What’s on my mind. Well that is what the machine asked when I opened up my site. Plenty. First I want to explain the photo out the front .Rather dark and dismal. Cold. Appropriate for NZ,s economy of the moment. But could easily be bright sunny and vibrant. of course if you believe Bill English you will wonder what planet I live on.
These last few months have been very interesting with regard to my blog site. I have come to the conclusion that I have really pee’d somebody off. I have not been able to use my site because some body did not want me to .Many of you will have noticed the virus alert Word Press pasted all over my site, and once we got that problem sorted, and believe me sorted ,as there were many and varied sorts, some coming in the back door. This person or persons stopped me from posting new blogs. Why?
Is this person/people a complete nutter(s), totally devoted to the Mc Gillicuddy Party and their backward view, that he/she/they do not like me exposing the giant leap backwards that their idiotic policies would bring about.
When I was a bit younger, than I am now , and about the time Horizons Regional Council notified the Draft version of the One Plan, 2007 , my favourite saying was. These idiots want us all running around fields of daisy’s , surrounded by bush and pine trees, wearing flowing white robes and living in punga huts.
So I can say with a degree of certainty that the person or persons responsible must be of the above fraternity.
Or. It is election year for local body elections and some person, group or organisation is so scared that I will put my name in the hat once more, and whish to stop me using this medium to get my very powerful message across to the masses.
I note that a new candidate has already put his name in the ring for Regional Council, prattling on about water takes and water quality. Is he for sure, or just there to split the vote?
My guess to split the vote. Another candidate will most certainly be waiting in the wings. Is the local branch of the federated farmers putting up somebody else? Our current rep was their man last time, and his brief was to work with Horizons. he has done that, nodding his head to nearly all items that came before council. Of course my view is that it is a different place since I have gone. Some body has given it a real shake up. For Now.
Just this last month Horizons have notified minor Plan changes to bring the One Plan into line with the NPS Fresh Water. Minor Plan Change? Major to me. Yes Major. Table 14.2 ,N leaching allowances completely gutted Well nearly. Whilst Cockies have to achieve 5 unites of N savings over 20yrs, it only applies to classes 1-3 and in specific catchments. Should be easy? to achieve with improved feed pads, and stream bank fencing. Of course there is a bit more than this to it, but I am focusing on the Biggy of it all. Horizons and this is my educated view, spent in excess of $25 million on the One Pan, the final figure will be very hard to determine as Horizons hid heaps of expense in all sort’s of expenditure lines through out their business. $25 million. And no body is demanding accountability.
And those of you who have followed my blog, will remember the crap I found my self in over my assertions at the end of the previous term when as a councilor I asked just where as a council were we in breach of the NPS Fresh Water. We are Not. They cried .
Horrible thing about all this is that the Market is doing to the dairy industry what the One Plans table 13.2 could not.
Whilst we are on the subject of elections. What is going to happen in the local District Council I understand that the Mayor has become very unpopular. Definitely does not like dissent, with one councilor putting in a written complaint. It seems that the local feds have been in complaining about all the land going to trees of one sort or another, demanding action to stop. The mayor got really up set when during council discussion after, councilors started quoting my previous presentations along with the consequences, to district council on this matter. The mayor got a tad upset. Source. Our ward councilor, Elaine Wheeler. She summed it all up by quite rightly saying ” we are just a council of nodder’s”.
4 more farms going or have gone to Manuka Honey interests. The buyers are paying huge money for the right property. $Millions. Has to be at the end of a road, have no adjoining neighbours with bees, be warm, climate wise, and have plenty of manuka cover. Taumarunui is dying. Make no mistake. And the Manuka Honey industry is unsustainable, as I have previously described. It is the first stage of regeneration to tree”d indigenous cover . Land Use Change. That was written into the Policy Statement of the One Plan. Ruapehu is bearing the brunt of that. And the outcomes sort for biological biodiversity is to “Maintain, Enhance, Link”. One cannot argue with that, although most people do not yet recognise. The Manuka Honey industry it’s self is unsustainable. The scientists have already identified the compounds that make the health benefits of Manuka so great, and just like meat , will eventually grow to a marketable product heaps cheaper in a test tube.
Just recently there was a very good article in the NZ Farmers Weekly, April the 25th pg 19 on all this. Farmers should consider the benefits of yr round bee activity rather just seeing $ signs. Manuka honey is not an easy option. Manuka honey is not produced every year.. The industry works in 5 year economic cycles. Hoping at the end of yr 5 they are on top financially. Its all there.
Of course this is just part and parcel of the Green economy that the Mc Gillcuddy party think tank group, “Pure Advantage,” which recently released it’s report, titled Our Forest Future. . This group calls for a new forest strategy creating 1.3 million hec of new forest mostly on the 1.1 million hecs of erosion prone land identified by the Govt . The report goes on to make dubious claims about the environmental benefits and NZ’s obligations to prevent climate change. See the NZ Herald Business section April 22 pg 6 .Please note. Most of that 1.1 million hec is in Horizons Region. Do not believe me. Just get out the One Pan , look up HEL lands. There is a BIG map.
Thank god that Primary industries Minister Guy launched a new scheme to lift the productivity and profitability of sheep and beef farmers in Horizons region. Yes the above HEL lands. This region, the region identified has the largest number of sheep and beef cattle of any in NZ, thus a improvement of performance will not just help the region but NZ as well. Shame in my view, one or two Meat companies are doing their best to shaft the initiative by under cutting in the market place, source Crusader Meats Friday nite Flash. That god damned Mc Gillicuddy party are every where.
Of course an other problem is the cost of the herbs and pasture seeds needed. Up to $20 per kg and you need any where from 3-12kg per hec depending on the plant needed. Take Plantain. The top of the line seed Tonic, sells for $20/kg, and the grower is getting less than $5/kg. The returns just aren’t there. Surely there is a bit of gouging by Mc Gillicuddy reps here.
Tourism. The Green Economy, the Mc Gillicuddy party guys, and girls cry. Well lets look a bit closer. Read Opinion pg 37 September 15th 2015, pg 37. Rural News.
Farmers sneeze ,Townies cough. Lincoln College has done the figures based on real time stuff. I wondered what had happened to their real time stuff on their research unite, all that media attention in yr one, and then nothing. The out come for constraining production by cutting fertilizer, and feed inputs has been significant. $500 per hec..N loss was reduced from 42kg per hec to 35. (overseer 6.1). The farm has moved from being top of the pops to bottom of the heap.
Mike Barton, Lake Taupo catchment farmer, and grt supporter of the N limits, states same article , that costs have gone up 48% ,they have survived by adding value, where people are prepared to pay a premium for top end beef in the local restaurant, reminding people that preserving the environment is costly, and consumers have a role to play, in the choices they make. They state that of course if every body did this the market would be swamped. End of story.
Questions must be asked how NZ will survive with out productivity growth. The effects of the Agricultural down turn are being felt on farms and rural businesses. When the effects hit the cities watch out. For it most certainly will. Tourism will not help. Most jobs created in that sector are making beds, cleaning rooms, and waiting tables. Productivity gains are not possible, because the jobs rely on people directly- the number of beds made per hour, or the tables they can serve. Statistics NZ data released 2015, show that labour productivity between 1978-2013 in the accommodation and food services sector decreased by 1.1% a yr. 27%. In contrast productivity in the Agri sector increased 3.5% a yr or a whooping 94%. This should be of National concern. Many attempts to move into other sectors have been made by the Mc Gillicuddy members and their lackeys, but no other sectors, other than agri have that competitive advantage. Nitrogen constraints will reduce profitability. This may be off set with a premium in a niche market. But achieving that premium for export has not been achieved.. Where to from here.
The NZ Farmers Weekly Nov 2 2015 pg 19. Had a good article in which a Lincoln College professor Derek Moot comments on the Nutrient budgeting tool “Overseer”. Moot identified Overseer as a threat. Overseer, environmental farm plans and regulators. Overseer has got it wrong, we know that , and the threat stems from there. He is talking about irrigation and the cost benefit of , and the benefits of new legume and pasture plants for dry land farming. Good god, I thought Lincoln had gone all green. This is really good stuff.
Lets go back a bit to Sept 7th NZ Farmer, 2015 pg 7. Opinion. By Soil Scientist Doug Edmeades. The trouble with Overseer. Inviting a plethora of legal challenges. Will not be the feds. They are right up this future farming crap. Dial it up on the internet. Future Farmers. Is it fit for purpose. You see the problem is not so much Agri ,but point source discharges, being urban centers and industry. including rubbish dumps. FACT.
Back to the article. Overseer predicts the amount of N leached be low the root zone. ??? How much of this gets into the water ways? Seems nobody knows. A army of people are confronting and dealing with this impending environmental threat. N leaching to water. Rules, best management practices, and consultants rolling out environmental plans.
Now lets consider this. Overseer is the issue. It’s owners the MPI, and Fertilizer company’s have set up a company around Overseer, and just recently invested another $25 Million of yours and my dosh, into it’s development, licencing fees are being talked about. Big money being spent on training accredited Overseer users, to reduce N leaching. Even though nobody can answer 2 basic questions. How much N gets past the root structure of plants, and then gets to water, and by what quantum will water quality improve. Of course Many other elements effect water quality, not just N what about them and will a tool primarily developed to measure inputs, be used to measure that. Even though it is recognised that Overseer has a plus or minus degree of accuracy of 30%. What’s worse with each new model, currently no 6 ,N leaching goes up. No body knows if it is right because it is not peer reviewed. Until this is done Overseer is a black box of unknown integrity.
So what is going on here. Owners wanting to make big bucks out of a doggy tool. Or the Mc Gillcuddy Party seeking political outcomes that are not in the Nations best interest. Those long term readers of my blog will be thinking ,given the subjects covered. over the past few years.
Well I have covered a bit today, It was absolutely bucketing down when I started this post ,10,s milliliters per hr , but has come out quite nice. So had better give a hand to build a new set of sheep yards. The old ones have lasted 37 yrs. But they sure are showing it.
Bye for now