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From the Editor Harness our energy to a positive turbine

Bryan Gibson Managing editor

HERE in Manawatū, the spring winds usually take care of drying out the landscape ready for the fi rst cut of feed as pastures take off. This year those winds will have to work a whole lot harder.

There’s still standing water across much of the plain, and the same story is playing out in many other regions of New Zealand.

Meanwhile, whole crops of berries and fruit have been wiped out by late frosts and there’s more forecast later in the week.

Back in the saleyards, livestock markets are being buffeted by the winds of indecision as traders struggle to fi nd feed and fi nish stock.

And the volatile spring weather has seen Fonterra revise its milk collection forecast for the 2022-23 season, from 1495 million kilograms of milksolids (kg MS) to 1480 million.

It has all the elements of a perfect storm, albeit one that the forecasters reckon will simmer down pretty soon.

But it’s not just the weather that’s creating turbulence right now, as we all know.

There are a lot of emotions swirling through our farming communities.

There’s anger at the endless number of hurdles food producers are being asked to clear.

There’s anxiety about how business models will hold up against the headwinds of regulation, climate change and geopolitics.

There’s disillusionment with the way our communities seem to be falling further away from the caring, supportive and resilient structures we once relied on to keep us going.

As I write there are tractors rolling into city centres around New Zealand as farmers search for a way to express all of these emotions, to fi nd a way to be heard.

It’s a valid response to the world we fi nd ourselves in.

But there are others who are asking some new questions.

How can we rebuild the structures that have served us so well, but make them even stronger so they can withstand the winds that are growing in strength as well?

How can we harness the determination that exemplifi es who we are and direct it towards a positive future?

How can we communicate with the people who we feel have misunderstood our purpose so they can help, rather than hinder progress?

It all comes back to groundwork. To having a sound foundation to build upon.

Getting back to the weather, there’s one map we can all take some assurance from

right now and it – like so much in farming – concerns the ground beneath our feet.

Soil moisture levels are great right now and that gives an assurance that there’s enough fuel.

So, while spring does its thing and the wind of online outrage blows, let’s hold on to what matters and remember we’ve got enough in the tank to make summer a breeze.

The tractor protest is a valid response to the world we fi nd ourselves in. But there are others who are asking some new questions. How can we harness the determination that exemplifi es who we are and direct it towards a positive future?

Letters of the week I’m calling you out, James Shaw

Murray Strawbridge

Ashhurst

ITAKE note of a recent interview with Climate Change Minister James Shaw on The Country lunchtime radio show and Jamie Mackay. The discussion was on the soon-to-be-banned live cattle overseas trade.

Shaw claimed that if we continued this trade there would be countries that would start refusing to trade with us. Mackay asked who these countries were. Shaw responded “Go ask Fonterra.” Mackay, not satisfi ed with this reply, again asked the question, “Who are these people who will refuse to trade with us?”. He again received the reply, “Go ask Fonterra.”

This left me to make my own conclusion that Shaw did not in fact know any country that has made such a threat to us and either made it up or was repeating some mantra he had heard from his anti-farming mates.

I googled a list of our trading partners to see if there was a suspect I could see amongst them. Could it be China, our number one trading partner taking 32% of our total exports? Not likely, as they are the ones that take our export cattle. Could it be our number two trading partner, Australia, taking 11.4% of our exports? Again, not likely as they are our direct competitors in this market. Working my way down the list to as far as number 13, Vietnam, I see no country that would make this type of demand.

I’m calling you out, James Shaw. If you can substantiate your claim regarding live cattle export claims and name one country that will cease trading with us if we export live cattle, I will donate $100 to the Green Party.

Best letter WINS a quality Victorinox Hiker Knife Hiker Knife

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