“He’s always been a guiding person in my life and still is now.”
Lewis started his career as a farm cadet, before moving into sharemilking.
He currently farms 500ha at Pukeatua with his wife Caroline, daughter Olivia and son Daniel, and another property at Te Awamutu running beef animals.
They also rear around 400 calves a year and are supported by a team of five full-time staff.
He said recent weather conditions had been challenging, and his crops were crying out for a bit of sun after a wet November.
“Our maize and chicory crops have just been given a hammering. In November we had 350mm and for the last three years in November we only had 50mm.”
Navigating unpredictable weather was all part of being a farmer, he said.
“Last year we were staring down another drought and it was getting very dry, and at the moment we’re just lacking sunshine hours.
“With farming, you never get it right – it’s either too wet, too dry, or too something else.”
It wasn’t just the weather that was creating issues for dairy farmers; higher interest rates, on-farm inflation costs and a drop in the milk payout were also weighing on the sector, he said.
“I think for the next six months farmers are just going to be focusing on costs and running their businesses – it’s probably going from cash profit this season to maybe a cash loss if these interest rates keep rising.”
The Government’s reply to He Waka Eke Noa’s proposals was also causing headaches, Lewis said.
“For the life of me, I don’t know why the Government didn’t sign up to it and move on and take the win.”
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Lewis said not accepting the proposals was a missed opportunity for the Government, as the He Waka Eke Noa partnership represented New Zealand’s agricultural interests.
“They had all our groups on a plate … when I was at Federated Farmers.
“We were just over the line then when I was involved in Feds – and they could’ve taken that as a massive win but they walked away.
“I suspect they’re regretting that right now.”
