On average we only had approximately 100mm of rain for the year. Some of the old-timers think it has been the lowest amount they can remember.
Most farmers think they can scrape through the winter, but we need substantial rain before the spring.
Federated Farmers have been busy with the Waitaki District Council long-term plan. We thought we had a reasonable compromise when the councillors and mayor voted in a motion which assured us there would be no restricting overlays placed on productive agricultural land.
Instead of overlays, [land] titles have been given attachments which state if they have ONF (outstanding national features), SNF (significant natural features), SASM (sites and areas significant to Māori) or SNA (significant natural areas).
In some cases, it is clear where the boundaries of the areas are, and the council made some improvements here, but in other cases it is unclear and there hasn't been any consultation with the landowners.
I urge that everyone checks the council website to find what the state of their property is. If they are not happy with it, write a submission and contact the council's planning staff.
It can have great implications on use and value of your property.
We will keep working with the council and strive to get to an outcome which works for everyone.
Sheep and beef prices are still subdued and are not really sustainable and need to improve, the dairy outlook is not too bad and looks a bit more promising.
On a national level, the government is making improvements on the regulatory environment, agriculture is being kept out of the emission trading scheme in what is a big win for now.
Hopefully we get the same outcome for the national policy statement for freshwater management.
Richard McIntyre, from Federated Farmers, has been doing an amazing job pushing for a banking inquiry regarding rural lending rates which sometimes are 2 to 3% higher than their urban housing lending rates.
With a bit of luck, we will see some results and keep a bit more money in our rural communities.
