The Federated Farmers North Canterbury president's fiancee, Sarah McNeill, gave birth to a baby girl, Annie, by Caesarean section on March 25, against the backdrop of the Covid-19 lockdown and drought in the northern part of the region.
Mr Henderson said the lockdown made it all surreal.
‘‘We've had no grandparent visits or any visitors, just lots of skyping and photos online. It's something different people have to contend with.’’
The lockdown meant it was just the three of them at home, and Mr Henderson continued managing his Oxford dairy farm and overseeing the local Federated Farmers response to the crises.
‘‘Hopefully it won't cause too many problems. Farming is an essential industry, so the farmwork has to continue, but I have a good team,’’ he said.
‘‘And I will have a lot more time at home with all the community stuff not happening ... there will be plenty of bonding time.’’
Simultaneous crises — Covid-19 and the drought — presented challenges for farming leaders.
‘‘The drought is over such a widespread area. We had a conference call with the various Feds presidents discussing how to get feed from South Canterbury to the North Island.
‘‘Trying to ensure we still had transport available and working out the cost is a challenge at the moment. It's not a good time to be dealing with two crises at the same time.’’
The drought was mainly affecting the northern part of the Hurunui district, Marlborough and the North Island; farmers in the Waimakariri district and further south were largely operating as ‘‘business as usual’’.
Recent rain has eased the pressure on North Canterbury farmers as they look to winter.
The Covid-19 lockdown posed some challenges.
Compliance requirements meant meat processors were unable to operate at full capacity, leaving drought-stricken farmers, who needed to dispose of stock, with few options and creating animal welfare concerns.
There were also questions around which saleyards could operate, so ‘‘virtual saleyards’’ were being considered, Mr Henderson said.
‘‘The message has gone out to the farming community that the rules apply to us as well and we certainly don't want to be responsible for preventing containment.
‘‘But we are pretty lucky that we can continue trading. It's one of the upsides of farming in isolation.’’
Mr Henderson said farmers had welcomed the Government's drought relief package and the news that migrant workers’ visas would be extended to September.
He was unaware of any on-farm labour shortages in North Canterbury in the short-term, but there could be issues finding workers when the new season started.
