October 23, 2025 • 6 mins
The president of Federated Farmers updates on a brutal weather week down on the farm.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This man is a busy man. Wayne Langford, President of
Federated Farmers, Tasman dairy farmer. I'll start with the home patch.
How are you guys fearing?
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Yeah, no, Jamie, not too bad and certainly not as
bad as others. We had a bit of a rough
day yesterday and we had now, as you will be
a weird power was off at the top of the
South Island for about two or three hours there. So
our cows are a bit like getting milked. But but
we'll kind of all back up in action today. So
really concerned for our friends and fellow farmers and in
(00:30):
a fair the south, particularly in North Canterbury and down
and so some significant issues going on there.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Well I know that on the farm I'm involved with,
and I've never milked the cow in my life. Yolo,
we didn't get a milk last night. I hadn't caught
up with what's happened this morning. But can a broken
down former sheep farmer ask you, an expert dairy farmer,
a question, how long can you leave a cow not milt?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Yeah? Well this is the challenge, and particularly the challenge
down there. Of course, we'll districted. I mean they got
some pretty high performing, big producing cows down there as well,
so obviously they'll be wanting to get milked. It will
be starting to course some troubles the longer the longer
they left. And so there's not much I can that
they can do about it. That they're just going to
(01:17):
have to hold them out and wait and get it
done as quickly as they can. But it certainly that
we're causing a lot of respreath to the farmers and
of the cows at the moment.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Yeah. Well it's not country wide. Some parts of the
country escaped a lot better than others. But as you mentioned,
it seems like the epicenter for damage is North Candary.
But geez, some brutal pictures are coming out of Southland
yesterday with the weather. It was coming in sideways like
a hurricane down there. And here in Dunedin where I'm based.
(01:45):
Trees that have stood for one hundred years, one out
in front of the Hockin Library, that wonderful institution here
in Dunedin at the University, blown over.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Yeah, and I don't want to get myself in trouble
here by packing one air or over another year. North
Canabur is extremely bad. Significant amount of pivers knocked over
and also communication towers as well. But Southland we are
hearing support reports of around two to three hundred od
dairy farms that haven't milked yet. That's the significant damage.
Also around twenty odd cell phone towers that are out
(02:16):
and so again communication is a real issue down there
as well. So yeah, there is significant work going on
and behind the scenes. And I know too many farmers
you know, that doesn't help them on the ground right
right now and as they're listening, but it is happening,
and the work with Civil Defense to get their power up.
I'm going and to get farmers milking again as quickly
as we can well as happening.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Yeah, power and water issues are obviously, especially down south.
State of emergency has been declared in Southland. This is
from the news bullet on the top of the air.
Thousands of households and water are Upper North Canterbury and
Southland remain without power. Jeremy Rooks sent me a text
(02:59):
saying two hundred spans so these are the of the
pivot irrigators. He used a stronger word than buggered on
these pivots in the Culvert and area alone, and that's
apparently just for water force clients. So it's going to
be a huge issue. And with these terrible winds, there's
also been terrible drying. They need those pivots to be
(03:22):
up and running.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
That's I mean, you're pretty much on the their significantly.
And this was farmers that were well prepared. They had
had noticed and they tied all these pivots down. You know,
it's not like it was a surprise here. So that's
how strong this wind was. Talking to a number of
farmers in south on this morning, they said, you know
that it was it was a very short space of time,
fifteen to fifteen minutes. He was speaking with a Dutch accent,
(03:46):
so you can ever really understand those pretty sure, he
said fifteen months but he you know, he said, you know,
it just it just came through and down went the
trees across the down went the power and all kindage
and broke loose, so significant damage in a short space
of time.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Farmers who are in trouble, they can there's the Federated
Farmers Hotline, which you'll have off the top of your head,
no doubt, wine.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Eight hundred farming that's it. But we are actually encouraging
farmers just at the moment to call civil defense because
they are so hotly involved. Farmers will come in over
the weekend and do be much more prominent next week,
but currently civil defense. This is a state of emergency,
and the more information that can be fed through the
civil defense right now, the better you know.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
With these widespread power altages, and I've been speaking to
people in south on this morning about this. Are we underprepared?
Are we not climate resilient? Should every farmer, especially dairy farmers,
because it's a bit different on a sheep and beef farm,
but on a dairy farm where you've got a milk
cows twice a day using electricity? Should every farm have
(04:54):
a generator or at least be sharing one with two
or three neighbors.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Yeah, I think it's definitely something that when look at
as around our resilience. Just just using my farmer's an example,
the last the three hours you stay, I think it
was the longest I haven't had power in about the
last twenty five years, So you can see how it
wouldn't be on the top of my priority list. But
in another areas and potentially for me going forward, I'll
be thinking around about it. More now around what I'm
(05:19):
going to do to protect in these situations, because yeah,
you know, sometimes you think I might only be off
for a few hours, but what if it is offer
for two or three days? How am I going to
be prepared for that?
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Okay, and look, I know you've got to go to
another interview. I do appreciate your time and to the
team you and the team at Federated Farmers, thanks for
supporting the farmers of the country.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
That's right, JOm. Most importantly, just make sure farmers are
take some time look after themselves here. You know, we
are in a state of an emergency. You know, don't
do anything crazy that are way to the problems. Just
just get through this. It's not about production and stuff
at the moment. It's about a can these cowsmol and
just getting them through to start with
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Good on you, Wine Length of the President of Federated
Farmers
This man is a busy man. Wayne Langford, President of
Federated Farmers, Tasman dairy farmer. I'll start with the home patch.
How are you guys fearing?
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Yeah, no, Jamie, not too bad and certainly not as
bad as others. We had a bit of a rough
day yesterday and we had now, as you will be
a weird power was off at the top of the
South Island for about two or three hours there. So
our cows are a bit like getting milked. But but
we'll kind of all back up in action today. So
really concerned for our friends and fellow farmers and in
(00:30):
a fair the south, particularly in North Canterbury and down
and so some significant issues going on there.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Well I know that on the farm I'm involved with,
and I've never milked the cow in my life. Yolo,
we didn't get a milk last night. I hadn't caught
up with what's happened this morning. But can a broken
down former sheep farmer ask you, an expert dairy farmer,
a question, how long can you leave a cow not milt?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
Yeah? Well this is the challenge, and particularly the challenge
down there. Of course, we'll districted. I mean they got
some pretty high performing, big producing cows down there as well,
so obviously they'll be wanting to get milked. It will
be starting to course some troubles the longer the longer
they left. And so there's not much I can that
they can do about it. That they're just going to
(01:17):
have to hold them out and wait and get it
done as quickly as they can. But it certainly that
we're causing a lot of respreath to the farmers and
of the cows at the moment.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Yeah. Well it's not country wide. Some parts of the
country escaped a lot better than others. But as you mentioned,
it seems like the epicenter for damage is North Candary.
But geez, some brutal pictures are coming out of Southland
yesterday with the weather. It was coming in sideways like
a hurricane down there. And here in Dunedin where I'm based.
(01:45):
Trees that have stood for one hundred years, one out
in front of the Hockin Library, that wonderful institution here
in Dunedin at the University, blown over.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Yeah, and I don't want to get myself in trouble
here by packing one air or over another year. North
Canabur is extremely bad. Significant amount of pivers knocked over
and also communication towers as well. But Southland we are
hearing support reports of around two to three hundred od
dairy farms that haven't milked yet. That's the significant damage.
Also around twenty odd cell phone towers that are out
(02:16):
and so again communication is a real issue down there
as well. So yeah, there is significant work going on
and behind the scenes. And I know too many farmers
you know, that doesn't help them on the ground right
right now and as they're listening, but it is happening,
and the work with Civil Defense to get their power up.
I'm going and to get farmers milking again as quickly
as we can well as happening.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Yeah, power and water issues are obviously, especially down south.
State of emergency has been declared in Southland. This is
from the news bullet on the top of the air.
Thousands of households and water are Upper North Canterbury and
Southland remain without power. Jeremy Rooks sent me a text
(02:59):
saying two hundred spans so these are the of the
pivot irrigators. He used a stronger word than buggered on
these pivots in the Culvert and area alone, and that's
apparently just for water force clients. So it's going to
be a huge issue. And with these terrible winds, there's
also been terrible drying. They need those pivots to be
(03:22):
up and running.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
That's I mean, you're pretty much on the their significantly.
And this was farmers that were well prepared. They had
had noticed and they tied all these pivots down. You know,
it's not like it was a surprise here. So that's
how strong this wind was. Talking to a number of
farmers in south on this morning, they said, you know
that it was it was a very short space of time,
fifteen to fifteen minutes. He was speaking with a Dutch accent,
(03:46):
so you can ever really understand those pretty sure, he
said fifteen months but he you know, he said, you know,
it just it just came through and down went the
trees across the down went the power and all kindage
and broke loose, so significant damage in a short space
of time.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Farmers who are in trouble, they can there's the Federated
Farmers Hotline, which you'll have off the top of your head,
no doubt, wine.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Eight hundred farming that's it. But we are actually encouraging
farmers just at the moment to call civil defense because
they are so hotly involved. Farmers will come in over
the weekend and do be much more prominent next week,
but currently civil defense. This is a state of emergency,
and the more information that can be fed through the
civil defense right now, the better you know.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
With these widespread power altages, and I've been speaking to
people in south on this morning about this. Are we underprepared?
Are we not climate resilient? Should every farmer, especially dairy farmers,
because it's a bit different on a sheep and beef farm,
but on a dairy farm where you've got a milk
cows twice a day using electricity? Should every farm have
(04:54):
a generator or at least be sharing one with two
or three neighbors.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Yeah, I think it's definitely something that when look at
as around our resilience. Just just using my farmer's an example,
the last the three hours you stay, I think it
was the longest I haven't had power in about the
last twenty five years, So you can see how it
wouldn't be on the top of my priority list. But
in another areas and potentially for me going forward, I'll
be thinking around about it. More now around what I'm
(05:19):
going to do to protect in these situations, because yeah,
you know, sometimes you think I might only be off
for a few hours, but what if it is offer
for two or three days? How am I going to
be prepared for that?
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Okay, and look, I know you've got to go to
another interview. I do appreciate your time and to the
team you and the team at Federated Farmers, thanks for
supporting the farmers of the country.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
That's right, JOm. Most importantly, just make sure farmers are
take some time look after themselves here. You know, we
are in a state of an emergency. You know, don't
do anything crazy that are way to the problems. Just
just get through this. It's not about production and stuff
at the moment. It's about a can these cowsmol and
just getting them through to start with
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Good on you, Wine Length of the President of Federated
Farmers
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