Dear Customers

Pricing of nearly all the raw materials continue to soften slightly and while I don't foresee us dropping the calf meal price at this stage there is certainly less risk of it increasing.

Calf Meal prices effective from July 1 2016

High Octane Aoraki Calf Meal 40 x 25kg: $630 + GST ex Feedmill
Low Protein Aoraki Calf Meal 40 x 25kg: $595 + GST ex Feedmill

Having trouble opening the bags? Can't work out which side to open them on? Two ways to remember, one is when facing the label always start on the left side and the second is when looking closely at the stitching you will see loops and when facing the loops start on the left side (loopy lefty). I will often use a nail, thread it through the stitching right at the edge of the bag, break the stitch there and then it often starts unravelling easy.

In the past when we had bulk canola oil delivered they sent a truck with a pump on it and pumped into our tanks. This year there is a different delivery company and they relied solely on gravity. I had my doubts that he would be able to transfer it all from the tanker however I am pleased to say he was successful though it did take longer and getting the last bit out definitely required more work.

The Good

Congratulations to Mark and Julie Cressey who are sharemilkers for the Proprietors of Rakaia Incorporation. They operate the Tahu a Tao farm at Dorie which won the 2016 Ahuwhenua Trophy for Maori Excellence in Farming. Mark invited me to a field day held on farm in March, it was a very enjoyable and informative day where they had to explain their farming practices to us visitors as well as the judges.

The Bad

It was a bit after 3am and I happened to be watching TV (not unusual for that hour of the morning) when a vehicle went past slowly making a hang of a racket. I looked out the window however due to darkness couldn't see much. A few minutes later the dog started barking so I went outside where I could hear voices and see torch light up the road 300 metres. Then there was a small boom and a car took off in a hell of a hurry. It was time to call 111, turned the car had been towed away from its owners property (which is close to the middle of Waimate) early the previous afternoon. And in the fourteen hours they had stripped out the rotary engine, gearbox and once on the side of the road they also quickly removed the mag wheels before setting it alight.

The Irony

About 4 years ago we started an extension to the smoke room and for various reasons I finally wanted it finished. During the installation of a new hand basin and vanity the builder tried to remove the sliding draw for easy access to the back so he could screw it to the wall however after a period of time he gave up in frustration. Next come the plumber who also tried to remove the drawer and this time used a bit more force. The drawer would still not yield and it no longer opened and shut quite as smoothly. I certainly wasn't prepared to try after all if experienced tradies couldn't remove it I had no chance. Then it was time for Shona to clean up after the tradies had left and to my amazement she popped the drawer out instantly, sometimes you just can't beat a woman's touch.

Cheers

Ken Buckingham