Mike Cranstone on his farm at Fordell, near Whanganui. Photo / Supplied
Mike Cranstone on his farm at Fordell, near Whanganui. Photo / Supplied
Sheep and beef farmers Mike and Cath Cranstone are growing 20 per cent more feed crops this summer as part of a Covid-19 contingency plan for their business.
The couple, who have four full-time staff, run 17,000 stock units on 1650 hectares (effective) at Fordell near Whanganui.
"We have been looking at ways to minimise the risk of Covid-19-related disruptions to our farming business, especially as the virus spreads," Cranstone said.
"Animal welfare and protecting this year's income have been central to our planning. We have planted 80 hectares of summer feed crops, which is up 20 per cent on last year.
"Having additional feed will take a bit of pressure off and enable us to keep lambs for an extra week or two, should Covid-19 cause any delays at the meatworks."
It's one of multiple steps being taken to shield the business from the effects of Delta.
The Cranstones and their staff are all fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and they've had early discussions with their shearing contractor about the virus.
"Shearing in December and January has the potential to be quite a risky time, with contractors coming on-farm," Cranstone said.
"We'll be doing everything we practically can to minimise any close contact with the shearers, including wearing face coverings."
Cranstone is the Whanganui provincial president for Federated Farmers. He's encouraging farmers to use a Covid-19 checklist, developed by the agri-sector and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).
"It's a great, free resource and makes it easier for other people to step in and help run your farm at short notice," Cranstone said.
"The checklist enables you to list contact details for key people, a basic grazing plan for livestock, instructions to operate machinery and essential farm tasks."
Southern Pastures ramped up its contingency planning back in August, bringing its teams together online to run through various Covid-19-related scenarios.
The company operates 19 dairy farms and one support block in South Waikato and Canterbury and has an on-farm team of about 80 people.
"It could hit one of our farms today, in three weeks' time or in three months' time, but we are prepared if it does," said Southern Pastures' general manager of farming Mark Bridges.
"Fortunately, our teams are well-placed to cover each other. Our farms have similar milking sheds, machinery, and operating procedures.
Mark Bridges is the general manager of farming at Southern Pastures which operates 19 dairy farms. Photo / Supplied
"In the case of one of our dairy farms that's 45 minutes away from our other properties, we've put in place a support plan with a neighbouring farm, should the need arise.
"One option on the table to reduce the workload on-farm, should it be needed, would be moving to once-a-day milking. But that would be dependent on the time of year," he said.
Vaccination remains one of the best tools to reduce the risk of Covid-19 spreading.
Immunologist and Otago University associate professor James Ussher told a recent Federated Farmers webinar that a fully-vaccinated person had a 75-80 per cent lower chance of being infected with the virus.
"If you don't get infected, you can't pass it on to other people. So, it's about protecting yourself and protecting others," he said.
The Southern DHB medical officer of health Dr Michael Butchard revealed some sobering statistics and emphasised the importance of being double-jabbed.
"If you're not vaccinated, you're 11 times more likely to die from Covid-19 and 10 times more likely to be hospitalised. So, your best defence, if you want to stay on your farm, is to get double-jabbed," Butchard said.
Fully vaccinated people will also have greater freedoms under the new traffic light system to manage Covid-19 in the community.
