74 | Kaweka keeping a positive mindset Kelly Deeks RURAL SERVICES » Kaweka Contracting Ltd If the ground dries out enough, Kaweka Contracting will be able to start some early spring grass in early August. Farmers in Waiwhare at the foothills of the Kaweka Ranges, inland Hawke’s Bay are trying to keep a positive mindset as ongoing rain and saturated ground continue to take their cyclone recovery efforts back to square one. Martin Jones and Gavin Sparkes of Kaweka Contracting, whose days immediately post-cyclone were spent clearing and opening up roads and farm tracks and making farms as stock proof as possible, say there’s not much more they can do until the land dries out. “We’ve hired a big bulldozer for February which will be available to our clients to tidy up slips, tracks, fencelines,” Martin says. “It’s hopeless trying to do more at the moment. We just get more rain and we’re back to square one again.” “We booked the bulldozer straight after the cyclone, knowing machines were going to be in high demand by the time the ground had had a chance to dry out at the end of summer.” Their clients confirmed they would book this service, and for some, Kaweka Contracting take its reseeding gear along as well and reseed the ground once it has leveled out the slips. Martin says local farmers are in survival mode and focused on getting back on track. Most of the farms in the area suffered damaged from the cyclone, with properties laying to the north seemed to fare worse, some up to 50% of their land. Leading up to summer, and if the ground dries out enough, Kaweka Contracting will be able to start some early spring grass in early August. More regrassing and planting of spring crops will take Martin through to November and once Proudly distributed in NZ for over 30 years by... 0800 759 840 Call for a demo today REACHMOWERS PROVEN IN NZ FOR 55 YEARS Power Farming Hawkes Bay | 06 879 9998 Proud to support Kaweka Contracting Ltd the spring crops are in he will start planting winter crops like swedes, kale, and oats, before autumn regrassing starts in February. If it’s a good season Gavin can start on baleage by the end of October through until February. “It’s going to depend a bit on how the spring goes and when it dries out. We are forecast to get westerly wind and two weeks of westerly wind can totally change everything. We don’t want too much, we don’t want the top to dry out too much or it will go hard like concrete and the grass won’t grow.” The mindset around the cyclone recovery is further disrupted by spiraling costs while the price for stock has decreased when generally at this time of year it is rising. “People are remaining positive, it’s not fantastic but farming is one of those things that is in your blood and you soldier on.” “People are remaining positive, it’s not fantastic but farming is one of those things that is in your blood and you soldier on.” Martin wants to shout out to Power Farming which supplies all of Kaweka Contracting’s gear and backs it up with a fantastic support service, and Agpac which delivers baleage wrap and netting straight to the farm and the 2000m rolls make the job more efficient. With sustainability in mind, Kaweka Contracting has availed itself of Agpac’s Plasback service, collecting and packaging used farm plastics from clients and sending it off for recycling.
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