Worst may be still to come for frozen farms

Mid-Canterbury farmer Blair Gallagher, with the last of his winter feed. Picture / Simon Baker

Blair Gallagher's mid-Canterbury farm is sodden and strewn with broken trees. His sheep are weakened and his stock feed supplies dwindling after weeks of relentless snow and freezing temperatures.

He does not like to complain. But he worries about what else winter has in store.

"We have got through to this point, but I think probably the major concern for most people is that really we are just coming into winter, and traditionally we get most of our snow in July and August," said Mr Gallagher.

"The real crunch is from now on really."

Mr Gallagher's 719ha sheep and cattle farm, Rangiatea, 530m above sea level, was in the path of the paralysing snowstorm that struck on June 12. The farm lost power for nine days and its phone connection for five days as 80cm of snow fell.

A bulldozer and helicopter helped free stranded sheep and get feed to them. Hard work and manpower and support from Federated Farmers ensured there were minimal stock losses.

Four more smaller dumps of snow have come since June 12. The snow is now mostly cleared, turning paddocks into mud.

Mr Gallagher was forced to use one-and-a-half years' worth of stock feed in just four weeks after the June 12 snowstorm.

He has had to buy in hay, but worries about how much more will be available.

The Government may provide some financial help, which Mr Gallagher does not like asking for, "but I think there probably is a need for some sort of assistance".

His anxiety will not ease until after the lambing season in September-October.

For now, he must try to replace the weight lost by his ewes and ensure they produce healthy lambs. "If we can't, we are basically in all sorts of trouble."


The forecast

* The MetService yesterday issued a heavy rain warning for Coromandel Peninsula, western Bay of Plenty, Hawkes Bay and Tararua district.

* A low crossing the North Island will bring wind-driven rain to eastern and southern parts of the North Island and Marlborough. "Between now and Saturday we will be having a real dose of mid-winter weather," said the MetService's Bob McDavitt.

* Bitter southerlies will bring snow to sea level in the south on Friday and the central and southeastern North Island on Saturday.