Agri-View

See there hasn't been a block for a while, so just thought I'd do a quick one before I leave the office.

Just been emailed a link to an article in the UK Farmers weekly.

https://www.fwi.co.uk/news/eu-dairy-farm-aid-package-what-could-you-buy-with-1820.htm?cmpid=FWCOM-2015-1001

Kiwi dairy farmers might think they are in hard times, but maybe they should try farming in the UK battling politics where the government dishes out a crisis payment that can only be described as laughable.

Glad to be in Kiwiland...........

Gary

Today the 28th August is Daffodil Day.

Daffodil Day is the Cancer Society's annual flagship event for fundraising and raising awareness to be held each year. This year is the 25th year.

Daffodil Agronomy is fairly straightforward as they are an easy crop to grow with a higher requirement for Potassium than Nitrogen. 

Allow a few weeks after they have finished flowering before you put the lawnmower over them. This will allow them to transfer energy down to the bulbs for next years crop.

You will find Daffodils are good at resisting pests. This is because they are members of the Narcissus family which do not taste very good especially the bulb.

Although the Daffodil is the national flower of Wales it originates from South West Europe.

That's all from Gregor at Garden Agronomy!

Last night the Molloy Ag social club went along to see the local Methven Theatre company production... "A Law unto Themselves".

I must say everyone had a great evening watching a great show, laughter was definitely heard from our two rows of the auditorium.

It's really good to get together as a group and support a local event, it was a very professional production that was both slick and funny.

 If tickets were not sold out I could watch it again.....

So if you haven't got tickets then you are out of luck, But if you want a good nights entertainment watch out for the Methven Theatre Company's future productions, they come highly recommended...............

Gary

What else could you talk about other than Rugby. It was more like a NZ team of old in the way that they played Australia. Some highlights of note, Dane Coles running like a back,Dan Carter kicking his goals, Nonu's 2 tries and the new players making a mark on the game.

Much has been said of New Zealands hero Richie McCaw. for a player on the high side of 30, he plays like he did when he first started in the All Blacks. A record of 142 games.Well done Richie. Testament to the man was how the crowd gave him a standing ovation when he come off.

My thought is that McDonalds have missed a golden opportunity to create a new burger, the McCaw, I would imagine it would have plenty of meat with to the point flavours and a full serving.

That game was one hurdle but now the slate is wiped clean as they start preparing for the world cup. I think any one of 5 teams could win on the day. Best I book the TV now.

Mangi

The office extension is finally underway, however it has started a bit earlier than planned.....

After much deliberation regarding moving Molloy Ag HQ to a Methven site, David & Sonia have decided our current premises is still the best fit for the business.

However the office is a little cramped with the recent additions to the Molloy Ag team, so to overcome this the office is planned to grow a bit over the next few weeks.

Building work is already in the second week and seems to be going well, without too many disruptions so far.

As work progresses there are sure to be disruptions as new joins existing, so please bare with us over the next few weeks if we can't quite hear you on the phone over the banging and sawing.

We will keep you updated as building progresses...........Looking forward to the opening ceremony!!!

Gary

Living here, I love the fact that New Zealand is such an "Agricultural" Country. Rural people tend to look out for each other and Methven and mid Canterbury is no different. Plus it is easy to sleep and breath farming here without even living on a farm. 

Of-course when one of the farming sectors hits a bit of a downturn then this can have an impact on us all. All the way from the Contractors to the Coffee Shops. 

However being a community spirited country there is a feeling that everyone will get in behind each other and help each other get through a difficult time. At least some sectors are still doing okay.

Farmers in Britain are also struggling to make money from milk as the supermarkets continue to strive to bring down the price of milk. Un-fortunately the public over there are not as sympathetic of the farmers plight.

I have attached a link to show you a lighthearted approach of how some Scottish farmers are trying to get the public on side. These farmers are from the South West of Scotland, which is my part of the World! I hope you can understand them!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibIDulyTKKM

Gregor

Last Monday saw us get the last delivery for the next season of Ammonium sulphate. You may ask what is so special about this.

 In conjunction with Ravensdown we have imported a special blend of Ammonium Sulphate that dissolves in water with no residue. Once dissolved we are able to spray on with standard crop sprayers either on it's own or as a blend with Flowfert N.The dissolved Ammonium Sulphate is called Amm Sulv and has a 10-0-0-11 NPKS, so with a blend of Flowfert N 18-0-0-0 we can make up a mix equivalent of Ammo 31 or 36.

The advantages of this in a cropping situation, as well as putting some Sulphur on early spring along with your Nitrogen, is that with a spray boom application you are guaranteed an even spread of product across the whole width, full application to the boundary, no application through the fence into watercourses and no stripping due to wider working widths. A ryegrass seed crop and early cereal application in early spring is where we are going to see a positive payback.The team at Molloy's have a year's experience with this product with some quantity used last year.

If you need some more information about this exciting new product to the market give me a ring or I could pop around to visit.

Mangi

Hard to believe that just when the huge piles of snow (combined with gravel and mud) have almost melted away from the road side the next forecast snowfall is for sometime next week, scary!!! at least the kids will be entertained during the first week of school holidays. www.yr.no/place/New_Zealand/Canterbury/Methven/long 
Keep warm everyone and fingers crossed this snowfall is considerably lighter than the last!
Becks

To bring this trying week to a close, this is my attempt at a Health & Safety related story.

A clergyman was driving down a country road and saw a young farmer struggling with to load hay back onto a trailer after it had fallen off.

"You look hot, my son" said the minister. "Why don't you rest a moment, and I'll give you a hand."

"No thanks." said the young man." My father wouldn't like it."

" Don't be silly," the minister said. "Everyone is entitled to a break. Come and have a drink of water."

Again the young man protested that his father would be upset. Finally the the minister lost his patience and said, "Your father must be a real slave driver. Tell me where I can find him and I'll have a serious word with him."

"Well," replied the young farmer, "he's under that load of hay."

Have a good weekend now that the snow is thawing.

Mangi