On 1 June 2023, four months after Cyclone Gabrielle share milker Jeremy Wapp and his family moved onto a new farm off the Taihape Road.
That day they were faced with the first of many challenges and opportunities Gabrielle had left in her wake. The only bridge to the property was closed to heavy traffic.
As the weeks and months progressed, it became evident that changes were needed if the 1600-cow System 5 farm - which was heavily reliant on imported feed - was to succeed in the future.
"With such a lot of cows and no heavy vehicle access, it was very difficult to feed them," says Jeremy. "We culled about 1000."
Initially, the financial impacts were "not too bad".
Fonterra continued to pay farmers based on the previous years' production. The pain came later.
"The day access opened; they stopped paying." Gabrielle moved the Tutaekuri River which flows through the property by some 70 metres, at the same time destroying the farm's diesel irrigation pumps.
While some people might have descended into despair, Jeremy and the farm's owner saw the potential for improving the farm's operations and profitability.
"Where we had the issue was with the stock watering system pumps that connected to the settlement holding tank. They sucked silt, and we lost our three main irrigation pumps and the stock water pump."
While there was never going to be a quick fix, the farm owner saw electric pumps as the way forward, ending years of lugging diesel.
There were a few setbacks along the way to recovery, not the least of which were slips that swept away irrigation infrastructure. Despite the challenges, Jeremy reckons the farm fared better than most.
"The farm is 60% flat plateau and 40% rolling to steep. We had slips, but not as much as most people. We only lost 700 metres of fencing at most and the grass is slowly recovering."
Just a few days ago, after much troubleshooting, the first electric pump was finally up and running.
With many parts of Hawke's Bay now experiencing the worst drought in century, Jeremy again says the farm - sitting between two rivers that supply its irrigation systems - is "a lot luckier than most." Meanwhile, Jeremy and the farm's owners have started rebuilding their herd of Friesians, which now sits at some 1100 cows.
Extensive cropping means reduced reliance on imported feed and less vulnerable to shortages, boosting productivity and the bottom line.
"We have sown close to 70 hectares of lucerne. We'll come fully right this year to make the most of next season."
Jeremy is a strong supporter of family run Palmerston North business Strautmann Hopkins, a leading supplier of agricultural forage, feeding and effluent machinery.
The farm currently boasts a German-designed and built Strautmann mixer wagon and cut and carry.
"We've also just ordered a muck spreader," he says.
"Strautmann Hopkins is one of the few outfits - in my opinion - that really delivers on the after sales side.
If anything goes wrong, you can't wait one or two weeks for parts."
