Grant Shaw of Northland Farm Services says things are "pretty dry out there" and is having to help farmers seek out alternative water sources due to their bores, creeks and dams drying up. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Grant Shaw of Northland Farm Services says things are "pretty dry out there" and is having to help farmers seek out alternative water sources due to their bores, creeks and dams drying up. Photo / Michael Cunningham
While it’s an industry known for digging deep, the combination of inflation, the recession and severe weather is proving tougher than usual for Northland farmers this year.
Hannah, a beef farmer near Whangārei, said the situation in Northland was now so “dire” it was having a huge impact on the region’s farmers.
“It’s varied across the region, but it’s particularly dry from Kāitāia and down through the Bay of Islands to the north of Whangārei, where conditions are severe.
“That means a lot of farmers are needing to cut into their winter feed to maintain production and, in my view, if we don’t get rain in the next two weeks, we might see a drought declared.
“I would be surprised if there’ll be a farmer in Northland that will make a profit this year.”
It's particularly dry from Kāitāia down through the Bay of Islands and to the north of Whangārei where conditions are severe, says Federated Farmers Northland provincial president Colin Hannah. Photo / Mike Dinsdale
Hannah said farmers had been hit hard this year by not only dry conditions but inflation which was “creaming the top of anything farmers had earned”.
The closure of the State Highway 1 Brynderwyn Hills was also having a negative impact due to an increase in transport costs, he said.
Northland Farm Services owner Grant Shaw provides farming products and services to Northland farmers, including water tanks and supplies.
According to Shaw, things were “definitely dry” out there, who reported farmers were now seeking out alternative water sources to stay afloat.
“Some places are worse than others and the further north you go, the drier it gets,” Shaw said.
Shaw said no one was immune to the struggle being felt across all farming sectors, including horticulture. Places where people would normally get their water are drying up.
“Usually people pump from a bore, creek or dam, but those are now coming to the end of their useful amount of water, so farmers are having to find other ways of sourcing water.
“The last time I remember having to find alternative water sources for farms was about 10 years ago, so the situation is pretty bad.”
Shaw said no one was immune to the struggle being felt across all farming sectors, including horticulture.
He believed if the problem had been in an urban setting, it would have already been “highly publicised”.
“But that’s just typical of farmers and rural folk, they just get on with life and keep trucking on,” Shaw said.
“There needs to be some wriggle room for farmers because this current environment is only going to put more pressure on them.”
Agriculture Minister Todd McClay said $80,000 would be provided to Rural Support Trusts - including Northland - due to extremely dry and difficult conditions affecting rural communities.
“Conditions were not expected to improve in the short term,” McClay said, but stopped short of officially declaring it a drought.
The announcement was welcome news to the Northland farming community, said Hannah, who was due to find out more about what it would mean for the region.
Federated Farmers Northland provincial president Colin Hannah said the Government’s announcement to provide support to farmers experiencing hardship due to dry conditions was welcome news for the region.
“I don’t know a whole lot at the moment, but I will be meeting with Minister Patterson (Minister for Rural Communities and Associate Minister of Agriculture Mark Patterson) tonight,” Hannah said.
“I believe it will provide relief for farmers regarding provisional tax and I’m over the moon it has come now and support it 100 per cent.
“Anything is positive right now and will bring reprieve.”
