November 6, 2025 • 7 mins
Steve Henderson gives an update on the farm two weeks after the wind events that hit the south.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:11):
Thanks for a South and Rural Support Trust. We're catching
up with various farmers and people involved with the farming
industry over the next couple of weeks here on the Muster,
talking about how they negate their way through a crisis.
As we've seen with the weather, it's put a spanner
in the works regarding the way that the work's been
going or happening on farm at the moment. So we're
(00:31):
catching up with Steve Henderson this afternoon dairy Farm at Auerua.
He took a hat in the winds a couple of
weeks ago, and of course the segment as well proudly
sponsored by Community Trusts South. Steve Henderson, welcome to the
muster once again. Up there, Yeah, pretty good. Firstly, whoever's
yelling at those hippers in the background, they've got a
(00:52):
good set of lungs on them. I don't know if
people can hear it, but certainly heard it just before
we needed.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
That intro your head on the ghetto blaster.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
The heath was coming through the race.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
But now there very few people got They know same
Withers and they'll know her voice and that as her
yelling to get moving. Just lean on the front of
a you look like I do nothing.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
No shout out, same withers. Literally, there's a hell of
a settled lungs. Hey Steve, the situation there at Albarozo
two weeks on will firstly tell people how it was
to how it is now.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
So yes, the same old stories as most people in Southland.
We were chipping away on that Thursday though, and knew
it was something. Something was sort of in the forecast,
and what we got was not what we thought we
were going to get. It was probably ten times worse
than what we thought. And we had a bit of
rain laced with it too, so that that's sort of
(01:43):
got the momentum of trees falling down a.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Bit quicker with a bit of water with added to
the wind.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
So that Thursday afternoon we actually heard testing. So I
had got a generator of the day before, just looking
at the winds going anybody that's tested before, No, you
don't want to Vicum pumped the shut down halfway through that,
so we'd actually yet rightly wrong. We've got a generator
of the day before. So we hit that generator for
six or seven days, peering the shed and hung around
(02:12):
the district, pairing a few other sheds, and I think
it was just busy. It was just busy at that
point in time. And then it's not told me how
you go, how this ship there would to be, but go.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
I mean, you've managed to get through the last couple
of weeks pretty well those things considered.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Would you say, yeah, I think we have.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
I think we have.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
And yes, we had a bit of wind and a
bit of trees are on fences and you know that's
where a big shed out comes up for neighbors. And
and actually a few local unifellas and some of them
actually weren't actually that local. They come across and cut
trees down and got them off fences and got pair
back on and that was just one thing we didn't
have to worry about.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
It was enough to worry about.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
If you did, you know, controlling affluent control and water
for keres, milk and keals and pair. So you had
enough on your plate anyway, let alone trees off fences
and opening lanes up.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
So yeah, we had a pretty bloody good.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Support crew down here and they just chipped in and
got her done. And now we've just got the quantity
of trees to burn and make a carp as to
fence off because we're just oil obviously, and we're extremely
weak at that point in time too, And we had
hit about one hundred and seventy hundred and eighty miles
of rain for October, so that was feeding out and
(03:24):
you're trying to do all those other bits and pieces. Yeah,
it did create a bit of a go a head out.
You just said the tree archs of things and did
the most important thing about that point in time, and
you look back now and go, yeah, what is she
quite dizzy?
Speaker 1 (03:36):
So how's production being?
Speaker 2 (03:39):
We were we were trucking along pretty bloody good. Like
I remember seeing a message out to our staff. It
must have been four weeks ago that yep, chewing the cads,
sitting down, hitting residuals, still temperatures on a rising plane,
look out here we can type of thing. And then
it probably wasn't a week later that we got wet
started feeding out and.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Yeah, the cows are just plaud owed.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
But if we can hold this this it's not.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
Really a peak.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
Now.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
If we can hold this plato, yeah we'll get out
of the back of October. Okay, we won't see any records, obviously,
but pushion qualities back there now and we've taken all
supplements out, so yeah, yeah, so count it obviously spiked
and we've milked them.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
Yeah one today it's spiked, but we're at the back
of it.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
We actually haven't had many cases of mess diiitis, so
that that is one one blessing.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
So in general, though, Steve, you haven't had to change
the way you're farmed as a result. It's just a
matter of getting doing them being necessities in order to
keep the girls milking.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Yep, yeah, dead right now, we don't have to change
too much. And you know, looking at next year, ten
years time, would we change anything different to be set up?
Speaker 3 (04:50):
And I would say probably no, we haven't.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
We don't. We don't own a generator. Maybe that's an
option that we do own one, just being that close
to ten. We just hire them when we need So.
I suppose both hids were jacked up with plugs and
cords and you can rewire a plug to suit the
amps that are coming out just to make it work.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
But yeah, probably probably aproaching.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
The generator like the rest of South and then South
Pataga will do. But and then it's only a one off.
Hasn't happened since probably ninety seven through that gorge Rade area.
So no, I think as a whole we won't change much.
But you just get really good at your like I say,
just triage and things and that that's not important, that
is important.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
Just get that done and carry on.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Community events are up and running. You've got one around
your neck of the woods this evening too.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Here we do yep, yep at the old wood End Hall.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
So now we'll cruise down there with the kids and
catch up with the neighbors again and yep, they have
a barbecue and thank everybody for what they've done, and
we'll just have a conversation very similar to this. And yeah,
it's a good effort and it's probably more exciting that
they're actually getting around, you know, the smaller communities too.
They're not doing them too far afield so and yet
we try to finished milking. You can work out the
(06:02):
ear for a couple of years or an air call
and say good ay and carry on. So yeah, bringing
the scale down to just smaller events I think is
pretty good out effect of us.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
So have you been keeping in touch with your mates
in the life to see how they're getting on through
this process?
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Yeah, it actually It actually was very similar to the
COVID scenario. The farm team become really close because we
didn't know pair to go back to the house, so
we just said the casually and bought the jug and
use the ear.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
Fray and all those sorts of things.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
And we had that many people dropping off food that
head pair to keep the staff and after feed. It
was pretty unreal. And the neighbors were very similar. So
now we keep in contact and through that whole period,
everybody knew how each other was going, and you would
go down the end of the road to make sure
they had a generator or they have milked, and if
they haven't.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
Do your best to get one.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
So now as a small community, everybody knew what was
going on.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Anybody just touched on.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Yeah, no great focus, you put on things as per usual, Steve,
And for goodness sake, save poor Sam's voice. Go down
and get us some Hell's bows or something, will.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
You, Oh, anyone that knows drafts and keep as you
can only use that.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
One trip once.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
So yeah, it's obviously Sam's worse today and.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
Lucky it is the last day.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Steve Henderson, always appreciate your time on the muster wise
words as per usual.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
That works.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Thanks Jenny Steve Henderson in their segment today. Thanks for
self and rural support trusts regarding mindset just looking after
yourselves and your staff and the farm after an adverse
weather event. Shout out to the Community Trust South as well.
Jamie mckaye is up next in the Country Crossover. You're
listening to the Muster
Thanks for a South and Rural Support Trust. We're catching
up with various farmers and people involved with the farming
industry over the next couple of weeks here on the Muster,
talking about how they negate their way through a crisis.
As we've seen with the weather, it's put a spanner
in the works regarding the way that the work's been
going or happening on farm at the moment. So we're
(00:31):
catching up with Steve Henderson this afternoon dairy Farm at Auerua.
He took a hat in the winds a couple of
weeks ago, and of course the segment as well proudly
sponsored by Community Trusts South. Steve Henderson, welcome to the
muster once again. Up there, Yeah, pretty good. Firstly, whoever's
yelling at those hippers in the background, they've got a
(00:52):
good set of lungs on them. I don't know if
people can hear it, but certainly heard it just before
we needed.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
That intro your head on the ghetto blaster.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
The heath was coming through the race.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
But now there very few people got They know same
Withers and they'll know her voice and that as her
yelling to get moving. Just lean on the front of
a you look like I do nothing.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
No shout out, same withers. Literally, there's a hell of
a settled lungs. Hey Steve, the situation there at Albarozo
two weeks on will firstly tell people how it was
to how it is now.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
So yes, the same old stories as most people in Southland.
We were chipping away on that Thursday though, and knew
it was something. Something was sort of in the forecast,
and what we got was not what we thought we
were going to get. It was probably ten times worse
than what we thought. And we had a bit of
rain laced with it too, so that that's sort of
(01:43):
got the momentum of trees falling down a.
Speaker 3 (01:45):
Bit quicker with a bit of water with added to
the wind.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
So that Thursday afternoon we actually heard testing. So I
had got a generator of the day before, just looking
at the winds going anybody that's tested before, No, you
don't want to Vicum pumped the shut down halfway through that,
so we'd actually yet rightly wrong. We've got a generator
of the day before. So we hit that generator for
six or seven days, peering the shed and hung around
(02:12):
the district, pairing a few other sheds, and I think
it was just busy. It was just busy at that
point in time. And then it's not told me how
you go, how this ship there would to be, but go.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
I mean, you've managed to get through the last couple
of weeks pretty well those things considered.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Would you say, yeah, I think we have.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
I think we have.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
And yes, we had a bit of wind and a
bit of trees are on fences and you know that's
where a big shed out comes up for neighbors. And
and actually a few local unifellas and some of them
actually weren't actually that local. They come across and cut
trees down and got them off fences and got pair
back on and that was just one thing we didn't
have to worry about.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
It was enough to worry about.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
If you did, you know, controlling affluent control and water
for keres, milk and keals and pair. So you had
enough on your plate anyway, let alone trees off fences
and opening lanes up.
Speaker 3 (02:59):
So yeah, we had a pretty bloody good.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Support crew down here and they just chipped in and
got her done. And now we've just got the quantity
of trees to burn and make a carp as to
fence off because we're just oil obviously, and we're extremely
weak at that point in time too, And we had
hit about one hundred and seventy hundred and eighty miles
of rain for October, so that was feeding out and
(03:24):
you're trying to do all those other bits and pieces. Yeah,
it did create a bit of a go a head out.
You just said the tree archs of things and did
the most important thing about that point in time, and
you look back now and go, yeah, what is she
quite dizzy?
Speaker 1 (03:36):
So how's production being?
Speaker 2 (03:39):
We were we were trucking along pretty bloody good. Like
I remember seeing a message out to our staff. It
must have been four weeks ago that yep, chewing the cads,
sitting down, hitting residuals, still temperatures on a rising plane,
look out here we can type of thing. And then
it probably wasn't a week later that we got wet
started feeding out and.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Yeah, the cows are just plaud owed.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
But if we can hold this this it's not.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
Really a peak.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
Now.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
If we can hold this plato, yeah we'll get out
of the back of October. Okay, we won't see any records, obviously,
but pushion qualities back there now and we've taken all
supplements out, so yeah, yeah, so count it obviously spiked
and we've milked them.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
Yeah one today it's spiked, but we're at the back
of it.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
We actually haven't had many cases of mess diiitis, so
that that is one one blessing.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
So in general, though, Steve, you haven't had to change
the way you're farmed as a result. It's just a
matter of getting doing them being necessities in order to
keep the girls milking.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Yep, yeah, dead right now, we don't have to change
too much. And you know, looking at next year, ten
years time, would we change anything different to be set up?
Speaker 3 (04:50):
And I would say probably no, we haven't.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
We don't. We don't own a generator. Maybe that's an
option that we do own one, just being that close
to ten. We just hire them when we need So.
I suppose both hids were jacked up with plugs and
cords and you can rewire a plug to suit the
amps that are coming out just to make it work.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
But yeah, probably probably aproaching.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
The generator like the rest of South and then South
Pataga will do. But and then it's only a one off.
Hasn't happened since probably ninety seven through that gorge Rade area.
So no, I think as a whole we won't change much.
But you just get really good at your like I say,
just triage and things and that that's not important, that
is important.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
Just get that done and carry on.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Community events are up and running. You've got one around
your neck of the woods this evening too.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Here we do yep, yep at the old wood End Hall.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
So now we'll cruise down there with the kids and
catch up with the neighbors again and yep, they have
a barbecue and thank everybody for what they've done, and
we'll just have a conversation very similar to this. And yeah,
it's a good effort and it's probably more exciting that
they're actually getting around, you know, the smaller communities too.
They're not doing them too far afield so and yet
we try to finished milking. You can work out the
(06:02):
ear for a couple of years or an air call
and say good ay and carry on. So yeah, bringing
the scale down to just smaller events I think is
pretty good out effect of us.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
So have you been keeping in touch with your mates
in the life to see how they're getting on through
this process?
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Yeah, it actually It actually was very similar to the
COVID scenario. The farm team become really close because we
didn't know pair to go back to the house, so
we just said the casually and bought the jug and
use the ear.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
Fray and all those sorts of things.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
And we had that many people dropping off food that
head pair to keep the staff and after feed. It
was pretty unreal. And the neighbors were very similar. So
now we keep in contact and through that whole period,
everybody knew how each other was going, and you would
go down the end of the road to make sure
they had a generator or they have milked, and if
they haven't.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
Do your best to get one.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
So now as a small community, everybody knew what was
going on.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Anybody just touched on.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Yeah, no great focus, you put on things as per usual, Steve,
And for goodness sake, save poor Sam's voice. Go down
and get us some Hell's bows or something, will.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
You, Oh, anyone that knows drafts and keep as you
can only use that.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
One trip once.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
So yeah, it's obviously Sam's worse today and.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
Lucky it is the last day.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Steve Henderson, always appreciate your time on the muster wise
words as per usual.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
That works.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Thanks Jenny Steve Henderson in their segment today. Thanks for
self and rural support trusts regarding mindset just looking after
yourselves and your staff and the farm after an adverse
weather event. Shout out to the Community Trust South as well.
Jamie mckaye is up next in the Country Crossover. You're
listening to the Muster
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