Road repairs and slash damage are main concerns
Red meat farmers want the Government to urgently commit to road repairs in isolated Hawke’s Bay and Tairawhiti farming communities.
The Piako and Waitoa rivers in Waikato remain heavily swollen today following recent rains, while the Ohinemuri and Waihou have begun to recede. Further west, the lower Waikato River remains high.
Waikato Regional Council emergency management officer Greg Ryan said the council would be keeping a particularly close eye on the Piako and Waitoa today as peak levels moved through the river systems.
There's potential for emergency ponding zones in paddocks near the Piako River to be receiving water from the Piako and the Waitoa over the next 48 hours. This is an important part of the Piako flood management scheme which takes pressure off land beside the lower Piako.
"Our flood management infrastructure is coping well and is expected to help prevent any significant damage to property. But we will be monitoring the situation carefully. We will have people out on the ground regularly checking stopbanks and flood pumps," said Ryan.
For the Ohinemuri and Waihou, levels are forecast to decline steadily over coming days.
However, the lower Waikato River is expected to remain heavily swollen for the rest of the week, especially around Mercer.
The Waikato River at Hamilton is also elevated due to the recent rains and residents can expect to see levels slowly recede there over coming days.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand chief executive Sam McIvor will step down in July.
A new report shows farm employers across the dairy, sheep and beef, and arable sectors have continued to invest strongly in one of their greatest assets – their staff.
The country’s 4200 commercial fruit and vegetable growers will vote from May 14 on a new HortNZ levy.
Meat processor Alliance Group is asking farmer shareholders to inject more capital in order to remain a 100% co-operative.
Dairy
Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.