increase font size
ABOUT 120 Southland farmers will be interviewed as from next week as part of the study into what caused cows to become ill or die from eating swedes.
DairyNZ will talk to farmers both affected and unaffected by the swedes issue. They will be interviewed by a team of 10 people, who will ask a range of questions on topics such as their farm management practices, cropping and fertiliser history and climatic growing conditions this season.
DairyNZ's general manager for extension, Craig McBeth, says this will help DairyNZ establish the cause of the issue facing farmers in Southland.
"We need to understand the wide ranging factors that may have contributed to the outbreak of swede poisoning this spring. These include climate, soil type, trace minerals status, and fertiliser programmes. All these factors can influence the level of several natural compounds found in brassicas that can make them toxic," he says.
"This is a comprehensive survey and we've consulted with the local technical working group that includes veterinary representatives, Federated Farmers, PGG Wrightson Seeds and Ministry for Primary Industries."
McBeth says more than 400 farmers replied to DairyNZ's initial survey sent out last month, and the results have helped the industry research organisation plan the second phase questionnaire and find a range of farmers to interview.
Along with farmer interviews, DairyNZ's study into the swedes issue has a testing programme covering animals and plants, with control samples collected from crops taken across a number of swede varieties and animals that have not experienced any clinical animal health issues.
"The primary focus for sample collection was animal blood samples and crop tissue from a range of plant parts. We have the plant samples in frozen storage and worked fast to get vital samples before the crop disappeared," he says.
But McBeth says until all the data is collected and analysed, it is premature to speculate on any one cause or a narrow base of potential causes.
"We've given farmers as much advice as we can from what we know now. What we need to do is find out more through some robust research so we can give farmers some further evidence-backed advice early next year.
"We expect to have some results from our animal testing back by the end of October, and at that stage we should be able to give some more updated advice. However, the plant sampling is complex and will take much longer because of the robust nature of the testing that we will require. We don't expect any results on the plant front until February next year.
"We are keen to make sure we turn over the relevant stones in our search for answers on this issue. That means we don't expect to have any conclusive results from this study to share with farmers and others until March 2015.
"Depending on the findings of this work, there may also be a need to design and conduct further research," he says.
OPINION: Feds Southland 'pres' Jason Herrick and colleagues who continue the good fight against bureaucratic madness on behalf of farmers, have had another win - for now, at least - getting a court decision granting a 'stay' on rules in the Southland Water and Land Plan until changes can be made to section 70 of the RMA by central goverment, somtheing they clearly signaled after the election.
Federated Farmers says it welcomes a recent court decision which granted a stay on rules in the Southland Water and Land Plan until legislative changes can be made by government.
Southland Federated Farmers president Jason Herrick says farmers are prepared for winter grazing every year.
OPINION: The Listener's latest piece on winter grazing among Southland dairy farmers leaves much to be desired.
Southland Farmers will be breathing a sigh of relief that central Government is stepping in to stop Environment Southland from introducing unworkable and expensive new farming rules.
Recent rain has offered respite for some from the ongoing drought.
New Zealand's TBfree programme has made great progress in reducing the impact of the disease on livestock herds, but there’s still a long way to go, according to Beef+Lamb NZ.
With much of the North Island experiencing drought this summer and climate change projected to bring drier and hotter conditions, securing New Zealand’s freshwater resilience is vital, according to state-owned GNS Science.
OPINION: Otago farmer and NZ First MP Mark Patterson is humble about the role that he’s played in mandating government agencies to use wool wherever possible in new and refurbished buildings.
For Wonky Box co-founder Angus Simms, the decision to open the service to those in rural areas is a personal one.
The golden age of orcharding in West Auckland was recently celebrated at the launch of a book which tells the story of its rise, then retreat in the face of industry change and urban expansion.
OPINION: Should Greenpeace be stripped of their charitable status? Farmers say yes.
OPINION: After years of financial turmoil, Canterbury milk processor Synlait is now back in business.
