WHEAT COMPETITION 2013

Tuesday, 21 Feb, 2012

Brian Leadley is once again organising the annual United Wheatgrowers Wheat Competition for 2013 with the support of ATS. Prize giving will take place at the annual Federated Farmers Grains Conference scheduled for 2nd & 3rd July 2013. Judging will take place in the Autumn for milling, feed and biscuit classes, with each category having a 1st, 2nd and 3rd placing. Entry forms can be downloaded from the link below.

All crops harvested in 2013 are eligible and growers are encouraged to start gathering samples for the competition now. All entries must be received by 20th May 2013 for judging to take place in autumn with results announced at the UWG AGM. One entry per class per farm, with each entry being tested on the visual and tested quality for the particular end use of the wheat.

Entry Form (261K)

November Electoral Committee Meeting 2013

Friday, 8 Mar, 2013

The annual November Electoral Committee meeting was held on Friday 30th November 2012 at the Comfort Hotel Benvenue in Timaru. James Sim was re-appointed as director after standing unopposed. After the compliance part of the meeting, directors and Electoral Committee members visited the Seedlands' construction site of their new farmer-owned flour mill currently being built (47 Meadows Road, Washdyke). As previously reported in the Farmers Weekly in May last year, the “Farmers Mill” project is being driven by a consortium of 12 South Canterbury farmers and will complement Seedlands Grainstor Ltd grain storage facility which is owned by the same producers. The General Manager and Chairman met with members and reported on their progress and future strategies.

 

January 2012 Newsletter

Tuesday, 21 Feb, 2012

Wheat Insurance for the Coming Harvest 2010-2011...

UWG, in conjunction with FMG, set the insurance levy and disaster payout for the coming season at the 2011 UWG AGM held in May. The premium from the 1^st February 2012 will be $4.35/tonne plus GST and the disaster payout will be $220/tonne plus GST. This is unchanged from last year.

Frost cover began on 15^th November.

A Reminder of how the Scheme Works.....

The premium is paid in arrears and is based on the tonnage delivered, regardless of whether this is to a flour mill or any other end user. The end user deducts the levy from the payment and sends this on to UWG. However, if wheat is sold to a dairy or pig farmer who has not deducted the insurance levy, then it is the grower's legal responsibility to forward the current levy for every tonne sold on to UWG. This is a compulsory levy, not an optional levy and has been voted in by growers every 5 years since its inception in 1986. Growers are automatically in this scheme that provides disaster relief insurance for a fraction of the cost of commercial cover; however we rely on the premium from every tonne of wheat harvested.

The appropriate forms for paying the levy are available both online via the Foundation for Arable Research website (www.far.org.nz) or in paper form (obtained from the UWG secretarial office of Brown Glassford - ph: 03 3650-881/email: allison.brook@brownglass.co.nz).

Risks Not Covered...

Damage from wind like we experienced last year is not covered.

Spoiling in storage, typically in a large brand new silo.

The wheat would have been harvested at good moisture, but on a very hot day. No problems will develop if air flow allows the heat to be removed quickly and the silo is regularly checked.

Grain bags are not covered by our insurance.

In the past some growers have been upset by this policy. UWG has no issues with grain bags and realize they are in use around the world. They can be insured separately with your farm insurance provider.

For malting barley check with the end user before using these bags.

Risks Covered...

The major risks are hail, frost, fire, flooding, the water must flow onto the farm, physical loss in storage and transport.

This list is in greater detail on our website. www.uwg.co.nz

If you have a Disaster...

If a grower is unfortunate enough to have a disaster, they should register the claim with FMG by telephone 0800 366 466.

FMG will appoint an assessor. This person is a local grower, possibly a director or member of the Electoral Committee. The assessor will make an initial appointment to visit your crop and then subsequent visits to determine the loss.

New Director...

At our November Electoral Committee meeting Michael Morrow stood down as a director and was replaced by Guy Wigley who has been elected on to the board.

Thanks to Michael for the time he has spent on UWG both as a director and Electoral Committee member.

Help Wanted...

After the 2008/9 and 2009/10 hailstorms our assessors were stretched to beyond what is reasonable. There were over 100 claims both years and assessors were still looking at damage when their own crops were ready to harvest. Some had suffered serious damage themselves.

Unfortunately these events happen about every 5 years or so.

If we could have a bigger pool of grower / assessors to help out it would be great.

When we have a serious disaster, the assessors meet in an affected paddock, normally in the evening after tea, with the most experienced members demonstrating how they would tackle the job.

Newcomers generally go off with an experienced operator for a start and after a few paddocks the practical part becomes easier.

The most important qualification needed is for the assessor to be able to organize himself so they can leave their farm to help another grower.

Hiring commercial loss adjusters from the yellow pages is not an option.

Staying In Contact...

For the last 2 years we have sent the newsletter out by email via Federated Farmers Arable Update. We have had no comment that this is unsatisfactory but we do not know if it is being received either.

If growers could reply to Allison Brook at allison.brook@brownglassford.co.nz with their email address we can develop our own data base for future contact. You can also contact Allison to

Let us know if you are no longer a wheatgrower and can be taken off the database, as retired growers distort he voting percentages for the levy vote. At the same time, please let us know of any grower you may be aware of who is not currently on our database.

Wheat Competition...

The ATS UWG Wheat Competition is being run again this year. Entry forms will be available on both ATS and UWG websites. Contact Brian Leadley for further information.

The directors of UWG wish growers a successful safe harvest.

James Sim

Chairman UWG NZ Ltd

November Electoral Committee Meeting

Tuesday, 21 Feb, 2012

The annual November Electoral Committee meeting was held on Friday 18th November 2011 at the Riccarton Park Function Centre, Christchurch. Michael Morrow stood down as director and Guy Wigley was elected in his place. In the afternoon session of the meeting Garth Gillam and Richard Grigor from Champion Flourmills addressed the meeting on "Securing the Future of Milling Wheat in New Zealand".

Change in Levy Collection Forms

Tuesday, 21 Feb, 2012

From January 2011, due to advice from the Inland Revenue Department pertaining to GST numbers, etc, UWG were asked to provide growers with a separate levy form from FAR to collect the wheat insurance levy. If you require a UWG levy form please contact our Secretary, Allison Brook (allison.brook@brownglass.co.nz/Ph: 03 3650-881) who is happy to either email or post out a form. These are generic forms and can be photocopied and used all year long.

The current levy rate is $4.35/tonne plus GST and this has not changed from the previous year. UWG directors meeting annually with FMG, the insurance providers, to negotiate the rate for the following year. If this rate changes we will notify merchants and send out new forms with FAR levy forms at the beginning of next year.

2011 AGM

Tuesday, 21 Feb, 2012

The United Wheatgrowers 2011 AGM was held on the 27th May 2011 at the Hotel Ashburton, incorporated as previously into the annual Grain & Seed Conference.

Syd Worsfold presented the 2011 Financial Report and the current auditors, Polson Higgs were reappointed. The Insurance Levy for the 2011-2012 season was set at the same rate as the previous season of $4.35/tonne plus GST.

Brian Leadley reported to the meeting on the success of reinstating the annual Wheat Competition which had become redundant in previous years, thanking ATS for their sponsorship and asked for feedback from growers on any further improvements they felt could be made.

RESPONSE TO DISCUSSION PAPER ON USE OF NON-CERTIFIED SEED

Thursday, 17 Nov, 2005

The following is a response from Nick Pyke of FAR to the NZFMA's March Discussion Paper on the Use of Non-Certified Seed which growers may find of interest.  The  discussion paper in question can be viewed by accessing the archives below dated 27th April 2005.

The discussion paper implies that one of the major causes of cultivars producing below quality grain, loss of their original quality characteristics, is due to use of non-certified seed resulting in a decline in cultivar life.  It is implied that use of non-certified seed has resulted in the occurrence of poor quality flour of the variety Regency.

 

Federated Farmers gains reprieve from ludicrous towbar rules

Friday, 23 Sep, 2005

The Land Transport Heavy Vehicles Rule stipulates that the towing connection of a tractor, other than a three point linkage, must clearly display on or near the coupling, the maximum mass of any vehicle that may be towed and the maximum vertical force permitted on the towing connection.  The Rule also stipulates that the towing connection on a heavy agricultural trailer (greater than 3500 kg), other than a two-point or three-point linkage, must have clearly displayed the gross mass (maximum loaded mass) of the trailer and the maximum vertical force at the coupling when the trailer is fully loaded.

Plant Variety Rights Amendment Bill to update NZ legislation

Tuesday, 18 Oct, 2005

Federated Farmers and the Grains Council in conjunction with the New Zealand Plant Breeding and Research Association (NZPBRA), recently submitted to the draft Plant Variety Rights (PVR) Act Amendment Bill. The overriding purpose of the Bill is to strengthen the rights of plant breeders to encourage more plant varieties to be registered in New Zealand, but the amendment adds or enhances a number of other provisions to the benefit of growers and farmers.

The Facts on Approved Handlers

Wednesday, 13 Jul, 2005

Approved Handlers are needed for many pesticides under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act and courses are under way around the country.  The urgency with which you must obtain a full Approved Handler Certificate depends on a number of factors, but transitional approved handler certificates expire December 31^st 2007.  Fact Sheets are now available to Federated Farmers members to help clarify what chemicals require an Approved Handler, what course best suits your needs, and when you should aim to complete it.