6 Dec 2019

Regional Wrap

From On the Farm, 9:07 pm on 6 December 2019

 

It's been a very warm 26 to 28 degrees in Northland over the past few days. The region is a dry- green and there's lots of seedy grass around.  The cattle market is wavering at the moment - prices are still reasonably firm but animals are harder to sell.

Around Pukekohe brief rain at the beginning of the week gave way to fine weather with daytime temperatures of up to 25 degrees, so irrigators have been in action. More fields of onions are maturing and although still green, their tops are being clipped off in the field in preparation for sale. Potato growers are having a good run with their harvest.   

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Photo: RNZ/Sally Round

Waikato's become a bit dry in the past week but good rain, forecast for the weekend, should help set farms up well for summer. Maize crops will appreciate a good drink.  Gardens are looking glorious.  Farmer morale has been given a much needed boost by Fonterra's announcement of a $7.30 mid point payout. Land values for dairy farms are stagnant.

In Bay of Plenty there was rain earlier in the week but it was patchy and the luckiest spots received only about 20 millimetres. It's been warm and sunny otherwise and young stock have loved it. Bay of Plenty is 500 millimetres short of its annual rainfall tally - which is a bit of a worry now summer has arrived. Some hill country farmers are reporting their dams are dry. Zespri announced this week that 150 hectares of its new red kiwifruit will be planted - up until now there have only been trial blocks.

Taranaki farms soaked up moderate to heavy rain on Tuesday - but many areas need more and hopefully it'll come at the weekend.  Milk production is holding up well.

Gisborne has had a lot of hot days and a lot of wind.  There are still good feed levels but with very good lambing results, there's a lot of demand for it. Farmers are not panicking but are quietly sending lambs off to the works while the money is good - they're probably sending a few more than usual and at slightly lighter weights. We're told prices are 'magic' - $2000 for good steers and $170 for lambs.

Hawkes Bay has been the same almost every day for a month - hot, sunny and generally windy. Grape growers are walking around with smiles on their faces. They say they used to have springs like this 15 years  ago but they disappeared.  The region had 100 mils of rain in mid October, grass took off and a lot of hay has been made. There's still plenty of long, dry grass around - which is a fire risk. Grapes have had a very short flowering. Growers are  now opening up canopies to get a bit more sun on the fruit.

Wairapapa needs decent rain after hot windy conditions.  Store lamb prices are still respectable but they've taken a bit of a dive - down $25 a head in the last fortnight. Cull ewes are fetching marvelous money -  $193 for ewes killing out at 32 kilograms.  The farmer we speak to says, in a lifetime of farming,  he's never seen prices like it. In 1985 and 1986 cull ewes were worth 6 dollars each. Crops are establishing well but rabbits are a problem. They tuck into the young crops and the farmer says he's been shooting about 20 a week .

One of the Hereford bulls with the Ruahine Ranges in the background.

One of the Hereford bulls with the Ruahine Ranges in the background. Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson

Things are looking pretty good in Horowhenua - it's had welcome moisture and temperatures in the low 20s. Maize has gone in late and a lot of baleage is being made.  Milk production's on par with last year. Asparagus should still be available at Christmas. Usually supplies are dwindling by then but, because it was such a cold spring, the plants still have a bit of energy left and will keep on producing.
A hop grower at Tapawera in the Nelson region says the focus has been on getting the growing hop vines trained up the strings. It's the most labour intensive part of the year. It's important to have each variety trained up at their optimum age for perfect growth and has to be completed in a very small window of time.  Soil fertility, weed control and moisture management all play their part. Good rains have been well received recently but wind has made spraying for weeds difficult . The grower says hop gardens are a beautiful environment to be in from now through to harvest and are a credit to those who have been working in them.

On a sheep farm in the Marlborough Sounds the winds have been strong, fresh and on-going. Our contact says he's lucky to have had some reasonable rain, so, moving into summer, things are looking pretty tidy feed-wise. The dry could come quickly though because they've not had as much rain as usual.  Meat demand couldn't be stronger and most local farms will be heading straight to weaning - drafting off their heavier works lambs and looking after animal health. It's usually a sprint to finish before the Christmas break.

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Photo: RNZ / Cosmo Kentish-Barnes

A farmer at Lake Brunner on the West Coast says he's recorded 300 mills of rain so far this week with 150  forecast for Saturday. The tally for the year is 5 and /a half metres. Paddocks are sodden, plants are under stress and cows are on stand-off pads.  He says his farm's a mess and milk production's dropped as a consequence. Most farmers are still trying to get crops in and silage off.

Canterbury's had a fierce week of weather with strong nor'west winds and high temperatures. Even with full irrigation, farmers are battling to keep soil moisture up. Grass growth has also slowed over the last couple weeks, to the point where some dairy farmers have begun feeding out again.

A Taieri farmer in Otago says the fist round of AI's done so he's getting the cows checked to see  which ones are in calf. He's made two cuts of balage so far and he's hoping to do one more before the new year. The ground's heavy after a lot of rain last week but the grass is growing well with milk production currently up a few percent on last year.

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Photo: RNZ / Cosmo Kentish-Barnes

Southland's had a mixed bag of weather. A farmer at Waimahaka says he's finally got his crops in. He's planted kale, fodder beet, grass and a kale/radish hybrid called Raphno. There's still some baleage to be made too. Artificial insemination's going well. There's another week or so to go then bulls take over. Milk production's on par with last year.  Lambs are being drenched and are due to be weaned after Christmas.