Quake tops other woes
No time is a good time for an earthquake, but in the case of North Canterbury, Kaikoura and South Marlborough farmers the timing could hardly have been worse.
Not only is it the busiest period of the farm year, when stock has been fattened up to take advantage of premium prices, but the region was on the verge of recovering from two years of drought.
Nevertheless, people are responding to the emergency with a mixture of co-operation and ingenuity.
North Canterbury Rural Support Trust chairman Doug Archbold said south of Kaikoura, farms trapped by the closing of the inland route, were becoming accessible, and stock may soon be able to be shifted.
Archbold said the latest test of farmer resilience came after drought and low profitability, underlined by Beef +Lamb NZ’S economic outlook showing sheep and beef farmers incomes will fall 13 per cent compared with last year.
Two weeks after the 7.8 magnitude quake hit, operations to help farmers were still getting underway.
The key focus was on coordinating aid efforts, because there were so many people and organisations who wanted to help.
Scargill sheep and beef farmer Andy Fox, whose property was one of those shaken by the severe 5.7 magnitude quake a week ago, said the cornerstone of farm operations was the timely selling of stock to meat processors and that had been disrupted.
‘‘This is the busiest time of the year. People are busy enough as it is without having to deal with the quakes and we are also still in the middle of a serious drought.’’
The shallow quake - it was at a depth of just seven kilometres had not damaged his house which was built in 1936 but he’s not had the courage to closely check his historic stone farmyard sheds which he knows have suffered.
Fox’s great-grandfather settled on the 1400 hectare hill country property, called Foxdown, in 1877 and he is the fourth generation to farm the land.
Well known for having amassed a large collection of rural memorabilia, some of which now lies smashed on the floor, Fox said that at least they had their physical health ‘‘although I don’t know about people’s mental health’’.
Archbold said on some farms land damage had been ‘‘shocking’’ although he stressed it was confined to a few.
‘‘There are no fences left, and land is broken with slips where stock can literally disappear down a crack. Decisions will have to be made about fencing these areas off, and planting them in trees.’’
People had shown ingenuity in making sure their stock got water, although most water schemes were operational.
Fox, who has a spring on his farm which provides up to 4000 litres a day, said he had been helping others out further north near the Conway River with tapping into springs on their farms.
Archbold said he hoped EQC staff would show empathy when dealing with farmers.
‘‘With people who have suffered damage to historic homesteads, there will be a big emotional impact. It’s a bit different fronting up to a farmer in Amuri compared to a house in Christchurch.’’