North Canterbury News: May 06, 2021

Droughts may prompt rethink
By DAVID HILL
Ongoing drought could cause arethink
in the way North Canterbury farms.
Agriculture Minister Damien
O’Connor last week extended the
region’s drought classification to
November 30.
Farmers had just two years of respite
from athree­year drought, before the
latest round of dry conditions struck last
year, prompting outgoing Federated
Farmers North Canterbury president
Cam Henderson to wonder if arethink is
needed.
‘‘ECan is looking at it, as this is
becoming avery regular event, so we
need to consider, ‘do we need alongerterm
strategy?’
‘‘It’s no longer the exception to the
norm. Potentially, it’s too early to look to
asolution, but we need to be looking at
how often these things can happen.’’
Different areas had different
experiences, with Banks Peninsula
unusually dry this season, whereas dry
seasons are more common in the
Hurunui district, Mr Henderson says.
‘‘Responding to droughts every year is
putting aband­aid on the issue, so
maybe we need to be looking at whether
there are opportunities for more
sustainable land use.
‘‘But it’s also important that we don’t
get too swept up in what is the latest
phase.’’
Finding solutions to making farms
more sustainable in the face of ongoing
drought is not simply about using the
best science and agronomy, Mr
Henderson says.
‘‘If we swamp the market with anew
product which we can’t sell then we just
create more problems for farmers.’’
Growing hemp and other plant­based
food and fibre is an option, but farmers
need more support, and Mr Henderson
wonders if the existing levy­funded
organisations, such as DairyNZ, Beef
and Lamb New Zealand and the
Foundation for Arable Research,
provide the best coverage.
‘‘Our levy groups are good at doing
research for their own sectors, but
arguably those farmers could benefit
Greener times ... Oxford dairy farmer Cam Henderson wonders whether arethink may
be necessary in Canterbury as more droughts unfold.
PHOTO: FILE
from research into other areas.
‘‘It takes alot of learning to become a
dairy farmer, so if you add in other
aspects to your operation it becomes a
challenge.’’
But there are benefits for farms
having more diversity in their operation,
providing avariety of income sources,
he says.
The Oxford dairy farmer believes
several of his colleagues are open to the
idea of converting to producing plantbased
protein.
‘‘I’m afarmer, but Idon’t have to be
milking cows. If you can find me abetter
option which has less impact on the
environment, Iwill look at it.
‘‘But the success of things like
kiwifruit and sheep milk has come from
it being aselect market, so if you swamp
the market, are you going to be able to
make the same returns?
‘‘So Ithink we will have animal
farming in this country for awhile yet.’’
While he is stepping back from
Federated Farmers, Mr Henderson’s
focus will now be on the work of the
Waimakariri Landcare Group, which is
investigating ways of farming more
sustainably.
RURAL LIFE
The North Canterbury News, May 6, 2021
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Winter feed
contests return
By DAVID HILL
The Northern A&P Association hopes to
get back on track with its annual winter
feed competitions,afterachallenging
year.
Afterlast year’s Rangiora Show
became acasualtyofCovid­19, the show
committee hopes to get some normality
back by holding its first winter feed
competitions since 2019,eventorganiser
Malcolm Wyllie says.
‘‘These competitions were canned last
year,but the A&P committeesaround the
region have been gettingback into it with
the autumn shows this year,sowe’rejust
keen to get theword out and encourage
people to get involved.’’
Entries for the winterfeed contest
closeonMay 14, withon­farm judging
taking place on May 25 and 26.
The hay, baleage and silage
competition will be held on May 28, with
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The results of both competitions will
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on May 28, from7.30pm.
‘‘This year has been ahard one. The
irrigated cropsare prettygood because
they’vehad some moisture, but dryland
cropshavestruggled,’’ MrWyllie says.
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