North Canterbury News: July 02, 2020

Farmers gear up for calving
By DAVID HILL
NorthCanterbury farmers are hopingfor
some normality as calving begins.
With calving startingthis week on most
dairyfarms in the region,Federated
Farmers North Canterbury dairy
chairman KarlDean says the new season
is tracking welldespitethe challenges of
the lockdown, Mycoplasma bovis and last
season’s dry conditions.
Lastyear’scold winter
resulted in alate start to
calving,but this season’s
mildconditions mean
farmers are in good
spirits despite the
winter rain.
‘‘Wewill be starting
calving in late July and
Karl Dean
early August and
everyone seems to be on
track. Ithinkmost
people have tightened up calvings and the
payout was up, so peoplewill have
investedabit to try to make the most of it
this year.
‘‘I think everybodywould have likedthe
rain abit soonerinthe year,but with the
mild winter so far, the grass is growing
faster than normal and the soil
temperature is warmer than average.’’
Cam Henderson ... ‘‘As employers, you have to be loyal to your employees.’’
Federated Farmers NorthCanterbury
president Cameron Henderson saysafter
last year’sslowstart, calving has started
earlyonhis Oxford farm. While wet and
muddy conditions are making fora
challengingwinter,MrHenderson hopes
it will set farmers up for agoodsummer.
‘‘We’vehad regular rain over the last few
weeks and the aquifers are starting to fill
up again.
‘‘It’s muddy, but otherwisethe
conditionsare pretty reasonable. If we get
an easy winter,wetend to end up paying
the priceinthe summer.’’
PHOTOS: FILE
Mr Dean says the biggest challengefor
farmers heading into the new season is
securing experiencedworkersfor the next
few months.
‘‘There are fewer migrant workers
around now and thosewho went homeare
having trouble gettingback into the
country.’’
In some cases,possessionsare still in a
houseonthe farm.
‘‘As employers, you have to be loyal to
your employees. Thefarmer can’t just go
and take on anew employee. You can’t
just go and empty out the house.’’
Feds to mark 75th anniversary in October
The celebrations are backonfor
Federated Farmers North Canterbury.
The provincial group will now mark its
75th anniversary on Friday, October 16, at
Waipara, after the event was postponed in
May because of the lockdown.
PresidentCameronHenderson says the
eventwill be held at the Waipara Springs
Winery and will includethe province’s
annual meeting.
‘‘Hopefully, the election will be over by
then. Compared to the lastelection, when
we were in the spotlight, it’sgood thatthe
focus isn’t on farming.’’
Cannabis and hemphave been ahot
topic in the lead­up to the referendum,
withmuch attention on the risksof
smoking cannabis.
‘‘People seemed to be focused on the
smoking of cannabis,but there’s alot of
development thatcould go into that space
under the right conditions.
‘‘There’s so many thingsthat can be
madeout of it,’’ Mr Henderson says.
YOU BRING THEDREAM,
WE'LLBRING THE
RURAL LIFE
North Canterbury News, July 30, 2020
2276972
25
Farmers
coping well
Asurvey of North Canterbury’s droughtstrickenfarmers
has foundmost are
coping well.
The North CanterburyRural Support
Trust conducted atelephone survey of
more than 500 farmers to gauge how
communities were coping,and to
improveawareness of industryand
government supportpackages.
Summerweather hadcreated dry
conditions.Significant rainfall came in
May and June, but it was not enough to
rechargegroundwater. This left many
respondents nervous about the prospect
of heavysnow and scarcefeed supplies.
Significant July rains meant some
ponds were filling,but more rain was
needed to ensure afull recharge of the
soil profile and to boostspring growth.
Lessons have been learned from past
droughts, with farming systemsnow
more aligned to the area’s climate.
Decisions todestock were made early
and many had good feed supplies,which
are now being fed out.
But the survey foundthat even well
organised feedplanners would be tight
for feed come the spring.
Thosewith irrigationreported much
healthier feedlevels,leaving some to
wonder whether water storagehad been
alost opportunity.
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CHRISTCHURCH
Ph: (03) 338 9063 55 Hands Rd, Christchurch NZ 8024
www.stratco.co.nz