On the Farm - a wrap of farming conditions around NZ

Cast ewes are keeping farmers on the lambing beat busy in Hawke's Bay and winter maintenance is much more pleasant with the sun peeking out on the West Coast.

In the Bay of Islands, the soil temperature is higher than usual so grass is growing at quite a pace - and that has led to good store prices for cattle. However, the high cost of feed for Friesian bull calves has put people off buying them to rear.

Around Pukekohe, by mid week, rain cleared to fine sunny weather.

In Waikato, farmers are also struggling to sell bobby calves so things are tricky with longer waiting times still an issue at the local freezing works. Pasture remains puggy underfoot and farmers say they do not want any more rain for some time as July had double the usual amount. But the sun shone later in the week and farmers expect low lying land to dry out. Some have started oversowing paddocks damaged by the wet. Cattle floundering in the mud has also taken its toll. Calving is flat out and farmers are working hard to look after their stock amid the on-going labour shortage.

In the Bay of Plenty near Te Puke, milk fever is an ongoing trial as cows were calving during grotty conditions.  Farmers have been putting supplements in drinking troughs to counter the problem but because there is so much surface water, cows haven't been drinking very much from them. But everyone is pleased there has been blue sky for some of the week and one farmer says he has had three sets of twins from his herd so far. Avocado trees in Katikati are sulking in the saturated ground and growers are concerned they may develop root rot. However, the fruit is looking good and batches will be harvested and exported in a couple of weeks.  

In the Gisborne region, farms are in clean-up mode. The wet weather has left slips and inaccessible roads. A river even changed its course - blocking off a farm in Ruatoria. Lambing is in full swing and the sun has also been out here this week, amid a few showers of rain. Crops of squash that had to be left to rot in the wet are being ploughed back into the ground and the next project is to prepare the paddocks for re-planting. The mandarin and orange season is nearly over and orchardists say they have got rather sick of slopping around in muddy conditions. The demand for locally grown lumber off-shore has led to an extra berth being built at the Gisborne port. It is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Further down the east coast in Hawke's Bay, traditional farmers are not impressed about the increasing number of forest blocks popping up. However, the wild deer are pleased as they leap over fences in places like Patoka and Puketitiri to gobble up the young trees. Quite a few ewes are getting cast and some farmers are doing their lambing beat a couple of times a day to get them back on their feet. The skies have been clear and paddocks are drying out.  Cattle are grazing pastures before the ewes are put on them so they don't get too fat and have bearings - or prolapses - as they lamb.

Wairarapa streams are running at full brim and water is even bubbling out of the ground in some places as the water table continues to peak. We know of one farmer who has had to kayak to the end of the drive to collect his groceries. Some farmers and viticulturists are annoyed they were not allowed to use diggers to remove excess metal and shingle clogging up streams and creeks over summer - because it has led to flooded paddocks which will need to be re-sown. Surface water is still visible in some parts of the region. Most vineyards have finished pruning and early buds are appearing and some of last year's wine that has been maturing in tanks is starting to be bottled.

On coastal Taranaki, it is a case of getting everyone in the family to help as calving is in full swing amid a labour shortage. Children and grandparents are chipping in to check on cows and calves as well as have a go at other general farm maintenance jobs. Calving is going well and the winter temperatures are pretty mild compared to some previous years.

In Horowhenua, there have been a few frosts followed by fine days - a relief for crop farmers who have not been able to plant broccoli and cauliflower because it has been so wet. It is likely to mean a shortage of veges in October and November. On top of that, trucks trying to transport harvested crops of broccoli, spring onions and lettuce have been getting stuck in mud. Crop farmers say the quality of those vegetables is poor. Cattle and sheep have also been causing muddier conditions as they graze in soggy paddocks. But as one farmer says "that's just the way it is and they are a resilient lot!"

Across the Cook Strait to Golden Bay where a farmer says all he has been doing is "focusing on that big round warm beautiful thing in the sky that I haven't seen for a few months!" The area has been having a week of frosts and enjoying some sunshine. Grass silage and hay have been in demand and a lot of feed has been used up. Calving is busy and lambing does not start for at least another month for many. A deer farmer says venison is fetching more than $8 a kilo which is pleasing after the drop during Covid. The rise is due to more people wining and dining again.

In Marlborough, grape growers are also pleased with the prices they are getting. There is high demand this season for contract grape growers. Pruning should be just about over and, like everyone else, vineyard owners are still finding it difficult getting machinery and tractors through muddy vineyards.    

On the West Coast, farmers are also seeing the sun for the first time in a few months. It has made winter maintenance jobs such as fencing more pleasant. Some dairy farmers have just started calving. Grass growth would be appreciated but farmers have plenty of supplements and silage on hand.  

Snow on Canterbury's upper plains set the scene for a very cold week. Temperatures have been low and in single digits most of the week with a cold air mass present. Farm maintenance continues, especially anything that can be done in the workshop where it is marginally warmer. Conditions for stock are arduous. Farmers holding last year's lambs to fatten and sell in spring are pleased about the decent prices being paid at the works and hope they will continue. Stock are on kale and green feed oats. The rain has meant crop farmers are behind with weed spraying.  When the paddocks dry out a little more, everyone will be busy on arable land getting paddocks ready for grains, potatoes and carrots. "We just keep going and we will come out the other end of it," says one farmer.

And in Southland, there have been some hard frosts and snow at quite low levels with cold temperatures but thankfully no wind. Ewes are being shorn amid continued low prices for wool. Lambing starts next month. Calving is well underway and the cows are munching their way through beet and swede fodder crops.