Rain welcome but some farms still feeling the pinch

The big dry

The silver lining in storm clouds that swept across much of the country earlier this month is that they helped ease potential drought conditions across much, but not all, of the Whanganui district.

The latest data from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research shows that soil moisture levels have improved markedly, largely due to the heavy rain on January 4 and 5. And intermittent falls since then have helped further.

It's these readings of soil moisture which give scientists an idea whether severely to extremely dry conditions are happening or are imminent. Any region experiencing these deficits are deemed "hotspots" and persistent hotspots have the potential to develop into drought.

The Manawatu-Wanganui (Civil Defence) Rural Coordination Group says the rain over the past couple of weeks had come just in time for many farmers and brought hope that the rural communities may have "dodged a bullet".

But James Stewart, deputy chair of the coordination group, said rainfall was variable with some localised thunderstorms. That meant some farmers were still experiencing real hardship and feeling more frustrated when they miss rain that seems to fall all around, but not on, their farm.

Mr Stewart said to the west of the main ranges many areas received 60mm or more rain in early January, but areas along the coast received considerably less and remained worst-affected by the early drought.

He said if more regular rainfall was to follow, then "this could have been the drought-breaker we were all hoping for".

"Droughts, however, are slow to build up and slow to recover from. While the relentless 'dry' is continuing to affect farmers here, we're hopeful that their drought plans have held them in good stead so they can recover as quickly as possible."

This early and hot, dry summer meant many farmers had been unable to make and save supplementary feed for later, or they have been using their winter feed already.

Some dairy farmers have dried off or culled cows early and bought in extra supplement feed.

Mr Stewart said identifying the longer-term impacts and planning for all the possibilities to get through winter will be crucial.

"We have resources for farmers who want support managing their feed budgets, understanding their options. They should call the local Rural Support Trust on 0800 RURAL HELP (0800 787 254)," he said.

Meanwhile, some farmers moving stock for grazing have raised concern about the cattle disease Mycoplasma bovis. The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has produced a factsheet for farmers moving stock and feed so they can prevent further spread of the disease, and has regularly updated information on its website.

Farmers should contact MPI directly or talk to their veterinarian for more information.