A ram eats hay as a supplementary feed. Photo: Sheryl Watson / 123rf
South Island paddocks have been described as looking like they have "just been sprayed with glyphosate" due to extremely dry conditions.
The Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) says it was monitoring the situation closely as parts of Otago faced extreme conditions, with Southland not too far behind.
Otago Federated Farmers president Mark Patterson said about 50mm of rain fell on his Lawrence farm on Wednesday, but a lot more is needed to turn conditions around.
"Tinder dry, as I say there has been no widespread rain since before Christmas. A really hot summer and just no relief apart from a few thunderstorms here and there.
"Pasture growth is non-existent, things were brown, natural water is drying out, stock water schemes are under pressure, so we're heading into a pretty serious dry."
Patterson said farmers wanting to offload more stock due to the dry have faced delays at processing plants causing more stress. And with lower prices being paid for stock, farmers are feeling the pressure financially.
He said one positive was there was supplementary feed around.
"We were lucky we had a good spring so there has been a lot of supplementary feed made. There is a lot of standing feed, which has very little nutritional value now, so that has got us through to date.
"Farmers are feeding out already which is probably a couple of months, at least, earlier than they would normally be. So those reserves would get soaked up pretty quick."
Dean Rabbidge farms at Glenham, 40 minutes east of Invercargill. He said friends in Central, South and Eastern Otago were desperate. However, those in Southland were far behind in comparison.
"It does look brown. Paddocks that have just recently been grazed look like they've just been sprayed with glyphosate.
"There is green areas and brown areas, it's just a bit of a patchwork quilt at the moment but its not whole farm brownness that you see in the middle of March."
Rabbidge said thanks to a cracking spring he had made 300 more bales than he planned on needing, purely for the fact it was growing and many farmers around him were the same.
"I think that's saved a lot of people, because usually we would still be trying to make that supplement now, but it's all in the bank already. It's not a drama having trying to save feed for the winter."
Both Rabbidge and Patterson said despite challenges with dry weather, the situation did not compare with what farmers are dealing with up north.
"In light of what is happening around the rest of the country, I'm reluctant to say we are in a bad scenario," Rabbidge said.
"We're pretty grateful that we've still got out infrastructure, our health, our animals. We just wish we could help more up the road, but logistically it's pretty hard from down here."
MPI rural communities and farming support director Nick Story said the feed coordination service, matching farmers with grazing or supplementary feed, is available to farmers in Otago and Southland.
"Parts of Otago are now experiencing extremely dry conditions, and the long range forecast shows continuing dry conditions for some parts of the regions.
"Farmers know their areas and have adapted the conditions they regularly face."
He said the rural advisory groups, primary sector organisations and councils in each region were now meeting regularly to assess conditions and discussing whether additional support was required.
