1 00:00:00,960 --> 00:00:05,000 Speaker 1: The Rural Report with Farmland's don't let unsafe gears slow 2 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:05,440 Speaker 1: you down. 3 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:09,080 Speaker 2: I hear the talies have just commissioned a new veggie 4 00:00:09,119 --> 00:00:11,399 Speaker 2: processing plant. Actually got quite a interesting text on McCain's 5 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:13,800 Speaker 2: I'll get to and just to take Jamie McKay, Host 6 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:15,120 Speaker 2: of the Countries with us, Hello. 7 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:18,280 Speaker 3: Jamie, gooda heather and the hats off to whit Tomo, 8 00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:21,759 Speaker 3: a small player keeping the big players honest. Yeah, competition 9 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:23,320 Speaker 3: is everything so good on them? 10 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:25,479 Speaker 2: Yeah, I love that, Thank you. Now, why are the 11 00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:27,960 Speaker 2: farmers worried that this fuel crist is going to work 12 00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:29,560 Speaker 2: out being worse than COVID. 13 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:34,839 Speaker 3: Well exactly because of you know what we've talked about before, 14 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:39,680 Speaker 3: just the supply and the cost. It's a double headed monster. Really, 15 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:42,800 Speaker 3: just a couple of farmers. I've got to give credit 16 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:45,000 Speaker 3: here to the Otago Daily Times and did a really 17 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 3: interesting story in today's paper, and they quoted a couple 18 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 3: of farmers who I know, so I thought i'd quote 19 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:54,920 Speaker 3: him back to you. One is Riversdale grain farmer Chris Dillon. 20 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 3: Now he's from a family that a big, big arable 21 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:00,720 Speaker 3: farmers down there, and it's the arable farms that are 22 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 3: getting are real thrashing at the moment. Unlike transport operators 23 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:08,000 Speaker 3: who are also doing it tough that the farmers can't 24 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 3: pass on a fuel surcharge. They're locked into pre season 25 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:17,039 Speaker 3: contracts and they're effectively absorbing the extra costs themselves. And 26 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:21,920 Speaker 3: crystillan quoted some of the fuel figures that he's facing 27 00:01:21,959 --> 00:01:23,800 Speaker 3: at the moment. They're in harvest at the moment. As 28 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:25,880 Speaker 3: soon as they get those crops off the ground heather, 29 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:28,280 Speaker 3: they're in with their big gear and they're working up 30 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:30,920 Speaker 3: that ground to get some more crops into the ground 31 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:34,960 Speaker 3: before winter, or get that ground ready for planting in 32 00:01:34,959 --> 00:01:37,679 Speaker 3: an early spring. In his case, he's running five tractors 33 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:42,000 Speaker 3: full time. His farm consumed between six thousand and seven 34 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:45,679 Speaker 3: thousand liters of diesel a week. A week, I'm talking 35 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:49,280 Speaker 3: about a single three hundred and twenty horsepower tractor can 36 00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:53,200 Speaker 3: burn through five hundred liters a day, contributing to an 37 00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:57,960 Speaker 3: estimated one hundred and ninety thousand dollars fuel bill for 38 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:00,960 Speaker 3: his peak period. That figure has obviously he surged in 39 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 3: recent times. On top of that, they've got rapidly increasing 40 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:10,160 Speaker 3: prices or prices should I say, for fertilizer up in 41 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:13,399 Speaker 3: Central Otago. Another farmer was quoted a made of mine, 42 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:15,799 Speaker 3: Ste Duncan. I call him the unofficial mayor of where 43 00:02:15,840 --> 00:02:18,560 Speaker 3: to Bernie's on the local council. He's also a big, 44 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 3: large scale farmer and he was putting on his local 45 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:24,640 Speaker 3: government hat and saying fuel costs could hit local government 46 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:29,920 Speaker 3: budgets really badly, with essential services like services like road 47 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:34,760 Speaker 3: management coming significantly more expensive. He said, our entire rates 48 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:38,160 Speaker 3: increase in his neck of the woods Manetoto could be 49 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:42,639 Speaker 3: swallowed by the fuel price increase for greaters. And then 50 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:45,840 Speaker 3: the other problem farmers face. They're using big gear these 51 00:02:45,919 --> 00:02:48,640 Speaker 3: days here that there's no such thing as the old 52 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:51,280 Speaker 3: tractors of the old days. They're using big gear, they're 53 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:54,359 Speaker 3: cutting heavy loads, and when it comes to winter feeding out, 54 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:57,480 Speaker 3: it's all done on big tractors with big bailage and 55 00:02:57,560 --> 00:03:00,919 Speaker 3: silage feeders. So if they can't get these in the winter, 56 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:04,359 Speaker 3: those stock will go hungry, could starve. I mean, that's 57 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:07,600 Speaker 3: that's worst case scenario. But it's just it's just it's 58 00:03:07,639 --> 00:03:09,960 Speaker 3: a bit of a grim picture, especially for the arable 59 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:11,120 Speaker 3: farmer's really thinking of. 60 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:13,960 Speaker 2: Them, Yeah, prepare for the worst and hope for the best. 61 00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:15,440 Speaker 2: Day Jamie, thank you very much and have it a 62 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:17,720 Speaker 2: happy East to Jamie, you and your family. That's Jamie mckaie, 63 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:18,600 Speaker 2: host of the Country. 64 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:22,160 Speaker 1: For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to 65 00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 1: news Talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow 66 00:03:25,320 --> 00:03:27,120 Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio.