Hawke's Bay has had good weather for flowering vineyards. A dairy farmer at Edendale in Southland says grass is shooting out of the ground after 30 millimetres of rain this week.
Listen to On the Farm to hear more about conditions on the land this week
Something quite unfamiliar has hit Northland - sunshine. It is still incredibly wet underfoot and our contact isn't putting all his hope in the sunshine lasting just yet, however he is thankful that he's said goodbye to spring as it was the most disappointing he's had in a long time.
Although this week officially indicates the start of summer, around Pukekohe, the last few days have not been summer-like. Mid-week squally showers have again hindered work activities. Irrigation has not been necessary but a few consecutive days of fine sunny weather would be welcome.
The Waikato River reflects a wet week in the region Photo: RNZ/Leah Tebbutt
There's only one word for the conditions in Waikato this week - wet. Maize crops are flooded and turnip crops are under water in some places. One farmer has about 30 hectares of maize to replant as the flooding has killed the plant. Our contact says he's measured 137 millimetres of rain in two weeks. He was talking from the tractor as he began work on cutting silage - it should have been done a couple of weeks ago but it started raining and didn't stop. A tornado also went through Paeroa this week, lifting roofs and bringing trees and power lines down.
Grass has been growing reasonably well in King Country but more sunshine please Photo: RNZ / Sally Round
When we called Bay of Plenty the sun, unexpectedly, was shining and there was no wind. It comes after two days of rain taking November rainfall to just over 300 millimetres. Our contact says if December has normal rainfall, the year's total will be 2.6 metres of rain - the second wettest year he's ever had with the record being 2.7 metres. There is lots of grass around and our farmer says he hopes to get into silage making in a few days, the latest he has ever done it. On the orchard, pollination of gold kiwifruit is about finished, with the green proving a bit difficult. Crops are said to be lower this coming season.
Taumaranui, King Country, has had the wettest November our contact has ever recorded in his 40 years - 240 millimetres of rain. Grass has been growing reasonably well, but needs more sunshine to harden up. It seems to be going through the stock very quickly. Young sheep are also needing some vitamin D to perk them up. The lack of it has slowed down their growth rate. Lambs are finishing slower than normal and the advice is to book in a slot at the works as they battle with worker shortages.
It's been pretty pleasant in Taranaki despite quite a few showers. Rainfall has got the grass growing but it's been challenging for those needing to get silage off. Some small gaps in the weather have meant some farmers have been able to make a start and keep their nose in front. Fewer workers and weather conditions have held up getting the summer crops in, however stock conditions are good.
A bit of sunshine, heavy rain and even hail around Gisborne has meant a messy spring for growers Photo: RNZ/Carol Stiles
There has been unsettled weather in Gisborne for the past two weeks now with some real extremes - a bit of sunshine, heavy rain and even hail. Our contact says it's been a horrible long spring in terms of getting anything done ... nothing disastrous, but quite messy. The planting period for seasonal crops has been mixed which will have an impact on flows and timings of the first third of summer crops. Our contact says he is hoping to have good supply but, if anything, it won't be tidy.
Hawke's Bay has had good weather for flowering vineyards. A few thundering showers passed through but there has been nice warm weather with a fair amount of breeze. The fine weather is also helping with fertilisation. Flowers on the vines are looking healthy, although too early to tell how the season's crop might be. Work on the vineyards is all go - wires are being put in place to get the canopy nice, tidy and upright. Shoot thinning has also started in some places, which is rather early, but the wet and warm weather has given the vines everything they need.
Manawatū is drying out rather than getting wetter. Grass is growing well and getting ahead of what stock are needing at this point. Lambs need a bit more sunshine. Summer crops went in rather early in the region, which in the end was good, considering the rainfall over the past two weeks. Now most crops are looking well established.
It's been continually raining in Wairarapa. Our contact says if he didn't have any more rain for the next ten days, he'd be quite happy and be able to get some work done. Farmers are busy weaning and shearing - a heartache for many with falling wool prices. Feed quality should be good for the next eight to 12 weeks.
Over the Cook Strait to the Nelson region ... continued unsettled weather happening right as pastures have gone to seed has presented challenges for a Golden Bay dairy farmer. Feed quality has gone down very quickly and they're trying to manage production as best they can. It's dropped about 10 percent in the space of a couple of weeks and they're bridging with supplements. Still they're up four percent on the season, mating's gone well and he's fully staffed, so he's counting his lucky stars. They'll reset the grass with the mower and are thankful for cooler nights this week and reguaalr rain. Everyone's thinning on apple orchards.
Growth in vineyards has been prolific this spring Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
An inch of rain mainly from the south this week has kept things ticking over nicely on a hill country farm in Marlborough. Normally they'd be browning off by now. Lambs are being weaned and a lot of export beef has gone off farm. The store lamb market is very average - down $30 a head on last season. Killing space at the works is still a big challenge. Beef prices are very good and a lot of export beef has gone off farm. In vineyards, growth is prolific and no one needs to irrigate. Winegrowers can't afford to slacken off keeping on top of powdery mildew and botrytis this year. Flowering's just around the corner and workers are busy wire lifting, bud rubbing and foliage spraying.
It's been a showery and colder that usual week on the West Coast, says a farmer up the Grey Valley. He has cultivated paddocks waiting to be sown with winter crops but it's too muddy for the tractor. Luckily he made heaps of silage before the wet weather arrived and thanks to some excellent grass growth, the early silage paddocks are already coming back into to the feed round. Cows are okay, he says, and milk production levels are catching up, but still behind what they were last year.
A wet couple of weeks in Canterbury has soil moisture levels full and finally they're getting a spring flush of grass growth. Temperatures remain cool and stock production, whether it be milk or meat, is behind normal. Some sun and warmth would be nice, says out contact at Hororata.
A peony seller in Central Otago tempts travellers to stop Photo: RNZ/Sally Round
Like elsewhere, it's been a wet couple of weeks in Central Otago interspersed with some blue bird days and peonies are looking a picture on road-side stalls. Some farmers haven't been able to do the first cut of hay and baleage as it hasn't been dry enough. Lamb marking's done and percentages are good but they're starting to scour or get messy around the tail due the persistent wet weather. There's a lot of feed around so cattle are putting on good weight.
A dairy farmer at Edendale in Southland says grass is shooting out of the ground after 30 millimetres of rain this week. It's put a spanner in the works in terms of making baleage though. He's got 40 hectares of pasture waiting to be cut, baled and wrapped. Mating's gone well and cows are in excellent condition. Currently, his herd is producing about 2.2 kilograms of milk solids per cow and production is up 4 percent to date on last year with fewer cows.