Federated Farmers meat and fibre chairman Dan Hodgen said stocking rates on farms were anything from zero to 85% as farmers learned from last year and acted early with de-stocking.
“There are a lot of farmers who all they have got left to feed are the dogs and the kids,” he said.
“You don’t want to have to learn what to do in a drought one year and then practice it again the very next year but that’s the reality of this situation.
“The emotional toll is really high, people are really stressed, they have had enough, run out of puff but they keep digging deeper and deeper,” Hodgen said.
Even fallowed paddocks, with good fertility that had been managed well, that two weeks ago were looking okay were now showing signs of moisture deficit.
“Winter feed had done well, better than last year, but general pasture cover and soil moisture were lower, something I believed couldn’t happen after last year,” he said.
There had been such a long period of absolute dry and for most people the writing was on the wall that even rain now would not change the chances of growing a decent bank of feed for winter.
“It’s just not going to happen now. We’ve had another week of dry windy conditions and a lot more calls from people looking for grazing.”
Tucked in beneath the hills of Hawarden Hodgen had recorded 6mm of rain in six weeks.
“And there are worse off than us,” he said.
Budgets were getting very tight so any grazing had to be reasonable because many farmers just could not afford it.
“We have been in this position for 12 months now and there are a lot of people who would like to graze away but they are struggling to find the money.”
Stock was heading as far as Southland but it was at a cost.
“Transport all adds cost but we can’t feed them here.
“We hear the word resilient a lot. It would be nice if we didn’t have to for a spell. North Canterbury farmers are certainly finding new levels of it,” he said.
Otago Rural Support Trust co-ordinator Pat Macaulay said the dry grey hills of Strath Taieri in east Otago were the driest even the longest-time farmers of the area could recall.
There had been no significant moisture in almost four weeks and there were serious concerns going into the winter, Macaulay said.
The Taieri Plain was extremely dry and that was extending south to include the Milton area and down to Warepa south of Balclutha.
On the brighter side, west Otago areas had had an excellent season for growth resulting in good feed crops.
Grass grub had become a serious problem on many milking platforms with most dairy farmers now drying off.
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Cow numbers were likely to be 10% to 12% down at end of season in Otago with conception rates quite varied, the norm being as high as 16% to 20% empties for this season, Macaulay said.
Cow prices were dropping and good heifers were now $1000 compared to last year’s prices up to $1900.
Macaulay reported resistance to buying supplementary feed early and there was an abundance of winter grazing available.
“There will certainly be less cows going to grazing and rates are varying considerably, ranging from the mid $20s to as high as $30 but to a low of $19 in the Canterbury area,” she said..
Banks were working with their clients and being supportive but there were a few farms on credit control.
North Otago remained extremely dry, Macaulay said.
Take a break off the farm
A farm break in south Canterbury, where it was still very dry, scheduled for Wednesday was aimed at lifting spirits, Federated Farmers president Mark Adams said.
The event would be held at the Caroline Bay hall from 6pm-10pm with buses running from Waimate, Geraldine and Fairlie.
The event, supported by the South Canterbury Rural Support Trust, Federated Farmers and rural partners, had secured Te Radar for some light-hearted entertainment with organisers expecting about 400 people.
“After what has been a stressful season we are hoping for a positive response to share some time off farm, good entertainment and fellowship,” Adams said.
“The event is not about the sympathy vote or feeling sorry for ourselves but rather looking out for our community, acknowledging it’s tough but putting our heads up and carrying on.”
For bus bookings and to rsvp, call or text 027 5355799 or email scfarmbreak@gmail.com
CORRECTION: A comment on north Canterbury’s dry conditions published on May 9 incorrectly quoted Dan Hodgen when it should have been attributed to north Canterbury Rural Support Trust co-ordinator Doug Archbold. Farmers Weekly apologises for any inconvenience.
