22 Jan 2014

Weather patterns pose new pressures

8:19 am on 22 January 2014

A Northland farmer battling dry conditions again this summer says changing weather patterns are putting new pressures on farmers.

John Blackwell, a sheep and beef farmer at Okahu, near Dargaville, said soil moisture levels in western areas of Northland were probably lower than they were this time last year, when the drought was taking hold.

Farmers in that area had traditionally relied on good spring rain to set them up for summer but it had been dry since October, repeating an emerging pattern which could force changes in farming practices.

"I still have quite a few sheep but the problem with them is that I need to have green feed through the spring, and our springs are shocking," Mr Blackwell said.

"We're growing less grass in spring than we are in winter. So it's looking like my ewes are probably not feasible any more."

Bulls were fine as they could lighten up as the feed ran out but breeding stock tended to increase stocking rates over the spring period, which traditionally was a good thing because more grass grew then than any other season, he said.

"But now, things are quite different. Out of the last four to five years, there would only be one where we'd say we had a good summer, and that was three years ago."

Northland Rural Support Trust co-ordinator Julie Jonker said it was keeping a watch on areas which are drying out but some eastern areas of Northland, such as the Bay of Islands and Kerikeri, were in great shape.