Reporter Shawn McAvinue asks southern sheep and beef farmers if they have noticed an overall reduction in input prices in their farm business.
Elliott Heckler, of Galloway in Central Otago.
“The main one for us is interest rates. That’s made quite a bit of difference but we’ve cut back on other stuff and haven’t replaced as much young grass as other years. We cut back spending during those tough years and we’ve learnt to do less and work around it. You think ‘we did that last year; we can do it again and get away with it’. Autumn was good and the lamb price is up and interest rates down. It has been quite a turnaround from one year to another. Last year, it was all at once: poor prices, high interest rates and dry conditions. Usually, one is up and one is down but everything was down and it hit us all at once. If we got through last year, we can get through anything. We are getting there and boxing on.”
Blair Robertson, of Waikoikoi in West Otago.
“Nah, they’ve gone up, whether it be vets or anything, even trucking costs to put fert on, cartage everything like that — everything has gone up as far as we are concerned. It is the same old story: we get a bit more for lamb, or get what it is worth and everyone puts their prices up again.”
Scott McKenzie, of Clinton in South Otago.
“No — that’s my short answer — I’d say it was the other way around. I’d say the price of fuel stayed steady, the interest rates slipping back certainly helped, the fertiliser price keeps going up and the price of shearing keeps going up. The only thing I’ve noticed drop back is the interest rates.”
Matt McRae, of Mokoreta in Eastern Southland.
“The 0.6% [fall] is minuscule in the scheme of what we spend and put back into the community in a year, based on the increases of the past three to five years, It is good to see it holding but the concern is interest rates have come back a fair bit and that would suggest to me some of the other prices have been creeping up. It is good to see it hold. I think farmers in general have been very prudent with their spending, considering six months ago we still had modest lamb, mutton and beef prices and it has only been the past two to three months that we have seen a lift that would put people at ease. “
Tom Waldron, of the Styx in Maniototo
“Obviously, interest rates have come back and fuel prices are probably slightly lower but fertiliser prices have gone up and council rates have gone up, both district and regional. There is a bit of up and down.”
