Photo: Susan Murray
Wet rules around the country, with good volumes of snow on higher altitude South Island properties.
In Northland the ground conditions are boggy, but grass is still growing. The backlog to get culled stock into the meat works is currently less than a week. Farmers are being encouraged to get stock off to the works now in case there are future delays due to Covid and staff shortages. Kumara growers are having a frustrating time. Sales are about 20 percent down compared with last year for some growers and the prices being offered by supermarkets are described as disappointing - the lowest for at least a decade. Meanwhile meetings put on by Beef and Lamb NZ as well as MBIE are talking turkey about how the emissions trading scheme and carbon credits affect the rural community. It looks like a bit more stress and even more paperwork for farmers as they work through the legislation requirements. But beef and sheep farmers in Kaipara are enjoying the warm climate, even though it is damp under foot. The dams are full, and creeks are running at higher levels than usual, so farmers feel comfortable if an early dry summer is pending.
In South Auckland rainfall eased back this week but 26 millimetres still fell. With a fine day once a week, most growers are managing to get onto their fields to plant, fertilise and spray their crops even if the timing is a bit late.
Sharemilkers in Waikato are flat out with calving and milking - as well as moving stock to avoid muddy pastures. Despite the mud farmers are pleased to have the rain as earlier in the year it was a quite different story. Staff shortages are seeing pay rates increase ... and workers aren't necessarily coming from a rural background - there are more tradies such as builders and electricians moving with their families from bigger towns and cities to take up farming work. One farmer says his calving is a bit slower this year with about forty-three from his herd of nearly a thousand calves having calved. Dairy farmers who have intensive systems around their crops and cows are enjoying being able to spot any calving issues quickly and move any that may be wallowing in muddy conditions. Farmers are learning to budget for the increase in costs, such as using five hundred dollars of diesel to fill a tractor and paying more for fertiliser.
Bay of Plenty has had about 730 millimetres of rain since the end of May and the conditions are being described as rather trying - the total opposite from earlier in the year when areas like Te Puke were crying out for rain. At least it's mild and grass is inching along. On sheep farms there are quite a few dry ewes - that is they're not pregnant - because of feed conditions back at mating time. Scanning showed about 15 percent of ewes were dry.
Photo: Susan Murray
A farmer in King Country says he hasn't seen such good pasture growth at this time of the year - ever - and has been farming for 40 years. The combination of good moisture and soil temperatures mean grass is jumping out of the ground. Soil temperatures of 12 degrees are being recorded when normally it's 5 to 8 degrees. The region's official winter period is usually about 40 days but with the warm conditions it has been for just 14 days so far.
And Taupo's porous pumice soil has enjoyed the steady patter of rain with warmer temperatures, so its pastures are also doing well.
Calving is underway around Mount Taranaki in mild conditions despite a wet week of up to 100 millimetres in some parts. Pay rates have jumped up here as well with farmers needing to fill farm roles. There's also a new sheep milking venture gaining traction in the region.
It has been wet in Hawkes Bay but not as bad as many other parts of the country. Sub soil water levels are well nourished after four wet months. Decent frosts have pleased orchardists as trees like winter chill. Pip and stone fruit trees are being pruned and apple growers are looking at pulling out old blocks or grafting new varieties onto trees as export prices have been squeezed this year. The mood of orchardists is described as pretty reserved.
Photo: RNZ/Sally Round
Manawatu farmers are clearing tracks covered with sodden slips. It's the wettest winter for at least four years. Calving has started and cows are being moved around to avoid muddy areas.
It's been a sunny end to the week in Wairarapa - after a stormy start which felled trees and caused slips. Ewe scanning has finished for most and farmers are optimistic the decent lamb prices will continue.
Across the Cook Strait in Nelson the conditions are being described as 'pretty bloody wet, cold and windy.' Wind straight off the mountains . And this weekend there is a rural community gathering being put on at the Tapawera rugby club.
Down the east coast in Ward seas have been rough so fishermen after crayfish haven't been out much. The rain also saw a lobster processing factory flood - halting work there. Luckily cray's are still being caught in Marlborough Sounds. Lobster prices in China have dropped due to shipping costs and Covid.
On the West Coast grass is growing and there's a spring feel in the air. However farmers are feeding out plenty of baleage, palm kernel and grain. The coast has been struck with plenty of winter flu parallel to Covid so finding enough workers has been difficult for some farmers. And local farmers are getting a free box of butter from Westland Milk as it has just opened an upgraded butter factory in Hokitika.
It wa a rough week of weather in Canterbury with some pretty punishing NW winds at the start of the week which caused some damage to trees, pivot irrigators and power supply. This was followed up with heavy rain 2 days later onto already sodden paddocks which again caused some localized flooding. It would be nice to get a week of fine frosty weather! Cows and in calf heifers are heading back to dairy platforms for calving and the start of another milking season.
In South Canterbury farmers say there haven't been significant issues with flooding but there hasn't been any reprieve with three major bouts of rain in as many weeks totalling at least 140 millimetres. Between wet days shearing is underway and a farmer contact said his cattle were as 'happy as Larry' thanks to ample grass.
In North Otago forestry is becoming increasingly popular and while some farmers are disappointed, others are joining in and planting trees. However an increasing number of wallabies are dining on saplings, crops and pastures.
Photo: Sue Burton
Inland to the hydro lakes areas and water levels have been waist high near Twizel with this week's storm. A beef and sheep farmer says a combination of rain AND melting snow has resulted in the highest levels of surface water he has ever seen on his farm. Simon Williamson says there was plenty of warning and he had moved his sheep and cattle to higher ground. He says it is now time to mend the fences and thankfully there is plenty of lucerne and fodder beets to feed out.
Elsewhere in high altitudes helicopters have dropped lucerne hay to cattle where snow dumps were waist deep and farmers have also been dropped off via helicopters to use shovels and stamp their feet to make paths for ewes to follow down to snow-free pastures. Despite the rough going local farmers say they are pleased to see a decent snow dump for skiiers .. it's the first in several years.
And in Southland ewe scanning's in full swing and fertility rates are down about ten percent compared with last year. It's been wet but plenty of winter chores like fencing are underway. Talk around the paddocks is about the Three Waters and worries about foot and mouth disease which is in Indonesia.
