increase font size
IRRIGATIONNZ SAYS initial reports suggest more than 800 irrigators across Canterbury are severely damaged and will need to be repaired or written off following Tuesday's big wind.
"The extent of damage to centre pivots and other irrigators across the region is unprecedented," says IrrigationNZ CEO Andrew Curtis.
"This is an extremely serious situation as we simply don't have enough parts to repair all of these machines in New Zealand. We're looking at a six to eight week time lag before parts arrive and then a similar timeframe before repairs can be completed.
"If we experience a dry spring, the consequences could be dire for many Canterbury farmers as irrigation will effectively be stymied,"
Gavin Briggs, owner of Rainer Irrigation, says his company alone is aware of 260 centre pivot spans lying on the ground and another 30 pivots across the region that have lost key components. He describes the situation as "a logistical nightmare".
"It's actually quite serious even though we're still a couple of weeks away from the irrigation season starting. Many farmers don't have back-up systems for effluent and were relying on centre pivots to do the job. It's a disaster."
Rainer Irrigation has ordered a large quantity of parts from overseas suppliers but it could be 60 to 90 days before they arrive. The company usually employed 30 staff at this time of the year for irrigation repairs, but would double that in the coming months. Seven cranes were working this week to lift damaged equipment.
Briggs believed irrigation systems close to rivers suffered the most damage as the wind funnelled through river beds "getting a fair bit of speed up". While insurance claims would take a while to resolve, his company and others in the industry would move as quickly as possible to repair irrigation infrastructure "because it's our client's livelihood and there's a fair bit of unhappiness out there."
OPINION: The case of four Canterbury high country stations facing costly and complex consent hearing processes highlights the dilemma facing the farming sector as the country transitions into a replacement for the Resource Management Act (RMA).
With a focus on producing their own on-farm dairy feed requirements, it would be safe to say that the Fleming family are no strangers to a fertiliser spreader on their North Canterbury farm, near Culverden.
As the New Zealand Government launches negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement with India, one Canterbury-based vegetable seed breeder is already benefiting from exporting to the world's fifth-largest economy.
Two high producing Canterbury dairy farmers are moving to blended stockfeed supplements fed in-shed for a number of reasons, not the least of which is to boost protein levels, which they can’t achieve through pasture under the region’s nitrogen limit of 190kg/ha.
Rare Canterbury mudfish and tadpole shrimp have been discovered at an environmental restoration site at Bennetts Stream in North Canterbury which is part of a biodiversity initiative being carried out by Waimakariri Irrigation Limited (WIL).
August 6 marks Farm Worker Appreciation Day, a moment to recognise the dedication and hard mahi of dairy farm workers across Aotearoa - and DairyNZ is taking the opportunity to celebrate the skilled teams working on its two research farms.
OPINION: The Government has been seeking industry feedback on its proposed amendments to a range of Resource Management Act (RMA) national direction instruments.
A Taupo company says it's the first to bring CO₂-powered water heating technology to New Zealand dairy sheds, helping farmers cut energy costs by up to 85%.
Waikato is home to a diverse range of lakes, and experts say they urgently need better management and restoration.
Federated Farmers is renewing its call for Greenpeace to be stripped of its charitable status immediately, following the activist group's latest publicity stunt.
Kiwis love their butter, and that's great because New Zealand produces some of the best butter in the world. But when the price of butter goes up, it's tough for some, particularly when many other grocery staples have also gone up and the heat goes on co-operative Fonterra, the country's main butter maker. Here the co-op explains why butter prices are so high right now.
OPINION: Your old mate's ear has been chewed off recently by farmers voicing their displeasure with the National Party, particularly…
OPINION: Your old mate hears that at a recent China Business Summit, PM Christopher Luxon delivered a none-too-subtle "could try…
