Maize harvest in New Zealand starts after grueling year

Waikato’s maize harvest is shaping up as a 50-50 situation where half of the crops will yield well while the rest will be poor as the wet summer takes its toll. A handful of early-planted crops have been harvested with good yields reported, but with harvest fast approaching, Waikato Federated Farmers arable chair Keith Holmes said he expects the harvest to be challenging following so much wet weather. “In a season when grain farmers were looking to make windfall profits despite significantly higher costs, very few will and many are looking at total devastation,” he said. The federation must be vocal in getting financial help for affected farmers, he told a meeting in Hamilton with the organisation’s wider executive. “The extent of some of the damage is life threatening in every sense of the word, sadly,” he said. Holmes said it is likely farmers in Waikato will be asked to assist impacted farmers with feed, grazing space and machinery as the cleanup continues. While offers of ...