Living on a farm makes me more aware of how the weather affects crops and food prices than I've ever been before.
The lambs are being born, but in the recent heavy snowfalls and bitter weather farmers have lost thousands of newborns to the cold and wet.
In the storms that felled a huge gum tree on our property, we also lost most of the hazelnut catkins.
The wild winds, hail, snow and rain last night have taken off more. I don't know how many hazelnuts we'll get, but our crop will be tiny in comparison to what it might have been.
Hazelnuts growers from New Zealand have been devastated by this storm. We're a small niche crop, so we haven't made the papers, but I'm glad we don't depend on the crop for our living.
If you see hazelnuts going cheap from elsewhere in the world and you usually buy ours, still try to support New Zealand hazelnut growers. This stormy spring has been devastating to them.
The cold snap and windy weather has also been devastating to new growth and tree blossom. Our own orchard is sheltered, but even so our trees have lost many branches and much blossom.
When I lived in the city, I complained at rising costs of fruit and vegetables. Now I see what "a bad season" really means.
We're lucky that we don't depend on our fruit, nuts and vegetables for our livelihood, but I know some local people that do, and this year will be hard for them.
In the meanwhile, I am waiting for better weather to go pick up some recycled bricks I have bought in town. I can't go get them when it is zero degrees and snowing - I'm tough, but not that tough!
So I stay home. Our property backs on to a huge pine plantation, and when the wind is up it sounds like a tsunami headed towards us - the massive noise gives us a healthy respect for nature.
I am glad I do not have to go outside in this wild weather. I stay inside, do a bit of housework, catch up with friends online and by phone, and watch the trees blowing crazily outside.
The weather service said that we can expect another wild night tonight. I hope it doesn't do any more damage - people (especially those in Christchurch) have been through enough.
Image - KiwiNZ
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2 comments:
I know just what you mean. Last week in Tassie the wind was wicked with hail and snow.
Like you, it was only when I started growing my own food that the weather became so important and the understanding of our real farmers being under such stress was realised.
Last year because our winter was so wet and windy we had no bees. No bees means no buzzing around fruit blossom (what was left of it) and consequently not as much fruit in the summer.
I take my hat off to the farmers, they certainly do it tough sometimes.
Jan
So true, and so sad...
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