Persistent rain a headache for Taranaki farmersESTHER TAUNTON/STUFF Hawera contract milker Blair Young in a waterlogged paddock. Persistent rain through July and August has left Taranaki dairy farms drenched. Near-relentless rain through July and August is taking a toll on Taranaki farmers, their land and animals. Taranaki Regional Council monitoring showed there had been fewer than half a dozen rain-free days around the region in the first three weeks of August. "They're calving down in there but a lot of farmers don't have anywhere to stand their cows off and that makes it worse."

Source: Stuff August 21, 2017 00:33 UTC