Country Life: On the Farm

RNZ's Country Life team regularly check in with farms and orchards around the country. Here's the latest regional wrap.

Our Northland-Te Tai Tokerau farmer contact has resorted to shifting stock on foot this last month, as the ground is just too "sodden" to get a vehicle onto the paddocks.

Just this last week, he's recorded 150mm of rain on his farm near Whangārei. The heavy rainfall has also led to some flooding, leaving debris across some paddocks. The wet weather has been rough on those calving, as well as beef farmers struggling with pugging and nowhere to put stock. Some nice weather would go a long way to lifting the mood, he said.

Crops in Pukekohe have stopped growing, and it could be at least a week before the beneficial rain and hopefully, higher temperatures, restart the growing process again.

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In the Bay of Plenty, growers busy with winter pruning have also been slowed down by wet weather.

There's been no major damage - some silt deposits near Kutarere. The region's fragile and saturated soils have caused some slips, though this past week, closing some roads.

Despite this, our contact said growers reckon it has been a great harvest with good market returns and improved industry confidence. She's never known it to be this good.

Conditions have been improving for avocado growers too, although there are still more people thinking of pulling out trees than planting up, with some avo growers switching to gold kiwifruit instead.

It's been soggy underfoot in Waikato too. A farm consultant near Morrinsville has tipped out 220mm of water from the rain gauge over the past month - totally "unbelievable".

He said it's "the wettest July" he can remember. It's no good for calving, and most dairy farmers are in the thick of that at the moment. It's been "tough going" for farmers who get up and come home in the dark, but most are "used to being in wet weather gear", he said.

The wet weather has also led to pugging and some pasture damage. It's been "cold and unpleasant" over the past week, but things are fining up, he hopes.

Calving is also in "full swing" for those in Taranaki.

They have had good pasture growth, though it has slowed down over the past two weeks with cold, dry days, frosts and lots of snow on the mountain.

Most cows have wintered well, according to our farmer contact and staffing levels are generally pretty good across the region. The costs of inputs are still "stubbornly" high, but most farmers are in a "pretty good mood" with the good milk price.

Our farmer's mind is on the upcoming local body elections.

East Coast-Te Tai Rāwhiti has also been battling wet conditions, which have turned everything into "bogholes".

A farmer inland from Gisborne said he's had 220mm of rainfall this July, but others in Motu have had up to 350mm off the back of 320mm in June.

He almost reckons a good drought is needed to dry things out.

Hill country farms have been stock-set, meaning less time outdoors, thankfully. Most are busy with lambing, and next month will be calving.

All in all, he said it's a "pretty quiet time for Gisborne farmers" and the mood is still positive. He's also thinking about local elections and wondering what rural representation will look like.

It's a different story in Hawke's Bay, where dry, cool conditions have made for "brilliant" pasture utilisation.

A Bridge Pa farmer said he's had about 60mm of rain, which is about average, but it comes on the back of a dry few months. Stock dams are getting a bit low, and pasture cover is a bit tight on the hills, but recovery should be okay.

Lambing hasn't started just yet for most, but the good weather brings hope for good survival rates - he said farmers need every lamb they can get these days.

In the vineyards, winter pruning is going full bore.

There's been a good run of frosts. The winter chill is especially good for stone fruit crops. It's been a tough season for arable farmers, especially those without storage facilities.

There have also been a few frosts in Manawatū.

The dry makes it easy to get around the farm. It has slowed pasture growth, though. Dairy farmers are flat out picking up calves, but it's too early for lambs for most in the hill country. Farmer confidence keeps notching up, driven by rising product prices.

In Wairarapa, soil temperatures had been about a degree higher than normal but dropped right back after last week's frosts.

It's drier than normal for the middle of winter, pasture cover is getting low, and farmers are hunkering down. One farmer said early lambs are hitting the ground and doing well.

Overall, most farmers are feeling comfortable with feed levels, and things are "ticking along nicely". He said the mood is pretty good, as are conditions.

Horowhenua growers have also been battling frosts - about seven in a row, one grower said. It's left some of the winter greens, including lettuce, looking "a little worse for wear". He said it's also been a very wet winter with north of 200mm recorded.

Across Cook Strait, Te Moana-o-Raukawa to Tasman and a farmer caught up in floods in the Motueka Valley said the second event left more logs and trash across the farm.

Her cattle are okay, though, and she's been buying in extra feed as some paddocks are covered in silt. Volunteers continue to help clear debris off damaged fences, and she said strangers have been dropping off boxes of food.

A hill country farmer near Blenheim in Marlborough was break-feeding cattle and ewes carrying twins when we called.

He said he's recorded 420mm in the rain gauge for July. That's close to the yearly average of 550mm. With so much moisture in the ground, he reckons it could be the best spring ever for grass growth.

Pre-lamb shearing for merino ewes is underway, but it's stop-start due to the wet weather. Scanning results have come in at 140 percent - down about 10 percent on last year.

He puts this down to the harsh autumn.

Set stocking for lambing is about two weeks away, but early lambing is about to start on lower coastal properties. The farmer was pleased to say cattle prices are up a whopping 53 percent from this time last year.

Lamb prices are buoyant too at $10.20 a kilogram. In vineyards, bud burst is just a few weeks away, so RSE workers are full steam ahead with pruning.

Dairy farmers on the West Coast are getting milk sheds ready and gearing up for calving.

The farmer we talked to at Ross said on some farms, early calving's already underway, and a milk tanker was spotted on the road yesterday. He started using virtual fencing technology on his dairy herd this winter.

The cow collars enable farmers to remotely shift stock and monitor the cows' health. He said it's been a game-changer and saves at least 40 labour hours a week, now that the cows can be controlled from his phone.

In Canterbury-Waitaha, winter grazing animals are heading home after what has been overall a pretty wet winter. A handful of paddocks have been cultivated, ready for spring-sown cereals.

Local arable farmers have been watching the debate about expensive butter from the sidelines. Our contact said wheat's facing similar challenges - but in an opposite way. It's a commodity traded globally like butter, but prices are low, impacting arable farm profits.

Pre-lamb shearing is in full swing in Central Otago. Our contact at Oturehua said the wool clip is looking tremendous and the sheep are in good order.

The farmer, who also loves the sport of curling, said the Idaburn dam had 50mm of ice last Friday - okay for ice-skating - but not thick enough for curling.

Curling teams did get on the natural ice dam at Naseby, though.

The recent weather's been amazing for a farmer near Gore in Murihiku - Southland.

There have been lots of frosts but not too much rain, so conditions under-hoof have firmed up nicely. Early calving's underway on dairy farms, while sheep farmers are getting ready to do pre-lamb drenching and vaccinating.

Some people have started ripping up winterfeed paddocks in preparation for cultivation, and farm hedges are getting trimmed. All in all, there are good amounts of feed on hand, excellent stock prices and kinder than usual weather.

We're told farmers in the region are in good spirits.

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