Upbeat on all but the economy
A quick look around the rural traps
Pessimism about the economic outlook is a sour note among the otherwise generally positive indicators in the Federated Farmers July Farm Confidence Survey.
It’s the 19th twice-yearly survey and, for the first time, farmer optimism has increased in all areas except continuing negative perceptions of the economy, said federation vice-president Andrew Hoggard.
“We should take heart that perceptions of farm profitability, production and spending have become more positive, and that farm debt levels have dropped slightly since the January survey,” he said.
When asked how they feel general economic conditions will fare over the next year, nearly half of more than 1100 farmer respondents expected conditions will deteriorate, the lowest level of confidence since mid-2012, but five times the proportion of the equivalent survey in mid-2017.
Shearing on
Pongaroa farmer, shearer and former Smedley cadet David Buick probably just ran out of time in his bid for an individual win on the CP Wool New Zealand Shearing Team UK Tour which ended at Corwen in North Wales at the weekend.
Buick and teammate Nathan Stratford, of Invercargill, staved off a tour test-matches whitewash by beating Wales in the closest international competition result in shearing history and Buick was third in the Corwen Shears Open final.
The winner of the New Zealand lamb shearing championship at Fairlie in April, Buick made good progress throughout the sevenshow, six-test tour, his first experience in the UK, and would have won had the tour gone much longer, said Shearing Sports New Zealand chairman and shearing great Sir David Fagan.
The experience is expected to add more spice to the New Zealand summer, in which Buick and Stratford will be vying with such others as Hawke’s Bay shearers and world champions John Kirkpatrick, the titleholder, and Rowland Smith (2014 winner) for the two places in the New Zealand team for next year’s World championships in France.
All four will be quickly in action as the New Zealand competition seasons gets under way at the start of October, with the Great Raihania Shears at the Royal New Zealand Show in Hastings among the early targets.
Buick was second to finish both events at Corwen, shearing the 20 lambs in the test match in 13min 8sec and in the Open final in 12min 17sec. The fastest time in the test match was the 13min 2sec of Alun Lloyd Jones, who shears in Hawke’s Bay each summer and who last week won one of Wales’ two machine shearing positions at the world championships.
With Wales going for a second clean sweep after winning three tests earlier last week, and all four in Wales 12 months earlier, New Zealand won on Saturday by 0.5pts on a countback to quality points, after overall points were tied 103.85pts each.
Environment awards
Farmers and growers are being encouraged to enter the Ballance Farm Environment Awards for 2018-19.
All farmers and growers, including orchardists, vegetable growers and viticulturists, are eligible to enter, online at www.bfea.org.nz, and can also nominate others for the awards.
Entries close at the end of October, and winners will be showcased in regional functions leading to the national awards in mid-2019. ■