November 10, 2025 • 7 mins
Farm Consultant Graham Butcher gives some tips after a trying few weeks of weather.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:10):
Welcome back to the muster. Graham, Butcher Farm Consultant, joins
us in studio this afternoon. In conjunction with the South
and Rural Support Trust. We're getting people from the rural
sector who working various roles just to talk about the
situation that's unfolded over the last couple of weeks, more
importantly about looking into the future and what you need
to do just to solidify your business when things haven't
(00:32):
actually gone the way you planned, of course, so thanks
to Community Trust, Community Trust South, thanks to them for
being involved with this as well. Graham, good afternoon once again, afternoon,
and okay, from your perspective for what you've seen over
the past two and a half nearly three weeks since
this event occurred, what's it been like?
Speaker 2 (00:51):
First impressions, that's something we most definitely could have done
with that. I mean, it was only probably less than
an hour, that strong one, but it's just devastating across region.
Although when you drive around it's quite odd. You drive
through some regions and you wondered as if anything had
happened at all. In ten K's down the road, it's
just chaos. So I thought that was a bit unusual.
(01:13):
But it was a difficult spring right from the start.
We didn't get the sunshine, we didn't get the warmer weather,
we got rain and lots of it, and on top
of that we had the wind. So everything's been chucked
at the farmers.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
So in the couple of weeks since when you're talking
to cockies as such, are they pretty pragmatic about the situation?
Do they seem just to be unassuming as a southern
persona or actually there's a few people thinking we're a
bit behind the eight ball at the moment. What do
you see?
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Oh, I think they probably do think they're behind the
eight ball. That farmers are pretty pragmatic. They know how
to prioritize. They know what needs to be done today
and not and stuff that can be left for a
month until you get time to do it, clearing boundary fences,
power communications, all those important things you can attend to first.
But if you've got trees down and are not causing
(02:01):
any protecutat problem at the moment, leave them get onto
it later.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
It's about prioritizing work absolutely, and farmers so you can
do especially the moment though, I mean we should be
right in the middle of it. Of the tractor season
and we are effectively. But it's only in the last
week or ten days you've been able to get on
the done.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Thing bailedge down. You drive around the countryside, you see it.
But yeah, cultivation is going to be delayed. That's just farming.
You just got to deal with that issue and get
onto it when you can.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Communication that's the biggie and all of us really, you
can't underestimate it.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
You can't talking about the issues, talking with your neighbors,
giving your neighbors a helping hand if you can. It
all helps.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
And contractors too, they're pretty understanding at the moment and
shout out all those contractors doing what they're doing at
the moment, whether you're an attractor, whether you're tailing, whatever
you're doing, helping someone out with AI. It's just that
time of year. Everything's just happening at once. So it's
about perspective.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
I'd say, yeah, I think it's a critical time of
the year right now because it sets up the whole
production year. We've got to get things right. I mean,
I think a lot of farms are running pretty close
to the wind in terms of their planed feed supplies
at the start of spring and what condition their use
(03:18):
are in. And when we get a spring like this
plus wind on top of that, it really highlights how
important it is to have your planning right. So at
beginning of lambing, we've got everything in our favor. And
if we got that whatever the climate throws at you,
we're better able to adjust to it and to cope
with it. Nothing like having fat on their back and
(03:38):
feet under their feets at the start of the season
to kick it off to a good start, you're much
more resilient.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
I hate that word, are resilience. I mean, I know
you either love it or you're lower. But there's just
certain words that just fit the situation right.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
So if you're consistently finding yourself shorter feed, light condition us,
it's a good time just to reflect on what you
might do to make the position better next year. And
that's going into the winter with well conditioned us, knowing
what you have, beginning to make covers need to be
so you come out in the spring with a reasonable
(04:13):
cover and lambing date comes into it as well, So
all these things should be on the table, and it's
having an event like this just should bring it to
the foe and start thinking about, Okay, is there something
I can change on my farm that's going to put
me in a better position in the spring, so I
can handle these things better than I am.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Now, because you're an advocate for a later lambing, not
necessarily petember.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Lambing into good feed conditions, and that was well proven
back in the nineteen eighties at Woodlands. We've talked about
about this trial several times and they set up a
trial lambing sixth of September three to sixth of October,
and at weaning time, everything was weaned on the fifth
of January and the later lambing ewes were heavier by
(04:57):
up to five kilos of significant weight, and the l
weights were the same. Now, that really says it all.
And that was done at a time were you use
the lighter stocking rates were heavier. I think it would
be really interesting to get that sort of research underway
again with high performing heavier use, just so we can
see how things might have changed. And that, I mean,
(05:18):
that trial just puts everything into perspective. We've got to
get away from this idea you've got a lamb early
to get decent lamps, or you don't. You've got to
get decent lambs, you've got a lamb into good covers
and not have a big check on the lactation.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
And the thing to remember is not every spring is
going to be the same either. Yus, I've had two
stingers plus the wind of a couple of weeks ago,
but that doesn't necessarily mean that's going to be the
new normal right now.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Well, that's the difficult thing about farming. When you look
at the woodlands graph. If you put all the last
twenty or thirty years of lines on the woodlands graph,
it's all over the place. You there's quite a good
in the winter, spring and autumn the lines are pretty
close together, but from about October through to March it's
(06:04):
all over the place. You never quite know how it's
going to shape up. And this is the thing. You've
got to pick a lambing date where and say five
years out of eight you're going to be pretty good
and the other three years might be a bit difficult,
but you can make adjustments to cope. So that's the
art of farm management, I suppose. And it's a law
of averages, yeah exactly. So it's taking all the variability
(06:26):
you're likely to get and picking a sweet spot, say
most years it'll be good, but three years out of
eight it might be a bit more difficult. And if
you can achieve that, it's probably good.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
So your key messaging today was, if you're not too
sure about what's happening on your farm, have you y
under somebody your maybe you mateyah, somebody in the game
that you respect, or whoever, and just actually get a
second opinion about what they're seeing on your farm.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Perhaps yep. And as I said earlier on feed on
their back, feed under their feet early spring. It sets
you up.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Graham Butcher, always apreciate your time. You to enjoy this
and enjoy this beautiful Graham Butcher Farm Consultant. Of course,
thanks to the South and Rural Support Trust and conjunction
with Community Trust South, there are Moyles and Sergeant Dan
stock foods up next. Then before the end of the
yell are Meghan White out of Waitani Young Farmers
Welcome back to the muster. Graham, Butcher Farm Consultant, joins
us in studio this afternoon. In conjunction with the South
and Rural Support Trust. We're getting people from the rural
sector who working various roles just to talk about the
situation that's unfolded over the last couple of weeks, more
importantly about looking into the future and what you need
to do just to solidify your business when things haven't
(00:32):
actually gone the way you planned, of course, so thanks
to Community Trust, Community Trust South, thanks to them for
being involved with this as well. Graham, good afternoon once again, afternoon,
and okay, from your perspective for what you've seen over
the past two and a half nearly three weeks since
this event occurred, what's it been like?
Speaker 2 (00:51):
First impressions, that's something we most definitely could have done
with that. I mean, it was only probably less than
an hour, that strong one, but it's just devastating across region.
Although when you drive around it's quite odd. You drive
through some regions and you wondered as if anything had
happened at all. In ten K's down the road, it's
just chaos. So I thought that was a bit unusual.
(01:13):
But it was a difficult spring right from the start.
We didn't get the sunshine, we didn't get the warmer weather,
we got rain and lots of it, and on top
of that we had the wind. So everything's been chucked
at the farmers.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
So in the couple of weeks since when you're talking
to cockies as such, are they pretty pragmatic about the situation?
Do they seem just to be unassuming as a southern
persona or actually there's a few people thinking we're a
bit behind the eight ball at the moment. What do
you see?
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Oh, I think they probably do think they're behind the
eight ball. That farmers are pretty pragmatic. They know how
to prioritize. They know what needs to be done today
and not and stuff that can be left for a
month until you get time to do it, clearing boundary fences,
power communications, all those important things you can attend to first.
But if you've got trees down and are not causing
(02:01):
any protecutat problem at the moment, leave them get onto
it later.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
It's about prioritizing work absolutely, and farmers so you can
do especially the moment though, I mean we should be
right in the middle of it. Of the tractor season
and we are effectively. But it's only in the last
week or ten days you've been able to get on
the done.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Thing bailedge down. You drive around the countryside, you see it.
But yeah, cultivation is going to be delayed. That's just farming.
You just got to deal with that issue and get
onto it when you can.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Communication that's the biggie and all of us really, you
can't underestimate it.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
You can't talking about the issues, talking with your neighbors,
giving your neighbors a helping hand if you can. It
all helps.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
And contractors too, they're pretty understanding at the moment and
shout out all those contractors doing what they're doing at
the moment, whether you're an attractor, whether you're tailing, whatever
you're doing, helping someone out with AI. It's just that
time of year. Everything's just happening at once. So it's
about perspective.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
I'd say, yeah, I think it's a critical time of
the year right now because it sets up the whole
production year. We've got to get things right. I mean,
I think a lot of farms are running pretty close
to the wind in terms of their planed feed supplies
at the start of spring and what condition their use
(03:18):
are in. And when we get a spring like this
plus wind on top of that, it really highlights how
important it is to have your planning right. So at
beginning of lambing, we've got everything in our favor. And
if we got that whatever the climate throws at you,
we're better able to adjust to it and to cope
with it. Nothing like having fat on their back and
(03:38):
feet under their feets at the start of the season
to kick it off to a good start, you're much
more resilient.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
I hate that word, are resilience. I mean, I know
you either love it or you're lower. But there's just
certain words that just fit the situation right.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
So if you're consistently finding yourself shorter feed, light condition us,
it's a good time just to reflect on what you
might do to make the position better next year. And
that's going into the winter with well conditioned us, knowing
what you have, beginning to make covers need to be
so you come out in the spring with a reasonable
(04:13):
cover and lambing date comes into it as well, So
all these things should be on the table, and it's
having an event like this just should bring it to
the foe and start thinking about, Okay, is there something
I can change on my farm that's going to put
me in a better position in the spring, so I
can handle these things better than I am.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Now, because you're an advocate for a later lambing, not
necessarily petember.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Lambing into good feed conditions, and that was well proven
back in the nineteen eighties at Woodlands. We've talked about
about this trial several times and they set up a
trial lambing sixth of September three to sixth of October,
and at weaning time, everything was weaned on the fifth
of January and the later lambing ewes were heavier by
(04:57):
up to five kilos of significant weight, and the l
weights were the same. Now, that really says it all.
And that was done at a time were you use
the lighter stocking rates were heavier. I think it would
be really interesting to get that sort of research underway
again with high performing heavier use, just so we can
see how things might have changed. And that, I mean,
(05:18):
that trial just puts everything into perspective. We've got to
get away from this idea you've got a lamb early
to get decent lamps, or you don't. You've got to
get decent lambs, you've got a lamb into good covers
and not have a big check on the lactation.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
And the thing to remember is not every spring is
going to be the same either. Yus, I've had two
stingers plus the wind of a couple of weeks ago,
but that doesn't necessarily mean that's going to be the
new normal right now.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Well, that's the difficult thing about farming. When you look
at the woodlands graph. If you put all the last
twenty or thirty years of lines on the woodlands graph,
it's all over the place. You there's quite a good
in the winter, spring and autumn the lines are pretty
close together, but from about October through to March it's
(06:04):
all over the place. You never quite know how it's
going to shape up. And this is the thing. You've
got to pick a lambing date where and say five
years out of eight you're going to be pretty good
and the other three years might be a bit difficult,
but you can make adjustments to cope. So that's the
art of farm management, I suppose. And it's a law
of averages, yeah exactly. So it's taking all the variability
(06:26):
you're likely to get and picking a sweet spot, say
most years it'll be good, but three years out of
eight it might be a bit more difficult. And if
you can achieve that, it's probably good.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
So your key messaging today was, if you're not too
sure about what's happening on your farm, have you y
under somebody your maybe you mateyah, somebody in the game
that you respect, or whoever, and just actually get a
second opinion about what they're seeing on your farm.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
Perhaps yep. And as I said earlier on feed on
their back, feed under their feet early spring. It sets
you up.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Graham Butcher, always apreciate your time. You to enjoy this
and enjoy this beautiful Graham Butcher Farm Consultant. Of course,
thanks to the South and Rural Support Trust and conjunction
with Community Trust South, there are Moyles and Sergeant Dan
stock foods up next. Then before the end of the
yell are Meghan White out of Waitani Young Farmers
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