Help available for flood-hit farmers
The chair of the Otago Rural Support Trust, Tom Pinckney, says he believes that they will be especially busy in the coming months as the enormity of the floods hit home.
A potential crisis is looming for Chatham Island farmers who are still unable to get their stock off the Islands.
It's estimated that 28,000 sheep and 7,000 cattle need to get to the mainland urgently but can't because the ship that normally takes them there is still being repaired.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is working with the shipping company and local farmers to try and resolve the situation quickly, to avoid farmers losing money for their stock and to have feed available for new lambs and calves due shortly.
MPI's on-farm support team director, Dr John Roche, along with three of his key staff, visited the Chatham's recently. It was his first trip to the Islands and says he was overwhelmed by the kindness and hospitality of the locals.
The trip was an initiative by MPI to find out at first hand just what the situation was.
Roche told Rural News the farmers there are under huge pressure and life is very challenging for them.
"Normally stock would be shifted off the islands as soon as they become prime and ready for sale, but this hasn't happened. Everyone is aware of the problem and are working to get a solution as quickly as possible," he says.
Roche says the farmers are in the impossible position of not getting any revenue for their stock while at the same time having to deal with the downturn in prices that all farmers are having to cope with at the moment. He says everything costs more on the Chathams, including fuel and food, because it must be brought there by ship or aircraft and he says he cannot emphasise enough the problems the people face.
"So, there hasn't been any revenue for some time and that limits their financial situation," he says.
Roche says last year's lambs are a high priority to get off the islands because, if they don't, they are at risk of becoming hoggets and possibly worth less.
He says MPI is working with the local farmers and the shipping company to try and devise a system that speeds up the loading of the ship and hence get a faster turnaround, and maybe more sailings.
Even if the ship was available immediately, it's estimated that it would require multiple trip to get all the animals off to the mainland.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will be fronting farmers at three large public meetings organised by Federated Farmers over the coming weeks.
Federated Farmers and a major Australian-owned bank are at loggerheads over emissions reduction targets set for New Zealand farmer clients.
More locally grown tomatoes are coming to stores this month and you can thank New Zealand greenhouses for that.
Changing skill demands and new job opportunities in the primary sector have prompted Massey University to create a new degree course and add a significant major into another in 2025.
It was bringing in a new Canterbury A&P Association (CAPA) show board, more in tune with the CAPA general committee, that has ensured that Christchurch will have a show this year, says CAPA general committee president Bryce Murray.
OPINION: Hats off to our pipfruit sector.
OPINION: Was the ASB Economic Weekly throwing shade on Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr when reporting on his speech in…
OPINION: A reader recently had a shot at the various armchair critics that she judged to be more than a…