To give credit to MetService and other forecasters, they called it two or three days ahead. I went to their site and had a look at the maps and was a little perplexed because it wasn’t an obvious low tracking towards us like that hurricane on the east coast of the United States but a stream of cloud that was to then form a low off our coast. Which is exactly what it did.
I’ve been a little guarded on my own radio show and in interviews on others as to the stock losses because we need to be more careful in what we say to a wider audience. We are under enough scrutiny now without inviting it upon ourselves.
Having said that, many individuals and areas did lose a lot of lambs and how significant it might be, only time will tell.
We have had storms at this time in the past and they will occur again in future. There is nothing more soul-destroying having spent the year planning and working towards a good result than to have an event like this occur.
You tidy up, the sun comes out as it did, focus on the stock you do have and move on.
Most of us have done a lot to mitigate against these sort of events over recent decades.
Our ewe management is much improved than in the past with an emphasis on keeping a good condition score of the ewes, fed very well in the last few weeks ensuring good birth weights and udder development and making sure the ewes have good feed levels to lamb onto.
We have been selecting for improved mothering ability and now have the genetic tests to select for survival genes. Sheep Improvement Limited selection lists have a survival sub-trait that is only as good as the information inputted by the stud breeder but another tool in the toolbox when selecting sheep.
And many of us have made a concerted effort to establish shelter belts and forestry blocks to give better protection for stock in weather events.
These things combined make a difference but no panacea for four or five days of relentless rain.
I recorded just under 200mm and have heard figures of up to 350mm elsewhere.
We are also getting a lot better at touching base with mates and neighbours after events like this to make sure everyone is okay and dealing well with the situation.
I was fortunate to be well through my own lambing so was able to protect the last lambing ewes but unaware that, meanwhile, I was losing lambs several days old before the storm hit.
Let’s finish with two observations.
My two-tooths were last shorn in February so carrying quite a bit of wool. At the end of the storm I noticed quite a few but not all were absolutely filthy. I realised their lambs had been clambering up onto their backs at night and snuggling down into their woollen mattress.
The last of the lambing stud ewes were shedded into the paddock in front of the house with plenty of feed and shelter.
I saw one old ewe separate from the rest and tuck away in a corner behind a big tree for the night.
Sure enough, next morning she had lambed and kept her two lambs alive through an unpleasant night.
But what was interesting was that I kept an eye on those lambs and every time there was a squall they had learnt to quickly seek shelter themselves whereas their stablemates stayed near their mothers and just hung their heads and put up with it.
Those two lambs had learned that behaviour within six hours of being born from their canny mother and being ewe lambs will continue to be smart and I imagine teach it to their own progeny.
Time to start cloning.
