FEDERATED FARMERS BEES CHAIRPERSON, JOHN HARTNELL

Welcome to our autumn 2010 newsletter, though it could be described as winter, with the fiery blast we have all experienced these last few days.

So what of the season? In general terms pretty average for most, with crop figures expected to be down considerably from 2008 and 2009, particularly clover. What is pleasing to note is that prices quickly adjusted to reflect this position and beekeepers have seen strong price levels maintained for their crop in most instances. There will be some carry of export lines but these generally shift in the September/October period.

It is now only one day until the conference and AGM in Blenheim. This year, I must say, we have a very good line up of speakers addressing a wide variety of issues that face the beekeeping industry, you need to be there! By coming along you can share your stories, challenges and wins and losses. It is these types of forums that allow good discussion and camaraderie. For more information and registration details, please download the PDF by clicking here or contact Industry Manager, Bob Douglas, by clicking here or by calling 0800 327 646.

Cheers,

John Hartnell
Chairperson
Federated Farmers Bees
Phone: 03 349 5590
Fax: 03 349 5592
Mobile: 021 578 754
Email: john@hartnellnz.com

VARROA NEWS

Unfortunately for those in Central Otago and Queenstown the news is not good. Varroa has been reported in both areas over the last twelve weeks. It is disappointing that the Queenstown incursion was directly related to two hives transported from Christchurch in the spring. Registration of the sale and new site in Queenstown should have rung alarm bells at AsureQuality, but unfortunate this one slipped between the cracks and Varroa is the outcome. While local commercial beekeepers considered destroying the infected hives and replacing with clean stock, the reality was that these hives were heavily infected and the damage already done. This is a valuable lesson for everyone, something we need to learn from and not repeat, especially when we consider resistant mites and the trafficking of Queens throughout New Zealand.

MANUKA HONEY STEERING GROUP

Much water has passed under the bridge in the last twelve months, some of it rather muddied. However, there is now an expectation that the beekeeping industry has rallied together and some positive direction, we believe, will emerge in the period leading up to Christmas 2010. This direction will encompass the Manuka Honey Standards, Manuka Non Peroxide Activity, Manuka Total Peroxide Activity and other key elements of the Manuka debate. The Federated Farmers Bees conference 2010 will cover this in detail, with a number of keynote speakers addressing this issue. One positive from the work undertaken has been ‘ring testing' that has been completed with regard to NPA laboratory analysis and consistency, both in New Zealand and internationally. It is good to report that testing criteria has tightened and we are seeing a much tighter range of results across all testing facilities, be it at rather frustrating for a number of Manuka producers.

BEE PRODUCT STANDARDS COUNCIL

The Bee Product Standards Council (BPSC) now has its very own website. To keep up to date with the issues the council are dealing please visit them at www.bpsc.org.nz. We will be discussing the future of the BPSC and its activities in some detail at the Federated Farmers Bess conference, join us and have your say.

BEE COMPLIANCE FEES

New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) is simplifying how it communicates the complexities of fees and levies to beekeepers and bee product business operators. Of New Zealand's 2680 or so registered beekeepers only about 200, less than 8 percent, are subject to NZFSA regulation that incurs fees. The vast majority of New Zealand beekeepers are either hobbyists, who don't sell their honey, or ‘primary processors', small business owners who simply supply supers to others for extracting and processing.

Neither of these groups are subject to fees levied by NZFSA. They are subject to some regulation though, such as complying with regulatory limits for Tutin or, if required by their extractor, supplying harvest declarations to support official assurances. NZFSA is also looking at the timing of when it charges annual levies, with a view to moving billing into line with production dates when beekeepers are likely to have income from their operation.

A major website redesign is underway which should improve access to information for all sectors. In the interim, a table of the possible regulatory requirements that might apply to different bee products operations has been developed and will continue to evolve as feedback is received from industry. This table is available on the website by clicking here. For those without internet access, a copy can be obtained by calling 0800 693 721.

MAF AND NZFSA AMALGAMATION

Government has announced a proposal to amalgamate the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF). This is a move to recognise that New Zealand's animal, plant and food based economy needs a new cohesive approach, with a single risk management framework covering human, animal and plant life and health and associated risks to the environment.

It's also important to note that the costs of the amalgamation are not being funded by industry, but by the Crown. NZFSA recovers up to 60 percent of its total budget from industry to reflect the services that are provided to industry. While the amalgamation won't have any great impact on cost recovery, the new organisation will try to deliver efficiencies to counter any increases in costs and therefore cost recovery. There are currently no details available about how and when this will be happening, but we will keep you updated with the important information as it comes in.

TREES FOR BEES ON RURAL DELIVERY

Recently the Trees for Bees project was profiled on Rural Delivery and John Hartnell and Linda Newstrom-Lloyd were interviewed. Our thanks to Geoff Hantz for making the hive site and bees available as part of the programme. You can watch the episode by clicking here.

MARKETING, WITH JOHN HARTNELL

As indicated above we have seen prices sitting reasonably firm for the first half of 2010. Clover/pastoral honey is certainly scarce which highlights the need to continue to support our domestic market packers. The other option is a honey shortfall and even more pressure on MAF Biosecurity to allow Australian honey to enter the New Zealand Market, not the desired outcome. Certainly internationally, demand for high quality honey is strong with some amazing prices being reported in our Asian markets for Manuka products. However, we need to recognise that the emerging threat is from Australia and it will only be through a united front that we can counter there marketing strategy moving forward. Yes, they have Manuka and yes, lots of it.

WEST COAST, WITH GARY GLASSON

We had a very good early spring though it started raining before the kamahi started to flower, so the crop was a couple of weeks late and lead to one of the poorest kamahi crops we ever had. Manuka produced a good crop this season and it was good to see the rata flowering well. Overall we had a very good season and we are now heavily wintered down. Varroa treatments have now been put in half the hives as the Taramakau Valley has Varroa and the Grey Valley will mostly likely have it next season. We will begin to re-queen in the spring.

CANTERBURY, WITH JOHN HARTNELL

Conditions were ideal for the lower half of Canterbury, with early moisture and fine weather keeping the flow moving for an extended period. Extractors where spinning before Christmas with 60kgs per hive being quoted. The Manuka flow was patchy and competing honey flows have lowered the purity of this honey, unless you targeted stand alone Manuka sites. The autumn honeydew flow has been excellent, though the international market is fully stocked at present.

NORTH CANTERBURY, WITH GRAEME ALBON

Spring was a very good lead up to the summer season, however the New Year brought with it the cold weather. This unfortunately signalled the end to the Manuka crop and we struggled to produce 15kgs a hive. It was a good season for clover though and a good autumn helped with a reasonably good dew flow. We put in Varroa strips after Manuka production stopped and have now re-queened for winter. We re-treated all the hives for Varroa in April and will be reversing the brood nests soon.

MID CANTERBURY, WITH JOHN SYME

This season pollination in carrots has been positive, with the bees coming off the carrots a lot better producing approx 30kgs of honey off the hive. The bees have also been in good shape in the Mid-Canterbury area, with honeydew production well above normal. However, we have been dealing with our first season of Varroa, which coupled with a cold and wet start to the season, has been tough. Currently we are working our way through taking the Varroa strips out for winter.

SOUTH CANTERBURY, WITH PETER BELL

We had a very dry late spring and the rain and wind that came in December meant that we unfortunately lost bee strength. The rain continued throughout January, which also brought thunderstorms. Overall we had an average crop, which included Manuka but we really struggled to get the bee strength up, so the hives were light and we had to feed out a lot of sugar. Currently Varroa is on our back door and we will probably have it in spring which will cause some rethinking in our current management practices and will possibly lead to us stopping the autumn re-queening. Currently the Mackenzie has been experiencing a significant change in land use and for the first time ever there are farmers growing clover seed. We are currently working with farmers on how the pivots affect the bees.

NORTH OTAGO, WITH MICHAEL VERCOE

It has been a very windy season with a lack of moisture however, our thyme crops have pulled us through. Hives have wintered down quite heavy, causing us to shut down early. The drones were also kicked out of hives quite early on this season, so we are most definitely looking forward to next season.

TREES FOR BEES

The Trees for Bees guides consist of a series of 10 regional fact sheets, which indicate the shrubs and trees that are known to keep bees healthy with nutritious pollen and nectar. The guides aim to stop our bee population from declining further by informing farmers about what they can do to support and protect our threatened honey bee population. If you would like a copy of one of the guides, please click here or contact policy advisor, Shona Sluys, by clicking here.

ABANDONED HIVES

Federated Farmers Bees would like to know if you have neglected or abandoned hives on your property. Managing bee disease is vital for the ongoing sustainability of beekeeping and pollination services. The American Foul Brood Pest Management Strategy requires that all beehives are registered and apiary details are recorded on the national database. Please assist us by calling 0800 327 646 or emailing details of any neglected or abandoned hives, by clicking here. Alternatively, you can fax your report to 03 357 9451.

Suspect an exotic disease or pest? Then phone 0800 80 99 66

It is important if you suspect an exotic pest or disease that you phone the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's (MAF) Exotic Disease and Pest 24 hour emergency hotline on 0800 99 66. That way MAF Biosecurity can investigate and advise as necessary. All calls are kept in confidence.

Agricultural vehicles guide

The Agricultural Vehicles Guide is now available on the Federation's website. The guide details the requirements for getting various agricultural vehicles including tractors, trailers and harvesters legal for the road. The guide covers topics such as registration and licensing, road user charges, vehicle equipment, driver licensing and logbook requirements. To purchase the guide, please click here.

MIRO FEEDS LTD

Miro Feeds Ltd has two exciting new feed solutions, Miro FatBee Feed and Miro FatBee Protein, for apiarists to help maintain swarm health and hive production through winter/periods of pollen deficiency. Miro FatBee Feed offers a complete blend of sodium caseinate, yeast and sugar, offering 40.3 percent protein levels. Simply mix 300g - 500g of FatBee Feed powder with sugar syrup or warm water to a sticky but smooth consistency, spread onto waxed paper and form into a patty. The patty can be placed on top of the hive wet or alternatively the patty can be placed in the refrigerator overnight to harden and placed on the hive the following day. Feeding as a powder is also an option however, it would need to be placed in area sheltered from wind and rain. You can get 2kg of Miro FatBee Feed for $15 + GST and 15kg of Miro FatBee Feed for $75 + GST. For those who prefer to mix their own feeds, Miro FatBee Protein can fulfill the protein element of the diet. More commonly known as Sodium Caseinate, this product offers less than 90 percent protein and can be easily mixed with other ingredients of your choice, dissolved in sugar syrup and made into patties. You can purchase 2kg of Miro FatBee Protein for $17 + GST or 15kg of Miro FatBee Protein for $90 + GST. All prices include delivery anywhere in New Zealand. For more information, please call 07 825 5812.

FEDERATED FARMERS BEES CONFERENCE 2010

The 2010 Federated Farmers Bee industry group conference will be held from 1-3 June at the Heartland Hotel in Blenheim. There will be plenty to discuss, including the successful launch of the Trees for Bees project and the not-so-successful discussions on manuka honey classification. There will be some formalities during the conference but we intend to keep time allocated to these to a minimum to allow ample time for debate on the more important issues. For more information and registration details, please download the PDF by clicking here or contact Industry Manager, Bob Douglas, by clicking here or by calling 0800 327 646.

FEDERATED FARMERS NATIONAL CONFERENCE 'ONE EVENT' 2010

The Federated Farmers National Conference 'One Event' 2010 will be held from Wednesday, 23 June to Friday, 25 June 2010 at Ascot Park Hotel, Corner Tay Street and Racecourse Road, Invercargill. The AGM's for Federated Farmers National, Dairy and Meat & Fibre will take place over the three days.  Federated Farmers would also like to invite members to attend the Federated Farmers Dairy and Meat & Fibre joint cocktails, proudly sponsored by Silver Fern Farms, and joint dinner, proudly sponsored by Alliance Group Limited, on Wednesday, 23 June from 6pm. To register to attend, please contact Kimberley Wadsworth by clicking here or call 0800 327 646.

NATIONAL CONFERENCE PLENARY DAY

The Federated Farmers Plenary Day is to be held on Thursday, 24 June and will encompass a vast range of guest speakers including the Hon Phil Goff, the Hon David Carter, the US Ambassador to New Zealand, David Huebner, and many more. Later that evening the Federated Farmers Cream of the Crop Awards will be held and we would like to thank Ravensdown for sponsoring the Agribusiness Person of the Year award. The following day, Friday, 25 June, there is lunch with the Prime Minister, the Hon John Key. If you are interested in attending any of the events over the three days please contact Kimberley Wadsworth clicking here or call 0800 327 646.

WIN AT NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Federated Farmers would like to thank our sponsors and business partners for supporting National Conference 2010. Several spot prizes including digital cameras, jackets, sports bags, wine and hotel accommodation vouchers will be up for grabs over the three days. Each prize has been kindly donated by our business partners. To be eligible for any of the prizes, you must be there to accept them in person.

Your notices

If you have a meeting notice you would like to advertise in the BIG Picture, please contact policy advisor, Shona Sluys, by clicking here or by calling 0800 327 646.

INTERESTED IN LIFTING YOUR BUSINESS MANAGEMENT SKILLS?

Open Polytechnic's National Certificate in Agribusiness Management - Business Financial Planning Management is for people working in business planning and financial management in an agribusiness. For more information, click here or call 0508 650 200. Remember, Federated Farmers members get a 20 percent discount. Click here to download an enrolment form.

WINESONLINE.CO.NZ

For quality award winning wines at below half price, look no further than www.winesonline.co.nz.

FANCY A FREE SOLAHART PANEL?

Yes, when buying a GreenGlo Saver mains pressure tank you get a free Solahart panel and a free solar controller. This is an amazing offer, why wouldn't you go solar when you can go for free. For more information, please click here or call 0800 769 377.

More member benefits and offers

To view special discounts exclusive to Federated Farmers members, please call 0800 327 646 or click here to log onto our members only area.

Employment contracts, agreements and leases

These include land, stock, contractor, sales and purchase, agreement to grow, log books, access pads, Over Dimension Certificates and employment. Remember, it's a legal requirement to have an employment contract for EVERY employee so if you don't have a current employment agreement, then order one now. Contracts, agreements and leases are available in both electronic and hard copy formats for your convenience. To purchase, call 0800 FARMING or click here.

NEW MEMBERS WELCOME

Federated Farmers Bees are always looking for new members. As with any organisation or group there are meetings and opportunities to participate in discussion groups as well as having your say on the future of beekeeping in New Zealand, there are plenty of challenges ahead. So if you know someone that may like to join Federated Farmers Bees, please recommend them to us. As you know our best referrals come from our members, so if you do introduce a new member, you will receive a $50 petrol voucher as a thank you for the work you do.

Contact us

If you have any questions or comments about matters in this newsletter, or anything else relating to the bee industry, please contact the Bee Industry Group executive or committee by clicking here. Alternatively, you can contact policy advisor, Shona Sluys, by clicking here or by calling 0800 327 646.