Dry Periods & Drought

Getting through a Dry Period

We all know dry spells and droughts can be long and relentless. Now is the time to seek help and plan for the next few months. There are a range of options available to support you practically, financially, mentally, and help you maintain the welfare of your livestock.

Key Actions:

Look after yourself, family, employees and keep an eye on your neighbours.
Talk to trusted advisors and those who have survived this before, and make use of the help or support offered.
Talk to your local stock agent. Book as early as possible; space at meat plants can be tight or limited.
Plan for feeding your stock over the coming months. Be aware you may have extra stock to feed due to slower processing times at some meat processing plants.
Look to increase supply of feed or reduce animal demand.
If buying feed – act early. Order supplementary feed now while some is available.
Make decisions early. This will minimise the impact of the extreme dry on your business and increase the likelihood of containing any financial losses to the current season.
Animal health and welfare - the responsibility for the health and welfare of animals rests with the stock owner or person in charge. If you need advice, ask for it from your vet, consultant or an expert in the particular issue you’re facing
Use irrigation water effectively and profitably.
Seek help if you’re under pressure

Talk it through

There are many people to talk to for advice on your situation and possible options available - click on the following organisations to access their websites for more details:

Beef + Lamb New Zealand
DairyNZ
Federated Farmers
Irrigation New Zealand
New Zealand Pork
Deer Industry New Zealand
MPI - Ministry of Primary Industries

These organisations all have experienced professionals who understand the challenges and can provide advice.

Weather Services

Feed Planning Support

Getting a plan in place can help give you peace of mind. Having a feed budget can help you:

Calculate your feed demand
Calculate your feed supply
Investigate options to fill feed gaps
Proactively make decisions.

A “snapshot feed plan” can be completed in 20 minutes, and there are lots of support available from farm advisers, industry organisations and specialist services

Feed budgets - DairyNZ

Feed planning - Beef + Lamb New Zealand

Monitor your feed situation

Every year, there is potential for dry conditions around the country. This may lead to shortages of feed in some regions. Ongoing feed planning and budgeting is essential.