increase font size
Cropping farmers have had to put up with an unusually wet start to summer.
Richard Porter, who farms 500ha at St Andrews, south of Timaru, told Rural News his wheat was “looking fantastic” a month ago, but he is now struggling with fusarium brought on by the wet.
Peas on heavy land are also having problems with wet feet, he said, quipping that he is now “reasonably pessimistic”.
“They won’t be harvested for another month yet, but just looking at them I can tell already that some aren’t looking very good.”
Porter’s neighbour, Miles Anderson, said the wet November and December resulted in such boggy paddocks that he had to use a neighbour’s tracked header to get a winter barley crop in.
“Otherwise I’d be waiting for weeks. I know a lot of people on the heavier country are having trouble harvesting their barley because of the ground conditions.”
With adverse weather set to rain down on the Top of the South, the Bay of Plenty and parts of Northland, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says farmers, foresters, and growers need to prepare for possible challenges.
Rural Communities Minister Mark Patterson says the present weather conditions remain challenging for farmers.
While it has been a great spring and summer for farmers, soil moisture levels in the Waikato are now plummeting as the dry February starts to bite.
A review into the Wairoa flooding event on 26 June 2024 has found the flood was caused by a combination of factors leading to the river backing up and overflowing.
There’s more state support available for North Canterbury farmers impacted by the ongoing drought.
The National Wild Goat Hunting Competition has removed 33,418 wild goats over the past three years.
New Zealand needs a new healthcare model to address rising rates of obesity in rural communities, with the current system leaving many patients unable to access effective treatment or long-term support, warn GPs.
Southland farmers are being urged to put safety first, following a spike in tip offs about risky handling of wind-damaged trees
Third-generation Ashburton dairy farmers TJ and Mark Stewart are no strangers to adapting and evolving.
When American retail giant Cosco came to audit Open Country Dairy’s new butter plant at the Waharoa site and give the green light to supply their American stores, they allowed themselves a week for the exercise.
Fonterra chair Peter McBride says the divestment of Mainland Group is their last significant asset sale and signals the end of structural changes.
OPINION: Your old mate welcomes the proposed changes to local government but notes it drew responses that ranged from the reasonable…
OPINION: A press release from the oxygen thieves running the hot air symposium on climate change, known as COP30, grabbed your…
