Dry weather classification expands to North Island
The dry weather in some parts of the North Island has received medium-scale adverse event classification from the Government.
“It's just a bitch.” That’s how one farmer in Hawke’s Bay summed up the drought that is affecting much of the region.
Rural professionals say the actual drought is worse now than it was a year ago. AgFirst’s Lochie MacGillivray says there is concern now in some areas about the lack of water for stock with streams not flowing and dams dry. He says very badly hit is Porangahau, on the coast south east of Hastings.
“The poor buggers – they missed out on the November rainfall, they got no spring and they only briefly got past the stress point for soil moisture in September,” he told Rural News. “They need a lot of rain to get back to normal soil moisture levels and that seems unlikely in the coming weeks,” he says.
MacGillivray says stock water is becoming a scarce commodity in that area and in Northern Hawke’s Bay it’s been ugly. He says north of Napier, the hills are looking green, but unfortunately for them it’s been a slow autumn.
The local Rural Advisory Group (RAG) has been meeting to monitor the situation and Rural Support Trust has also been conducting a survey to determine the worst hit areas. MacGillivray says he’s not aware of farmers having problems getting stock killed at this stage, but truck drivers have told him they are flat out moving stock to other regions in the west not affected by the drought.
DairyNZ North Island lead consulting officer, Rob Brazendale, agrees that the actual drought is worse than the one a year ago. He says last year it rained in mid-April and May with the result that there was a flush of pasture growth.
“But it’s starting to get cooler and we are probably not going to get the big flush of pasture growth that we had last year, even if it rains,” he told Rural News.
“The good thing to balance that is that we had a decent spring and farmers were able to conserve more feed and have better stocks of supplement,” he says.
Brazendale says despite the dry conditions, most dairy farmers in the region are continuing to milk on as the milk price is good and, unlike last year, supplements are available and at a reasonable price.
He says, at this stage, he’s not aware of any herds being dried off.
Fonterra has cemented its position as the country’s number one cheesemaker by picking up nine NZ Champion of Cheese trophies this year.
New Zealand dairy processors are welcoming the Government’s commitment to continuing to push for Canada to honour its trade commitments.
An educational programme, set up by Beef + Land New Zealand, to connect farmers virtually with primary and intermediate school students has reported the successful completion of its second year.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has welcomed a resolution adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to declare 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer.
Waikato herd health veterinarian Katrina Roberts is the 2024 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year.
Horticulture NZ chief executive Nadine Tunley will step down in August.
OPINION: The new government has clearly signalled big cuts across the public service.
OPINION: Your canine crusader is not surprised by the recent news that New Zealand plant-based ‘fake meat’ business is in…