When compaction is a good thing
Good silage starts by cutting the crop at the correct growth stage, followed by reducing moisture content, chopping to a consistent length, then stacking in a clamp.
Crop packaging company Agpac says its use of coloured silage and hay bales to raise awareness of breast cancer in rural communities is catching on in other countries.
The bales (pink for silage, pink and black for hay) are intended to get people talking about women’s health, especially breast cancer prevention.
Agpac general manager Chris Dawson says his company worked with its overseas suppliers to develop the packaging.
The company donates a percentage of sales of the pink products to Sweet Louise, which supports Kiwi women with secondary breast cancer, and their families.
“The limited supply of the pink silage wrap and pink and black netwrap we had this
year sold well,” Dawson says. “Farmers, contractors and rural newspapers have picked up the story. [It’s] been very gratifying. Thanks to this positive response we will expand the programme next year.”
Agpac asked contractors buying the pink wrap to supply it to farms near major roads so the pink bales would stand out.
Te Awamutu contractor Maurice Forkert says the pink was popular with his dairy farmer clients and especially their wives. “It was all sold by word of mouth. One farmer wasn’t so keen at first, but his daughter insisted and he came around.”
Sweet Louise, a charitable trust, offers counselling and emotional support, haircuts, wigs and hats, and helpers who do chores around the home.
Chief executive Fiona Hatton says she is thrilled at Agpac’s help, especially in regions otherwise hard to reach.
An Israeli company Tama Plastic Industry, supplied the pink and black striped netwrap, and Swedish company Trioplast supplied the pink bale wrap.
“Agpac’s Australian parent company Tapex has picked up the idea and is promoting breast cancer awareness in rural communities there,” Dawson says. “Tama is rolling out its pink and black netwrap in Europe and Israel.”
The company says it intends to add a blue bale wrap to raise awareness of men’s health and prostate cancer in support of Prostate Cancer Foundation NZ.
It was bringing in a new Canterbury A&P Association (CAPA) show board, more in tune with the CAPA general committee, that has ensured that Christchurch will have a show this year, says CAPA general committee president Bryce Murray.
There is an urgent need for the Government to put a limit on the sale of farms for forestry - particularly for carbon farming.
A North Canterbury farmer has been elected as the first chair of Aotearoa New Zealand Catchment Communities (ANZCC).
To Kiwi ears, an international conference that talks about a "just and fair transition" to sustainable dairy sounds like a clarion call for better access to valuable markets. 'Just and fair' means more to the world than opening up borders to big exporters like NZ. Tim Fulton reports.
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