The weaning decision has a big influence on the year’s lamb cheque. Decisions include whether to take an early draft, keep twins on the ewe longer or sell some lambs store.

Meat & Wool New Zealand’s Fact Sheet Lactation, lamb growth and the weaning decision outlines the biology behind ewe production and lamb growth before and after weaning. For example, milk supply peak, the rate of decline and how much faster singles grow than twins. It suggests what should be monitored during lactation and how to protect ewe condition for next season, while optimising profit per lamb.

The future direction of the wool industry will be the focus of a meeting called by Agriculture Minister David Carter. Leading wool sector representatives will meet with the Minister in Wellington on 1 October to discuss concerns about the state of the industry reports Scoop.  Mr Carter said that the dumping of the wool levy in the recent Meat & Wool New Zealand referendum has left the sector in a vulnerable position.

“This meeting is not about re-litigating past differences. It is an opportunity for the invited representatives to work together constructively on the future role of their industry.  “The implications of not having a national industry-good body acting for them from April next year are serious and need to be urgently dealt with,” Mr Carter said.

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This Meat & Wool NZ  brief 143 outlines best practice recommendations for establishing and managing lucerne. Lucerne provides quality feed, which it retains through dry periods and/or late summer when grasses are wilting or losing quality. It has been successfully used for growing young cattle, sheep and deer at fast growth rates and for ewes during tupping and lactation.

In-market prices for lamb and beef are expected to remain solid in the coming year, and exchange rates are likely to have the greatest impact on farm-gate returns, according to M&WNZ’s New Season Outlook for 2009-10. M&W Economic Service Executive Director, Rob Davison says despite the weakened global economy, the good retail and wholesale lamb prices achieved in the last year look set to remain though the recession places a ceiling on beef prices, especially in the North Asia and European markets. There may be slight firming of in-market wool prices, which saw a significant drop last year, particularly for medium and fine wool.

Mr Davison says uncertainty in the global economy, and the timing and strength of New Zealand’s economic recovery make it extremely difficult to forecast where the New Zealand dollar will go over the next year and how farm-gate returns will be affected. 

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M&WNZ has finalised its levy proposal for sheep and beef farmers after an extensive consultation process that began in April this year. Chairman, Mike Petersen said he believed farmers would see that the organisation had listened and responded appropriately to many of the concerns raised in the consultation round. Importantly, the proposal has been unanimously supported by all directors reports Scoop. Farmers told us that they are prepared to invest in their industry, and there was strong support for the activity areas discussed in the consultation round. However there were some caveats alongside this support, including the need for increased funding from companies in market development, and also a plan to access the Government funded Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) where matching funding is available to accelerate innovation programmes.

“There was widespread recognition of the lack of a sector strategy and farmers have asked us to take a leading role in ensuring that this work is completed. Farmers are feeling more confident about sheep and beef returns for the coming season, but they want us to do further work alongside the companies to ensure these better returns are captured and secured over a longer period of time.” The final proposal reflects concerns raised by farmers in the consultation round that the levy ranges contemplated in the discussion document were too high and would not be supported.

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Pressure from farmers has prompted M&WNZto reduce its proposed levy increase to fund the producer board’s activities reports The ODT. M&WNZ chairman Mike Petersen said his board had listened to more than 2000 farmers at 68 consultation meetings around the country and would propose a lower levy to farmers at the end of this month. The board proposed nearly doubling levies to between $5.50 to $6 a head for cattle and 60c-80c a head for sheep, but the clear message from farmers was they wanted a smaller increase, he said in an interview yesterday. Mr Petersen said while returns for sheep in particular were high at present, there was little confidence those levels would continue. The proposed levy level would meet the true cost of the board’s activities without outside funding, he said.

There was farmer support for the board to continue to lobby for market access, skills education and information gathering by its Economic Service. However, farmers felt meat exporters should meet more of the cost of market development. “That’s a challenge we’ve got. We want to address farmer concerns and we are working on a couple of things to address that.” Southland farmer Murray Turner has put forward an alternative proposal in which the board’s focus would be one of solely funding and overseeing research and development projects which met strict criteria.

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M&WNZ is calling for applications for funding for the Wool Enterprise Programme, which aims to help entrepreneurial wool businesses lay the platform for growth. The Wool Enterprise Programme is a funding initiative that was developed by the Wool Industry Network before it ceased operations, and will be overseen and managed by M&WNZ. “The programme is aimed at market-driven smaller wool industry initiatives from New Zealand farmer grower groups and manufacturers with strong links to farmer groups,” says M&WNZ Chief Executive Officer Dr Scott Champion.

Businesses may apply for up to $100,000 of funding. This funding must be matched 50:50 with funding from the applicant group. “The Wool Enterprise Programme is not designed to fund promotional projects. Instead, it offers general business mentoring and skills development and helps companies access industry networks. The focus is on improving returns to wool growers through developing general business capabilities, industry knowledge, and strategic and market planning skills. “The objective is to help produce sustainable and high performing companies that are ready to attract investment and achieve international success.”

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Dairy production in NZ may be reduced by 5%, costing the economy $650 million annually, and allowing other countries to fill the gap in global supply risking further global emissions growth, unless the existing Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is altered. Fonterra CEO Andrew Ferrier, presenting the dairy co-operative’s submission to the Emissions Trading Scheme Review Select Committee, said that global emissions would increase if a greater proportion of dairy products is produced by countries where production is less carbon efficient than NZ .

“If the NZ dairy sector is exposed to an emissions price before our competitors and before cost-effective technology is developed to help us reduce emissions from the dairy supply chain, its international competitiveness will be compromised, allowing less greenhouse gas-efficient producers in other countries to fill the gap in global supply. “What is the point in NZ losing out economically for no potential global atmospheric gain?”

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There appears little farmer support for M&WNZ to levy crossbred wool growers to promote the fibre. Chair Mike Petersen said farmer reaction at the first of the organisation’s referendum road shows this week was quite strong they did not want the producer board funding promotion reports The ODT. Mr Petersen said the message was clear that should be the role of commercial companies, which should provide marketing and promotion by levying those that supplied them wool. “The best way for farmers to pay a marketing fee was to the company with whom they are transacting, such as happens with New Zealand Merino.

But the trouble is we are seeing few commercial initiatives in that direction.” He said there was widespread concern about the perilous financial state of the wool industry and the slow speed with which it was reorganising itself. Comment had also been passed at how Elders Primary Wool and Wool Partners International were following separate paths, but with a similar strategy of linking wool users to growers through contracted supply.

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Industry representatives from Meat and Wool will take their emissions trading scheme concerns to a Government select committee today, using a Southland farmer’s plight as their case study reports The Southland Times. Taramoa sheep and beef farmer David Marshall shares the opinion of M&WNZ and the MIA that including livestock emissions in the scheme, when no other country does, places the sector at risk. Mr Marshall said the cost of paying for his emissions would equate to an extra $43,000 a year from about 2017 onwards.

The alternative would be to plant enough trees to offset his carbon footprint but, because of the unsuitable growing conditions near the coast, he would have to plant enough pine to cover half his 247ha property, he said. “When we worked it all out, we saw the credits Meridian (Energy) has to purchase were only 70% more than our own industrial property. I would like to see the Government giving more guidance to farmers and everyone else on how to reduce emissions, rather than simply penalising those who pollute.”

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