a three metre pole, up which they climbed by making notches in the trunk, inserting boards to stand on – and they had to do it attacking the log from two sides, so two climbs up the trunk. I’m not sure what H&S would make of it, but they certainly would be an attraction at any UK show – perhaps they already are. We did meet one guy who explained how he prepared his axe (which you could probably shave with); he said we have competitions in Europe and that he had trained a UK team which actually came 4th in an international competition. Time to see more of them, methinks. On to the sea and a meeting with a farming journalist in NZ. No reason why they shouldn’t know how impressed we are. Richard Rampton, NRBAS, Easton College
Day 3 some are flaking
Great news - some of our younger members met the coaches of the Zimbabwe Test team last night - there is an NZ/Zim Test in Napier - which led to them being rather late back to the hotel. Finding it locked, they decided, in good Norfolk manner, to enter via the fire escape. The hotel is charming, a model of Art Deco style built in the late 1930s - and rather confusing in its layout, especially, it appears, if approached by the fire escape, They got up to the first floor, but had no idea where they or their rooms were; at this point they made a desperate and ill-fated decision, and choosing a room at random, entered via the window. Very, very luckily for them, the occupant was at least one of our group. She was however very much less than amused, but it could have been worse and a potential international incident was thus narrowly avoided. What the said occupant did point out to these inefficient burglars was that the room keys in their pockets would also have opened the outside door of the hotel! Onward today to sale yards and onto a real farm, that of the President of Federated Farmers. We first saw him sell some draft 5-year old ewes for about the top price of the market - about £83/head. Our own resident expert reckoned sheep prices were similar to those at home; however the locals are pretty pleased, since they are nearly double prices last year when no-one had any keep. We then had the pleasure of seeing something, through the rain and low cloud, of his home property and discussing the agricultural scene in NZ further. One of the startling revelations was to hear that in the 1960s his father and uncle had cleared about 2,000 acres of bush by hand, with the eventual help of a bulldozer and some chain saws but initially without those - over a period of 20 years! I thought that was something that had happened in the 1860s, not in my lifetime. The result is amazing - a property with a bout 3,500 ewes plus replacements and 800 cattle. Currently it is up cattle and down sheep, but Kiwis react quickly to market signals. His cattle looked magnificent. Our discussions ranged over international finance and the influence of the Chinese to how such a farm might be developed in the future to make space for the next, (third) generation - familiar (apart from the Chinese) and in many ways shared problems between our group and our friendly and welcoming hosts. Richard Rampton NRBAS Easton College
Day 2 – still serious
Kiwi hospitality ensured that the motel was still open when we arrived and we left early so still haven’t seen a New Zealand country town – and won’t, if we stick to a crowded schedule. Today was spent at an agricultural training centre: Taratahi. I found it via the internet and it looked efficient and interesting. Good though their web site is, the reality is better. We met a number of staff from the CEO (no principals here!) to some of the stockmen and their commitment and enthusiasm shone through. They are not large in terms of students – about 140 residents on their main site, but they run a number of other sites where they run short courses so have about 2000 full-time equivalents per year. These are mainly 16 to 18 year old school leavers on a one-year course that is now being extended to two years. About a third of their students are girls. So far, so similar to a lot of our own ag. colleges. It is the resources that are different. They have 1,500 milking cows (and a new 47 a side herringbone parlour to go with one of the bigger herds). Sheep run into the several thousand and beef cattle in the hundreds. Of course they’ve got a lot of acres and they took us, in 4wd minibuses through some of their hill country. The beef cattle there looked wonderful and even at about 400m height, pastures were full of clover. Hills are steep and wild, mostly cleared with pockets of native timber in the really inaccessible bits. This was land cleared by early settlers, obviously all by hand: they were, and still are, a hardy people. What has struck us so far is the consistent messages that come from ministerial adviser down to trainer – an emphasis on the qualities of NZ agriculture and its products and their value to thee economy. There are issues of attracting quality into farming and making sure that schools recognise the opportunities for entrepreneurialism, for high technical skills and for good rewards, all within a great outdoor lifestyle. As we have all suspected, there is a high degree of professionalism among their managers and they can talk as technical as any Brit.. Little things catch us out. There was a discussion about condition scoring and the Kiwi said he wanted cows at about 4.5 before calving. Gasps all round. It then became clear that they have an 8 point scale, while we normally have 5. We missed the following visit completely – I don’t really know how the distances and journey times pan out, but we are blessed with Gavin the Driver who thinks about us and said that if we start earlier tomorrow, we can fit in the orchard trip; the orchard people are fine with that too – everything seems possible here – so and early start it will be! Richard Rampton, Norfolk Rural Business Advice Service Easton College
Serious stuff - day1
We've really got stuck into this study tour malarkey now - so much so that it nearly midnight in a New Zealand small-town motel and I am trying to collect my thoughts to write this blog. While my first reaction was about the isolation and distance, my second, after a day of briefings from MAF and Federated Farmers - followed, it has to be said, by a winery visit - has been one of admiration for the confidence, the get-up-and-go, the optimism of the NZ farmer and his supporters. As one who has helped local farmers with irrigation issues (mainly by getting them grants for reservoirs), it was fascinating to hear the President of Federated Farmers explain that 'water is New Zealand's oil'. They calculate that at the moment, good clean rain falls, stays clean and then 95% of it goes straight out to sea. In a world of population growth and climate change, that water is an abundant and available resource that only require harvesting before being used,as in the UK, for the production of increased (and increasingly demanded and valuable) food and energy products. This from a man who speaks to his Prime Minister frequently and meets him often. Our farmers looked rather jealous at that point. THe meeting at Fed Farmers followed one at MAF, where the Minister's special adviser and MAF's international specialist, gave us an informative breakdown and analysis of where farming is, where it's going and where it' has come from. Not surprisingly, the trauma of losing all state financial support in 1984 still runs deep in the agricultural psyche. Rather more surprising is the confidence that both farmers and ministry have in their belief that it was very good for farmers and that they now hold their heads high, getting hardly any government funding. This change has siopoed people farming for the grants and has encouraged much more entrepreneurial attitudes and actions. Once more than 40% of farm incomes came from the state; today that figure is 2% - and in the UK, perhaps about 30% today. Richard Rampton
We've arrived
Biosecurity: most livestock farms, especially pigs and poultry are pretty hot about it, but nationally it’s virtually a joke. When they suspend even elementary checks on visitors at airports, the chances of getting a few questions asked about whether someone’s got food or fruit with them must be nil. So it’s good to see a country that takes the health of its farms and forests very seriously indeed. Actually I was a bit worried that the influx of 14 farmers and a vet would jam up the New Zealand immigration process completely and felt sorry for the innocents further back in the queue, but it all went smoothly. The thing that struck me was that detailed questions were asked on a form, checked twice and more questions were asked at biosecurity stations that everyone had to pass through. By the end they were asking more about the tour – and then it transpired that one of the inspectors had actually worked at Easton College for a time. Anyway, we all got through and we are in Wellington, ready to meet MAF tomorrow. At least, we hope we will be – most of us are feeling the effect of the journey, but it’s nothing a good night’s sleep won’t cure. It is a long way, which gives all the more admiration not only for Captain Cook (he liked exploring and presumably didn’t mind) but also the waves of migrants that there have been since. It must have taken a long time by boat right until the 60s, I suppose – and there were a fair number of farmers in amongst them. Of course, on a clear day you do see a lot more from an aeroplane, and of places off the beaten track. For instance, I can confirm that Saskatchewan seems almost empty of people, but has a good snow covering on its fields (red milling wheat?); that the badlands of Montana look exactly like that – bad; and the Rockies lack the grandeur of the Alps but still seem very, ermmm, rocky. It wasn’t really that long ago that people were trying to find ways through and passes good enough for ox trains, as farmers (and gold diggers, literally) were drawn by the prospects of California. Many died in snow fields that were much like today’s. That’s a long way away now, and already the talk over dinner has turned, inevitably, to prices: of sheep; of land; of rents. We have noticed that white diesel is about 90p per litre – how do they do it? Those and many other questions will start to be explored tomorrow. Richard Rampton
A lot to do
We leave for New Zealand on Sunday. 'We' are a group of 18 from East Anglia, mostly farmers. We are going for an 11 day study tour, and its is all thanks to LandSkills East, who have given us a grant for this project. Land Skills East is run by Easton College, and has done some magnificent work in getting training going in the eastern region. They've sent people to more than a dozen foreign countries; they've provided bursaries to individuals so that they can go on specialised courses; and they've provided high level courses for thousands in a whole range of skills. Farming needs this imagination, innovation and commitment.
I'm going to report on our trip around North Island with this blog. We've a full programme, starting with briefings from the Ministry and Federated Farmers; visiting lots of farms; meeting Fonterra, the biggest farmer controlled business in the world; going to the research institute at Ruakura; and meeting even more farmers. It should be a lot of fun, but also a wonderful opportunity to see how the Kiwis feel after about 30 years with no subsidies and what that has done for land prices, careers and recruitment to the industry. They are seriously into climate change - and also into extension: that will be interesting.
Meanwhile life goes on. This week, American professor John Fetrow from Minnesota really made an audience of more than 50 dairy farmers think hard about their businesses. He is a rare combination of vet and economist and he challenged us on ways to overcome barriers - new ways of thinking for many, I'm sure.
Then yesterday with my Summit Group of leading farmers in the region to Adnams, the Suffolk brewers, to see their new anaerobic digestion plant and to hear the CEO, Andy Wood, explain how he saw development going in Suffolk and Norfolk. Collaborate, co-operate and keep the rivalry just to Norwich City and Ipswich Town seemed to be the main message. Lots of talk among the farmers about local food and about the potential of tourism. I must add that both these events were supported by LandSkills East - we'll miss them when they finish in June.
Now to check the tickets and the passport!
Richard Rampton
A New Start
Well, dear reader, here we go. Life should be full of new experiences and writing a blog is a new one for me - first time for everything and all that - except, by reputation, incest and Morris dancing, and actually I have tried Morris dancing!
So now it's blogging. I've noticed that bloggers are often ranters, so I'll start there and admit that while I love computers - spreadsheets are real magic and enormous fun - but I don't take happily to mobile phones: fiddly keyboards, screens which dim before you can read them, just picking them up when they ring seems to do something uncorrectable - and that's before we get to the very patchy cover here in Norfolk.
All that is bad enough and not calculated to endear one to the little brutes, but it is the silly behaviour that gets my goat. Fewer and fewer people seem to make an appointment and think that they then have to stick to it. It's all "I'll ring and confirm" or "Just ring and confirm in the morning, would you?". Well no, I won't thanks, and I don't need to. If I say I'll be there, I'll be there.
I was reminded of this when I had a call from New Zealand from a farmer to see if I really meant what I'd said in an e-mail to him. He seemed to be more reassured by a feeble mobile connection across goodness knows how many thousand miles than what I had said in a letter - but I suppose that's spam for you. Anyway, that's the rant over.
The reason behind this blog is that I am taking a group of 18, mostly farmers, mostly from Norfolk, on an 11 day study tour to New Zealand. It is of course going to be very studious, very busy, but also promises to be a lot of fun. I thought I'd like to share it with you and this seemed a good way of doing that. Stand by for stories, lessons, observations and oddities. We fly out on Sunday week, the 22nd. The Kiwis have been very welcoming and helpful to me in setting it all up. I will try to make it interesting for you.
Richard Rampton
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