increase font size
Dairy farms hit by recent floods in the lower North Island are slowly drying out according to DairyNZ.
The regional leader for the area, James Muwunganirwa, told Dairy News there are regional pockets still with problems, but by and large the water is seeping away. The main damage appears to have been to fences and races.
“The water that was sitting on the pasture was clean so there wasn’t a lot of silt. The water hasn’t been on the pasture for a long time so there won’t be a great need for pasture renovation in those areas. The main challenge will be grazing those pastures that are wet.”
Muwunganirwa says farmers will have be careful when grazing wet pastures to limit pugging damage.
Meanwhile Federated Farmers Dairy chairman Andrew Hoggard who lives in the region says some farms in Manawatu and Rangitikei have been badly damaged. Some have lost most of their supplementary feed. The challenge for some will be with calving not far away.
“All the Federated Farmers provincial presidents have been meeting and organising help for farmers. Fonterra’s rapid response team has worked very well assisting their shareholders and DairyNZ has been out there giving feed budgeting advice.”
Hoggard says it hasn’t been easy with communications down and just getting information in to work out who needs help and how urgently. His experience suggests farmers are often on their own for the first days until help arrives, unless it is critical, like cows needing to be moved from floodwaters.
Hoggard says the mission can be trying to prioritise who needs help first.
A tsunami of memories hit the tiny Manawatū township of Bulls earlier this month where 300 people gathered to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Flock House - an iconic former agricultural training facility.
OPINION: Kia ora and a warm welcome to everyone making a living off the land, contributing to our regional and national well-being. For regulars who make Field Days, a 'must attend', it's welcome back!
Red meat farmers want the Government to urgently commit to road repairs in isolated Hawke’s Bay and Tairawhiti farming communities.
Farmers want the Government to deploy the army to deter crime in rural areas of Coromandel, East Cape and Hawke's Bay.
WE ALL have to chip in to help farmers recover, says Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor.
The subdivision and sale of the Rangiora's Coldstream Estate in 1921 was advantageous for not one, but four Cantebury families - but one in particular has become synonymous with outstanding Holstein Friesian cattle.
The Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) annual meeting held in Timaru today saw directors' fees raised and the appointment of KPMG as an auditor for the levy body.
A new Westpac NZ community banking van begins making visits around Northland this week.
New Zealand Food Safety (NZFS) is sharing guidance to prevent people from contracting listeriosis, a rare yet life-threatening foodborne illness.
As cost-of-living pressures continue to bite Kiwi households, the Fruit in Schools (FIS) programme is helping fuel learning and improve the health and wellbeing of 127,000 children and staff.
OPINION: Public opinion, political pragmatism and commercial and market reality have caused the Government to abandon introducing legislation into Parliament to legalise the shipment by sea of live animals - mainly cows - to overseas destinations.
OPINION: The good news keeps getting better for NZ dairy farmers.
OPINION: With export of livestock by sea dead in the water, opponents of the Gene Technology Bill think they can…
