In February, Mr Whiteside, who farms sheep and grows cereal crops at Waiwera, locked up his ewes and fed them the silage and grain for several weeks until a 50mm fall of rain in February eased drought conditions.
Prime lambs were sold about 2kg lighter this year than last, and although Mr Whiteside had grain to feed his stock, he said that every tonne he used was a tonne less that he had to sell.
He has kept rainfall records for 60 years, and said although there were regular falls over summer they were generally small, and the hot, dry conditions soon negated their impact.
March was a better month, but Mr Whiteside said the soil was beginning to dry again and the lack of moisture affected grass growth.
Going into winter he was carrying 30% fewer ewe lambs, but he held ewe numbers. The ewes maintained their condition, thanks to the silage and grain.
Mr Whiteside said the remaining silage and crop stubble should ensure he gets through winter. He has learned the value of prevention in dealing with an extreme event such as drought.
"That stack of silage has been worth its weight in gold to me,'' he said.
When conditions return to normal, replenishing the silage pit will be one of the first things he does.