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Storm’s silver lining Rain relief for farmers
Wednesday’s storm front sweeping across Mid Canterbury.
BY MICHELLE NELSON MICHELLE.N@THEGUARDIAN.CO.NZ
This week’s storms caused pain for some, but the rain has saved the day for many Mid Canterbury arable farmers. “The rain has been magnificent. It’s fantastic, a really valuable rain for both livestock farmers and cropping farmers alike and probably saved the day for quite a few crops – all be it it’s a shame it arrived in the form of hail for some peo-
ple earlier in the week,” Mid Canterbury Federated Farmers grain and seed spokesperson David Clark said. Areas along the foothills were lashed by a 15-minute storm on Monday night, with hailstones the size of golf balls wiping out a number of high-value crops and smashing windows in the Mayfield district. “Those particular farmers – the handful that were badly affected – their costs will run into
PHOTO SNOW MACKENZIE
the hundreds of thousands of dollars in some cases. It’s really tough for them – it’s bittersweet really,” Mr Clark said. “We get a magnificent rain across the district but some people get wiped out with hail. I know how those people will be feeling, I’ve been through it myself.” Mr Clark said while a crop may have a value of $200,000, it could have cost the farmer $180,000 by the time it’s har-
vested. “Arable farming is a very, very high cost structure business, we don’t just go out and wave our magic wand and have a standing crop of wheat or a standing crop of carrot seed,” he said. MetService meteorologist Dan Corbett said another front was due over the weekend,
which was welcome news to farmers – especially those still waiting for irrigator repairs following the September gales. “A couple more days of wet weather and the thought of not having to shift irrigators on Christmas Day would be something to look forward too,” Mr Clark said.
STORM DAMAGE
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