Weather has been kind in Bay of Plenty with enough sunny days to finally finish docking and creative juices have been let loose on the humble gumboot on the West Coast. Listen to On the Farm to find out more about conditions on farms and orchards around the country.
Things in Northland are certainly drying out, but with no thanks to the sun. It's still too cool to put anything into growth mode and there have still been patches of rain through the week. Thursday was said to be the sunniest day in recent memory with a cold wind hanging about. It's proving hard to sell store cattle as there is not enough grass to feed them once home from the market. Our contact says everyone up north is tight on feed.
There've been a few showers and more wind about Pukekohe. Lettuce and brassica plants have been set and some maturing crops have been irrigated. Most onion paddocks look clean with weeds under control.
It's been a typical spring week in Waikato with windy and warm weather and the odd chilly southerly. Labour Weekend won't bring any holiday cheer however, as blueberry growers are in evaluation mode trying to assess what parts of the crops remain. Our contact says the losses are significant after the cold snap two weeks ago, with only a lucky few losing less than half of their crop. It comes just as the industry was in good heart after a massive flowering season. It was like coming off a high to have the rug pulled out from underneath them - it's also left a lot of staff with no harvesting job to do.
Photo: RNZ/Carol Stiles
Weather has been kind to those in Bay of Plenty with enough sunny days to finally finish docking. Some of the lambs were getting a bit large. Drenching has also started on some of the early lambs. A bit of wind came through to help dry things out, which many in the lower flat land are thankful for. Those making maize have struggled to get onto the paddocks as it's still been too damp underfoot but hopefully this week is the start of things changing after what could only be described as a rough season for all.
It's been on and off in King Country - a bit of rain and a bit of sunshine. A few more days of strong sunshine wouldn't hurt although the grass growth rate has picked up again after the cold snap a few weeks ago. Milk production is steady, however our contact is calving late so production has not reached its peak. She says there are 15 calves still to be born and despite the frosty temperatures and rain, the survival rate has been strong. A submissions meeting is to be held by Federated Farmers in the area soon regarding the agri emissions pricing plan. The government is seeking feedback on whether to charge farmers and manufacturers for synthetic nitrogen fertiliser.
Protesting farmers took to the streets on Thursday Photo: RNZ / Adam Burns
Cloudy, then sunny, then a little bit of rain in Taranaki this week. The region is said to be doing reasonably okay for grass but there is not a lot of surplus so farmers are looking for a good week to get things going again. Usually there'd be heaps of silage to go around at this time of year. A Groundswell protest against the proposed tax on farm emissions took place in New Plymouth - our contact said some were too busy on the farm to attend. He says there's no easy solution to the emissions issue.
To the other side of the country now ... on the East Coast, beautiful weather and lots of feed to go round has got farmers brimming with positivity. There has been strong demand for cattle which goes to show just how well the grass is growing. All the paddocks have been sprayed out and crops are starting to go in. After the rain this year, most are cultivating the areas they can. There are no complaints around about lambing this year with everyone on target and good scan rates too. Logs are also flowing into the port despite the roads being knocked around due to the rain.
It's flat out in Hawke's Bay trying to catch up on the back log of work now the ground is drying out. There is a lot of long grass in the vineyards and it might take a week or two just to get a handle on things again. Things have gotten a lot better in the past five days with blue skys and sunshine gracing the region. Most of the vines came through okay after the frosty mornings and now they could do with some sustained sunshine. Work will begin on tucking the vines in the next week or so which takes a bit of labour. It will show if the region has enough hands on deck to get them through the task as shortages are still on the mind.
The sun shone too in Wairarapa and a breeze at the end of the week helped dry out the puddles. Grass is bounding away in the warmth.
Fertiliser has been going on in a Nelson apple orchard where flowering has finished. The fert's also been applied at a dairy farm near Murchison where a bit of welcome rain has fallen ... it had been a wee bit dry. The spring is looking kind but our contact is watching dairy prices closely. The global index is now at its lowest level since January last year. With uncertainty ahead and a good year last year, farmers are looking to clear some debt in case things turn pear-shaped.
Creative juices were let loose on the humble gumboot at the West Coast AgFest Photo: Supplied
Creative juices were let loose on the humble gumboot at the West Coast AgFest's Creative Gumboot Competition last weekend. It was shorts, T-shirts and sun block weather for the coast's equivalent of fieldays. Farmers could be seen deep in conversation with app and tech developers about tools to deal with compliance on farm - a real growth area the organisers told us. Since the weekend a dairy farmer near Greymouth reports on and off showers and a bit of a chill still in the air ... so the grass is not romping away just yet. On a sunny windless day he was out spraying for ragwort. Optimism is the order of the day, he said wryly, despite not being able to afford the diesel to join a Groundswell protest and uncertain dairy prices.
Tractors have been out resowing paddocks in Marlborough after a sunny week. Cosmo's seen lots of lambs bouncing around and ground work being done as he's been out and about in the region.
Canterbury's had another cold dry week. Grass growth remains slow, irrigation is in full swing but growth is being limited by the low soil and air temperatures. Hopefully this turns around soon. Winter lambs are moving off farm when space is available at the processors - it is quite a concern to have space issues in a traditionally quiet period.
Elephant Rock in North Otago Photo: Susan Rebergen
Farmers in Otago are starting to get their irrigation into gear. They're all looking for a bit of rain, but there is some on the horizon. Lambing started for some just as the cold snap hit, but survival rates were good. Oat and barley are about to go into the ground with the first of the lambs getting ready to go to the works.
A farmer in Southland was setting off on a 36 kilometre journey checking on his sheep when we called. He'd also put in a few k's heading to Invercargill for the Groundswell protest and was heartened by his urban cousins clapping on the sidelines. He says the depth of feeling in the region is huge against the government's plans to tax on-farm emissions. Even a silage chopper made it to the protest. Tailing's been done and soil's being cultivated after another fine week with a touch of rain at the end. Lamb survival has been great this spring.
