Photo: RNZ / Sam Olley
There's been no reprieve from the wet conditions in Northland. Kumara growers are trying to harvest what they can while other farmers are trying to get grass growing for fattening lambs. It's been so hard with sodden paddocks. It's a process of "getting through" at this point. Our contact says Northlanders are a resilient bunch but it has been tough on the mental side.
It's continued to be wet in Pukekohe with a rare day or two without rain in May. Soils have never dried, frustrating growers unable to work to schedule. Later sowings of the early onion crops were delayed by up to three weeks. Established crops are growing well in the mild temperatures but small immature ones are struggling, especially if they were damaged by hail.
The same wet has been felt in Waikato ... so wet, dry cows are making quite a mess. There are some maize paddocks for grain that will be too difficult to harvest as well. Spring calving cows are generally all dry and in a reasonable condition and it's been a busy week on the roads as share milkers and stock pack up shop for Moving Day.
Photo: Susan Murray/RNZ
In Bay of Plenty, you have to make hay when the sun shines. Gold kiwifruit has finished harvesting with green said to be done after the weekend. Rain has halted lots of picking days, but pruning has started on the red and gold kiwifruit vines. Staff shortages have righted themselves in comparison to years before, although trouble might arise when pruning gets into full swing. Workers are paid more for pruning so the packhouses might find they're low on staff. Maturity tests have begun on some avocado blocks to gauge when the early local market can start back up again.
Grass growth in Taranaki has been tremendous all summer. Those closer to Taumaranui are reporting the same - they've never seen such a good season. Getting stock into the works is the biggest problem at hand. With dry cows being culled, it's causing a backlog for the beefies - cattle reared for beef - but at least many farmers are going into winter with a healthy amount of feed on hand.
Most welcome sunshine has been beaming down on Gisborne - it means a bit of flood recovery has been able to happen although most of the debris will be cleared in spring when it's drier and machines can get around on the farm. Overall we hear the financial impact will be felt more next year. It's the mental strain that's being felt now with many services rushed off their feet trying to help everyone they can. More help from government would also be appreciated. The word is that packages so far have been hard to interpret which is causing frustration. Feed levels are good which is a positive for those who've lost areas of land - everybody has weaned their stock now and are trying to sell down cattle and sheep to winter numbers.
Repairs under way in Wharekōpae Pāmu farms after Cyclone Gabrielle caused damage in the area. Photo: Supplied / Pāmu
In Hawkes Bay, conditions have been the best they've been all year. Rain felt across the top half of the North Island thankfully missed Hawkes Bay - it hasn't been this dry there since May last year. There've been a couple of frosts marking the start of winter, but good warm days soon follow. Fertiliser has not been dished out on paddocks yet because grass growth is strong. The struggle of getting stock to the meat works is being felt, but progress is being made each day.
The weather bomb in Marton in Manawatū a week or so ago caused a bit of damage on farm - but it was annoying more than anything. Grass is good and stock are happy. Our contact had been shearing his hoggets ... strong and fit he described them. Ewes, cows and calves are still out on the hills taking advantage of lots of grass rather than being forced to make the transition a lot earlier. The only thing making farmers in the area down in the mouth is the 15 per cent rise in fertiliser and other inputs ... while they're getting 20 per cent less for their end product. It's hard to slave away when your goods aren't worth as much, but our contact says you have to look at the wins.
There have been the odd "non-rain days" in Wairarapa...but it's not to say it hasn't been raining. Lots of farmers are saying goodbye to maize grain as they can't get out onto the paddock to harvest, and that is after Cyclone Gabrielle flooded parts and wiped out parts of the crop. A wet winter last year means they're practiced at managing it this year ... cow herds have been downsized into smaller mobs and our contact is feeding off his wettest paddocks now, saving drier paddocks for the coming winter months.
Photo: 123RF
Apple picking in Nelson is done and dusted. There is about a month of packing work left to do and pruning will start next week. Crops haven't been the best with lots of fruit damaged by hail earlier in the season, however, there was still a healthy yield from the region. Staffing levels are almost back to normal ... if it wasn't for the RSE workers most growers reckon they would be out of business. Looking back, they don't know how they managed to get through the past three years.
It's been absolutely miserable on the West Coast. Hokitika recorded the wettest May it's had since 1877 with 609 millimetres of rain falling through the month. It's safe to say things are wet. On farm, there are a couple more days to go before all the cows are dried off. Farmers have been trying to make a dollar out of falling milk prices. Most people have enough grass to get through ... our contact moves his mob into a Herd Home for winter. Our contact finds this kind of barn is a good return on investment in the long run as cows are feeding less ... they're a lot warmer and effluent storage underneath can be stored for when needed on paddock. Our contact reckons they are more and more barns popping up along the coast.
May has been a very wet month in Canterbury with only the last week being dry and the mud drying up. With plenty of rain and good temperatures, grass growth continues which is a real bonus for this time of the year. Arable farmers have been battling to get autumn-sown crops of winter wheat and barley in the ground as paddocks have been too wet. About 1000 of the finest birds in the country were on display at the National Poultry Show in Rangiora on Friday. In case you miss it, Cosmo will be there to capture the cacophony of crowing for Country Life.
Photo: RNZ/Sally Round
Grape vines in Otago are dormant now. It's been the warmest May many can remember - more like spring than autumn. It's been raining but 12 degrees instead of the snowing 3 degrees many have come to expect. Vine-pruning has kicked into gear. It was a pretty easy grape-growing season- a long ripening period good quantities and a great fruit set with disease relatively low. In saying that, the dry of about eight weeks meant grapes almost hit wilting point ... vines were very brittle at the end of the season.
It's been a busy week in Southland leading up to dairy change-over day. June 1st marks the start of the new farming year with many people moving around to new farms. It's also the start date for winter grazing with stock en route to their paddocks for the winter. It does happen over some weeks, but this has been crunch week, so to speak. It's wet underfoot in parts of Southland, eastern Southland being the wettest. However, forecast rain this weekend isn't sending spirits too low as temperatures are still mild so everything is still growing well. It just means there is a lot of work in managing the pastures.
