Dealing with drought conditions

Actions for farmers during a drought

Monitor your feed situation

Every year, there is potential for dry conditions around the country. This may lead to shortages of feed in some regions. Ongoing feed planning and budgeting is essential.

Feed in dry conditions – Fact sheet [PDF, 980 KB]

Drought monitor – NIWA

Get help with feed planning

Having a feed budget can help you:

calculate your feed demand
calculate your feed supply
investigate options to fill feed gaps
proactively make decisions.

Getting a plan in place can help give you peace of mind. Farm advisers are available to help you complete a feed budget or source alternative feed.

For drystock farmers, freephone Beef + Lamb NZ on 0800 BEEFLAMB (0800 23 33 52)
For dairy farmers, freephone DairyNZ on 0800 4 DairyNZ (0800 43 24 79 69)

Helping hand to find feed

The Feed Coordination Service helps to connect farmers with surplus feed – such as hay, silage, or grazing – to farmers who need it. This national service was reactivated after drought in Southland and parts of Otago, and flooding in Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti, were classified as adverse events in March 2022.

You can get in touch with a feed coordinator to help find available sources of feed. The service is free and nationwide. Farmers using the service meet the costs of feed and transport.

The feed coordination service is funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), but is administered by Federated Farmers.

To register your request, or if you have feed available, please visit the National Feed Coordination Service

National Feed Coordination Service - fedfarm.org.nz

Or, you can freephone 0800 Farming (0800 32 76 46), select option 2, and request a call back.

Monitoring drought conditions and feed supplies

DairyNZ, Beef + Lamb New Zealand, Federated Farmers, and other specialist providers, along with MPI, formed a Feed Working Group in April 2020 during a severe drought when farmers had few options to access supplementary feed. The group takes a national perspective. It monitors access to feed availability, and if a significant need arises provides services and works with local networks.

Contact a Rural Support Trust

Each of the country’s 14 Rural Support Trusts have local, rural people who know from experience that pressures can mount up. Your local trust can provide support and advice. Talking to them is confidential, and free of charge. They can connect you with the services you need, whether it's financial and business advice or health services.

Freephone 0800 78 72 54 (0800 RURAL HELP).

Rural Support Trust

Talk to an industry association

Industry associations like Beef + Lamb New Zealand or DairyNZ can provide technical advice. Their websites have information on planning your feed budget and managing an animal's condition.

Knowledge hub – Beef + Lamb New Zealand

Animal management – DairyNZ

Check your budget

Talk to your bank and accountant early, and talk to them regularly.

Your accountant and Inland Revenue, can answer questions relating to taxes, including access to flexibility provisions to the Income Equalisation Scheme following adverse events.

Extended support for farmers affected by drought – Inland Revenue

Income Equalisation Scheme – Inland Revenue

Income tax – Inland Revenue

Family Tax Credits – Inland Revenue

There is some Work and Income support that you could access. Talk to your local Rural Support Trust about emergency benefits, special needs grants, or rural assistance payments.

Emergency Benefit – Work and Income

Special Needs Grant – Work and Income

Rural Assistance Payment – Work and Income

Other drought advice and guidance

Case studies on managing sheep and beef farms through drought:

Winterhome – Kekerengu, Marlborough [PDF, 1.6 MB]
Ridgecliff – Banks Peninsula, Canterbury [PDF, 2.4 MB]
The Homestead – Ward Beach, Marlborough [PDF, 3.5 MB]
Attadale – Middlemarch, Otago [PDF, 1.1 MB]

Feed and supply chain issues - Beef + Lamb New Zealand

A series of webinars in March 2022 focused on helping farmers prepare for disruptions caused by supply chain issues and the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim was to get farmers thinking about the importance of timely planning. The webinars were recorded and can be viewed on the Beef + Lamb NZ website.

Adapting for supply chain disruption (2 March 2022)

Planning for smart decisions (16 March 2022)

Planning for disruption (30 March 2022)