It will not bring the rain any faster, but pronouncing the region’s drought as a medium-scale adverse event will take some pressure off farmers and growers.
Last week, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay acted on an urgent update from the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) to put the classification on Tasman, Nelson and Marlborough.
The announcement unlocks support for farmers and growers, including the ability to defer tax payments and access money if they have put it aside under the Farm Income Equalisation Scheme.
It comes on top of $20,000 made available to the Top of the South Rural Support Trust last month to provide extra support.
The trust’s chair, Richard Kempthorne, says farmers from Redwood Valley and Wakefield to Tapawera and through the Moutere are running out of feed for stock in “bone dry” conditions and time is running out to grow grass for winter.
“They are having to use winter feed supplements which is going to cause some issues later on.
“They may well run short and have to buy more in winter and if it has to come from outside the area, the cost of transport is very expensive.
“They’re looking at this day in and day out, with no rain in sight. They need it to be moist now, going into April so they can get autumn growth and it looks like it is going to be too late.”
Sheep and beef farmers have been getting very low prices for stock, so profitability is also low, he says.
Most have quit surplus stock knowing the El Nino effect was coming and prices now were “not great” if they were trying to get stock numbers down further.
“It can be very depressing.”
The $20,000 given to the trust will be used to run events in Tapawera and Upper Moutere to get farmers off the farm and help take a bit of the pressure off them.
“Our encouragement for them is to come and have a bit of a social time and talk to people who know what they’ve going through and can support them.
“It takes a bit of the pressure off. The pressure is still on though and there’s no magical answer.”
The dates are still to be confirmed for the meetings.
Near Wakefield, Colin Gibbs has been involved with farming for 79 years and though no two droughts are the same, this one is getting to the stage where some areas are “very water deficient”.
“In everyone’s mind is the memory of the Pigeon Valley fire scenario and how dry it was then.”
He knows farmers who are trying to sell some of their replacement stock they would usually retain for breeding, as the drought continues and the window to grow feed for winter narrows. Stock prices are down at the same time farmers are selling stock earlier, making it a double whammy and he says farmers will “take a knock” in their income this year.
