A late hail storm in Canterbury has caused around $6 million in damages for 12 to 15 arable farmers. The storm, which occurred on December 13, left valuable small seed and other crops buried under a thick layer of hail. Darrell Hydes, Federated Farmers arable seeds vice-chairman, described the storm as the worst he has experienced in his farming career since 1988.
Hydes reported that about half of his farm was severely damaged, with some of his family's blocks suffering up to three-quarters damage. The storm was particularly devastating for crops within the hail belt. Hydes' spinach seed crop was so badly damaged that it had to be discarded and replaced with greenfeed oats.
Other crops, such as cocksfoot and rapeseed, were also severely damaged, resulting in lower yields. A potato crop on Hydes' land was stripped back to stalks, yielding only a reduced harvest. Hydes estimates that it will take him several years to recover from the losses. Only his wheat crops were partially covered by disaster relief insurance from United Wheat Growers.
The hail storm affected a 2 km-wide strip from about 5 km out of Methven and continuing towards Highbank and the Rakaia River. South Pacific Seeds also reported significant damage to their specialist seed crops in the affected area.
Source: nzherald.co.nz