Photo: Cosmo Kentish-Barnes
Lambing has just started in central Southland. One farmer said he had ten sets of twins born in one morning this week. He's relieved they didn't arrive in the bitterly cold earlier part of the week when a dusting of snow fell. There was also a run of frosts and about 36 millimetres of rain. A shearing contractor has told sheep farmers they'll be charging more next time they shear, 24 percent more in fact, which comes as a worry on top of increasing diesel and feed costs.
Further north on a merino station near lake Wakatipu it's business as usual as the cold snap of snow didn't hit their area, and ewes have been spaced in paddocks prior to lambing.
In South Otago a Balclutha farmer says the wintry blast caused a few lamb deaths but thankfully there wasn't a biting wind so the majority of ewes and lambs are doing well. The snowfall wasn't unexpected for this time of the year and ewes had been moved to paddocks with the most shelter.
Golden Bay at the top of the South Island is just about at balance day, when the grass growth equals what stock need to eat. Supplements are still being fed out as grass growth is still rather slow with the cold weather doing it no favours. Calving has gone well despite recent challenging weather events which left surface flooding and collapsed fences.
On the West Coast calving is in full swing and there have been a few fine days mixed with chillier ones. Grass is growing slowly but supplementary feed is still being fed out and they anticipate reaching balance day by the end of the month.
Photo: Cosmo Kentish-Barnes
Tractors are very busy in Canterbury, cultivating and sowing paddocks that have been in winter crops. A paddock near Rangiora has already been cut for bailage despite the lack of growth. The ground remains wet which is frustrating for crop farmers as barley is usually in the ground by now but soggy soil is delaying anything being planted.
Further north at Conway Flat it's been lovely and fine after a blast of snow earlier in the week. It didn't settle on the ground but conditions are still very chilly a little further inland and a visit from Jack Frost. Purebred angus' are calving and farm tracks are being tidied up with a digger.
Bud burst has started in Marlborough vineyards. Some growers have been fighting frosts this week with windmills and others use helicopters. They also use a tow and blow, which is a mobile blower that's driven around smaller vineyards. Soil is warming and drying out though. 2022 vintage wines are starting to be released. There's been a last minute rush to do final pruning and there are also plenty of lambs leaping around.
Photo: RNZ / Cosmo Kentish-Barnes
Wanganui is starting to dry out after a wet and cold August. The soil temperature decreased so supplement feed is still being fed out. Last season's hoggets are going to the works and prices are described as pretty good.
Mount Taranaki has a decent blob of snow on top and the higher altitude dairy farmers are in the middle of calving. Those closer to the coast are coming to the end. It's still quite wet underfoot causing delays for trucks to fertilise paddocks. Grass coverage is still poor in some areas due to all the rain. Day temperatures have remained quite low at about eight degrees. Challenging conditions resulted in the region's milk production being three and a half percent lower than last year.
That white stuff can even be seen on hills near Gisborne, a pretty rare sight! There was a cold southerly blast earlier in the week and grass is not growing much at all. Rain also disrupted harvesting of broccoli and lettuce. A chilly frost hit the region on Wednesday but didn't cause much damage. However the sun shone later in the week and some grape varieties such as Chardonnay are starting to leaf. Crop planting has also started and a few paddocks of squash and corn are going in.
In Hawke's Bay it's also been a challenging week for vineyards with a severe frost forcing grape growers to hire helicopters and run their fans overnight to prevent damage. Some Chardonnay buds were affected but most people managed to avoid losses. Snow fell low on the ranges and Big Hill station near Kereru got a good dusting. And on the community front, Jo Simmons from Maraekakaho was awarded a medal for volunteering for the local fire brigade for 50 years.
Photo: Frank Bollen
A bitterly cold southerly cruised through the Bay of Plenty making it miserably cold for staff continuing to prune kiwifruit. The pruning is running late this year thanks to bad weather and a lack of labour. Red kiwifruit are expected to start bursting into bud at the end of the week, followed by gold and green. Orchardists are checking irrigation systems and getting rid of weeds. The pesky moth plant which twists itself around vines needs to be pulled out as it hosts an insect, the Passion Vine hopper, which sits on kiwifruit and excretes a substance called honeydew. It then contaminates the fruit by creating a mould which means the fruit is rejected in the packing shed. Growers are being urged to rip out the host plant and make sure its fruit is disposed of properly as it disperses hundreds of seeds.
Grass is growing in Waikato and in the next few weeks if the sun keeps shining there is expected to be surplus pasture. Despite a few brisk frosts the soil temperature remains warm enough for decent grass growth. It's still wet underfoot in some areas and cows are being tail painted as mating is not far away. There will be more paddocks of maize than usual as farmers compensate for having used up all their supplements earlier in the year. Milk production has not been high as cows went into winter a bit lighter after a couple of years of summer droughts. Despite this, dairy farmers are feeling optimistic as milk prices are pretty good. The calving rate has also been slower compared to previous seasons.
Photo: RNZ/Carol Stiles
Sixty-five millimetres of rain fell near Pukekohe on Monday morning, then the sun shone and the surface water soon disappeared. The wet winter has hindered planting and potatoes are likely to be in reduced supply at times until Christmas. Nutrient-starved cauliflower's have suffered a similar fate and those that are available probably have small heads.
The so-called winterless North has had a late burst of winter. It's been colder this week compared to usual and grass growth is sluggish. However fine weather later in the week, with more to come, has been great for the start of hoggets' lambing. Mixed age ewes have just about finished lambing at a rate of about 130 percent. Angus composite cows will be calving in a couple of weeks and bulls are being drenched. Some locals are making the most of the government's carbon subsidy and planting former grazing paddocks in pine trees.
Photo: Cosmo Kentish-Barnes
