Taranaki farmers face uncertain outlook despite grass growth after drought
The grass may be growing again in the drought-stricken coastal area of Taranaki, but the outlook for many farmers there is far from rosy.
The Government has set up a $500,000 fund to help farmers and growers recover from drought.
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says the fund will allow for grants of up to $5,000 to be made available to farmers and growers in areas badly affected by the 2020 drought: all of the North Island, the Chatham Islands, Christchurch, Marlborough, Nelson, Tasman, Selwyn, Kaikoura and Waimakariri districts and regions.
Farmers and growers who apply for grants will have to prove their businesses have been negatively affected by the drought and that they derive at least 50% of their income from the property.
The money is to be used by farmers to access a range of advisory services and drought-related advice, including help with strategic planning, technical advice on soil, pastures, animal production and feed budgeting. Grants can also be used for land management and sustainable management techniques.
O’Connor says that as New Zealand rebuilds its economy, there is an opportunity to rebuild better than before the pandemic and factor in resilience for our productive primary sector. He says so far this year the Government has invested $17 million to help drought-stricken regions recover from what many are saying is the worst drought in living memory.
“Although there has been a bit of rain relief recently, it takes steady rain at the right time to get grass growing again.
“The flow-on effects of water shortages and low feed availability take a long time to fully recover from and some farmers will be dealing with the effects of this drought for a year or more. One of the unusual consequences of the drought has already started to be noticed by consumers – that being the paler colour of our butter. As the saying goes ‘you are what you eat’ and the same goes for cows,” he says.
O’Connor says NZ’s unique pasture-based farming system gives our butter a wonderful yellow colour but the shortage of grass and reliance on supplementary feed has meant our butter has started to turn white.
“A return to yellow will maintain our competitive advantage in our export markets,” he says.
State farmer Pāmu (Landcorp) has announced a new equity partnership in an effort to support pathways to farm ownership for livestock farm operators.
Following a recent overweight incursion that saw a Mid-Canterbury contractor cop a $12,150 fine, the rural contracting industry is calling time on what they consider to be outdated and unworkable regulations regarding weight and dimensions that they say are impeding their businesses.
Trade Minister Todd McClay says his officials plan to meet their US counterparts every month from now on to better understand how the 15% tariff issue there will play out, and try and get some certainty there for our exporters about the future.
A landmark New Zealand trial has confirmed what many farmers have long suspected - that strategic spring nitrogen use not only boosts pasture growth but delivers measurable gains in lamb growth and ewe condition.
It was recently announced that former MP and Southland farmer Eric Roy has stepped down of New Zealand Pork after seven years. Leo Argent talks with Eric about his time at the organisation and what the future may hold.
OPINION: Westland Milk may have won the contract to supply butter to Costco NZ but Open Country Dairy is having…
OPINION: The Gene Technology Bill has divided the farming community with strong arguments on both the pros and cons of…