A Weekend on the Farm

This weekend Bree and I took a trip to the hill country and spent the weekend at Mt. Huia Farmstay. A farmstay is like a bed and breakfast but is located on a farm and in this case we stayed in a separate cottage. The Mt. Huia Farmstay is located just 9 km away from Managaweka which is about 1 hours drive North of Palmerston.

We first drove up to Taihape which is renowned for its gumboots and holds a gumboot throwing competition every year. We had lunch and in keeping with the town theme Bree bought a pair of gumboots. Unfortunately I couldn’t find anything suitable in my size, none of the pretty boots came in a women’s 11. There was a bull riding event taking place but Bree decided that it sounded “too dangerous” to watch and so we headed out to Mt. Huia.

Our hosts, Virginia and Neil, had put us in Hodd Cottage which is a 3 bedroom house located just down the road from their home. Virginia gave us a large basket of food for breakfast and Bree and I went off to explore the cottage and surrounding area. The cottage was lovely, with its own fenced yard full of flowers, a large kitchen and a back deck that looks out onto the surrounding fields. We had chickens that we could feed and one that kept trying to get into the kitchen! Best of all the cottage had a very large bathtub! Since we arrived in New Zealand we have only had showers (not Bree’s favourite) so it was a nice treat to be able to soak in a bath.

From the cottage it is a short hike down through a nearby pine plantation to the river. We hiked down and spent some time walking along the river bank. Then we went to visit the sheep and chickens and finished the afternoon with a game of croquet in the back yard.

The next morning Neil took us on a tour of the farm. For me this was the highlight of the weekend as I have been spending too much time reading papers about farming in New Zealand and not enough time out in the field. Neil loaded up the dogs (must have been 6-7 of them) into a trailer hooked behind the quad and off we went. Bree decided to ride with the dogs – brave girl! Neil took us up into the hills behind the house were they have both sheep and beef cattle grazing. They run Dorset/ Romney cross sheep which bring in income both from wool production and from meat production. They have angus based cattle that they raise through to finish. They also own some land closer to Palmerston that they use more for finishing of the cattle as it is lower in elevation and has a slightly different growing season.

The hill country is all dryland agriculture (no irrigation) but it is still relatively lush compared to what we would see at home. In New Zealand almost all of the grassland areas that you see on the North Island are actually what we call pastures as they are not natural grasslands and they are all mainly agronomic species. These areas would all be native brush but most of these areas were logged and then burned and now grazing pressure as well as fertilization maintains them as open pastures instead of dense shrub/ forest. One of the main forage species is ryegrass and this is mixed with other grasses and clovers.

Fertilization of these pastures is done aerially and depending on the terrain some cultivation and resowing of grasses can be done. In some of the flatter fields Neil plants a Brassicaceae species that makes good forage for the sheep and can be used in rotation with the other pastures; in the fall that will get plowed under and sown back into grass. The regrowth is fairly rapid and these areas can be grazed year round although growth slows substantially in the winter months. This allows for the use of smaller pastures and more rapid rotation between them. The mix of cattle and sheep works well as the different animals select a slightly different set of species.

Neil put us to work and we were able to help muster sheep. I have worked with cattle but sheep are a little different. We herded one group into a different pasture and then we brought a group of younger lambs into the corral area to drench them (basically give them medicine to deal with intestinal worms). Bree was right in the chute helping out and asking a steady stream of questions like only a 6 year old can. We also separated two bulls out from a pasture of cows. You can tell the animals are used to be worked with and they were easy to handle with a pretty small “flight zone”.

It was great fun and it gave me a chance to see some of the farm and to talk with Neil about the farm, the sheep and beef industry in New Zealand and agriculture in New Zealand in general. I am now starting to develop a list of similarities but also of key differences between our two countries in our approach to cattle farming and in agriculture in general. The trend of declining farm numbers but the increase in larger farms is happening here as is the fact that the age of farmers continues to rise (the average age in Canada according to the last census is in the 50s). If young people don’t move in to take over the farms who will farm these areas in the future? Will farming be all big business? It is hard to tell but the similarities are there.

After the tour we stopped by some blackberry bushes and had a nice snack before heading back to the cottage to pack-up and drive home. I  was brave enough to take the back road route home and it was a beautiful drive. I still find the steep drop-offs along some of the roads a bit unnerving but as I get used to driving on the left side it is becoming a little easier. We arrived home in time to do the Sunday grocery shopping and get organized for the week ahead. We both thoroughly enjoyed our weekend away and I highly recommend the Mt. Huia Farmstay for anyone interested in a little country relaxation.

Tramping in NZ

Well I finally made it out tramping! Just to be clear tramping means hiking and is a popular hobby here in New Zealand. In fact Palmerston North has two different tramping clubs and on any given week you can find at least three different tramps to go on. For me this has been a wonderful way to finally get out and see some of the trails and many huts that exist all over New Zealand.

My first tramp was to Herepai Hut which is in the Tararua Ranges just south of Palmerston North. I went out with a group of about 20 others from the Manawatu Tramping and Skiing Club. The group has a 12 seater van so we all meet and then carpool from a central location in Palmy. Luckily for me the meeting location is only a five minute walk from my flat.

The drive out to the area took slightly over an hour but gave me a chance to meet some of the people in the group. Everyone out was experienced hikers and knew the local area well. The day was hot but the majority of the hike was through forest and so we were well shaded. On the way to the hut we had to cross two swing bridges which are narrow wire bridges and you can only go one person at a time. The second bridge was so long that it generally took each person more than a minute to cross it. This was a bit of a bottle neck but we took this opportunity to have morning tea. I love tramping in New Zealand as they insist on morning tea, lunch and then afternoon tea! In fact I think I consumed more calories then I burned.

The Herepai hut is quite a small and basic hut. It was the first hut I have visited here so it gave me a general idea of what to expect. If you plan to overnight at a hut you need to take all your own supplies (sleeping bag, cooking utensils, food, even stove). It is also a good idea to bring a tent in case the hut is full.

Just as we arrived at the hut a helicopter flew over and then landed in a small clearing in the brush nearby. There were two people from the Department of Conservation, which is the government organization that takes care of the trails and huts, and they were there to do some basic hut maintenance.  Some of the group stayed at the hut for lunch but I went on with a smaller group to the top of a nearby hill. The hut sits at tree line so you don’t have much of a view but if you hike up above you can then see more of the range and also down the valley below.

The day was beautiful, clear and not windy, so you could stand on the ridge without being blown over (which is rare I am told). After a nice lunch break we headed back down. I was able to learn some of the plant names and even found a large native grass which looks like Pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana or Cortaderia jubata) but is in fact Toi Toi (Cortaderia toetoe). Pampas grass is considered a noxious weed here and given their island location they have many invasive species that they are struggling to deal with.

I thoroughly enjoyed my day out and was glad to finally get to see some of the country on foot rather than from a car window. The group was wonderful and a learned a lot about the area and also about other topics of interest, specifically agriculture in New Zealand. I am already signed up for next week’s tramp which will be further south on the way to Wellington and give me an opportunity to see a little more of the country.

Greenhouse Gas Conference

On Feb 22 I was able to attend the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre Annual Conference which was held in Palmerston North. This was the first annual conference as the NZ Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC) only opened last year and so the focus of the conference was on highlighting some of the progress made in this first year. For me it was a wonderful opportunity to find out more about the specific research projects but also to get a better perspective of the role agriculture plays in NZ and also how this fits into government and industry programs.

The morning started with opening remarks from Honourable David Carter, the Minister of Agriculture and then an interesting talk about the globalisation of science which was given by Sir Dr. Peter Gluckman, Chief Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of NZ.  John Hutchings from Fonterra (the largest dairy company in NZ) gave a global perspective on GHG emissions from ruminant livestock and outlined some of the work Fonterra was doing to reduce their carbon footprint. It was interesting to note that in terms of carbon emissions in the NZ dairy sector 85% are coming from on farm, 10% from processing and only 5% from distribution. I had always thought distribution would have a fairly large emission footprint but it seems the focus needs to be on reducing emissions at the farm level if we really want to make a large impact.

A good portion of the day focused on the current research of the NZAGRC with Dr. Harry Clark giving an overview of the first year and how the current funding was being allocated. I found it interesting that the centre is 100% government funded with $50 million being allocated over a 10 year contract period. Dr. Peter Janssen from AgResearch updated us on the current work in methane mitigation and did a wonderful job at taking the science of methanogenic genomics and making it understandable to the lay person. Professor Hong Di from Lincoln University spoke about nitrous oxide and specifically the success they have had with DCD, a nitrate inhibitor that can be applied to the soil and has shown rates of over 50% reduction in nitrous oxide emissions from cattle urine patches. I was surprised to learn the level of nitrous oxide emissions from these urine patches. In NZ this is the main contribution to nitrous oxide emissions from the agriculture sector and as most animals (dairy, beef and sheep) are on a free range pasture system the impact is significant. Professor Jacqueline Rowarth from Massey University tackled the soil carbon issue and gave an insightful view on the perceptions and prospects of soil carbon in the NZ context.

The second half of the day consisted of a series of speakers from government and ranged from the more local policy all the way up to international policy. Paul Stocks, Deputy Director General from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests (MAF) outlined some of the challenges NZ is facing in the agriculture sector and what some of the MAF initiatives are. Dr. Gerald Rys, Senior Scientist, Climate Change Group, also from MAF, discussed sustainable land management and the current climate change programme. Laura Hogg, MAF, outlined what the Global Research Alliance on Agriculture Greenhouse Gases is and gave a view of their future goals. This alliance was driven by NZ and was formed to bring countries together to increase food production while decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. Currently 31 countries have joined this completely voluntary alliance, Canada being one of these. This group is not part of the climate change group but is more of a partnership that allows sharing of information and working globally to come up with solutions to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agricultural production. One of the key pieces being you can’t mitigate what you can’t measure, thus one of the focuses being on inventories and measurement of GHG. Jo Tyndall, NZ Climate Change Ambassador, gave us a glimpse at the International Climate Change Negotiations from Copenhagen through Cancun to what is on the table for next year. It was a fascinating look into policy negotiations and frankly if we complain that science is difficult we should probably spend some time in international negotiations! The talks for the day were summarized by Rod Oram in his presentation titled “Food for Thought”.

The day gave me a much clearer picture of agriculture in New Zealand and the large role it plays in GHG emissions. Unlike most other developed countries NZ is still an agrarian primary economy. If you look at pie charts from most developed countries the majority of GHG emissions will come from the energy sector but in NZ the main source of GHG emissions come from the agricultural sector. So for example, in Canada approximately 10% of GHG emissions come from the agricultural sector (number varies depending on source and year of data) while in NZ this number jumps to close to 50%. Meanwhile in 2005 the estimate is that 82% of Canada's GHG emissions came from the energy sector.

In NZ agriculture makes up approximately 50% of the total merchandisable exports and so is a major part of their economy. The market that New Zealand is targeting is exporting high quality food to the mid to high income brackets. Given their small size and their remote island location this can be a challenge but they feel they have the technology and ability to continue to increase food production while decreasing GHG emissions and minimizing environmental impacts. This will be a challenge as they move forward but the agriculture sector does receive strong government and industry support in funding research in these areas (much  more so than in Canada). Through-out the conference people kept referring to the estimate that by 2050 the population will have increased to 9 billion and our global demand for food will have doubled. NZ hopes to position themselves to help and supply food globally to this ever growing population.

I could go on and on about agriculture here and the role it plays but I will leave that discussion for another blog. Suffice it to say I found the conference extremely informative and it also gave me the opportunity to meet people from research, government and industry. I plan to follow up with these contacts and hope to further expand my understanding of the complex situation that they face in NZ with GHG and with agriculture in general.

The Christchurch Earthquake

Based on the amount of emails I have received enquiring if Bree and I are ok I decided I should really post some information about the earthquake on the blog. The quake hit Christchurch at 12:51pm on Tues (Feb 22) and although it was smaller in magnitude than the September one it was shallow and so the damage caused was much more severe. The quake in September had caused damage but no fatalities – unfortunately it is a different story with this one. At current count I believe 72 people are confirmed dead and many still are missing. The central business district (CBD) was the hardest hit and entire buildings have been reduced to piles of rubble. As it happened in the middle of the working day this area was full of people.

Christchurch is on the South Island and so here in Palmerston North (North Island) we did not feel anything. I was at a conference at the time of the quake and they made the announcement to the audience just during the start of the afternoon session. Many people at the conference were from the Christchurch area and so people were trying to get hold of friends and family. Phone contact was difficult but slowly a picture of the devastation became clear.

Many people here in Palmerston have friends or family in Christchurch. At Bree’s school they held an assembly on the Wednesday to talk about the earthquake. This has made a huge impression on Bree who has been asking non-stop questions about earthquakes. Their school is collecting food today and by this afternoon a plane full of food will be going to Christchurch. We went to the store and bought a variety of canned foods and Bree insisted on also getting pet food as she is worried about all the cats and dogs. I hope that this small contribution helps. Bree has also decided to give her allowance this week to the Red Cross who is administering these funds to help aid in the rescue and relief efforts in Christchurch. Being located here in New Zealand has made us feel so much closer to this event and it is having a larger impact on us.

Here in Palmy it is business as usual and the school term is just starting at Massey. The town is slowly being flooded by students and orientation week is now underway. The weather is beautiful and life goes on. It is hard to imagine the current devastation in Christchurch but as I watch the news my heart goes out to everyone there and we will continue to do what we can to help.

Settled in Palmy

We have been in Palmy for 2 weeks now and are pretty much settled in. Bree has been at school for a little over a week and I am now set-up at Massey University. Bree is really enjoying her new school and is starting to make new friends. All schools here have a swimming pool and swimming daily is part of the school curriculum. Bree thinks this is wonderful plus she gets to swim again at her afterschool care program. Term 1 just started here so Bree is starting level 2 with all of the other children her age. The course content seems similar and she really likes her teachers. On Friday her school had a picnic and all 300 plus kids walked to the park and then spent the afternoon scooting (very popular), swimming and playing games. The park was just a sea of red school shirts!

The parks here are wonderful and I love the playgrounds. Lots of cool spinning and climbing equipment and some even have flying foxes (little zip lines). Scooters are very popular here and the kids can really fly on these things. Bree just got one but she is still learning and takes it pretty slow. They also have these skate boards with two separate pieces and independent wheels that swivel – talk about balance!

I now have an office at Massey which I am sharing with a researcher from Holland. The university campus is a nice size, quite similar to TRU. I am slowly meeting people and the campus will begin to fill-up when classes start at the end of the month. I have been able to ride my bike in most days as the campus is close to town.

I am just getting up to speed on the agricultural sector here. I have been doing lots of reading and am now getting a chance to talk with some of the other faculty. I hope to get out and start visiting farms in the next few weeks. Pasture really is a strong focus here and having an abundant amount of forage is one of their strengths. Even the dairy industry is mainly pasture based which makes production focus around the main growing season. Next week I am attending a conference on greenhouse gas emissions and I hope to visit the GHG centre located here soon.

Well time to get ready for the work week. Bree and I will post updates every week or two.