Saturday, March 30, 2024

Rural people show their support

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Hawke’s Bay farmer Mark Warren has posted a call for help on social media in an attempt to let other farmers who are finding life tough know that it’s okay to ask for help. Warren, who owns Waipari Station in Central Hawke’s Bay, says after a sleepless few hours of the 2am churn and trying to be sensible and realise that his Ts and Ps (temperatures and pressures) are in the red zone, he realised he needed help.
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“Although I keep hoping to be back to 12 volts, after a weekend wading through waste-deep mud and pulling lambs out of dams I realise my volt meter is struggling to stay in the safe zone.

“We are desperately trying to get winter crops sown to feed hungry stock going into what could be a very difficult and hard winter.

“Works are overloaded at present due to worldwide issues and selling unfinished stock onto an oversupplied store market is not a wise or sustainable option.”

Warren says there are many others feeling the pinch and it seems many people outside rural communities don’t understand the depth of the problem.

“On an economic basis no profit equals no tax. And we are one of many New Zealand businesses facing this situation.

“Some will just go broke, leaving suppliers unpaid to start a larger cycle of economic collapse.

“It seems very few people understand what the ramifications of that are.”

Since going public Warren has received wide-ranging offers of help, which he says illustrates how supportive the farming community is.

One reason he spoke out was to show other farmers is help and support are available and there is no shame in asking for it.

“We need to raise awareness that there are huge support networks out there and people should not be afraid of sticking their head above the parapet.

“It’s the silent ones I worry about. 

“They can end up making some really bad decisions.”

Warren says farmers understand the realities of farming mean there will be tough times and they are not asking for a handout.

But he says there needs to be a greater appreciation of the effect of the drought across the North Island coupled with mounting paperwork and compliance demands being put on farmers.

“I’m sure I’m not the only one drowning under excessive unproductive compliance issues.”

The way forward for farmers is working together and looking after each other, encouraging them to regularly ring their neighbours to see how they are getting on, he says.

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Contact your local Rural Support Trust on 0800 787 254

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