Latest news with #farming
RNZ News
5 hours ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Dairy farmers explore beefier genetics with US cattle rancher
Lee Leachman from Wyoming was talking to New Zealand farmers about capitalising on global beef prices. Photo: supplied A longtime Hawke's Bay bull breeder says dairy farmers are knocking on his door in search of a new source of revenue. Jeremy Absolom farms a large herd with multiple breeds across nearly 2000 hectares with his brothers at the Rissington settlement northwest of Napier. Supplying sheep and beef farmers with bulls and semen has been the farm's bread and butter going back generations. These days large dairy operators are a growing chunk of the Rissington Cattle Company's business. Jeremy Absolom, a bull breeder in Hawke's Bay, out in the paddock at the Rissington Cattle Company. Photo: supplied This week Absolom ran a seminar in Canterbury to show farmers the results of using beef semen to breed with dairy cows. The speaker was the leading American rancher Lee Leachman, of Leachman Cattle in Wyoming. Leachman said it's a "significant source of revenue" in the United States and initial results from New Zealand are promising. "I remarked to the group that in the United States the day old beef on dairy calf is worth well over US$1200 per calf. Everyone was just shocked," Leachman said. Beef-cross calves are generally more valuable than straightbred dairy calves, especially when sold for beef. Jeremy Absolom pictured in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle at the site of the destroyed Rissington Bridge. Photo: RNZ / Maja Burry "There was a fair bit of opinion that they'd be hard pressed to get them to perform as beef-cross calves. But the results we saw this week were promising. They looked to be quite valuable," Leachman said. Absolom said the Rissington breeding operation was a trailblazer integrating beef to dairy in the 1990s. On a visit to the US this year he said it was interesting to hear how the industry talks about it. "In the United States it's coined as a co-product, rather than a by product." Meanwhile back in Hawke's Bay on the farm at Rissington, Absolom said he's grateful for the strong market as the business continues its recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle. They lost cattle yards, a wool shed and accommodation buildings. The river valley was covered in thick layers of silt and the Rissington bridge was washed out as the river gave way. He said it's been a slow and steady recovery. And a lift in demand from a more traditional source of income has also come at the right time. "Traditional beef farmers have been over the last few years lifting the beef part of their business as a share of their overall stocking rates," Absolom said. Lee Leachman and Daniel Absolom at Rissington. Photo: supplied "They're down in their sheep numbers and up in their beef moving towards 50:50 rather than in some cases what was once as high as 80:20 in favour of sheep." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
13 hours ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Rule changes about chores children can do on farms misunderstood, Federated Farmers says
Wayne and Tyler Langford. Photo: Frank Film / supplied People have misunderstood the government's announcement regarding the threshold for light chores that children can do on farms, Federated Farmers says. On Tuesday Labour ridiculed the government's consultation with the agricultural sector after Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden's announcement included the examples collecting eggs and watering plants. In the announcement, van Velden said one proposed change was to amend the General Risk Regulations to make it clear that young people could safely take part in light chores on family farms . "We'll be consulting with farmers and the agriculture sector on the thresholds for light chores children can do on farms, like collecting eggs, feeding small animals and watering plants, while ensuring safety is not compromised. "I expect higher-risk activities such as being near heavy machinery like a hay baler will remain off-limits. As children grow older, they'll be able to undertake more complex tasks with supervision and training, such as driving a tractor." Federated Farmers New Zealand president Wayne Langford said farmers had been calling for clarity on the rules. "Taking a closer look at these rules is really important, so it's disappointing a lot of people have gotten the wrong end of the stick," Langford said. "The government aren't trying to add layers of bureaucracy or wrap farm kids up in cotton wool. They're actually trying to do the exact opposite of what's been portrayed in the media so far. "This is all about making sure health and safety rules are practical, common sense, and easy to understand - and Federated Farmers absolutely welcome that conversation." He said the examples given by van Velden were unfortunate and concerns related to situations where children could be harmed, such as around large stock, heavy machinery and quad bikes. "What she was saying was that, 'Hey, let's look at the roles that kids can play on farm and some of those that maybe should be avoided'. "For example, on my farm I keep my young children out of the milking shed. It's a dangerous place for the kids to be. It's a place where they could be kicked or harmed." In a statement, van Velden said the government was proposing making it clear that children could safely take part in "light chores" on family farms - but she expected higher-risk activities involving heavy machinery would remain off-limits. Farmers had told her they wanted the law to recognise that the farm was both their workplace and home, she said. Langford said the current health and safety rules for farmers had gone "way too far" and were unnecessarily confusing for smaller family-owned farming operations. "We're talking about small mum and dad type businesses which might only employ one or two staff members. "They're certainly not big corporates with a health and safety manager on staff. "They're hands-on farmers who actually spend their days farming rather than sitting in an office. That's why it's so important these rules are practical and easy to understand." He said confusion about health and safety obligations meant some farmers no longer allowed children on the farm like they would have in the past, for fear of falling foul of the law. "There's something very special about growing up on a farm and having that classic rural childhood many farmers enjoyed themselves," Langford said. He said his own son was very good at reading stock because he'd grown up around them and spent so much time by his father's side on the farm. "That's the childhood I had, and my own kids have had something similar, but I think we're at risk of losing that kind of upbringing if we don't get these rules right." Langford said preserving that traditional rural Kiwi upbringing, while still keeping kids safe, was what was trying to be achieved. Labour's workplace relations and safety spokesperson Jan Tinetti said the government was focusing on a non-existent problem and her colleague Kieran McAnulty questioned the rationale and said he "wouldn't have thought" it was an issue. "It's pretty common knowledge if an egg is covered in poo, you don't lick it. Wash your hands afterwards, what's the problem?" McAnulty said. But Langford said collecting eggs and watering plants was "not really what we're talking about here". "The fact those are the talking points the minister was provided with by bureaucrats tells you everything you need to know about why we need to get Wellington out of farming," Langford said. "In reality, we're talking about things like feeding calves, shifting stock, or helping mum and dad hose down the shed after milking - perfectly safe everyday farming activities." He said Federated Farmers looked forward to engaging in the consultation process. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Telegraph
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Jeremy Clarkson faces culling his beloved cows after TB outbreak
Jeremy Clarkson may face culling his beloved cows after his farm was hit with an outbreak of TB. The former Top Gear host, 65, revealed the latest blow to his Oxfordshire Diddly Squat farm on Thursday, saying he was 'absolutely devastated'. Announcing the news on X, Clarkson said: 'Bad news from Diddly Squat. We've gone down with TB. Everyone here is absolutely devastated.' Bovine tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease of cattle and badgers which often results in the culling of every animal that tests positive. Culling an entire herd has been described as 'one of the most distressing things that farmers will go through' by Thérèse Coffey, the former environment secretary. Clarkson later clarified on X: 'I should clear this up really. It's Bovine TB that we have. It doesn't affect people, just our poor cows.' Responding to someone who said they hoped his herd recovered soon, he simply said: 'They have to be culled. It's the law.' It marks the latest blow to the running of Clarkson's 1,000-acre farm, which he has been documenting through the hit Amazon series Clarkson's Farm as he tries to make the business profitable. Responding to a well-wisher who said he hoped Clarkson's new prize-winning Aberdeen Angus bull, Endgame, would be spared, the broadcaster said: 'His test was 'inconclusive'. I couldn't bear it if we lost him.' The TV presenter introduced Endgame to his herd of seven cows at Diddly Squat with high hopes of producing new calves, but things did not go to plan for him in the latest series. He grows increasingly confused as the prized bull shows little interest in the female cows, prompting Clarkson to quip: 'He's gone the wrong way. 'Seven ladies and he's not even bothered. Now they're chasing him. Why are they chasing him? Why did the cow just mount the bull? Do you get gay cows?' He also revealed that the offending animal which caused the spread of TB on the farm, believed to be a cow, 'is pregnant with twins'. Some 40,000 cattle are culled every year as a result of bovine TB infection, causing devastation to farmers. More than 21,000 animals were killed due to a TB incident in England between April 2024 and March this year. Last year, the presenter turned farmer was visited by police after activists reported blocked badger setts on his land, which is illegal under UK wildlife law. He insisted that his defence was that he had shot all the badgers, which spread TB on farms, under licence. He wrote at the time: 'Mercifully, however, I had the perfect excuse: 'I've shot all the badgers on the farm so why would I want to fill in their setts?' And yes, before you ask, it was all legal.' Clarkson has previously ranted on the show about the threat of TB for his cattle from the 'b------d badgers'. 'These are not nice animals. Do not be fooled by Brian May. This is what badgers do. This is how much heartache they're causing to people who've worked for generations to build up a farm that's been wiped out by badgers,' he said in 2023. Sir Brian May, the Queen guitarist, has previously argued that badgers are not responsible for the spread of TB among cattle. He has launched a high-profile campaign to stop a badger cull for more than a decade, which has turned him into a villain in some farming communities. Clarkson has discussed their role in spreading TB to cattle on the show, with one scene in the second series showing him explain that cows are at risk of contracting the disease due to the presence of badgers on the farm. 'If you want to make a popular show you have to say, 'Oh, look at the little cuddly-wuddly badgers,'' Clarkson previously wrote. However, he added: 'But I thought: no, it's a farming show, and you'd lose your core audience, the farmers, if you went around, saying, 'Look at these sweet little animals'. So, I actually called them b-------ds and showed people what they actually do. It's truthful.' Clarkson bought the Diddly Squat Farm in 2008, but it was run by a villager until his retirement in 2019, after which the veteran broadcaster decided to see if he could run it himself. Over the years he has faced numerous challenges, including bad weather damaging crops, piglets being accidentally squashed to death by their mothers and planning battles with his council over the building of a restaurant.
CBC
13 hours ago
- Business
- CBC
This N.L. cranberry farmer stuck it out through tough times, and now hopes to harvest the benefits
A decade ago, the cranberry farming business was something of a darling for the Newfoundland and Labrador government, getting big bucks and support. Now, after all that funding has long since dried up, the province's remaining farmers are still trying to make a go of it. In 2014, there were 15 cranberry farms in operation in the province. It looked like the industry was poised for a boom. Federal and provincial governments allotted more than $12 million to develop farms under the Cranberry Industry Development Program, a five-year program established in 2008. But a 2015 auditor general report found only $5 million of those funds had been spent as intended and there was a lack of oversight. There are now nine cranberry farms in the province, one of which is run by Cory Reid of Recon Development Farm in Bishop's Falls. "When we started this," he said, "It was supposed to be good because the price was decent, but then once we got to harvest, the price dropped significantly for five, six years. So it was a struggle for a lot of people in a few years, but it's on the rebound again now." Those who stuck with cranberry farming are now starting to see the results, he said, adding it can take five to six years from planting to when first harvest is ready. "So you get years of maintaining weeds and water and fertilizer. And so it takes a lot of time to get going. But once it's here, now they'll be here 150 years or longer," said Reid. There have been some other challenges for Newfoundland and Labrador's cranberry farmers since government support dried up. The farmers previously sold their little tart berries to Indian Bay Frozen Foods, which would sell overseas, but the owner decided to leave the industry. The farmers then came together as a co-operative to buy the company, forming Cran-Pac Foods in 2019, which is based in Centreville-Wareham-Trinity. Cran-Pac Foods manager Darlene Gover is also optimistic that things are set to change. "I think we've come a long way since 2014. In 2014, the owners were still just farmers. It was nowhere near our volumes," said Gover. Previously with Indian Bay Frozen Foods, their largest amount of cranberry was 600,000 pounds. This year, she estimates it will be just short of three million pounds. "This will be our best year," said Gover. Through Cran-Pac Foods, Reid said Newfoundland and Labrador cranberries are sold to buyers in places like Germany, China and Chile. "We sell some to Newfoundland, a few bakeries and stuff, and Purity," Reid said, but the majority is exported. Gover said the export business is doing well, but she'd like to see more cranberries sold in the province. It can be a challenge to get people to try the tart berry, though. "Cranberry is not like tasting a blueberry," she said. She'd also like to see Cran-Pac Foods open its own processing plant in the province.
Times
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Times
Jeremy Clarkson reveals his Diddly Squat Farm hit by TB outbreak
Bovine tuberculosis has been discovered at Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire, Jeremy Clarkson has said. Clarkson, 65, said the tuberculosis (TB) was found in a cow pregnant with two calves. Infected animals are often destroyed to stop the disease spreading. The TV presenter wrote on X: 'Bad news from Diddly Squat. We've gone down with TB. Everyone here is absolutely devastated.' He added: 'The offending animal is pregnant with twins.' Jeremy Clarkson previously said badgers 'cause heartache' to farmers One fan asked whether Endgame, his prize-winning Aberdeen Angus bull, had been infected. Clarkson said Endgame's test was 'inconclusive', adding: 'I couldn't bear it if we lost him.' Clarkson had previously discussed the threat posed by bovine TB on his show Clarkson's Farm. In one scene, he was told the presence of badgers at Diddly Squat put his cattle at risk of contracting TB. One of the badgers on the farm had tested positive for the bacteria which causes the disease. He said: 'These are not nice animals. They cause heartache to people who've worked for generations to build up a farm.' Clarkson was reported to have been visited by police after claims by activists he had filled in badger setts at the farm. The presenter told officers that he had actually shot the animals legally under licence. In 2023 Clarkson's farm assistant, Kaleb Cooper, said that three of his own 21 dairy cows had contracted bovine TB. At the time, Cooper said: 'I don't really know how to describe the emotion. I know it's not all my cows, but it's hard. It's not good. 'Three reactors, so we've therefore got to test again in two months' time. That's three cows we've lost that are milking.'
