On the Farm: A wrap of conditions around the country

7:20 pm today

Most across the country have finished with docking, or tailing as it's called in the South Island. Photo: Sally Round / Country Life

Northland - Te Tai Tokerau farmers welcomed some rain this week as the region had been getting dry. The rain has also helped restore confidence in the store market where buying had slowed. Prices are good, especially for male cattle. Dairy interest is also up compared to this time last year when the market was subdued. Feed is 'coming back on' - there is enough around but not big surpluses.

In Pukekohe a combination of wet and dry days has helped with crop growth but many growers are still unhappy with returns. Early potatoes are now being harvested, pumpkins are being sown, thrip control in onions has commenced and kiwifruit growers are generally pleased to see good bud burst on the vines.

It has been a busy time for Waikato farmers leaving them feeling pretty bushed. Most have finished their first round of AI - artificial insemination - and mating has gone reasonably well. Silage is coming off and maize crops are going in. Grass growth has been variable across the region, with cooler temps reducing pasture production. It's been quite a wet October. Our agent contact has tipped about 100mm out of his rain gauge for the month.

Bay of Plenty gold kiwifruit orchards are in bloom with one grower describing a 'sea of white flowers'. Photo: Supplied

Bay of Plenty kiwifruit growers were left disappointed after reduced flower counts due to several cold snaps. The region is looking okay as a whole but some growers have been significantly affected, with some down 40 percent. Many gold variety orchards are in full bloom, with our grower contact reporting a 'sea of white flowers'. She says it's an exciting time of year, setting up for the next harvest. Things are better than last year for avocado growers but some growers have been pulling out trees.

There is lots of grass in Taranaki where dairy farmers have been making silage and are planting maize. Most are right into mating. Cows are milking well and production is up. An increased payout rate is welcome news and farmers are happier than they were a month ago. Our farmer contact says cull cows have been selling for record highs, along with in-milk cows - at a recent sale they fetched an average of $3500 each. He says school calf days are still going strong across the region.

Norwesterly winds have led to dry conditions across East Coast - Te Tai Rāwhiti. It is the first time the region has been this dry since Cyclone Gabrielle struck last year and means improved access on farm. Lamb survival rates have been good and most farmers are through docking. There's still quality feed about but some are nervous about further dry and a rise in temperatures over summer which will bring parasites and flystrike, especially as there's been a rise in drench resistance.

Lambs having their tails docked in Wairarapa. Photo: Sally Round / Country Life

It was a question of 'what rain' when we chatted with our farmer contact in Hawke's Bay. He has had about 15mm over the last month. It will be the third month in a row with below average rainfall. The grass 'browning off' in parts and some river levels dropping off have farmers keeping a wary eye on things. There's not a lot of surplus feed for silage or hay but there's still a bit left over from the previous season. The dry conditions have been good for growers though. Arable farmers are also ticking along though irrigators are going 'flat tack'. A few farms have come onto the market recently, but there appears to be reduced interest from foresters.

Warm conditions have made for happy farmers in Manawatū - Rangitikei. Some recent rain has 'slowed the tractors down' and has meant some couldn't cut baleage but contractos have made good progress on other groundworks and cropping. Cows are milking well and the grass is growing.

It is a similar story in Wairarapa. Hill country farmers took on less stock over the last few months so are growing a lot more grass at the moment. They have been busy docking - lamb numbers are down about 5 to 10 percent because scanning was down. Lamb survival rates have been generally good.

A Wairarapa vineyard in spring. Photo: Supplied

Across the Cook Strait to Whakatū - Tasman, the spring has been good for growing with a decent bit of rainfall over the weekend. Our farmer reported about 50mm of rain, which he says was welcomed by many as parts of the region are getting dry. There is reasonable pasture cover and stock are in good condition, especially cattle with beef prices 'through the roof' at recent yard sales. Sheep farmers are down in the dumps though over prices. There's likely to be an oversupply of hops this season but apples are looking good.

Winegrowers have finished pruning in Marlborough - Te Tauihu-o-te-waka. The bud burst is about a week early this year. Flowering is still two to three weeks away for early varieties and growers are hopeful there'll be no more frosts. It has also been a great spring for farmers, with enough rain to keep the grass 'ticking over'. Our farmer contact had about 70mm over the weekend. Lambs are doing well and tailing's done. He expects the second half of the spring will be a 'boomer'.

West Coast farmers are heading into mating this week and the cows are cycling well. Most farmers have been trying to dodge the rain which there's been plenty of - our Hokitika contact had 150mm over the weekend. It has also been especially cold, with cows getting an extra feedout during milking at the shed. Cold snaps have kept the grass from growing so milking is down a bit.

Photo: Supplied

Farmers in Canterbury - Waitaha have been battling dry conditions for the past 12 months so rain over the long weekend will make a big difference, financially and mentally, and will give the region's morale a bit of a boost. Winter and summer forage crops are being sown and tractors of all shapes and sizes are busy. Our farmer hopes by the end of this week maize, fodder beet and kale will have been sown.

It has been slow growing lambs in South Otago. One farmer estimates lambs normally headed to the works in November will be delayed at least a month following one of the hardest growing seasons. He says most have finished tailing with average results. Farmers are really struggling with poor price prospects while on farm costs keep rising. Our contact says morale is the lowest it has been in 40 years of sheep farming. He has heard, of late, about 100,000 stock units have been replaced by pine trees.

And lastly, conditions are still 'reasonably challenging' for farmers in Murihiku - Southland. Though they did not get as much snow as Mackenzie country, recent weather still caused a mess. Some farmers have run out of silage, with palm kernel deliveries struggling to keep up and contractor services also under pressure. Many have brought the calves back into the shed to avoid the worst of the weather. Our dairy farmer contact near Gore says it has been 'unprecedented' and one of the toughest seasons in his 25 years. He reckons there will be a lot of fatigue by Christmas and is worried many will leave the industry, with a potential labour shortage down the line. Despite this, cows are cycling well and he has just started his AI programme.