Extreme dry weather in South Canterbury’s Mackenzie Basin brought farmers and rural professionals together to talk through strategies for dealing with the on-farm challenges going through into winter.
The Strategies for Dealing with the Dry lunch and workshop held in Omarama earlier in April was a collaboration between the Upper Waitaki Water Zone Committee, the Ahuriri Catchment Collective Group, the Rural Support Trust and Environment Canterbury.
The workshop aimed to provide an opportunity for local farmers and their teams to get off the farm and have a refresher on concepts that could help them navigate through the remainder of the autumn and winter months.
Advice was given by keynote speakers Peter Young, a farm adviser from Central Otago, and Mark Adams, chair of the South Canterbury Rural Support Trust.
Co-organiser Jess Hishon-Knowles said about 30 people turned out for the get-together at the Omarama Community Hall.
“It was a great turnout considering the exceptionally high workload farmers are faced with at this busy time,” Hishon-Knowles said.
While the area has had some long-awaited rain since the workshop, the dry conditions of this autumn in the Mackenzie area are expected to have an impact right through to spring.
“Farmers in this area are used to navigating conditions that are on the more extreme end of the spectrum. The extent of this prolonged dry has caused a significant impact on the land and businesses.
“It’s important to recognise that it is tough going and at this point, it’s the people power that needs to be recharged.”
Young, who spent several decades farming next to the Ida Burn Dam in Central Otago, discussed a range of strategies with the group, including the importance of working through the fundamental basics to come out the other side in spring in reasonable shape.
He noted that paying close attention to the farm financial budget and winter feed budget, and measuring pasture, crops and stock condition is key.
“It’s important to keep the damage to one year, with the goal of bouncing back next year,” Young said.
Keeping up the conversations with all involved in the farm team – family, staff, bank manager, accountant and stock agents – is all-important.
“It’s all about having as much information on hand to help inform your management decisions.”
Dealing with drought conditions can also provide an opportunity to have a good review of your farm system.
“If you feel like you have no influence and are leaving things to good luck, it’s a good time to review your farming system.
“If you’re having a big annual variation, there’s probably things you can improve,” Young told farmers.
Adams, who is also a farmer from Fairlie, spoke about the challenges for farming families during adverse weather events like droughts.
“When times are challenging and stress levels are on the higher end of the scale, we can be tough on those closest to us. It’s very important to take a breath and just go easy on each other.
“Try and get off farm, even for a drive, taking a moment to gather yourself and put your physical and mental health first.”
Adams also encouraged people to think about who is on their team and plug into local collective knowledge.
“We aren’t wired to be independent, and we work better co-operatively. You might need to reconfigure your team to include more people, or those that think differently to you.”
He outlined the help on hand from the Rural Support Trust and was joined by South Canterbury and Otago representatives, Jilly Haywood and Lindsay Purvis, to talk with farmers and the rural professionals during and after the event.
Upper Waitaki Water Zone Committee member and Mackenzie District councillor Scott Aronsen said the committee was pleased to be able to support the local farming community during these very dry conditions.
“We’re keen to run more events throughout the year in conjunction with catchment groups and the community and welcome ideas for future topics,” Aronsen said.
