October 31, 2025 • 44 mins
Andy Muir talks to Andy Dennis, Bruce Eade, Rob Scott, Jared Stockman and Matt McRae.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
That's not how the strangers. A very good morning and
welcome along to the best of the Muster, a collaboration
of interviews that took our interest during a rather hectic
week here at Hockenu EHQ. My name is Andy Mure.
Thanks for your company. Look, it's been all about the
weather over the past seven days down here in the
Deep South, and you can understand why. And that's the
theme for today's show, starting off of Andy Dennis. Not
(00:28):
because of the wind, but because of the wet the
moisture level up there at Manapuri where Kaka Farms just
outside of Manapuri telling us about how the ground is
worse on this time last year, which we didn't think
would be feasible, but nonetheless, this is our situation that
we're faced with. Bruce need Farms out at Colso and
he managed to get power on during the week, but
(00:50):
not till a few days of just hard yakker using generators,
getting up in the middle of the night to make
sure those generators are still working. Bruce Towers is how
we found the ordeal. Rob's got South in District Mayor
talking about the situation. Earlier on in the week, we
had a yarm with Rob who was telling us about
what had happened Mark Mitchell on behalf of the government
(01:11):
had been down on the ground in the Deep South,
and Rob says, look, this is a situation ongoing, but
everybody's banding together. Jared Stockman and darien Z was some
really relevant reminders around health, especially in dairy cows. A
lot of issues animal health issues. They're the problem that
can arise in a situation like this. So Jared just says,
(01:34):
just keep the animal health of your animals forefront of mind.
A Matt McCrae and Mockerida this time talking in the
beef and lambslow. We hit him on Wednesday's show to
talk about getting off the farm, just looking out for yourself,
looking out for your mates. If you're getting tired, don't
get on a chainsaw because you'll know the situation is
in flash Mats just telling us put things into context
(01:55):
before we get rash out there. So without further ado,
we start the yell with Eddie Dennis. You're listening to
the best of the muster. Andy Dennis farms up at
(02:16):
Menapoori in the fewer of them basin and joins us
this afternoon in the Sage and Dan Farming ground up.
Thanks for Sergeant Dan Stock foods here and Gore Kacker.
Good afternoon, although it's probably not too good, truth be known,
it's just wet, yeah, rah, real wet.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Yeah that when we dodged all that win last week. Yeah,
because I think that would have that would have just
a bit broke broke us really one more thing to
deal with. But ye know, we're just wet. I'd say
we're over five hundred miles since the start of September easily,
and yeah, it just seems to keep coming. So yeah,
(02:52):
it's entailing on the weekend and she's just a boghole
everywhere or old news and lambs. But yeah, no, see Ipen,
she's letting us down this spring. It's just getting tougher
and tougher. When you think it's got can't any worse,
Well it gets way worse, doesn't it.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
So Yeah, so as far as rainfall figures compared to
this time last year, you're above.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Yeah, September was really weak last year, and then I
think October has sort of come right, whereas October has
been just as wet as what September was. And probably
it's actually got colder too, So no, we're right back
on top of well, we're right on top of grass,
and yeah, you just hope things start coming right soon.
(03:34):
I took the bow buggy off the tractor at the
side of October, and I actually put it on yesterday,
and I've got to be at ten bells of Bailer's
left over, and I'm just going to use it up.
But I just run around and if you think something
need defeat, just dribble away out. Maybe mainly works kettle
and a few bits and pieces. But no, she's just tricky, Yeah,
real tricky.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
It's almost a case of if you didn't laugh, you'd cry.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Yeah. Well, like I said, you think it's you think
it can't get worse, and then blow me down. It
does get worse. Yeah, like we had well last Friday,
I was mobbing up for tailing, and the week before last,
I mean, and it blew all day and then we
had thunder that at night. So when we have a
lot of funder and lighting up here, the deer freak out,
(04:18):
so they go smashing and the fences and create a
lovely friggin mess. So I was driving around on Saturday morning,
had to shoot a few put them down and which
is never fun, especially a bit very very tough on you,
and then shet up some sheep to go tailing the
next day, and then we did one mob and it
just started starting sideways and we pulled the pin and
(04:40):
it took another week to get back to doing that
job while you use it down off the hill and
eating grass and anything. So you just seemed you just
can't seem to win, can you.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
It started snowing while you were tailing.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Yeah, just yeah. But at the sun had been out
half and here you know, like I've got to come
all the way from a tear caw Tam and his
crew and you think, oh no, it's clear, Skuys's let's
pull the trigger. And the time they get here and
we went and then and literally it probably sleated and
snowed for two hours and then the same the sun
(05:13):
coming out after lunch and it was probably the best
of the week, so we could have keep going, but
like it's so hard to even find a dry spot
to put the lamp pin in all the gateways they're
just a bog hole where they've been walking back with
some fords looking for a feed. So no, it's she's
she Yeah, she's tough on this one.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
Yeah. So it's not a case of the wind that
was the if that was the problem for you guys
on Thursday. It's just been the continued precipitation.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Yeah, No, it just poured down. Yeah. I think we
were another one hundred and ten miles for the week,
so a little bit of wind but nothing to damage.
But yeah, like it's just been pouring down. But that's
a Norway circle on it, like the rain in the
west and windy we are so yeah no, yeah, and
then it's noing everywhere today further up country, so no
(06:03):
one's getting a break, that's for sure. Yeah, Like we're
miles back on my last year was good for Like,
we're a lot of lambs around, and we're going to
be a long way back from that and probably a
long way back from your average really, So yeah, lamb
price is going to stay high, aren't because there's going
to be a whole lot lest them around.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
When you're talking to other farmers up there in the basin,
a very similar situation to what you're facing.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Yeah, yep, no, the same just yeah type of feed yeah,
and waiting waiting for things to come right really, Yeah,
I don't know when corectors a week going. Yeah, it's
it's it's that week. It's just ponding on everything, waterline everywhere,
so it's going to take a long time to drain
and try and get some grass in the ground or
(06:49):
even crop crop for next year.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Really, as far as power issues, have you had anything
to worry about since it's come back on Friday night, No,
it's been good.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Yeah, Like Tiana sort of got away from what I
think we did their pair for two days, but like
the damage in the basin wasn't bad, so it was
just getting the pair returned to the basin. So yeah,
we were all back on and it's been good since.
So lucky and lucky in that perspective.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Yeah, Yeah, let's give.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
A shout out to the Basin Cake in ninety point
four for them. You guys have had a real turred
sandwich to coin and phrase over the past six weeks
or so, and Tiana, especially the duel in the in
its crown for this time of year, it was going
to be the fishing competition canceled or postpone, i should say,
and just going around town there on Saturday and a
lot of bemused tourists because up until Friday night they
(07:45):
couldn't get any petrol or anything to get out of town.
There wasn't hardly anything open. It was a case of
cash being the kesh being king ultimately, and just a
lot of confused faces.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
Oh yeah, I did hear that.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Yeah, I think it's probably something you'd think about it.
Keep some old handled petrol diesel bowsers, wouldn't you? Manual
one shafts, Yeah, something, I don't know, it's like that. Yeah,
Ye're so heavy reliant on power that when something like
that happens that it can really upset everything. And we're
(08:21):
running around trying to keep velvet frozen and and not
not really too worried about tourists. But it is what
it is really, Yeah, No, it's it's the third really
really wet spring. The basins heading a row and last
year it affected the lambs. They were a month behind
the whole way through the season, and like my winter
(08:42):
lambs this year I took through the store behind, but
they don't catch up there they have a winter. So
so you know this is going to impact this whole
season again, which which is the tough one because you know,
we're looking at good prices, and it would just be
good to have a good season. But it's farming, you know,
ties her up and you're back on lambs, and the
(09:04):
environment doesn't play ball, does it. That's hard you get
evening or your ducks lined up in a row. It's impossible, isn't.
It doesn't happen.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Actually, let's finish on a positive. I caught up with
you at the Tian Young Farmers Barkup, will bark off whichever.
It was like a few weeks back. Fantastic occasion. Well
done to Harry and the crew there at Tiana Young Farmers.
That's an organization that's really going places at the moment.
And you were helping him see the event as well,
and I think a shout out to see her humphreyes,
(09:31):
I hope she's got a good beanie.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Yeah, I wasn't I supposed to even say it.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
I was.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
I was just there and judge the dogs. Actually yeah,
one of one of three Todd Kevner and Katie Fraser.
I was a very late substitute. I found out I
was doing it at about five o'clock that day. We've
been crutching lambs for a dog Trill fundraiser. And went along,
but no, it was It's really good just to see
(09:58):
those Young Farmer Farmers Clubs going great guns. There wasn't
that long ago the TIA one was in a really
bad spot, so it's good to see it good and
people keen, and yeah, it was a good event. It's
always like I went along last year with the kids
and we had a blast outstanding refel prizes, So yeah,
(10:18):
I just gave Willie your hand at the end to
give away the refels and we ended up doing a
few haircuts, so he did. But they made yeah, like
a big shaded to them. I think they made four
and a half grand. It might even be more by
the end of it. Don't quote me on it, but
it was over four four and a half grand for
for all on search and rescue, so which which is
(10:39):
a really important thing because you can imagine the more
people that are tramping and walking around for all in there,
the more sort of call out set groups getting so
that money will be very well received. So good on
the Young Farmers Club for like an half of the
community and putting on great events here.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
And we always appreciate your time on the muster. All
the best over the next couple of weeks.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Eh, yeah, well look surely it can't get worse. We's
a bit of wood to touch a.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
Wrong now.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
I think we've covered all the food groups, whether lately kicker,
Always appreciate your time. The musters on the Farm brought
to you by Southland District Council working together for a
better Southland. Bruce Deed farms at Calso and joins us
(11:34):
this afternoon. Bruce, good afternoon. What is that day five
without power for you?
Speaker 4 (11:39):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (11:39):
Five or six or whatever it is, depends when you
start the cant I suppose, but yeah, have the same
time as most people. Lu's time on Thursdays he was
gone Burger.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
So the situation out at Calso. Just give people a
bit of an understanding of what it's like.
Speaker 5 (11:53):
Yeah, well there's been bits and pieces that sort of
seems quite petchy from what I can get with people. People,
Harriet got it last night. People over the flat from us,
they got it yesterday as well. Some got it Saturday afternoon.
The people we share their generator with, they got it
Saturday afternoon. So there the next road over. So we
were pretty hopeful there was actually a bucket truck out here.
(12:15):
Problem on air road is some big trees fell over
across the road and pulled the lines down on their
side of the road and they are still lying as
they fell on Thursday. So yeah, Saturday afternoon about six
o'clock there was actually a bucket truck from pounding it
up there, so I shot up talked to them and
(12:36):
he said, oh, no, they were just sussing out they
had a major a bit further down the road. They
had to get sorted and they'll be back tomorrow. But
tomorrow never comes, so you know, we're just running off
generators obviously, the kishads. The robot's got a diesel generator
that kicks in automatically, so it's been running non stop
since Thursday lunchtime and the hearing bone year we were
(12:58):
sharer were half years and the generator with a neighbor there,
so it was milking three herds of cows a thousand
cares there between us for a couple of days until
Saturday afternoon. They got their pair on two of their shed.
So yeah, the genie's just at home there, parked up
outside their ko. She'd went back to sort of normal
milking times, but yeah, still running off the generator.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
So the big concern for you is you don't know
if the powers in those lines that's on the ground.
Speaker 5 (13:26):
Yeah, well that's the thing the old key we canned
you attitude. It wouldn't take long to shift the trees
with a track and a saw, but the lines are
tangled in it, and I'll put it out there public
service announcement. Nobody should actually go near them and try.
It's very tempting and you think, well, I haven't got
any power, they won't be live, but it's not worth
taking the risk. We don't need to read about that
in the papers. So yeah, so it's very frustrating sitting
(13:48):
there looking them. Actually blocked the road to it's a
bit of a three fair roads, so the school bus
can't get through. And unfortunately there was a milk tanker
driver came down the road the other day and it's
probably about two two and a half k's from the
turnoff with the trees are down, and he spent probably
a good hour and a half reversing and they'll tanker
back up to where he could get turned around. So
it was entertaining, but I do feel for the guy
(14:09):
at the same time. So yeah, but Whykaka, there's no
power at the school anyway, because the kids are at
home today and up through the valley and that I
need to believe there's no pair and a lot of
that up here too.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
So well, that well, that gets rid of that rumor
over time about Fontera trucks not having reverse.
Speaker 5 (14:28):
Yeah, that's exactly right. They do have reverse. It's not
that truck probably reversed more in that air and a
half than it will in the rest of it's entire
trucking life. But no, I mean it was a hard one.
I mean people just have to have patience and that
because you know, the phones were down. Internet, it was
down the good old no communication, you know, like nobody
knew what was happening, and you couldn't actually relay a
(14:49):
message to anyone. It was any for us with the
rts and the tractors and things like that, but you
could jump onto someone else's channel. But as for ringing
through to anybody, you know, we lost Internet, which for
the robots side of things, I don't get any alarms
or anything for any problems and that in the robots
with no Internet, so you could say, oh yeah, it
(15:12):
just it's all good. But if something had happened and
robots had shut down. I wouldn't know unless I was there,
so I had to be sort of getting up to
three times in the night just to check them and
keep the generator field in that. But you know, there's
plenty of plenty of great stories around you know that
I've just through people that I've known that through snapchat.
You know of herds walking, you know, four or five
(15:35):
k's down the road to another shed to be milked
and generators being shed. There was a track to going
around west of Tago, probably done eight or nine sheds,
just continually going round. Another one I heard of always
drove to Ashburgh and to grab a generator, drove back
and milk, doing our thousand cares through one shed and
then ten minutes after they finished, the pair come back on.
(15:56):
But you know, it's there's some good stories out there,
and it just goes to show that the rule heart
of helping your fellow man is still strong.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
Yeah, good old Murphy's going to a period of nowhere.
As far as damage from the wind on your property,
what's it like.
Speaker 5 (16:12):
No, we got away pretty pretty relatively unscared, and he's
probably twelve to fifteen, sort of small, a shelled about
trees blown over, but nothing. You know some of the
you will have seen pictures and things like that of
entire rows and macs and pines that are probably forty
year old just lying on their side, just some majores around.
But we're lucky we didn't seem to cop that. It
(16:34):
does seem to be hit and miss. I'm just sitting
here looking at the neighbors and they got a big
roil of gum trees and it's four or five of
them down, but the other twenty are standing. And there's
tales of that vice versa where there's one standing and
the rest of them a line. So yeah, it's I
think the big thing was it just happened so fast.
It was probably only twenty minutes, half an hour at
the most, I think here anyway, it was windy. We've
(16:56):
had a lot of wind obviously of late, but that
was next level. And then it just peed it out,
and yeah, I had done a lot of damage in
a short time. I think the thing that caught everybody
out was it's just it wasn't just why Caki, for
argument's sake, Edendale or Tubatapriy. It was basically a tago
south and wide, and that's what's you know, got us
(17:18):
all foulked because there just wasn't enough year to go
around for a major like that.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
So what's production been like over the past ten days.
Speaker 5 (17:27):
Uh, well, we won't We haven't really changed in that
sense because we're we had the generator. We've had a
generator the robots obviously from day one, so that was
just business as usual and attract the generator. With us
having winter milked in years gone by, we were always
susceptible to losing powder, snow or something, so we've always
had one on hand. So basically the production has been
(17:49):
no different. It was just the fact that ten Beker's
getting here, which luckily they sort of were able to
get in and get out and get bits and pieces
and the milk was at the right temperature for them.
So that has and obviously been the case everywhere. But yeah,
for us personally on farm, either thing's probably just taken.
Speaker 6 (18:05):
Over as normal.
Speaker 5 (18:07):
Apart from the fact that it's been done for.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Generators, I suppose the're saving grace is the fact you
do have cell phone coverage.
Speaker 5 (18:14):
Yeah, well that's the thing we do now. It was
pretty hit and missy for the first couple of days frustrating.
I did have an ror with one of the robots
and trying to talk to one of the texts they
couldn't like they can usually log in from wherever they
are over the internet and the diagnose and fix the problem,
but obviously no internet, and then trying to talk to
them over the phone there's the old standa hello, either
(18:36):
can you hear me? I've got you, and then it
would go dead. So it was quite frustrating from everyone
one of you. So I'm sure it wasn't the only
one that had that problem.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
Just finally other areas over their experiencing issues regarding Palstill
I believe, like some great green Vale is still being affected.
Speaker 5 (18:52):
Yeah, no, I think you know, the further you get
back into the hills there that my flat, things like that.
I've heard Clyde Vale, wrankle Bran. It's pretty widespread still
from what I'm hearing, And you know, it's frustrating it
as it is that you don't have power, Like I'm
very frustrated about seeing what's lying down the road from
(19:13):
us and you can't do anything about it. But you know,
there's so many other people in the same boat, and
we Unfortunately, we just have to wait our turn. I
think the majority of cows are being milked now, well,
I'm sure we'll probably majority of cares are being milked
on generators or through the main system again now, so
that was the major one, and it's just most people
have got jennies for houses and things like that to
(19:34):
get through now. So, yeah, it's the novel has worn off.
Speaker 4 (19:38):
I will admit the.
Speaker 5 (19:41):
Generator rolling outside the house twenty four to seven to
keep the fridges and freezers going. But yeah, the day
will come, will flick the swets and the lights will
come back on. I didn't think it would be this long,
but here we are good.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
On your brace. Always appreciate your time and all the best,
and hopefully that power is up and running sooner than later.
Speaker 5 (20:00):
Yeah, and I thoughts everyone else has gone through the
same situation and will all come back on. And you know,
there's only so many hours in the day and so
many powers always out there doing it. So I'm certainly
sure they're not bloody, they're not slack, and they'll be
doing the best they can. So yeah, just hanging their team,
we'll make it through.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
This is the master on Hakanu Rob scott Is Southern
District Mayor and joins us rather, good afternoon, getting an
update and what's been going on over the past twenty
four hours. How have things been?
Speaker 7 (20:32):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (20:32):
Goodessinon Andy. It's then, I guess you could call it
a productive twenty four hours in terms of more and
more of our towns and properties getting power connected, which
as I can almost feel the relief in the air
that has the power starts to come on in some places,
but also acknowledging that we still have a few places
that are still not not connected yet. So yeah, it's
(20:55):
tracking relatively well, has.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
Power that giving an indication at all by chances to
when they hope to have everything up and running again
or is that just like a needle in a haystack.
Speaker 6 (21:04):
It's pretty much a needle in a haystack. And when
you see some of the photos of even where where
the trees are sort of wrapped up in the power
lines as they've taken them down, and so it's quite
hard for them to predict how long it's going to
kind of take to get power in some of those areas.
But they've been going a lot faster than I thought
they would. And yeah, I mean it's tracking really well.
(21:25):
And I bumped into some of the team a couple
of days ago on the ground when I was traveling around,
and yeah, they're a positive and I think they were
appreciative of the community support of them as well, Like
no one. I mean, there's a few people give them
a bit of a hard time, but on the whole, Yeah,
people are accepting of the situation and can see how
hard they're working.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
Absolutely a shout out to the team for powering it
and everybody who's out there doing what they're doing at
the moment right now. Regarding this government support, one hundred
and fifty thousand dollars has been allocated so far. Is
that like self and Lieral Support Trust funding and the like?
So how would this be allocated?
Speaker 6 (22:00):
Yeah, we're working out how to sort of spread that
out in the best way. And the Royal Support Trust
have been awesome. I've just come off the call with
their chair and I think that's the model on how
to run an event like this With that group pulling
together all of the kind of stakeholders and all of
the interested parties around around South and just doing it
(22:21):
in such a coordinated way. It's a really effective way.
To do stuff. So yeah, definitely getting out there to
support them and their good work. And they're getting out
and doing sort of barbecues as when and drumming tonight.
So just putting on some food for our people that
they have been well and truly tested. So it'll be
nice to have a bit of networking and share a
bit of food over the up and coming few days
(22:43):
around some of our towns.
Speaker 1 (22:46):
Recovery Minister Mirk Mitchell, he's been on the ground over
the last couple of days. What's he had to say
about the situation looking ahead?
Speaker 6 (22:54):
Yeah, he's been good. So he came down on the
Hurk and I met with him and yeah, he gets
that's right man for that job and Australia as a
minister go. He cares, he gets it and he's sort
of more than willing to help out with whatever's needed
as well in terms of getting generators down if we
need to get more stuff on the hurt. He's been
(23:15):
openly willing to help out. So that's great. We've got
that connection up into Wellington now.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
As far as Defence Force personnel on the ground in
the South, what's happening there.
Speaker 6 (23:25):
Yeah, so they went out last night and they were
going into some of the more affected remote areas and
doing sort of wealthy checks and doing a bit of
recon and having a chat to the people. So that's
that's quite good. And I think they've been out again today,
so we've got it's a huge district when you look
at it and you try and reach all of the
areas to touch on people. But that's where our communities
have been so great. Again about last night and I
(23:48):
was popping in to sea for people and people were
beating me to it, and there was cars pulling up
the drive and he said, I just want to check
on her. Haven't heard from her in a while, so
just making sure. So all of that kind of community
well being is kind of taking care of itself, which
is which is awesome.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
Regarding the drinking water situation, are there any concerns slugs
of O HI and one term are in the firing
line recently? Where are we at there?
Speaker 6 (24:11):
I just want to We've shouted out to power need.
I just want to do a shout out to Downer.
Those staffs have been working like absolute troopers quite off
and through the night as well. So I've just come
off the phone to our water and waste team and
Winton has been giving us a couple of problems over
the last twelve hours or so, but that's yeah, that's
the powers actually just come on for our pumps and
(24:32):
everything there as well, So that's looking a lot better
and things that're tracking really well. So I think we've
got all of our parts up and running well there now.
And that hasn't happened by chances, that's happened with some
people working down hard. So yeah, again just shouting out
to down as in the start at the STC as well,
they've worked around the clock to keep things turning over.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
As far as the situation regarding the snow, For goodness sake,
is there any parts of the South that seem to
have been affected in more ways than one?
Speaker 6 (25:00):
I couldn't believe it this morning and I looked out
in the window and saw the snowflakes coming down. I said,
Mother Nature, give us a break, and for the team
out there trying to do the lines that they don't
need that coming down as well. But it's I think
it's further up the country has been hit a bit
harder there. So I'm sitting in sunshine at the moment.
I'm just down by hedgehops. I'm kind of hoping that
the rest of the Southlands in the same. And we're
(25:22):
up to seven degrees, which is seven more than it
was when I left home this morning, so it's hopefully
tracking in the right direction.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
There see our phone towers, who is up to eighteen
outs not that many days ago. Are we up and
running again with sales services?
Speaker 6 (25:37):
Yeah, I think there's just just a handful now to
come back online. And yeah, that's definitely going to help
because when you haven't got colms, it's makes things a
lot harder. So it's good to see those all coming
back online. And it's been a bit of a reminder
of how connected we out of our phones and how
much we need them. Our phones and our electricity, the
(25:58):
two things that we've taken for the thing.
Speaker 3 (26:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
Was that something that Minister Mitchell was made aware of
regarding the connectivity and the lack of it in the
Southern region.
Speaker 6 (26:08):
Yeah, yeah, we saw him in on that. I mean,
he got a good briefing of the of the whole situation,
and I think the fact that the whole region got
taken out all at once has been quite a lesson
and I think we need to have a good sit
down at the end of this and work out how
to better prepare for the next time this kind of
thing happens. And luckily we've had no one who I'm
(26:29):
really hoping that there's no injuries with any other firewood
work that's happening going forward, And I think people need
to recognize that trees can have a minding their own
sometimes and pop back up, and yeah, there's there's going
to be a bit of a bit of extra work
going and the recovery piece. So hopefully we managed to
get through this whole event injury free. But yeah, well
(26:51):
with no lack of connection and connectivity and if people
were injured and stuff, it would have a whole different
kind of picture. So we need to make sure we're
better prepared for next time, if it's the earthquake or
something like that, where we might not have the road
connections that we've.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
Got now to just finally, rob, how long is this
state of emergency going to last in the South.
Speaker 6 (27:12):
It will last till till we're comfortable to get rid
of it. It's quite interesting. I don't have the powers
to do anything yet with that. I'm going to get
those tomorrow. So yeah, it's I think the if I've
got any saying that we'll keep it under under and
we'll probably go into a recovery phase at some stage,
but we need to keep it there as long as
we need to make sure that we've got the right resources.
(27:34):
And I mean the farmers are needing there. They've been
sharing generators around and as the powers coming on, there
is more and more generators freeing up, so we can
actually start to leave some at the farms to loosen
that load. And stock waters are real issue at the
moment too. We've been focusing on the sheds, but getting
water to the stock as a focus as well, so
we can start to actually spread those generators out. And
(27:56):
while there's those kind of needs going on, we've got
animal wealthy, we've got people wealthy. We need to make
sure that we're meeting those needs properly.
Speaker 1 (28:04):
Rob's got South and District. May always appreciate your time
on the muster, and it's been a pretty hectic four
or five days for yourself. Keep up the great job
everybody involved.
Speaker 3 (28:13):
Thanks Andy, Welcome back to the muster.
Speaker 1 (28:26):
Jared Stockman of dariens Z joins us to give us
an updates on the situation from a dearying perspective. Jerry,
good afternoon once again. And okay, so a later st
update you've had there regarding the situation down here in
the South from a diaryan Z perspective, what are we saying?
Speaker 7 (28:44):
Look, and he's still kind of four and a half
thousand power connections that are out. That probably equates around
one hundred and eighty dairy sheds. That was kind of
as of last night. It's probably a few more gone
on today. Ye, wide scale tree damage, infrastructure damage, fences
(29:07):
and but some pieces a number of you know, people
haven't been able to milk cows, particularly in at first
forty eight seventy two hours, and so obviously we're getting
the usual animal health issues that come out of that
high semitic cell count, smestitus down cows and stuff. So yeah,
(29:31):
still pretty grim down here, I've got to say, but
slowly making progress.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
As far as milkings. Farmers have managed to get ahold
of enough generators to make that work, sharing them and
the likes.
Speaker 7 (29:44):
Yeah, look, I think we're in a reasonable position there.
We probably a flow off the mark, to be fair,
and people had had some miss milkings, but you know,
sharing generators and stuff is not ideal because you've got
you know, people cares milking it, you know, all sorts
(30:06):
of ours. So not great for people, not great for animals. Yeah,
bit of a bit of you know, something to think
about moving forward to building some risk management into into
your farming business.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
Took it touched on animal wealthfare just before Jared. What's
the biggest concern around that? Obviously not getting the milk
out of the animals.
Speaker 7 (30:30):
Yeah, just obviously we've got you know, emerging issues with
semitic cell counts, a mess like this, you know down
cares because with no power, a lot of these sheds,
the dose tron doesn't work, so there's you know, animal
health minerals not getting through the troughs. So yeah, just
(30:50):
a combination of stuff. But look, once you're milking them
and stuff, generally, you know, two to four days you
can get the semitic cell counts down. But then you've
you know, again you need power to till your milk
and make sure it's the right you know, the right
temperature for pickup. Because we've got to remember that milk
is a it's a it's a food product, and so
(31:13):
we've got to have certain you know, health enders around it.
So yeah, just yeah, just a few things to think about.
Speaker 1 (31:22):
Farmer fatigue comes into the equation as well, and this
is something.
Speaker 3 (31:25):
We need to be really aware of.
Speaker 7 (31:27):
Yeah, look, that's the thing that probably concerns me most
at the moment. Farmers have finished mating, sorry, finished finished calving.
You've had this big event mating starting, They've got you know,
there's there's hundreds and thousands of trees down throughout Southland.
People are pretty stress at the moment. And then throw
(31:50):
throwing the fact that we've still got a large number
of of of our farmers without power. Yeah, I'm really worried,
and I guess you know, that's that's quite a good thing.
Real Support Trust have organized some awesome community barbecues that
are helping in the evenings and what we really want
to encourage people to get along to those events, so
(32:14):
check out the Real Support Trust page. Simon hot Croft
has just done an amazing job over the last you know,
five days in terms of standing up events and providing
support and getting things moving. You know, I don't know
how he does it with us. He's got his own
three farms, but yeah, he's been a man, he's been
(32:34):
tagged in all directions. So health and safety really important.
You know, if you're tired and stuff, it's just you've
got to think about what sort of decision you're making.
And the last thing, you know, we've come through this
event with no fatalities or you know, serious injuries or
anything like that. And I'm best concerned is in the
coming weeks and months when people started taking down trees
(32:58):
with chainsaws. That it's where you know, that's where our
next biggest risk is coming from.
Speaker 1 (33:03):
And that's where we need to have some clear messaging
as well. Jared fatigue is and good around a chainsaw.
Speaker 7 (33:09):
No, yeah, yeah, like one hundred percent. And we just
kind of need everyone to, you know, take take a
bit of a breath, get themselves right on the head,
help themselves, help their staff, make sure everyone's coping. Okay,
when they're in the best frame of mind. You know,
the trees are not going to go anywhere, but just
(33:29):
make the right decisions. It will look. We know how
practical farmers are and they just want to get stuff done,
and I think everyone gets that. But yeah, message from
us is just put people first and put yourself first
at the stage and just make sure you know you're right,
you're clear in your mind about the decisions that you're making,
and just do risk assessments.
Speaker 1 (33:51):
Have you had many farmers getting in touch so far,
Jared regarding the situation, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
We have.
Speaker 7 (33:57):
We Look, the the challenge has been communication, right, so
with you know, the bulk of the cell towers down
throughout South and very early you know, post the post
the kind of the guts of the storm, we just
couldn't communicate with people, and so we we we've been
(34:19):
dropping out Texas on a regular basis to try and
understand who's got power, who hasn't, what supports needed, and
then try and getting them to connect with the right
people to get get things moving. We continue to do
that on a regular basis. A Ya, multiple, I've lost
count on how many times we've had to charge my
(34:41):
phone over the last four or five days just with
phone calls. And look our teams, yeah, you know have
worked through the weekend as you'd expect us to do,
ken to support dairy farmers and yeah, just hundreds of
course have been made and received and returned and you know,
(35:01):
messages passed on. So it's been not just us, I
mean you know, the Fonterra team have been based in
the power net helping helping power neet prioritize dairy farms
to get mains power on. There's just been so many
organizations that have just stepped up and then you know,
(35:22):
just their rural communities. I think resilience is an over
over used word, but I don't even know how to
describe it. I mean they're just just so good in
terms of rolling around and getting stuff done. So yeah,
it's been a full court press, so I think from
from all parties.
Speaker 1 (35:39):
So you okay, messaging more or less today Jared is
for farmers to check in with their neighbors and their mates.
Speaker 7 (35:46):
Look, I don't think, to be fair, I don't think
they've got time to check in with their neighbors if
I'm being honest, because they flat out we're about to
you know, there's some farmers who are still dealing with
loss of power and that I think when the time comes,
you know that'll that will happen naturally. But I think
look after yourselves, look after your staff. If you need help,
(36:08):
reach out. You know, all of our area managers on
are on the Durings website available to have a discussion
with dairy farmers, particularly if there's anything technical, but myself included,
so all of our numbers are on the website. If
anyone's got any consumes about anyone's kind of fatigue and
(36:29):
thinks they're don't too much and not in a good headspace,
we've got real support and just keep yourself safe and yeah,
when the time's right, you know, checking with your neighbors.
But hey, there's some good community barbecues happening every evening.
I think tonight Woodland's Rugby Club for that that area
(36:49):
five eight o'clock and Robson Rugby Club for kind of
the people out western Southland five eight to get along,
we'll have people. I'll be at the rout in one
tonight in happy to have a chip and if we
can do anything to help, just with usnay.
Speaker 1 (37:06):
Jared Stockman of Daryan, Z thanks for your time on
the Muster once again.
Speaker 7 (37:10):
Cheer Andy, appreciate it.
Speaker 6 (37:14):
The Muster Events Diary brought to you by Beef and
Lamb New Zealand.
Speaker 1 (37:18):
Click Beef Lamb Indzed dot com. Matt McCrae joins us
this afternoon. He is the chair of the Beef and
Lamb's Southern Farming Council. Matt, Good afternoon, how things.
Speaker 6 (37:34):
Afternoon, Indy?
Speaker 4 (37:35):
You had another boy down Mockerator can't campaign.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
Today to find bami Ah haven't.
Speaker 4 (37:43):
Stopped raining for a while yet. But I've got a
rope over my head at the moment, so I can
hear you on the phone getting a bit loud outside.
I'm sending in the set a minute ago. So yeah,
hopefully one day closer to.
Speaker 1 (37:55):
Some sunshine, jeep as we don't want their concrete to
get dry, do we.
Speaker 4 (37:59):
Yeah, yeah, it would be amazing what we'll get done
when it does finally happen. But yeah, it's been good.
We've had it way bit of round and been you're
mud about now, which is probably limiting progress away bits.
It's nice to see some pair of trucks going up
the road this morning.
Speaker 1 (38:14):
Yeah, what's the situation of marker reader Powe wise.
Speaker 4 (38:18):
For probably half all stages it's going to come up
the millions stages over the weekend, and we've got a
few trees over at Boundary and neighboring Gary Farms. It's
still to have pair on you, so yeah, really appreciate
the pair and it goes working hard to get every
one pair, and yeah, thinking of all the all the
others throughout the region and that don't have pair or
(38:39):
excess as well. So yeah, the kids thought it was
a novelty for the first couple of days, but I
think it's even wearing thin will seem at the moment.
Speaker 1 (38:47):
Yeah, a massive shout out to power and that we
cannot underestimate the job that the teams are doing around
here in the south. Thea's hundreds of them on the
ground and it's a job that's just ongoing. But as
far as rainfall down macaraders there you're not immune to
the odd dropper two. But where are you inside this
time last year? What's the comparison, Matte.
Speaker 4 (39:08):
I haven't actually been a bit scared to work it out.
In comparison to last year, I'd say we're pretty similar,
to be fair, I think we've had to have a
tw hundred mills around for this month and a bit
over two hundred for the month before and one hundred
at the end of August, getting well up there for
us even by extended's. But like there's been parts of
(39:28):
the region that I've had much more than us toes.
It's possibly the lack of drawing that's effecting us at
the moment. But yeah, we don't know. If we your
whole time mate for conditions to come right based off
last year, everything will get done. So it's just yeah,
taking a breath and getting some sitting down and doing
some planning so when the sun sean comes out, you
(39:51):
can get through what you need to do, but probably
not rushing things like tailing or cleaning up if it
risks safety along term implications around animal house and things
like that. Yeah, one lesson we learned from last year
is it's amazing what you can get achieved when the
sun comes out.
Speaker 1 (40:09):
I think the irony being this time last year I
said to you, when it comes to the rain gauge,
just go and drill a whole lot of the ten mills.
And you sorted right, Yeah, no.
Speaker 4 (40:18):
I did joke about that. I think I'll wom my
last one out. So actually putting new rain gage.
Speaker 3 (40:22):
Up yesterday and oh really, oh well just regard and
put a.
Speaker 4 (40:28):
Whole about five meals up in my old one. Yeah,
you know it's bad when you wear out of rain gauge.
Speaker 1 (40:34):
But what's the messaging from Beef and Lamb at the
moment regarding welfare. I mean, we talk about the situation
Lambing's well through for a lot of people hogot, Lambing
coming to its conclusion, a lot of people behind on tailing,
and the likes arguably drenching of lambs comes into the
equation sooner than later. But what's what's the messaging you
think people need to remember, Matt?
Speaker 4 (40:53):
Yeah, key things I guess like look after yourselves, your
family and your farm team and neighbors. And then yeah,
it certainly the stop that stock welfare around water and tailing.
Obviously there is still a bit of lemming happening. And
but yeah, just if you're worried, talk to your vets.
There's a lot of vaccines been sitting in fridges that
(41:15):
possibly needs throwing out. There's squat insurance as course. Yeah,
talk talk to your vets.
Speaker 6 (41:22):
Don't risk it.
Speaker 4 (41:24):
I see they've put up a post on Facebook, the
big from Facebook page today with northern South and vets
around some of the risks around tailing in the in
the rain. So the good thing is the forecast is
looking better next week, so a few days in the
big scheme of things isn't going to hurt. But the
main thing look after yourself and your stock and in
(41:45):
your communities.
Speaker 1 (41:45):
Suppose it's it down if you do darned if you
don't situation with tailing, if the contractors are working the
time frames there and what I know, what do you
do there? Just a matter of having dialogue seeing if
you can swap days.
Speaker 3 (41:57):
Perhaps, Yeah, I.
Speaker 4 (42:00):
Guess it's fairly widespread and everyone's in up together. But
things things will happen. There's there will there will be
periods where the sun comes out and we can get
a lot of tubes. Yeah, just think about the or
my messages, thing about the long term imtifications of it,
if you are pushing the boundaries, and how that might
slow things down. I realize feeds tight and underground conditions
(42:23):
are wet, but yeah, just make sure you those those
decisions are well thought through when you pull the trigger
on them. And yeah, and the other things around that.
The clearing or clean up has started pretty quickly. In
a lot of cases. The big one is safety first,
(42:44):
particularly with the trees, and yeah, a lot of them
can be very dangerous. And I know a lot of
fumbers in the region work alone, So make sure you're
communicating and working in with neighbors and go and help
each other out would be the thing, because we don't
want anyone undred doing things that they shouldn't be doing.
Speaker 1 (43:04):
That's a major one there, especially regarding fatigue and chainsaws.
We can't reiterate that enough. Now, as far as events
that are happening self, little support trust, they're on the
ground up and running and as well, a lot of
areas just having community events over the next week or so.
By the looks of it, it's.
Speaker 4 (43:20):
Good to see a few of them popping up with
him been online a lot with communication issues, but they
it's good to see row support have got a lot
bee from them. I've got a couple of events up
in Roxburgh and at Nastal later in the week and
then yeah, I've seen a few and we're having one
after RAM opened here on Friday, barbecue a few beers too.
(43:42):
So it's just a good chance to look up those events,
get off them and no doubt there be something happening
close to you. So problem sheds, problem halved and people
we have some pretty good innovative ways of dealing with
some issues that we've got at the moment, So you
it off and we're really right. We were right, and
(44:03):
we'll Taflip when the sun comes out.
Speaker 1 (44:11):
Matt McCrae wrapping up the best of the muster once again.
My name is Andy Muir. Enjoy the weekend. Make sure
you take at least a little bit of a break
off the farm. I know it's busy at the moment,
but look after those top three inches. Enjoy the weekend,
Catch you next week. Yeah, but night you, long hunger
That's not how the strangers. A very good morning and
welcome along to the best of the Muster, a collaboration
of interviews that took our interest during a rather hectic
week here at Hockenu EHQ. My name is Andy Mure.
Thanks for your company. Look, it's been all about the
weather over the past seven days down here in the
Deep South, and you can understand why. And that's the
theme for today's show, starting off of Andy Dennis. Not
(00:28):
because of the wind, but because of the wet the
moisture level up there at Manapuri where Kaka Farms just
outside of Manapuri telling us about how the ground is
worse on this time last year, which we didn't think
would be feasible, but nonetheless, this is our situation that
we're faced with. Bruce need Farms out at Colso and
he managed to get power on during the week, but
(00:50):
not till a few days of just hard yakker using generators,
getting up in the middle of the night to make
sure those generators are still working. Bruce Towers is how
we found the ordeal. Rob's got South in District Mayor
talking about the situation. Earlier on in the week, we
had a yarm with Rob who was telling us about
what had happened Mark Mitchell on behalf of the government
(01:11):
had been down on the ground in the Deep South,
and Rob says, look, this is a situation ongoing, but
everybody's banding together. Jared Stockman and darien Z was some
really relevant reminders around health, especially in dairy cows. A
lot of issues animal health issues. They're the problem that
can arise in a situation like this. So Jared just says,
(01:34):
just keep the animal health of your animals forefront of mind.
A Matt McCrae and Mockerida this time talking in the
beef and lambslow. We hit him on Wednesday's show to
talk about getting off the farm, just looking out for yourself,
looking out for your mates. If you're getting tired, don't
get on a chainsaw because you'll know the situation is
in flash Mats just telling us put things into context
(01:55):
before we get rash out there. So without further ado,
we start the yell with Eddie Dennis. You're listening to
the best of the muster. Andy Dennis farms up at
(02:16):
Menapoori in the fewer of them basin and joins us
this afternoon in the Sage and Dan Farming ground up.
Thanks for Sergeant Dan Stock foods here and Gore Kacker.
Good afternoon, although it's probably not too good, truth be known,
it's just wet, yeah, rah, real wet.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Yeah that when we dodged all that win last week. Yeah,
because I think that would have that would have just
a bit broke broke us really one more thing to
deal with. But ye know, we're just wet. I'd say
we're over five hundred miles since the start of September easily,
and yeah, it just seems to keep coming. So yeah,
(02:52):
it's entailing on the weekend and she's just a boghole
everywhere or old news and lambs. But yeah, no, see Ipen,
she's letting us down this spring. It's just getting tougher
and tougher. When you think it's got can't any worse,
Well it gets way worse, doesn't it.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
So Yeah, so as far as rainfall figures compared to
this time last year, you're above.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Yeah, September was really weak last year, and then I
think October has sort of come right, whereas October has
been just as wet as what September was. And probably
it's actually got colder too, So no, we're right back
on top of well, we're right on top of grass,
and yeah, you just hope things start coming right soon.
(03:34):
I took the bow buggy off the tractor at the
side of October, and I actually put it on yesterday,
and I've got to be at ten bells of Bailer's
left over, and I'm just going to use it up.
But I just run around and if you think something
need defeat, just dribble away out. Maybe mainly works kettle
and a few bits and pieces. But no, she's just tricky, Yeah,
real tricky.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
It's almost a case of if you didn't laugh, you'd cry.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Yeah. Well, like I said, you think it's you think
it can't get worse, and then blow me down. It
does get worse. Yeah, like we had well last Friday,
I was mobbing up for tailing, and the week before last,
I mean, and it blew all day and then we
had thunder that at night. So when we have a
lot of funder and lighting up here, the deer freak out,
(04:18):
so they go smashing and the fences and create a
lovely friggin mess. So I was driving around on Saturday morning,
had to shoot a few put them down and which
is never fun, especially a bit very very tough on you,
and then shet up some sheep to go tailing the
next day, and then we did one mob and it
just started starting sideways and we pulled the pin and
(04:40):
it took another week to get back to doing that
job while you use it down off the hill and
eating grass and anything. So you just seemed you just
can't seem to win, can you.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
It started snowing while you were tailing.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Yeah, just yeah. But at the sun had been out
half and here you know, like I've got to come
all the way from a tear caw Tam and his
crew and you think, oh no, it's clear, Skuys's let's
pull the trigger. And the time they get here and
we went and then and literally it probably sleated and
snowed for two hours and then the same the sun
(05:13):
coming out after lunch and it was probably the best
of the week, so we could have keep going, but
like it's so hard to even find a dry spot
to put the lamp pin in all the gateways they're
just a bog hole where they've been walking back with
some fords looking for a feed. So no, it's she's
she Yeah, she's tough on this one.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
Yeah. So it's not a case of the wind that
was the if that was the problem for you guys
on Thursday. It's just been the continued precipitation.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Yeah, No, it just poured down. Yeah. I think we
were another one hundred and ten miles for the week,
so a little bit of wind but nothing to damage.
But yeah, like it's just been pouring down. But that's
a Norway circle on it, like the rain in the
west and windy we are so yeah no, yeah, and
then it's noing everywhere today further up country, so no
(06:03):
one's getting a break, that's for sure. Yeah, Like we're
miles back on my last year was good for Like,
we're a lot of lambs around, and we're going to
be a long way back from that and probably a
long way back from your average really, So yeah, lamb
price is going to stay high, aren't because there's going
to be a whole lot lest them around.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
When you're talking to other farmers up there in the basin,
a very similar situation to what you're facing.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Yeah, yep, no, the same just yeah type of feed yeah,
and waiting waiting for things to come right really, Yeah,
I don't know when corectors a week going. Yeah, it's
it's it's that week. It's just ponding on everything, waterline everywhere,
so it's going to take a long time to drain
and try and get some grass in the ground or
(06:49):
even crop crop for next year.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Really, as far as power issues, have you had anything
to worry about since it's come back on Friday night, No,
it's been good.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Yeah, Like Tiana sort of got away from what I
think we did their pair for two days, but like
the damage in the basin wasn't bad, so it was
just getting the pair returned to the basin. So yeah,
we were all back on and it's been good since.
So lucky and lucky in that perspective.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Yeah, Yeah, let's give.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
A shout out to the Basin Cake in ninety point
four for them. You guys have had a real turred
sandwich to coin and phrase over the past six weeks
or so, and Tiana, especially the duel in the in
its crown for this time of year, it was going
to be the fishing competition canceled or postpone, i should say,
and just going around town there on Saturday and a
lot of bemused tourists because up until Friday night they
(07:45):
couldn't get any petrol or anything to get out of town.
There wasn't hardly anything open. It was a case of
cash being the kesh being king ultimately, and just a
lot of confused faces.
Speaker 4 (07:56):
Oh yeah, I did hear that.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Yeah, I think it's probably something you'd think about it.
Keep some old handled petrol diesel bowsers, wouldn't you? Manual
one shafts, Yeah, something, I don't know, it's like that. Yeah,
Ye're so heavy reliant on power that when something like
that happens that it can really upset everything. And we're
(08:21):
running around trying to keep velvet frozen and and not
not really too worried about tourists. But it is what
it is really, Yeah, No, it's it's the third really
really wet spring. The basins heading a row and last
year it affected the lambs. They were a month behind
the whole way through the season, and like my winter
(08:42):
lambs this year I took through the store behind, but
they don't catch up there they have a winter. So
so you know this is going to impact this whole
season again, which which is the tough one because you know,
we're looking at good prices, and it would just be
good to have a good season. But it's farming, you know,
ties her up and you're back on lambs, and the
(09:04):
environment doesn't play ball, does it. That's hard you get
evening or your ducks lined up in a row. It's impossible, isn't.
It doesn't happen.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
Actually, let's finish on a positive. I caught up with
you at the Tian Young Farmers Barkup, will bark off whichever.
It was like a few weeks back. Fantastic occasion. Well
done to Harry and the crew there at Tiana Young Farmers.
That's an organization that's really going places at the moment.
And you were helping him see the event as well,
and I think a shout out to see her humphreyes,
(09:31):
I hope she's got a good beanie.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Yeah, I wasn't I supposed to even say it.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
I was.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
I was just there and judge the dogs. Actually yeah,
one of one of three Todd Kevner and Katie Fraser.
I was a very late substitute. I found out I
was doing it at about five o'clock that day. We've
been crutching lambs for a dog Trill fundraiser. And went along,
but no, it was It's really good just to see
(09:58):
those Young Farmer Farmers Clubs going great guns. There wasn't
that long ago the TIA one was in a really
bad spot, so it's good to see it good and
people keen, and yeah, it was a good event. It's
always like I went along last year with the kids
and we had a blast outstanding refel prizes, So yeah,
(10:18):
I just gave Willie your hand at the end to
give away the refels and we ended up doing a
few haircuts, so he did. But they made yeah, like
a big shaded to them. I think they made four
and a half grand. It might even be more by
the end of it. Don't quote me on it, but
it was over four four and a half grand for
for all on search and rescue, so which which is
(10:39):
a really important thing because you can imagine the more
people that are tramping and walking around for all in there,
the more sort of call out set groups getting so
that money will be very well received. So good on
the Young Farmers Club for like an half of the
community and putting on great events here.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
And we always appreciate your time on the muster. All
the best over the next couple of weeks.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
Eh, yeah, well look surely it can't get worse. We's
a bit of wood to touch a.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
Wrong now.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
I think we've covered all the food groups, whether lately kicker,
Always appreciate your time. The musters on the Farm brought
to you by Southland District Council working together for a
better Southland. Bruce Deed farms at Calso and joins us
(11:34):
this afternoon. Bruce, good afternoon. What is that day five
without power for you?
Speaker 4 (11:39):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (11:39):
Five or six or whatever it is, depends when you
start the cant I suppose, but yeah, have the same
time as most people. Lu's time on Thursdays he was
gone Burger.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
So the situation out at Calso. Just give people a
bit of an understanding of what it's like.
Speaker 5 (11:53):
Yeah, well there's been bits and pieces that sort of
seems quite petchy from what I can get with people. People,
Harriet got it last night. People over the flat from us,
they got it yesterday as well. Some got it Saturday afternoon.
The people we share their generator with, they got it
Saturday afternoon. So there the next road over. So we
were pretty hopeful there was actually a bucket truck out here.
(12:15):
Problem on air road is some big trees fell over
across the road and pulled the lines down on their
side of the road and they are still lying as
they fell on Thursday. So yeah, Saturday afternoon about six
o'clock there was actually a bucket truck from pounding it
up there, so I shot up talked to them and
(12:36):
he said, oh, no, they were just sussing out they
had a major a bit further down the road. They
had to get sorted and they'll be back tomorrow. But
tomorrow never comes, so you know, we're just running off
generators obviously, the kishads. The robot's got a diesel generator
that kicks in automatically, so it's been running non stop
since Thursday lunchtime and the hearing bone year we were
(12:58):
sharer were half years and the generator with a neighbor there,
so it was milking three herds of cows a thousand
cares there between us for a couple of days until
Saturday afternoon. They got their pair on two of their shed.
So yeah, the genie's just at home there, parked up
outside their ko. She'd went back to sort of normal
milking times, but yeah, still running off the generator.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
So the big concern for you is you don't know
if the powers in those lines that's on the ground.
Speaker 5 (13:26):
Yeah, well that's the thing the old key we canned
you attitude. It wouldn't take long to shift the trees
with a track and a saw, but the lines are
tangled in it, and I'll put it out there public
service announcement. Nobody should actually go near them and try.
It's very tempting and you think, well, I haven't got
any power, they won't be live, but it's not worth
taking the risk. We don't need to read about that
in the papers. So yeah, so it's very frustrating sitting
(13:48):
there looking them. Actually blocked the road to it's a
bit of a three fair roads, so the school bus
can't get through. And unfortunately there was a milk tanker
driver came down the road the other day and it's
probably about two two and a half k's from the
turnoff with the trees are down, and he spent probably
a good hour and a half reversing and they'll tanker
back up to where he could get turned around. So
it was entertaining, but I do feel for the guy
(14:09):
at the same time. So yeah, but Whykaka, there's no
power at the school anyway, because the kids are at
home today and up through the valley and that I
need to believe there's no pair and a lot of
that up here too.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
So well, that well, that gets rid of that rumor
over time about Fontera trucks not having reverse.
Speaker 5 (14:28):
Yeah, that's exactly right. They do have reverse. It's not
that truck probably reversed more in that air and a
half than it will in the rest of it's entire
trucking life. But no, I mean it was a hard one.
I mean people just have to have patience and that
because you know, the phones were down. Internet, it was
down the good old no communication, you know, like nobody
knew what was happening, and you couldn't actually relay a
(14:49):
message to anyone. It was any for us with the
rts and the tractors and things like that, but you
could jump onto someone else's channel. But as for ringing
through to anybody, you know, we lost Internet, which for
the robots side of things, I don't get any alarms
or anything for any problems and that in the robots
with no Internet, so you could say, oh yeah, it
(15:12):
just it's all good. But if something had happened and
robots had shut down. I wouldn't know unless I was there,
so I had to be sort of getting up to
three times in the night just to check them and
keep the generator field in that. But you know, there's
plenty of plenty of great stories around you know that
I've just through people that I've known that through snapchat.
You know of herds walking, you know, four or five
(15:35):
k's down the road to another shed to be milked
and generators being shed. There was a track to going
around west of Tago, probably done eight or nine sheds,
just continually going round. Another one I heard of always
drove to Ashburgh and to grab a generator, drove back
and milk, doing our thousand cares through one shed and
then ten minutes after they finished, the pair come back on.
(15:56):
But you know, it's there's some good stories out there,
and it just goes to show that the rule heart
of helping your fellow man is still strong.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
Yeah, good old Murphy's going to a period of nowhere.
As far as damage from the wind on your property,
what's it like.
Speaker 5 (16:12):
No, we got away pretty pretty relatively unscared, and he's
probably twelve to fifteen, sort of small, a shelled about
trees blown over, but nothing. You know some of the
you will have seen pictures and things like that of
entire rows and macs and pines that are probably forty
year old just lying on their side, just some majores around.
But we're lucky we didn't seem to cop that. It
(16:34):
does seem to be hit and miss. I'm just sitting
here looking at the neighbors and they got a big
roil of gum trees and it's four or five of
them down, but the other twenty are standing. And there's
tales of that vice versa where there's one standing and
the rest of them a line. So yeah, it's I
think the big thing was it just happened so fast.
It was probably only twenty minutes, half an hour at
the most, I think here anyway, it was windy. We've
(16:56):
had a lot of wind obviously of late, but that
was next level. And then it just peed it out,
and yeah, I had done a lot of damage in
a short time. I think the thing that caught everybody
out was it's just it wasn't just why Caki, for
argument's sake, Edendale or Tubatapriy. It was basically a tago
south and wide, and that's what's you know, got us
(17:18):
all foulked because there just wasn't enough year to go
around for a major like that.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
So what's production been like over the past ten days.
Speaker 5 (17:27):
Uh, well, we won't We haven't really changed in that
sense because we're we had the generator. We've had a
generator the robots obviously from day one, so that was
just business as usual and attract the generator. With us
having winter milked in years gone by, we were always
susceptible to losing powder, snow or something, so we've always
had one on hand. So basically the production has been
(17:49):
no different. It was just the fact that ten Beker's
getting here, which luckily they sort of were able to
get in and get out and get bits and pieces
and the milk was at the right temperature for them.
So that has and obviously been the case everywhere. But yeah,
for us personally on farm, either thing's probably just taken.
Speaker 6 (18:05):
Over as normal.
Speaker 5 (18:07):
Apart from the fact that it's been done for.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Generators, I suppose the're saving grace is the fact you
do have cell phone coverage.
Speaker 5 (18:14):
Yeah, well that's the thing we do now. It was
pretty hit and missy for the first couple of days frustrating.
I did have an ror with one of the robots
and trying to talk to one of the texts they
couldn't like they can usually log in from wherever they
are over the internet and the diagnose and fix the problem,
but obviously no internet, and then trying to talk to
them over the phone there's the old standa hello, either
(18:36):
can you hear me? I've got you, and then it
would go dead. So it was quite frustrating from everyone
one of you. So I'm sure it wasn't the only
one that had that problem.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
Just finally other areas over their experiencing issues regarding Palstill
I believe, like some great green Vale is still being affected.
Speaker 5 (18:52):
Yeah, no, I think you know, the further you get
back into the hills there that my flat, things like that.
I've heard Clyde Vale, wrankle Bran. It's pretty widespread still
from what I'm hearing, And you know, it's frustrating it
as it is that you don't have power, Like I'm
very frustrated about seeing what's lying down the road from
(19:13):
us and you can't do anything about it. But you know,
there's so many other people in the same boat, and
we Unfortunately, we just have to wait our turn. I
think the majority of cows are being milked now, well,
I'm sure we'll probably majority of cares are being milked
on generators or through the main system again now, so
that was the major one, and it's just most people
have got jennies for houses and things like that to
(19:34):
get through now. So, yeah, it's the novel has worn off.
Speaker 4 (19:38):
I will admit the.
Speaker 5 (19:41):
Generator rolling outside the house twenty four to seven to
keep the fridges and freezers going. But yeah, the day
will come, will flick the swets and the lights will
come back on. I didn't think it would be this long,
but here we are good.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
On your brace. Always appreciate your time and all the best,
and hopefully that power is up and running sooner than later.
Speaker 5 (20:00):
Yeah, and I thoughts everyone else has gone through the
same situation and will all come back on. And you know,
there's only so many hours in the day and so
many powers always out there doing it. So I'm certainly
sure they're not bloody, they're not slack, and they'll be
doing the best they can. So yeah, just hanging their team,
we'll make it through.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
This is the master on Hakanu Rob scott Is Southern
District Mayor and joins us rather, good afternoon, getting an
update and what's been going on over the past twenty
four hours. How have things been?
Speaker 7 (20:32):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (20:32):
Goodessinon Andy. It's then, I guess you could call it
a productive twenty four hours in terms of more and
more of our towns and properties getting power connected, which
as I can almost feel the relief in the air
that has the power starts to come on in some places,
but also acknowledging that we still have a few places
that are still not not connected yet. So yeah, it's
(20:55):
tracking relatively well, has.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
Power that giving an indication at all by chances to
when they hope to have everything up and running again
or is that just like a needle in a haystack.
Speaker 6 (21:04):
It's pretty much a needle in a haystack. And when
you see some of the photos of even where where
the trees are sort of wrapped up in the power
lines as they've taken them down, and so it's quite
hard for them to predict how long it's going to
kind of take to get power in some of those areas.
But they've been going a lot faster than I thought
they would. And yeah, I mean it's tracking really well.
(21:25):
And I bumped into some of the team a couple
of days ago on the ground when I was traveling around,
and yeah, they're a positive and I think they were
appreciative of the community support of them as well, Like
no one. I mean, there's a few people give them
a bit of a hard time, but on the whole, Yeah,
people are accepting of the situation and can see how
hard they're working.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
Absolutely a shout out to the team for powering it
and everybody who's out there doing what they're doing at
the moment right now. Regarding this government support, one hundred
and fifty thousand dollars has been allocated so far. Is
that like self and Lieral Support Trust funding and the like?
So how would this be allocated?
Speaker 6 (22:00):
Yeah, we're working out how to sort of spread that
out in the best way. And the Royal Support Trust
have been awesome. I've just come off the call with
their chair and I think that's the model on how
to run an event like this With that group pulling
together all of the kind of stakeholders and all of
the interested parties around around South and just doing it
(22:21):
in such a coordinated way. It's a really effective way.
To do stuff. So yeah, definitely getting out there to
support them and their good work. And they're getting out
and doing sort of barbecues as when and drumming tonight.
So just putting on some food for our people that
they have been well and truly tested. So it'll be
nice to have a bit of networking and share a
bit of food over the up and coming few days
(22:43):
around some of our towns.
Speaker 1 (22:46):
Recovery Minister Mirk Mitchell, he's been on the ground over
the last couple of days. What's he had to say
about the situation looking ahead?
Speaker 6 (22:54):
Yeah, he's been good. So he came down on the
Hurk and I met with him and yeah, he gets
that's right man for that job and Australia as a
minister go. He cares, he gets it and he's sort
of more than willing to help out with whatever's needed
as well in terms of getting generators down if we
need to get more stuff on the hurt. He's been
(23:15):
openly willing to help out. So that's great. We've got
that connection up into Wellington now.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
As far as Defence Force personnel on the ground in
the South, what's happening there.
Speaker 6 (23:25):
Yeah, so they went out last night and they were
going into some of the more affected remote areas and
doing sort of wealthy checks and doing a bit of
recon and having a chat to the people. So that's
that's quite good. And I think they've been out again today,
so we've got it's a huge district when you look
at it and you try and reach all of the
areas to touch on people. But that's where our communities
have been so great. Again about last night and I
(23:48):
was popping in to sea for people and people were
beating me to it, and there was cars pulling up
the drive and he said, I just want to check
on her. Haven't heard from her in a while, so
just making sure. So all of that kind of community
well being is kind of taking care of itself, which
is which is awesome.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
Regarding the drinking water situation, are there any concerns slugs
of O HI and one term are in the firing
line recently? Where are we at there?
Speaker 6 (24:11):
I just want to We've shouted out to power need.
I just want to do a shout out to Downer.
Those staffs have been working like absolute troopers quite off
and through the night as well. So I've just come
off the phone to our water and waste team and
Winton has been giving us a couple of problems over
the last twelve hours or so, but that's yeah, that's
the powers actually just come on for our pumps and
(24:32):
everything there as well, So that's looking a lot better
and things that're tracking really well. So I think we've
got all of our parts up and running well there now.
And that hasn't happened by chances, that's happened with some
people working down hard. So yeah, again just shouting out
to down as in the start at the STC as well,
they've worked around the clock to keep things turning over.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
As far as the situation regarding the snow, For goodness sake,
is there any parts of the South that seem to
have been affected in more ways than one?
Speaker 6 (25:00):
I couldn't believe it this morning and I looked out
in the window and saw the snowflakes coming down. I said,
Mother Nature, give us a break, and for the team
out there trying to do the lines that they don't
need that coming down as well. But it's I think
it's further up the country has been hit a bit
harder there. So I'm sitting in sunshine at the moment.
I'm just down by hedgehops. I'm kind of hoping that
the rest of the Southlands in the same. And we're
(25:22):
up to seven degrees, which is seven more than it
was when I left home this morning, so it's hopefully
tracking in the right direction.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
There see our phone towers, who is up to eighteen
outs not that many days ago. Are we up and
running again with sales services?
Speaker 6 (25:37):
Yeah, I think there's just just a handful now to
come back online. And yeah, that's definitely going to help
because when you haven't got colms, it's makes things a
lot harder. So it's good to see those all coming
back online. And it's been a bit of a reminder
of how connected we out of our phones and how
much we need them. Our phones and our electricity, the
(25:58):
two things that we've taken for the thing.
Speaker 3 (26:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
Was that something that Minister Mitchell was made aware of
regarding the connectivity and the lack of it in the
Southern region.
Speaker 6 (26:08):
Yeah, yeah, we saw him in on that. I mean,
he got a good briefing of the of the whole situation,
and I think the fact that the whole region got
taken out all at once has been quite a lesson
and I think we need to have a good sit
down at the end of this and work out how
to better prepare for the next time this kind of
thing happens. And luckily we've had no one who I'm
(26:29):
really hoping that there's no injuries with any other firewood
work that's happening going forward, And I think people need
to recognize that trees can have a minding their own
sometimes and pop back up, and yeah, there's there's going
to be a bit of a bit of extra work
going and the recovery piece. So hopefully we managed to
get through this whole event injury free. But yeah, well
(26:51):
with no lack of connection and connectivity and if people
were injured and stuff, it would have a whole different
kind of picture. So we need to make sure we're
better prepared for next time, if it's the earthquake or
something like that, where we might not have the road
connections that we've.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
Got now to just finally, rob, how long is this
state of emergency going to last in the South.
Speaker 6 (27:12):
It will last till till we're comfortable to get rid
of it. It's quite interesting. I don't have the powers
to do anything yet with that. I'm going to get
those tomorrow. So yeah, it's I think the if I've
got any saying that we'll keep it under under and
we'll probably go into a recovery phase at some stage,
but we need to keep it there as long as
we need to make sure that we've got the right resources.
(27:34):
And I mean the farmers are needing there. They've been
sharing generators around and as the powers coming on, there
is more and more generators freeing up, so we can
actually start to leave some at the farms to loosen
that load. And stock waters are real issue at the
moment too. We've been focusing on the sheds, but getting
water to the stock as a focus as well, so
we can start to actually spread those generators out. And
(27:56):
while there's those kind of needs going on, we've got
animal wealthy, we've got people wealthy. We need to make
sure that we're meeting those needs properly.
Speaker 1 (28:04):
Rob's got South and District. May always appreciate your time
on the muster, and it's been a pretty hectic four
or five days for yourself. Keep up the great job
everybody involved.
Speaker 3 (28:13):
Thanks Andy, Welcome back to the muster.
Speaker 1 (28:26):
Jared Stockman of dariens Z joins us to give us
an updates on the situation from a dearying perspective. Jerry,
good afternoon once again. And okay, so a later st
update you've had there regarding the situation down here in
the South from a diaryan Z perspective, what are we saying?
Speaker 7 (28:44):
Look, and he's still kind of four and a half
thousand power connections that are out. That probably equates around
one hundred and eighty dairy sheds. That was kind of
as of last night. It's probably a few more gone
on today. Ye, wide scale tree damage, infrastructure damage, fences
(29:07):
and but some pieces a number of you know, people
haven't been able to milk cows, particularly in at first
forty eight seventy two hours, and so obviously we're getting
the usual animal health issues that come out of that
high semitic cell count, smestitus down cows and stuff. So yeah,
(29:31):
still pretty grim down here, I've got to say, but
slowly making progress.
Speaker 1 (29:36):
As far as milkings. Farmers have managed to get ahold
of enough generators to make that work, sharing them and
the likes.
Speaker 7 (29:44):
Yeah, look, I think we're in a reasonable position there.
We probably a flow off the mark, to be fair,
and people had had some miss milkings, but you know,
sharing generators and stuff is not ideal because you've got
you know, people cares milking it, you know, all sorts
(30:06):
of ours. So not great for people, not great for animals. Yeah,
bit of a bit of you know, something to think
about moving forward to building some risk management into into
your farming business.
Speaker 1 (30:22):
Took it touched on animal wealthfare just before Jared. What's
the biggest concern around that? Obviously not getting the milk
out of the animals.
Speaker 7 (30:30):
Yeah, just obviously we've got you know, emerging issues with
semitic cell counts, a mess like this, you know down
cares because with no power, a lot of these sheds,
the dose tron doesn't work, so there's you know, animal
health minerals not getting through the troughs. So yeah, just
(30:50):
a combination of stuff. But look, once you're milking them
and stuff, generally, you know, two to four days you
can get the semitic cell counts down. But then you've
you know, again you need power to till your milk
and make sure it's the right you know, the right
temperature for pickup. Because we've got to remember that milk
is a it's a it's a food product, and so
(31:13):
we've got to have certain you know, health enders around it.
So yeah, just yeah, just a few things to think about.
Speaker 1 (31:22):
Farmer fatigue comes into the equation as well, and this
is something.
Speaker 3 (31:25):
We need to be really aware of.
Speaker 7 (31:27):
Yeah, look, that's the thing that probably concerns me most
at the moment. Farmers have finished mating, sorry, finished finished calving.
You've had this big event mating starting, They've got you know,
there's there's hundreds and thousands of trees down throughout Southland.
People are pretty stress at the moment. And then throw
(31:50):
throwing the fact that we've still got a large number
of of of our farmers without power. Yeah, I'm really worried,
and I guess you know, that's that's quite a good thing.
Real Support Trust have organized some awesome community barbecues that
are helping in the evenings and what we really want
to encourage people to get along to those events, so
(32:14):
check out the Real Support Trust page. Simon hot Croft
has just done an amazing job over the last you know,
five days in terms of standing up events and providing
support and getting things moving. You know, I don't know
how he does it with us. He's got his own
three farms, but yeah, he's been a man, he's been
(32:34):
tagged in all directions. So health and safety really important.
You know, if you're tired and stuff, it's just you've
got to think about what sort of decision you're making.
And the last thing, you know, we've come through this
event with no fatalities or you know, serious injuries or
anything like that. And I'm best concerned is in the
coming weeks and months when people started taking down trees
(32:58):
with chainsaws. That it's where you know, that's where our
next biggest risk is coming from.
Speaker 1 (33:03):
And that's where we need to have some clear messaging
as well. Jared fatigue is and good around a chainsaw.
Speaker 7 (33:09):
No, yeah, yeah, like one hundred percent. And we just
kind of need everyone to, you know, take take a
bit of a breath, get themselves right on the head,
help themselves, help their staff, make sure everyone's coping. Okay,
when they're in the best frame of mind. You know,
the trees are not going to go anywhere, but just
(33:29):
make the right decisions. It will look. We know how
practical farmers are and they just want to get stuff done,
and I think everyone gets that. But yeah, message from
us is just put people first and put yourself first
at the stage and just make sure you know you're right,
you're clear in your mind about the decisions that you're making,
and just do risk assessments.
Speaker 1 (33:51):
Have you had many farmers getting in touch so far,
Jared regarding the situation, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
We have.
Speaker 7 (33:57):
We Look, the the challenge has been communication, right, so
with you know, the bulk of the cell towers down
throughout South and very early you know, post the post
the kind of the guts of the storm, we just
couldn't communicate with people, and so we we we've been
(34:19):
dropping out Texas on a regular basis to try and
understand who's got power, who hasn't, what supports needed, and
then try and getting them to connect with the right
people to get get things moving. We continue to do
that on a regular basis. A Ya, multiple, I've lost
count on how many times we've had to charge my
(34:41):
phone over the last four or five days just with
phone calls. And look our teams, yeah, you know have
worked through the weekend as you'd expect us to do,
ken to support dairy farmers and yeah, just hundreds of
course have been made and received and returned and you know,
(35:01):
messages passed on. So it's been not just us, I
mean you know, the Fonterra team have been based in
the power net helping helping power neet prioritize dairy farms
to get mains power on. There's just been so many
organizations that have just stepped up and then you know,
(35:22):
just their rural communities. I think resilience is an over
over used word, but I don't even know how to
describe it. I mean they're just just so good in
terms of rolling around and getting stuff done. So yeah,
it's been a full court press, so I think from
from all parties.
Speaker 1 (35:39):
So you okay, messaging more or less today Jared is
for farmers to check in with their neighbors and their mates.
Speaker 7 (35:46):
Look, I don't think, to be fair, I don't think
they've got time to check in with their neighbors if
I'm being honest, because they flat out we're about to
you know, there's some farmers who are still dealing with
loss of power and that I think when the time comes,
you know that'll that will happen naturally. But I think
look after yourselves, look after your staff. If you need help,
(36:08):
reach out. You know, all of our area managers on
are on the Durings website available to have a discussion
with dairy farmers, particularly if there's anything technical, but myself included,
so all of our numbers are on the website. If
anyone's got any consumes about anyone's kind of fatigue and
(36:29):
thinks they're don't too much and not in a good headspace,
we've got real support and just keep yourself safe and yeah,
when the time's right, you know, checking with your neighbors.
But hey, there's some good community barbecues happening every evening.
I think tonight Woodland's Rugby Club for that that area
(36:49):
five eight o'clock and Robson Rugby Club for kind of
the people out western Southland five eight to get along,
we'll have people. I'll be at the rout in one
tonight in happy to have a chip and if we
can do anything to help, just with usnay.
Speaker 1 (37:06):
Jared Stockman of Daryan, Z thanks for your time on
the Muster once again.
Speaker 7 (37:10):
Cheer Andy, appreciate it.
Speaker 6 (37:14):
The Muster Events Diary brought to you by Beef and
Lamb New Zealand.
Speaker 1 (37:18):
Click Beef Lamb Indzed dot com. Matt McCrae joins us
this afternoon. He is the chair of the Beef and
Lamb's Southern Farming Council. Matt, Good afternoon, how things.
Speaker 6 (37:34):
Afternoon, Indy?
Speaker 4 (37:35):
You had another boy down Mockerator can't campaign.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
Today to find bami Ah haven't.
Speaker 4 (37:43):
Stopped raining for a while yet. But I've got a
rope over my head at the moment, so I can
hear you on the phone getting a bit loud outside.
I'm sending in the set a minute ago. So yeah,
hopefully one day closer to.
Speaker 1 (37:55):
Some sunshine, jeep as we don't want their concrete to
get dry, do we.
Speaker 4 (37:59):
Yeah, yeah, it would be amazing what we'll get done
when it does finally happen. But yeah, it's been good.
We've had it way bit of round and been you're
mud about now, which is probably limiting progress away bits.
It's nice to see some pair of trucks going up
the road this morning.
Speaker 1 (38:14):
Yeah, what's the situation of marker reader Powe wise.
Speaker 4 (38:18):
For probably half all stages it's going to come up
the millions stages over the weekend, and we've got a
few trees over at Boundary and neighboring Gary Farms. It's
still to have pair on you, so yeah, really appreciate
the pair and it goes working hard to get every
one pair, and yeah, thinking of all the all the
others throughout the region and that don't have pair or
(38:39):
excess as well. So yeah, the kids thought it was
a novelty for the first couple of days, but I
think it's even wearing thin will seem at the moment.
Speaker 1 (38:47):
Yeah, a massive shout out to power and that we
cannot underestimate the job that the teams are doing around
here in the south. Thea's hundreds of them on the
ground and it's a job that's just ongoing. But as
far as rainfall down macaraders there you're not immune to
the odd dropper two. But where are you inside this
time last year? What's the comparison, Matte.
Speaker 4 (39:08):
I haven't actually been a bit scared to work it out.
In comparison to last year, I'd say we're pretty similar,
to be fair, I think we've had to have a
tw hundred mills around for this month and a bit
over two hundred for the month before and one hundred
at the end of August, getting well up there for
us even by extended's. But like there's been parts of
(39:28):
the region that I've had much more than us toes.
It's possibly the lack of drawing that's effecting us at
the moment. But yeah, we don't know. If we your
whole time mate for conditions to come right based off
last year, everything will get done. So it's just yeah,
taking a breath and getting some sitting down and doing
some planning so when the sun sean comes out, you
(39:51):
can get through what you need to do, but probably
not rushing things like tailing or cleaning up if it
risks safety along term implications around animal house and things
like that. Yeah, one lesson we learned from last year
is it's amazing what you can get achieved when the
sun comes out.
Speaker 1 (40:09):
I think the irony being this time last year I
said to you, when it comes to the rain gauge,
just go and drill a whole lot of the ten mills.
And you sorted right, Yeah, no.
Speaker 4 (40:18):
I did joke about that. I think I'll wom my
last one out. So actually putting new rain gage.
Speaker 3 (40:22):
Up yesterday and oh really, oh well just regard and
put a.
Speaker 4 (40:28):
Whole about five meals up in my old one. Yeah,
you know it's bad when you wear out of rain gauge.
Speaker 1 (40:34):
But what's the messaging from Beef and Lamb at the
moment regarding welfare. I mean, we talk about the situation
Lambing's well through for a lot of people hogot, Lambing
coming to its conclusion, a lot of people behind on tailing,
and the likes arguably drenching of lambs comes into the
equation sooner than later. But what's what's the messaging you
think people need to remember, Matt?
Speaker 4 (40:53):
Yeah, key things I guess like look after yourselves, your
family and your farm team and neighbors. And then yeah,
it certainly the stop that stock welfare around water and tailing.
Obviously there is still a bit of lemming happening. And
but yeah, just if you're worried, talk to your vets.
There's a lot of vaccines been sitting in fridges that
(41:15):
possibly needs throwing out. There's squat insurance as course. Yeah,
talk talk to your vets.
Speaker 6 (41:22):
Don't risk it.
Speaker 4 (41:24):
I see they've put up a post on Facebook, the
big from Facebook page today with northern South and vets
around some of the risks around tailing in the in
the rain. So the good thing is the forecast is
looking better next week, so a few days in the
big scheme of things isn't going to hurt. But the
main thing look after yourself and your stock and in
(41:45):
your communities.
Speaker 1 (41:45):
Suppose it's it down if you do darned if you
don't situation with tailing, if the contractors are working the
time frames there and what I know, what do you
do there? Just a matter of having dialogue seeing if
you can swap days.
Speaker 3 (41:57):
Perhaps, Yeah, I.
Speaker 4 (42:00):
Guess it's fairly widespread and everyone's in up together. But
things things will happen. There's there will there will be
periods where the sun comes out and we can get
a lot of tubes. Yeah, just think about the or
my messages, thing about the long term imtifications of it,
if you are pushing the boundaries, and how that might
slow things down. I realize feeds tight and underground conditions
(42:23):
are wet, but yeah, just make sure you those those
decisions are well thought through when you pull the trigger
on them. And yeah, and the other things around that.
The clearing or clean up has started pretty quickly. In
a lot of cases. The big one is safety first,
(42:44):
particularly with the trees, and yeah, a lot of them
can be very dangerous. And I know a lot of
fumbers in the region work alone, So make sure you're
communicating and working in with neighbors and go and help
each other out would be the thing, because we don't
want anyone undred doing things that they shouldn't be doing.
Speaker 1 (43:04):
That's a major one there, especially regarding fatigue and chainsaws.
We can't reiterate that enough. Now, as far as events
that are happening self, little support trust, they're on the
ground up and running and as well, a lot of
areas just having community events over the next week or so.
By the looks of it, it's.
Speaker 4 (43:20):
Good to see a few of them popping up with
him been online a lot with communication issues, but they
it's good to see row support have got a lot
bee from them. I've got a couple of events up
in Roxburgh and at Nastal later in the week and
then yeah, I've seen a few and we're having one
after RAM opened here on Friday, barbecue a few beers too.
(43:42):
So it's just a good chance to look up those events,
get off them and no doubt there be something happening
close to you. So problem sheds, problem halved and people
we have some pretty good innovative ways of dealing with
some issues that we've got at the moment, So you
it off and we're really right. We were right, and
(44:03):
we'll Taflip when the sun comes out.
Speaker 1 (44:11):
Matt McCrae wrapping up the best of the muster once again.
My name is Andy Muir. Enjoy the weekend. Make sure
you take at least a little bit of a break
off the farm. I know it's busy at the moment,
but look after those top three inches. Enjoy the weekend,
Catch you next week. Yeah, but night you, long hunger
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