North Canterbury dairy farmers reliant on groundwater for pasture growth and stock face a nervous wait to work out what has physically changed following the region's big shake on Saturday.While fewer than 10 dairy sheds in North Canterbury around the Darf
North Canterbury dairy farmers reliant on groundwater for pasture growth and stock face a nervous wait to work out what has physically changed following the region’s big shake on Saturday.
While fewer than 10 dairy sheds in North Canterbury around the Darfield epicentre of Saturday morning’s magnitude 7.1 trembler were destroyed, many required repairs to ensure milking could continue.
Federated Farmers North Canterbury dairy chairman Kieran Stone said electricity to most farms was restored during Sunday.
A number of platforms in rotary sheds had bounced off their rollers during the quake and needed jacks to lift them back on.
However, less affected farmers opened their own dairy sheds to their neighbours to ensure stock was milked.
Mr Stone said some dairy sheds were coping with many more cows than usual, including his own.
“I’ve got 2000 going through my shed at the moment when it usually only takes 450,” he said.
Federated Farmers spokesman David Broome the focus was now on checking farm infrastructure, including pasture damage, fencing and water supplies.
He said while it was just early speculation, there were fears that water tables could have been affected by the 4m ground movement experienced during the quake.
Farmers who rely on ground water for the operation of their farm needed to check their bores to ensure their supply continued.
In the meantime, Mr Broome said pasture damage was an unprecedented consequence of the quake and the full scope of damage was not yet known.
“The early focus was ensuring that cows were milked and that has been happening. Power is back on and for those who don’t have that yet, they have generators.”
Mr Broome said Federated Farmers was talking with Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry officials to work out how they can assist logistically with the needs of farmers as they develop.
This morning Federated Farmers received word from one of its members whose run-off grazing block was on the fault line revealed by the quake.
It was reported there was scarring on the land 100m wide through the property with the land "pushed up" three metres in some spots with large cracks in other parts and was unsafe for grazing.
