increase font size
With Southland drenched and the West Coast battered by a second week of storms, Federated Farmers believes much of New Zealand's farmland has benefited from summer rain excepting Hawke's Bay and parts of Gisborne.
"While farmers were getting worried in the Waikato before Christmas, rain in the early part of 2013 has farmers more worried about facial eczema instead," says Katie Milne, Federated Farmers adverse events spokesperson.
"As a West Coaster, the rain we have received is in line with a neutral to weak El Nino and sums up the challenges of farming here. As a result of weather over spring, our dairy farmers reached peak milk several weeks later than usual.
"We have checked with our provincial presidents in areas we had concerns with. Both the northern South Island and Wairarapa received some welcome rain, but we are also aware how quickly dry hot weather can sap that from the ground.
"It seems to be enough to keep the wolves at bay for now.
"Taranaki got good Christmas rain but since then it has been patchy with rain for some and none for others. Right now, dry hot nor'westers are perhaps the big issue for the Taranaki and Canterbury, the latter even seeing some fires breaking out.
"The picture for Gisborne is spotty with some areas having rain but things are looking dry north of Tolaga Bay.
"On the negative side of the ledger after speaking to our president Bruce Wills, the Hawke's Bay seems to have missed out. The current dry spell contrasts with this time last year when the region had good rainfall.
"This lack of summer rain makes Hawke's Bay Regional Council's Ruataniwha Plains Water Storage Project vital. With surplus water also coming down rivers in Otago and Canterbury, It pretty much underlines why we need to capture it when we can.
"It is gutting to see electricity dams spilling water that only runs out to sea when our economy is hostage to the vagaries of summer rainfall. We need to make a conscious decision to trap and store rainfall while we have heaps of it, for use when we don't.
"As it stands right now, we seem to be okay as we approach mid-summer. If we had commercial water storage in place rather than tied up in planning, soil moisture would become less of an economic lottery," Milne says.
A rare weather double-whammy has seen many South Island farmers having to deal with unseasonal snow while still cut off from power supplies after an unprecedented windstorm.
OPINION: Recent media commentary from Southland Federated Farmers has raised concerns among our rural communities, particularly around Environment Southland’s approach to winter grazing inspections and nitrogen reporting. But let’s be clear, much of what’s been said simply doesn’t reflect reality.
OPINION: Environment Canterbury's (ECan) decision recently to declare a so-called “nitrate emergency” is laughable.
A shameless political stunt is how Federated Farmers is describing the Canterbury Regional Council decision to declare “a nitrate emergency” on the back of its latest annual groundwater quality survey.
Federated Farmers say Environment Canterbury's decision to declare a 'nitrate emergency' is a shameless political stunt that won't help anyone.
With the current situation in the European farm machinery market being described as difficult at best, it’s perhaps no surprise that the upcoming AgriSIMA 2026 agricultural machinery exhibition, scheduled for February 2026 at Paris-Nord Villepinte, has been cancelled.
The Meat Industry Association of New Zealand (MIA) has launched the first in-market activation of the refreshed Taste Pure Nature country-of-origin brand with an exclusive pop-up restaurant experience in Shanghai.
Jayna Wadsworth, daughter of the late New Zealand wicketkeeper Ken Wadsworth, has launched an auction of cricket memorabilia to raise funds for I Am Hope's youth mental health work.
As we move into the 2025/26 growing season, the Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA) reports that the third quarter results for the year to date is showing that the stagnated tractor market of the last 18 months is showing signs of recovery.
DairyNZ chair Tracy Brown is urging dairy farmers to participate in the 2026 Levy vote, to be held early next year.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) is calling for nominations for director roles in the Eastern North Island and Southern South Island electoral districts.
OPINION: Every time politicians come up with an investment scheme where they're going to have a crack at 'picking winners'…
OPINION: What are the unions for these days?
