18 Oct 2019

Regional Wrap

From On the Farm, 9:05 pm on 18 October 2019
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Photo: supplied William Morrison

In Northland it's been an exceptional week in terms of pasture growth on the back of some good rain. Growth rates have doubled and farmers have been able to stop feeding out as much. Quite a number of farmers have shut paddocks for silage. Cropping is underway after being a bit delayed because of the wet soil. More rape is being planted although farmers are also planting turnips and chicory. Mating has started and the consultant we speak to says it's important farmers have a well trained team, and that tail paint is touched up each week.

A perfect sunny Sunday last weekend in Pukekohe was the prelude to a short storm for the start of the week when heavy rain and gale force winds moved southward over the region. It was all over by Wednesday and calmer gloomy conditions returned with a little sunlight early on Friday  as it signalled a return to more rain. Some wind damage will have occurred in exposed spots, especially to the foliage of sensitive crops. Overall, spring growth is steady but would benefit from more sunlight.

It's been a mixed week in Waikato, extremely windy at the start and there's been a lot of rain. A little bit of silage is being made. Crops are starting to go in to the ground too. Milk production has peaked and mating is underway. It's a busy time of year.  The September and October payments for dairy farmers have been reasonally good, so that's some positive news.

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Photo: RNZ/Carol Stiles

The sun was out in Bay of Plenty when we rang although they have had a fair bit of rain for this time of year and it's been relatively cool too. They're growing just enough grass but it would be lovely to have more sun. Kiwifruit is just in that pause between bud break and flowering. It's just been a bit hard to get out on the orchard with all the rain but this week is looking better. Pollination is a few weeks away. Zespri has updated their forecast on the May harvest and prices are slightly stronger, with gold going up 20 cents a tray to about $11.30  and green up 20 cents to $6.50.

In King Country farmers have been struggling to get jobs done this spring. They just haven't been able to get out in the wet weather. It's mid season for docking for the majority of farmers. Those that lamb early are trying to shear and dag.  Lamb survival has been OK given the conditions earlier on. There hasn't been a high percentage of twins and triplets because of the difficult autumn and summer. Farmers are feeling terrible because of so much negativity around farming. They're just trying to get on with the job and don't even want to raise their heads. One well respected dairy farmer said he tells people he farms angora goats to avoid the sideways looks,

Our contact in Taranaki was enjoying a mild northerly breeze on Friday morning.  It's been a showery week and farmers have been trying to get maize planted when they can. While the coastal areas are OK for feed, the mid and high country are a bit short and farmers are feeding out with silage. It's the mating period for herds. The freshwater accord is causing a lot of grief. It's going to cost farmers tens of thousands to fence, with a substantial loss of land to boot. Our contact says farmers are used to keeping an eye out for each other in stressful times.

Anaura Bay, Gisborne.

Anaura Bay, Gisborne. Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson

A farmer south of Gisborne says it's been a very wet week. They're in the middle of sowing maize but, because of the rain, it's been difficult. They've had up to five weeks of wet weather which has slowed up cultivation. Mind you it's good in the long run for water storage.

Orchardists are madly trying to get fungicides on in Hawkes Bay but it's been tricky because 100 millimetres of rain has fallen on Heretaunga Plains this week. The usual spring dump of rain has come later this year and coincided with the apple bloom which opens fruit up to black spot in particular. The choppers are booked up for spraying and boggy orchards are making it difficult to get jobs done.

It's wet without being sodden in Wairarapa. The farmer we speak to was in his shirtsleeves in the warmth and waiting to hear about the prices he'd get for his store lambs today. He was expecting between $130 and $140 dollars a lamb compared to about $115 dollars last year. He told us later he gained a top price of $160. The wet weather means it's been slow getting crops in. Just five percent of seed is in the ground compared to 80 percent this time last year.

The CSIRO-Intel project uses tiny radio frequency identification tags that are placed on the bees’ backs.

In the Nelson/Motueka region bees are busy Photo: CSIRO

In the Nelson/Motueka region bees are busy pollinating apple, pears and nashi trees. It's been showery so apple growers are busy spraying for black spot and powdery mildew while mowers are out in force keeping the grass down. Commercial peony picking's underway with the first blooms going into the local market. The picking season lasts about six weeks.
 
Conditions in Marlborough have been going from cold to wet and wet to cold, so it's not been ideal for lamb tailing, but it's just about done now on the flats while on high country farms there are still more to tail. Farmers are doing a lot of direct drilling at the moment. Feed crops are going in and maize too. In vineyards younger plants are being trained, spraying to protect vines against fungal diseases continues, irrigation systems are being made ready for summer and most of  RSE workers who were pruning over winter have now gone home.

A farmer up the Grey Valley on the West Coast says the grass is finally starting to grow after what's been a cool and wet early spring. Tte cows are doing all right though with milk production about on par with last year. Peak flow should be reached in three weeks' time.

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Photo: RNZ / Cosmo Kentish-Barnes

Canterbury's had another variable week of weather with only a couple of good days in which to get on the tractor. When the weather is OK farmers and contractors are working around the clock to try and keep up with the work ahead of them. Feed levels remain tight. On Saturday Leeston hosts the Ellesmere show. It's the largest single day A&P show in New Zealand.

Central Otago's had a good dose of rain and a couple of fine days this week so the grass is shooting out of the ground. Lambing's underway on high country fine wool properties, while further down, crossbred lamb marking or tailing's in full swing. There's a lot of tractor work going on with summer brassicas going in and oats being sown for supplementary winter feed.

Talk of new farming regulations is worrying many Southland farmers and stress levels are going up. The sun's appeared this week though and feeling that warmth on the back is helping to lift people's spirits. A farmer at Waimahaka says the ground's finally dry enough to aerate paddocks to stop pugging.  Dairy-wise mating's due to start soon but  he says milk production's slowed down because of the last few weeks of cold and wet weather and a lack of quality grass. On sheep farms some winter -or 12 month old - lambs have been going to the works at 20 plus kilos, so good weights. Tailing's underway on spring lambs.