Pressure-testing weak links on farm to prevent loss

Brought to you in partnership with FMG.

FMG Loss Prevention Manager Abby France knows getting ready for a disaster starts with knowing where a farm is exposed, and thinking it through while there is still time.

She says those weak spots are often the everyday services a farm relies on, from power and water to road access and communications. The useful question is whether the farm could get each one back, or keep going without it for a while.

“What if the road was blocked? What if the power’s out? Not for an hour, but for days on end?” she says.

Power is the weakest link FMG has seen lately, with surges especially creating issues. After one recent wind event, some of the damage happened once the power came back on and systems loaded up again.

She says the restart can catch farms out in other ways too.

“We see people tie down pivots, which is fantastic to protect them from the wind, but it’s pretty heartbreaking to think that some of them get turned on while they’re still tied down.”

She says it helps to weigh up impact as well as likelihood. A power cut could be a lot more manageable on a smaller scale sheep and beef system than on one milking 1,200 cows.

“It’s great if you’ve got a generator, but if it’s not big enough to run your dairy shed, then it’s not up to the job.”

New infrastructure is a good chance to close gaps like that, and everything else can be chipped away at over time.

“Ideally, the generator is bought when the shed is built and made sure that it’s all wired up correctly, but it’s not a one and done.”

She says a lot of it comes down to the age old saying that what you walk past is what you are willing to accept.

Particularly with owner-operators who can be doing everything on farm, it’s worth including other people in the plan too. Income protection is there to buy time, whether by getting someone in to help or by taking some of the financial pressure off.

“It’s about being able to have the capacity and the time to make decisions that are right for your business and aren’t done under that pressure.”

Abby’s top three tips:

● Start with what matters most: you don’t need to tackle everything at once. Identify your
biggest risks, look at where the gaps are, and get cracking on the things you can do now.

● Have a conversation: talk to your FMG adviser about the risks specific to your farm,
property or business and where you might be able to strengthen your preparedness.

● And remember, the best time to work through this stuff is before you need it.

Take the next step: head to fmg.co.nz/advice for practical information and resources to
help you understand your risks and start building your preparedness plan.

Brought to you in partnership with FMG.

CountryWide CONNECT with Andy Thompson & Sarah Perriam-Lampp is our daily rural show livestreamed from 11am-1pm. Visit country-wide.co.nz on how to watch/listen or download the CountryWide CONNECT mobile app, available on Apple iOS and Android.