Rain a farmer's wish come true

Federated Farmers Waikato president Stewart Wadey. Photo / Christine Cornege

Rainfall over the past few days has made a Waikato farmer's "wishes come true", but he warns its effect on parched paddocks will not be felt immediately.

Last week, Federated Farmers Waikato president Stewart Wadey described the Waikato as "looking very sick", after little rain in the region.

The region on Wednesday joined Northland, Auckland and the Ruapehu District as officially in drought.

After the drought declaration, Mr Wadey told nzherald.co.nz: "Things are certainly building up in front of us - if we don't get significant rainfall in the next 10 days we will have a severe situation in the Waikato."

Today, he had a much brighter outlook.

"My wishes came true," he said. "In the Matamata area we've had a good 70mm in the last six days."

"Even in Pirongia, on the other side of Hamilton to Matamata, they had 70mm," he said.

However while the rain is appreciated by the nation's farmers, Mr Wadey said its effects would not be felt immediately.

"We're not out of the [hot] water yet."

"The damage has already been done as far as pastoral farming in the Waikato," he said. "It takes about 20 days between the rain soaking the fields and the grass being able to grow to grazable length."

"It has come too late to be of significant financial benefit, but we're still able to fight another day."

Mr Wadey said New Zealand's farmers had had a challenging past few months, with the drought preceded by the severe snow storms in Southland which led to the deaths of three million lambs.

The dry weather had seen Waikato beef and lamb farms getting rid of stock, he said.

"The stockyards were full - they were turning away stock," Mr Wadey said.

"It was not just Waikato - it's Northland down to Invercargill," he said. "All the moisture deficit maps were one for the history books."

Mr Wadey said with farmers struggling, Waikato's small service towns were also taking a hit.

"Farmers are notorious, when we've got money - we spend it," he said. "We spend that money in the towns ... it's just not been happening."

Mr Wadey said the drought declaration last week had meant the Rural Support Trust received funds to offer expertise to people with stress, financial and farm management problems.

"Farmers don't get any handouts, we've got to get through this," he said.

"The rain is very welcome, but we're not out of the water yet."