''We will get through - it will rain one day.''
There's no doubt North Otago is being hit hard by extremely dry conditions this summer but Herbert farmer Ross Hay says if you're in it for the long haul ''you've just got to deal with it''.
''For the ones who have been round here long enough, you know you've got to be a bit prepared,'' he said.
''I always run with about a years' silage in front of me.''
Mr Hay, with wife Jo, and three children, run ''sheep, beef and a bit of weather crop'' on the 400ha family farm.
Mr Hay took over eight years ago and said this summer had been the most extended dry period since then. The farm recorded ''an inch'' (25mm) of rain in the past week, a little relief.
''But it's very sporadic - further inland they had a wee bit the week before that we didn't get,'' he said.
''We're a green dry ... it could be worse.''
For dairy farmers who had not seen a ''North Otago dry'' before, this summer would be an eye-opener, Mr Hay said.
The challenges would be exacerbated by forecast low dairy payouts.
''It'll be a tough year for them - well, it's going to be a tough year for everyone. It's not going to be easy.''
He recounted one of the driest summers he could remember ''30-odd-years'' ago, when his father had to sell lambs as stores.
''What buggered us up really [this summer] was the cold and the wind after lambing - we didn't get the growth that we'd normally get because of the cold and the wind has sort of just dried it out.''
''It's bad, but you've just got to deal with it and make early decisions.''
Reflecting on the weather overall for the last year, his whole crop had ''gone really well''.
''It actually hasn't been too bad overall. I'm quite happy with it,'' he said.
''[But] I'm not trying to downplay it. I know some people are struggling quite a bit.''
Barley being processed yesterday was going to be harvested but it was obvious it was not going to come to anything so Mr Hay opted to have it chopped up and baled for winter feed.
Mr Hay weaned his flock at the end of November, which had eased the pressure.
''I got rid of basically everything - all of the lambs sold. I got rid of cattle, so I'm just basically down to breeding stock,''
''That helped me out. I'm feeding out to the ewes at the moment, but apart from that, we'll tick on through with what we've got now.''
''It's hard to know ... in our situation I'm not really too worried. We'll tick on by,'' he said.
