Dairy farmers: help yourself

Farmer support toolkits, prepared for Psa-affected kiwifruit growers, are being used by DairyNZ in a campaign to help dairy farmers.

Kiwifruit grower and Seeka Grower Council chairman Ian Greaves says after the Psa outbreak, the focus was to preserve life. He told the DairyNZ Farmers Forum that there were no grower suicides in the kiwifruit industry, after the outbreak of Psa.

"The rural sector is over-represented by suicides; it is preventable and we all have a role to play in it," he says.

Greaves says the kiwifruit industry is helping dairy farmers navigate through the downturn in prices.

The kiwifruit farmer support tool kits were prepared by the industry and it is not rocket science, he adds.

Greaves urged dairy farmers to look after each other but stressed it was important to look after themselves.

"No one is alone; you are there for your neighbour but first of all, look after yourself.

"Your cows won't be any good without you; your family and your community won't be any good without you."

Greaves says Psa affected 850 orchards, forcing growers to dig out entire orchards.

While capital value of orchards has bounced back, most growers went without income for several years.

"It didn't change to no profit like most dairy farmers are facing this year; we changed to no income and I picked my first crop since Psa last month.

"We had to pull out stumps and put in new plants; it's like forestry, you have to wait a long time.

"There has been no income for years from our orchards; yes, capital value is back and the banks are ready to lend us more money but cash flow and income have been devastated."