New Toy: Raven Cruizer

Fitting out a 4 metre 4-wheeler mounted pasture spraying rig with a $4000 GPS guidance might seem like an over-luxury.
And hoo boy, yep, it is.
Previously I've used a foam-marker for those circumstances where poor light or insufficient grass length have made row-tracking difficult or impossible, but not without some angst, namely the foam would most times run out before the tank load did, and worse, the foam track would all have dissipated before you got back to the paddock with the next load.
Add to that, the inconvenience of trying to refill the foam tank with its residue froth trying to climb out while you're trying to add the next charge of foam concentrate, plus the time for loading the extra 20 litres of water... a couple of seasons riding with Sandford's fert-spreader trucks and watching their GPS guidance system operating had me day-dreaming big-time.

So it all came to pass when I stumped up for a Raven Cruizer II unit from Croplands stand at this year's National Field-days.
The white thing on the left is the Helix antenna, accurate to 23cm, its got a strongly magnetised base, plonks stable anywhere metal.
I decided the console should centre mount, reasonably high, fixed out front rather than on the handle-bars, so you can keep a better bead on direction of travel. A lot of tractors have the GPS consoles mounted well off to one side in the cab, which I think would take your eyes off where you're going, unless of course you're doubling the cost of installation opting for auto-steering control as well, but hey, this is a 4-wheeler I'm using here.
The console gets its power from the cigarette-lighter style plug most 4-wheelers have, a simple plug-in.
The unit took ages to establish satellite link, so long I thought something was wrong, went inside to have a sob and a cuppa, and a think about phoning the agents, wandered back out and voila, it was all go!
On initialisation, which was well programmed to be intuitive and I completed with minimal referral to the manual, which itself is appropriately minimal, you set up the swath width and fore and aft and sideways distance from the boom centre, then you're good to go.

You get 4 tracking options, following where you went last time, (which is what I use for round and round), straight lines as in "lands", bent lines, and circles.
There are 3 indicators telling you whether you're on the right track, a line of LED's across the top, green when you're on track, red to the side if you stray; directional arrows in the blue horizontal band showing where you should steer; and the one I settled on for preference, when you line up to your previous track a red path-line appears, and you keep the point of the arrow on the line, a lot more intuitive than the other 2 systems.
Of course, you cant beat visual on your last row, but then you dont always see it, and that's the purpose of this exercise.
The stats in the blue band are pretty good, ground speed in particular for spraying, but the ha meter includes all your turn-outs.
You'll see from the pic I'm leaving a few ta ta's, but that dosen't worry me much, there's enough drift at the boom's extremes to cover it I think, and also given the 23cm accuracy give or take.
By and large, my eye's a lot faster than the GPS, but I might try setting the fore/aft initialise at zero to see what happens.
Very convenient too, when the current load runs out, the system tells you where to resume when you've refilled. Re-booting also happens quickly when you switch on after the refill.
I'll be using the system on the tractor in a month or so's time too, mine's an old one, sans cab, when I do my summer crop direct drilling which I have to do in lands because the drill cant do turns. It'll save me having to get on and off to step out and peg the strike-outs, then pick up the pegs after.
The mounting systems supplied in the box make transfer between vehicles very practicable.
Very happy with this purchase.

FE - Changing Angle on Breeding for Resistance

This year I've GGT bloodtested all 2th ewes coming into the recorded flock.
I used to do this on a regular basis 10 or so years ago as a better way of screening for FE resistance. I figured that proving a ram by dosing, then mating him to females of unknown resistance status didnt make as much sense as GGT screening both sexes, utilising the best and getting rid of the worst.

I ceased the practice when I started Ramguard testing stud sires. The cost of doing both was a bit of a burden, and there was always the thought that selection on conception rate/reproduction, part of the Coopworth Genetics breeding platform, was also selecting indirectly for resistance anyway, (see table left, ewes carrying higher sub-clinical FE have lower conception rates, data from the Waione flock), so I discontinued.
Its important to note that the GGT values shown in the table were obtained from no particular effort to induce or reflect a challenge. I'm often questioned on the validity of GGT screening like this, but believe me, variation is there, even if you dont see it visually, or register a challenge season. The response might vary from season to season, but the more important observation to my mind is that the "good" animals show no, or very little response by way of their GGT's elevating.
Recent and ongoing DNA research work by Phua and Dodds, AgResearch, Invermay, detailed in the 2011 AAABG Conference Proceedings, adds significantly to understanding the resistance problem, what to do about it in the breeding program, and is why I've resumed the GGT screening.
Sheep cope with sporidesmin in their system three ways:
1- non-absorption from the gut
2- de-toxification by the liver
3- or by the anti-oxidation process.
The researchers have so far found eight "chromosomalities" affecting these processes. They're gene groupings that dont overlap, and may be present, or not present, and in differing states of effectiveness, depending on mutation.
Which suggests the modes of resistance offered by respective flocks might differ.
There's also a suggestion some of them may be X-linked, ie. travel with the female X chromosome.
This latter point interested me, so I had a look at how SIL's FE index, DPX, related to ewe performance in the lambing paddock. In the Waione flock DPX is based not just on Ramguard dosing result, but moreso on the ongoing supply of annual GGT blood-test of all MA and incoming 2th sires, commercial included.

Lambing Group                              Mean Ewe DPX

Barren                                                 -14
Single, survived                                     10
Single, lost                                           -27
Twin, both survived                               -6
Twin, lost one                                         6
Twin, lost both                                     -31
Triplet, all survived                                  1
Triplet, lost one                                    -51

lambed as a hgt                                     20
not lambing as hgt                                  -6

From just one season's data there appears to be a fair relationship between foetal/lamb survival and FE resistance as indicated by DPX. I hope the relationship will repeat this coming lambing.
I suspect the healthier ewes may better safeguard their on-board litter through the last few weeks of gestation.
Phua's research shows an ongoing ability for resistant genes to evolve from continued use of tested sires over ewes of even unknown status, over the last 27 or so years a steady heritability of .38 has shown no sign of abating.
By including incoming 2th ewes GGT I hope to make the flock DPX even more robust.
I'll be able to select the very best DPX sires to use in the breeding program, and drop off the worst females.
Its more than likely I'll discontinue Ramguard dosing, the rams I'm using are invariably passing .6 dosing anyway.

First Aid

Our industry workplace, the farm, is an environment where accidents, if they happen, can be severe.
Taking a basic first aid course is something I've always wanted to do, and I finally got to last weekend joining with one organised by my local branch of Ulysses Motorcycle Club in conjunction with St John's.
I thought we were in for a fair bit about doing stuff to wounds and bone breaks, but things have moved on over the years, and now its focussed more on securing the accidentee and immediate environment, and preparing for arrival and/or evacuation with the first aid response professionals.
St John have devised an acronym based response guide, DRS,ABC+D

D - danger - scene assess for self, others, patient
R - response - check patient status, call name, squeeze shoulder
S - send for help
A - airway - check for clear, recovery position
B - breathing - check look, listen, feel, if none go to...
C - CPR - compressions/breaths '30:2 no matter who' till pro's arrive
D - defrib - increasingly at hand these days, auto-commands inbuilt

We also covered dealing with choking, bleeding, and bone breaks in the immediate response context.

The St John website has a good summary of the above.
The St John course instructor was excellent, as was the St John training rooms, in fact, edifying to get to appreciate the whole local St John facility.

This week I've increased my regular donations to St John, and to the local Palmerston North Rescue Helicopter.
Compliments to Safety Officer Lance and Ulysses for taking this initiative, its comforting to know that on organised rides, most of the others will have a good idea what to do.
Might save a life.

And Along Came Gus...

Gus left, and Woody, grown up now

Maintaining a good dog team has to be worked at all the time.
When I lost Khan last September I bought a $400 huntaway novice.
He was coming along pretty nicely, had an exceptional balance in the yard, was a tiger on cattle, and was starting putting up runs on hillsides of over 200m.
But as the past tense reference indicates, yes, he's history, bowled on the road by a passing car, bane of my life in this world where increasing numbers of city workers live out here for the "rural experience", but bring their city manners, attitudes and sense of "rights" (to do any speed up to the 100 kph speed limit) with them.
It seems my place in the firmament is to never impede their progress by having any of my livestock activity in their path, even though I might use the road for stock movement an average couple of times a week, while they use the road twice a day to and from work in the city, while they pay no rates on their rented houses, and I pay over $12k per year and increasing.
The law is all dogs have to be under control, which a dog loping over the road to take a leak isnt, and I had to cough up the $2000 worth of ridiculous panel beating fee for damage to the car.

Anyway, along comes Gus, who I paid a grand for, bit of a hot-head straight out of the kennel, but a faithful and thoughtful worker, and enjoys 'backing' mobs in the yard for a pat on the head. Arrived here a bit on the lean side, so feeding him up.

Looks like there's little option other than keeping myself and my stock-work out of the way of passing traffic as much as possible, and continually work at keeping the dogs off the road.
The arrogance and self-righteousness the motoring psyche has garnered itself, and worship status of the motor vehicle when behind the wheel, is a sad reality of modern life.

"They" win, I lose.

Security

Sometimes I wonder whether the paranoia we have over farm security gets too much attention, certainly it has its pitfalls.
I recently installed a Chamberlain Wireless Motion Alert System, $459 incl, from the CD Field-days Target site. The price I paid included required batteries, and 2 sensors that have a range of 800m.
I set up one sensor about 200m away, and it works. Even grazing farm animals walking within the 10m scope can set it off.
Main problem is, the home base receiver beeper isnt very loud, cant be heard 2 rooms away, and only just wakes me from sleep.
The receiver plugs into the power which, when all's considered, is an achilles heel for all toys electronic, although it does have a battery backup. Sometimes I suspect it can disconnect, and have "re-learned" the connection just to be sure. Bit of a nark having to bring the sensor back home to do it.

Its hard to beat a couple of Dobers or Rotties running round the house, or a snarky Jack Russell.
Even an alert challenging farm dog.

One piece of gear I have found useful is a Dorcy wireless LED floodlight, $46 from the local industrial safety shop.
Its got a good and reliable sensor range, and behaves itself turning off.
Running off 3 'D' batteries, its not exactly floodlight intensity, but it hurts to look directly at it and provides plenty of illumination to find keyholes in the dark, or light up dark corners.
Unlike a conventional security light, you dont need to be a registered electrician to put it up, and frankly, I havent found those lights all that reliable anyway.

Farm Resilience in the Face of Volatility

Problem with being an old hand is you dont learn much at field days, if you come away with one new thing its been a good day.
The weather was a real prick yesterday and B&LNZ's latest seminar offering was just over the hill in Turakina, so I toddled along.
And came away with plenty, main of which was a pretty substantial worksheet for devising risk management strategy in the farming system, identifying the factors, their relevance, likely effects, and space to notate what to do about it.
Great plan, thanks B&LNZ, going to be fun working through it, and possible material for future posts here.
There was a major slant to climate change, discussion led by Andrew Tait from NIWA, who presented data showing there has been a 1degC increase in temp mean over the last 100 years here in NZ, reflecting the world-wide situation.
I've been a skeptic/denier if you want to call it that, still am, not so much about the data, but at being bullied by others on issues significant to them, not necessarily to me. I accept the temp rise is real, but frankly I'd sooner go to work during a drought than in the winter weather I'm hiding from here at my computer desk today, made even worse by my having spent the last three winters in the northern hemisphere motorcycle cruising shirt-sleeved across the 30degC Mid-West USA.
Proof of farmer acceptance of "climate change" was proffered by the results of a survey in which farmers ranked it as 3rd on their list of threats behind, of one thing, Winston Peters, but this is a misconstruction, its actually the ETS and similar townie conspired assault on our way of life we consider the threat, not so much whether the ice on Antarctic is going to melt or not.
Just last night on the way home from the movies, I heard one whacker on Kerre Woodham's Talkback expounding "we (townies) were subsidising farmers on the ETS". This is the sort of crank along with the Greens that exercise votes impacting on farmings future. There is no properly functional ETS at the moment, and farmers pay the same levy on fuel and power he does, on an individual basis, a freaking sight more.
And further, I walk to work each day, I bet he dosent.
In my world here on this farm I've lived on since a couple of days after I was born, things have changed little. As kids maybe we used to break ice on the puddles while waiting for the school bus, nowadays you dont see the puddled ice so much because the road is sealed.
Going to Wellington or Auckland is a different story, traffic jams to social mayhem, and all that concommitant urban shit. People who live under rain-clouds think its raining everywhere else.
What I really really like about the climate change debate, who's presenting the truth or not, is that scientists can no longer go to work without the feeling the world's looking over their shoulder.
Join the club mate, that's what farming's turning into these days. LOL
Trevor Cook delivered his usual dose of common sense on matters of livestock care in a changing environment, and Gary Massicks outlined and added to formulating the risk management plan.
Due to the smallish attendance we didnt break into workshop sessions to "drill down" into the topics, thank goodness, do I hate workshop sessions.
The open forum opted for served admirably.

TAF 3

This would just about have to be my final word I think, following a chat with another dairy-farmer neighbour.
The vote's gone through at 66%, which, while not over the hoped for 75% option also on the vote sheet, could be regarded as "near enough".
He says there's always a dissident voice, it was even worse during the debate whether to form Fonterra in the first place with the combination of Kiwi Co-op, NZ Dairy Group, and the Dairy Board itself.
Some of the opposition in the current debate arises from quite credible source, but the bottom-line principle still is one of single desk being able to better serve a number of producers in a small nation, right from getting away from competing milk collection tankers driving up and down the same rural road to competing for product sales on the bigger world stage.
Contrary to my previous comment about the future danger if PROC get to dominate the TAF fund, that possibility is actually mitigated. If not for TAF, it would be open slather for foreign capital to offer individual farmers sweetheart deals for their shares, as well as buy in share-holding through farm acquisition.
This way, TAF is the only entry/exit point for capital, and its size-limited to 20% of the total shares.
While its been some time in the making, safeguards have been introduced at each raising of concern, no doubt such will continue.
The involvement of Govt remains an issue. Why cant farmers just be allowed to get on with it?
A big part of the motivation behind the DIRA seems to me a knee jerk response to NZ public complaint about the rising price of milk and cheese, and while changes to the Act might be necessary to effect this latest change in capital structure, I hope its not going to include "safeguards" to the NZ dairy product consumer, ie read price control. Already there's this ridiculous requirement of Fonterra to supply their opposition with a percentage of milk at a controlled price.
Competing companies dont appear to be doing all that well as it is.
Fonterra's done well, in a shaky world economy, returning a good reward to suppliers by and large, and giving a robustness to the value of protein on supermarket shelves.
This latter point shouldnt go un-acknowledged by us meat, and wool, producers, poor relation as we are bereft of a decent processing and marketing chain.