More rain needed in drought regions
Recent rains across much of the country have had little impact on some of the worst hit drought regions of the country - namely the top of the South Island.
Perhaps the biggest hinderance to farmers' wellbeing is their lack of social life, says former police crisis negotiator Lance Burdett, who has begun his tour of the South Island to encourage wellness.
Social life, exercise and sleep are the three things that keep all of us well, he says.
He says for farmers, exercise is pretty well covered by the daily running of the farm, but a lack of social life has the most impact on rural wellbeing.
Burdett, a former crisis negotiator with 22 years experience working with police – and the military, emergency services, prisons and the FBI – now runs a consultancy called WARN (wellness, awareness, resilience and negotiation). It provides tips and techniques for people to handle difficult situations by understanding what goes on in their’s and others’ brains.
Burdett will share his message in a speaking tour of 16 South Island rural centres arranged by the regional Rural Support Trusts with support from MPI.
He says there are two ways to “get things out of your head” – one is to speak and the other is to write. But for farmers the biggest problem may be isolation and not talking.
Burdett’s speaking tour will include three different programmes for various audiences: Rural Support Trust’s own people on how best to engage with their clients, a second for merchants and others who deal with farmers, and the third for farmers themselves.
The three-week tour starts in Timaru and Fairlie on May 6. It follows a successful tour of Central North Island regions last year. The full schedule is on the Rural Support website.
The Climate Change Commission wants the new Government to reduce NZ Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) auction volumes as son as possible.
Southland-based Mataura Valley Milk can now lay claim to be the first all-electric dairy factory in New Zealand.
Dairy sheep and goat farmers are being told to reduce milk supply as processors face a slump in global demand for their products.
Meat co-operative Alliance Group has bagged four gold medals at the Outstanding NZ Food Producer Awards, achieving top honours for every cut entered.
There is increasing evidence that dairy demand is on the upswing, according to Rabobank senior agricultural analyst Emma Higgins.
Fertiliser use in New Zealand over the 18 months is about 25% down from what it consistently was for the previous decade or more, says Ravensdown chief operating officer Mike Whitty.
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