South Taranaki farmers say drought is worst in more than 40 years
South Taranaki farmers say a recent smattering of rain isn’t enough to break a drought some are describing as the worst in more than 40 years.
MetService’s Hāwera weather station has recorded just 123 millimetres this entire summer – a little over half what it normally gets.
South Taranaki district mayor Phil Nixon farms 320 cows between Hāwera and Manaia – the area worst hit by the drought.
He remembered similar conditions when he was young and his father ran the farm.
“The difference this year is that the water tables have been very low. I’ve never known us to struggle for well water.
“We’ve got one well on this farm that supplies all the water for the 320 cows, the cow shed and one house.
“That’s what’s been particularly difficult this time. We’re really struggling with the water side of it.”
Can we all enjoy the schadenfreude of the industry that helps create climate change complaining about the environmental damage their industry is creating?
Can we all wallow in the joy of that for a moment?
The giant white 10 000 pound cow standing in the middle of the room as Farmers complain about the climate their very same giant white 10 000 pound cow is causing is sexually arousing isn’t it?
A little bit.
Well here’s a boner killer.
If you are poor and lose your job you are forced to crawl across broken glass at you local WINZ Office processed by arseholes and wankers who love torturing you, but not so for our blessed rural Volk!
They can access the ‘Rural Support Trust‘ so they don’t have to deal with the cruel WINZ monsters urban folk are forced to rely on, Farmers get a cuddle, get a streamlined process and immediate support.
I’m not suggesting for one second that Farmers shouldn’t get drought relief, I just wish the poor were treated with the same concern and compassion as Farmers do when applying for help.
The Corporate Dairy Farming lobby have so much power they can enforce a monopoly upon us, force us to pay global prices for product grown here in our country, can dirty, steal and pollute the water at will, are left outside any regulation on their climate change emissions AND they get cuddles from WINZ?
If only this Government treated all citizens the way they lovingly treat Farmers.
If only.
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Also known as the “Drought Shout” . We deserve it yah know…we feed 40 million bullshit!
Is Mt Taranaki personally liable for not pulling in enough rain this year?
Bloody backbone mate
Big Dairy are full of shit. They have nothing to clean up there act and backed by the big Aussie banks. They can’t fail but wouldn’t it be nice to get butter and cheese at a local price in good faith. Yeah Nah.
Amazing how they all voted against 3 waters and other climate measures and now they can see the problem they have caused them selves .Yes we have had droughts before but the ground water issues are the direct result of over use for irrigation and massive farms .Getting water for stock has never been the issue it is this time .We have the same issue here in the king country with previous reliable water supplies drying up and farmers looking at buying in water as well as feed .
Talking sense Gord. but we don’t understand that language in NZAO. When us farmers and mercenary mercantilers do anything it is expressed in neoliberalease and becomes a fait accompli before anyone can click to the actual rationale. Vous avez compris, capiche! We are just simple folks here, and there was a plan to put a ring in each of our noses to lead us with but it was found to be unnecessary as we are so biddable.
U have been following the Mulloon Institute in Oz working on land and water management with farmers. They tried different things, fought repressive gummint, and have now won global awards. The idea is to understand how the geology there has worked in the past. The main thing is how to enable the water when it falls to stay on the ground, in managed ways with weirs, and so soak into sort of artesian storage I think. I know a group is following this and if enough Kiwis could get together and start a branch , we might have some cards uop our sleeves against the extended periods of drought. Oz knows about this, and are learning from the aborigines who managed for ages without modern conveniences and scientific discoveries, just their own hard-learned lore.
https://www.mullooninstitute.org/copp – Communities of Practice Project
Backed by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, producers will rapidly gain skills in natural infrastructure and farm-system solutions which are proven to hold water in the landscape.
Over two years, Mulloon Institute staff will lead a series of extension activities that build participants’ capacity to plan, design and undertake landscape rehydration projects using low-risk, nature-based solutions for drought resilience. …
vid link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StHfN8WtRNA
Crest – Catchment Rehydration Selection Tool
Mulloon Institute – Catchment Rehydration Selection Tool (CReST)
Why not tell that dickhead from ACT and that Spinal Tap tribute from “Reality Check” radio, it’s not really happening
I guess us muppets will just need to suck it up …. yet again. Maximize profits and socialize losses: taxpayers over a barrel.
These farmers need to stop growing rye grass as well .It is only good for a spring flush then come xmas it is toast every year till the autumn .They need to start growing plants with deep tap roots that get down more than a few inches .Down the road is 4 paddocks of chickory which are still growing while the rest of the area is dead .A mix of chickory ,red clover and plantain while not having that mad spring flush might be a better way to go because they are all deep rooted so will feed on the leached fert as well as gain water from lower depths and the roots will not be toasted like the shallow rye grass .
So true. Regenerative farming is the answer to moisture retention and resilience, as well as improving biodiversity and overall soil health. Some show cases but those in the back blocks on marginal land will be saying not possible.
Stop making sense shit kicking cow cockys just aint listening
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