It is technically autumn, but most of the country is still basking in summer. We are all feeling pretty pleased about that, but sheep and beef farmers’ grins are the widest reports Jon Morgan from the Dom Post. After three years of drought on the North Island’s east coast, its farmers are revelling in the greenness of their hills. And it’s the same all over – except for Northland, which is experiencing a drought for the first time in more than 10 years.

And even in Northland all is not lost. Farmers from further down the island are turning up at stock sales in Wellsford and Kaikohe to buy weaner steers at prices that will help lift sagging spirits. For dairy farmers, the joys of a green summer come mainly from less stress on their cows, although the slightly increased milk they are giving will mean a timely lift in profits in a high payout year. Fonterra reports milk flow is almost 2 per cent up on last year, despite the Northland drought, though a big contributor is the new South Island conversions.

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Textiles New Zealand has entered discussions with the Department of Conservation (DoC) and Animal Health Board to boost the number of possums commercially harvested for use in clothing manufacturing. The fur industry has criticised the departments in the past for limiting access to harvesting areas and poisoning animals, leaving them to die in the bush reports The NZ Herald.

Textiles New Zealand chief executive Elizabeth Tennet said there was the potential to increase the annual harvest from 1.7 million animals to more than 3 million – a move that would double the industry’s annual revenue to $200 million. The fur market was growing, both domestically and overseas, where possum fur was becoming more popular, she said.

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Young farm forester of the year Dean Martin shades his eyes and points up the gully to where a mob of sheep are sheltering from the Hawke’s Bay sun under a grove of kanuka trees reports The Dom Post. “Those trees have got to come out,” he says, uttering words that would make ardent conservationists weep. “The sheep stay under the kanuka for too long, creating a bare patch and piling up the manure, which then gets washed down into streams and ponds.”

His solution is to replace the kanuka with red alder, oak and plane trees. They will still provide shade, but with pruning it will be dappled to let sun in to keep grass growing and the sheep shifting throughout the day. In winter, they will lose their leaves and allow sunlight onto the pasture beneath.

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The battle to vanquish bovine tuberculosis (TB) from New Zealand is in top gear as infected herd numbers fell for the fifteenth consecutive year. Dr Paul Livingstone, Technical Manager for the Animal Health Board (AHB), says the drop in infection rates will allow for movement control boundary changes and a reduction in TB testing reports Scoop.

“Farmers throughout New Zealand will certainly reap the rewards from falling TB levels in cattle and deer,” says Dr Livingstone. “The success of the AHB’s vector control programme and the resulting drop in infected herd numbers means changes will be made to several special testing areas (STA). This in turn will lead to a reduction in TB testing schedules on more than 2,045 farms across New Zealand.

“What’s more, another 1,500 farmers no longer need to pre-movement test their animals before they sell or shift them The boundary reduction of four movement control areas will also generate significant benefits for farmers and farm managers in those areas. “The AHB is very proud to deliver some direct benefits to some of the 75,000 cattle and deer herds registered with the organisation.

“We have achieved this through proactive possum control, TB testing and stock movement monitoring. Yet none of it would have been possible without the help and cooperation of farmers. “While there is much good news to shout about, farmers and the AHB must remain vigilant as history has taught us some valuable lessons. Particularly when you consider TB infection rates peaked at more than 1,700 in the early 1990s.

 Scientists in the US have developed an antibody-based test for bovine tuberculosis (bTb) reports The Beef Site. The new multiplex antibody test is able to detect antibody activity to 25 antigens at one time, something that was previously not possible. The new test may one day replace the current skin and gamma interferon tissue culture tests.

Currently there is no effective treatment for bTb, so early diagnosis is critical. This new test can detect the disease faster and with great accuracy. Dr William Davis, professor in Washington State University’s Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology department said: “Our test can provide results in a matter of hours rather than days with current methods. It also has increased specificity and is highly sensitive, so there are fewer false positives.”

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A new welfare code for dairy cattle has been criticised by Federated Farmers for “confusing legal requirements with best recommended practices” reports The NZ Herald. Federated Farmers Dairy vice chairperson John Bluett says he is worried the new code could mean farmers are punished if the way they farm does not meet the recommendations.

The latest Animal Welfare (Dairy Cattle) Code of Welfare 2010 released last week consolidates a range of already existing documents. “It’ll be fine if it’s used as a training guide for stockmanship, then it would help, ” said Bluett.

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A new product unveiled in Hanmer last week will make bulls less aggressive and destructive, according to The Vet Centre’s Pete Anderson. BOPRIVA, a vaccine which reduces testosterone in bulls for about three months, was released last Thursday after trials throughout NZreports The Marlborough Express.

Mr Anderson said one property in Marlborough had experimented with the product early last year with good results. “Everyone who we’ve talked to has been really excited,” he said. The vaccine temporarily knocked out a pituitary hormone that stimulated testosterone production, he said. It was developed because farmers and vets needed a way to calm bulls down.

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New Zealand farmers and vets will be the first in the world to benefit from Simcro’s revolutionary new safety injector, Sekurus TM, which allows operators to administer one handed subcutaneous (under the skin) injections, keeping their hands clear of the injection site reports Scoop.

“The Sekurus injector has a radically different design. It features a patented ‘self-tenting’ needle guard and two-step mechanism that allows the operator to tent the animal’s skin and deliver the vaccine in a one-handed action. This means the other hand can be kept away from the injection site virtually eliminating the risk of accidental self-injection,” explains Simcro director and manager of research and development Rod Walker.

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In the lead feature of the latest edition of the National Farming Review, currently being posted to Federation members, Fed Farmers has laid down the gauntlet to anti-1080 groups. “1080 works but the growing mythology about it doesn’t,” says Don Nicolson, President .

“The article in the summer edition of the National Farming Review was independently written by ecological journalist Dave Hansford. He makes it very clear that unless we want to kiss our economy and native fauna and flora goodbye, then 1080 is the tool to use. “Most importantly, he debunks the lies, half-truths and pseudo science used by 1080 opponents. It seems they are forced into making ever more outrageous claims, so by putting the facts forward, we have given our members the resources to counter with fact reports Scoop.

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Prevention using zinc oxide is the best plan of attack on facial eczema, according to Agri-feeds Technical Manager, Andrew Oakley. Oakley says preventing animals getting facial eczema depends on reducing the intake of toxic pastures, or on regularly dosing animals – a proven method of reducing the effects of the toxin, sporidesmin. ‘Trials have consistently shown zinc oxide to be highly effective at absorbing the sporidesmin toxin thus preventing its effects in ruminant animals reports The Gisborne Herald.

Oakley explains that while fungicides are an alternative to controlling the development of spores in pasture, the active ingredient Carbendazim only prevents the germination of spores – it does not kill the fungal colonies that produce the spores.’Carbendazim also kills off beneficial fungal life in pastures thus affecting the chemical composition and quality of the pasture, as well as significantly reducing the soil worm population.

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