increase font size
Ben Allomes.
Heavy weekend rain, in the lower eastern half of the North Island, will start to turn things around for farmers who have been facing a desperate situation with drought.
More rain is expected in the next 24 hours.
Dairy farmer Ben Allomes, who farms near Woodville in the Tararua District, says the rain will ease the situation on his and other farms.
Allomes described the situation, prior to the rain, as tight with supplementary feed in either short supply or very expensive.
He says in the past week, he’s managed to get a few more cull cows off the works which has eased the pressure.
However, Allomes points out that more rain is still needed to improve the feed situation going into winter.
President of Federated Farmers for Wairarapa, William Beetham, says some parts of his region received up to 200 millimetres of rain, which he says has come at the right time.
Beetham says with sunny weather and the soil still warm the grass should now start to grow. He says the feed situation has been very tight with baleage almost impossible to get – although supplies of straw and grain were available.
Beetham says with Covid-19 the closure of the sale yards has made it hard for farmers. He has three properties and employs six fulltime staff and has put in place a whole set of protocols to protect staff to allow them to work.
Beetham says his workers have also been issued with letters, designed by Fed Farmers, which state that staff are working in an essential industry and have to travel between farms to carry out their work.
OPINION: The same mainstream media muppets that brought you Jacindamania in 2017 have been flat out pimping for the Opportunities Party, labelled by some as the 'LinkedIn Greens' for their corporate spin on Green-esque 'tax the rich' policies.
OPINION: Mike Chapman, former chief executive of levy-funded HortNZ, has thrown out a challenge to farmers and growers to put their levy-funded industry organisations under the same scrutiny as fertiliser, electricity, labour and freight.
A team effort that is paying dividends for the wider New Zealand economy.
A strong sense of community involvement is what propelled the Federated Farmers' North Canterbury president Bex Green to the honoured title of the Feds' Advocate of the Year 2026.
Improving health and safety is about incremental gain rather than a sudden decision, says Leeston farmer and Federated Farmers health and safety spokesman David Birkett.
Conversions of sheep and beef farms to forestry have slowed, however new research from Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) suggests land of value for food production remains at risk.
OPINION: A simpler, clearer, more effective Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme.
Too many farmers put reclaiming excise duty on petrol into the "too-hard" basket, says farm accounting software provider, Farm Focus.
Tatua Co-operative Dairy Company has confirmed that chair and director Stephen Allen will retire at the co-operative's annual general meeting (AGM) on 3 December 2026, ending 30 years of service, including more than 20 years as Chair.
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Simon Upton, wants environmental information to be treated as critical national infrastructure.
A Morrinsville business celebrating its 30th birthday has shaken up the street scene in the Waikato township.
OPINION: The same mainstream media muppets that brought you Jacindamania in 2017 have been flat out pimping for the Opportunities…
OPINION: Your old mate reckons the atrocious way farmers in the UK are treated by their lords and masters in…
