Pink bales show farmers' support

The Hawke's Bay rural landscape is going through the mid-stages of spring - but there is a little more pink about this season than just the usual blossom.

Bales of hay and silage feed, which are traditionally wrapped in a heavy duty green plastic casing, have begun appearing in the pink.

"It certainly has brightened the countryside up," agricultural baling contractor Peter Payne of Eskdale said.

The appearance of the pink bales is all part of what he said was the rural sector doing "our bit" for the Louise Perkins Foundation and breast cancer awareness month.

Part of the sales of the bale wrap will go to raising funds for the "Sweet Louise" campaign to assist secondary breast cancer patients, with an extra focus on women in the rural community.

"I've done my paddocks and it looks quite good," Mr Payne said, adding he would leave the pink bales close to the roadside for several days before taking them to their storage area so people passing by would see them.

"To get the word out there."

Mr Payne said his family, like many, had been affected by breast cancer - one of his relatives losing her life to it when she was just 50.

He has been in the rural contracting business for 55 years but had never seen anything but the traditional green wrap used before - and the chance to add colour to the fields as well as cash in the coffers for breast cancer awareness was one he and his rural colleagues were quick to embrace.

The wrap-in-pink initiative was sparked by agricultural wrap importers Agpac with the pink rolls manufactured and brought in from Swedish company Trioplast. Agpac representative for Hawke's Bay and Waikato, Greg Drummond, said: "This is the first year we have done it and at this stage it is a one-off - but it is likely we will see it again."

He said the idea to do something for the foundation and cancer awareness was floated about two years ago.

"We spoke to the manufacturers about doing this but of course it's not something they can go and do straight off - it's taken a fair bit of work but we've got there."

About 1200 rolls were brought in for the company's eight rural reps' to distribute to contractors around the country.

"And they have taken it aboard - the contractors have been excellent," Mr Drummond said.

In an arrangement between the company and the contractors it was agreed that some of the proceeds from the sales would go to the awareness fundraising campaign.

Mr Payne said four rolls would wrap about 80 bales and as well, he had brought in a wrap of plastic netting and that was pink as well.

"That will do about 220 bales so there will be plenty of pink around."

He looks after a wide area and said the bales would continue to pop up across the rural landscape over the next year.