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The debris left over from the Buller Floods that took place last week.
DairyNZ head consulting officer in the South Island, Tony Finch, says his first priority has been to get an accurate assessment of the extent of the damage on farms affected by the floods.
Finch says initially it's been about making sure that people and animals are safe - after that the focus will shift to the recovery mode.
"Once we know the extent of the problem our aim is to help them get back to the state of 'business as usual'."
Finch says silting creates all sorts of challenges and the objective is to get the land back to its productive capacity as quickly as possible, as well as repairing any damaged farm infrastructure.
In the meantime, Finch says they are making sure there is sufficient feed for stock, and helping farmers with feed budgeting.
He says there is a squeeze on the availability of supplements due to previous adverse weather events on the West Coast and floods on the East Coast. He adds that the floods have come at a critical time of the year for dairy farmers.
"We are on the cusp of calving and in a couple of weeks there will be a lot of calves on the ground, so right now there are a lot of pregnant cows around," Finch explains.
"For DairyNZ, it is around how we give those farmers as much support as we can to help them recover through this challenging time."
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.
DairyNZ chair Tracy Brown has waded into the debate around soaring butter prices, pointing out that the demand for dairy overseas dictates the price to farmers and at the supermarket.
From nitrogen limits to ecosystem restoration –farmers and catchment groups are leading a new wave of environmental care, says DairyNZ.
Another milestone has been reached in the fight against Mycoplasma bovis with the compensation assistance service being wound up after helping more than 1300 farmers.
The Innovation Awards at June's National Fieldays showcased several new ideas, alongside previous entries that had reached commercial reality.
To assist the flower industry in reducing waste and drive up demand, Wonky Box has partnered with Burwood to create Wonky Flowers.
Three new directors are joining Horticulture New Zealand’s board from this month.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) says proposed changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will leave the door wide open for continued conversions of productive sheep and beef farms into carbon forestry.
Federated Farmers says a report to Parliament on the subject of a ban on carbon forestry does not go far enough to prevent continued farm to forestry conversions.
New Zealand Apples and Pears annual conference was a success with delegates and exhibitors alike making the most of three days of exhibitions, tours, insightful discussions, valuable networking and thoughtful presentations.
