Displaying items by tag: dry

While drought conditions persist in many parts of the country, some irrigating farmers are coping well, says IrrigationNZ.

Three more dairy companies – Miraka, Open Country and Westland – are reporting milk flows dipping as dry weather starts to affect grass growth and production, despite reasonable rain in many places in the past week.

The countryside is drying markedly in Waikato, though some areas that got recent rain are holding on. This may mean the third dry summer in a row for many areas, and this, with the poor payout, is putting pressure on some farmers.

For the second year in a row the West Coast is drying out, causing a drop in the milk flow to Westland Milk Products.

A slump in farmer confidence has seen Federated Farmers' new-season 2015 Farm Confidence Survey move further into negative territory.

Early arrival of the dry period in the lower North Island has ‘subdued’ sales of store lambs in the past week or so.

We're past the halfway mark of the season. While we hope for a ‘normal’ summer where ‘the average rain’ will fall each month, we are mindful that decisions made within the next few months can impact milk production and herd reproduction for next season.

Federated Farmers believes that if the government made a medium-scale adverse event declaration for some South Island provinces, it would give support to famers, which is more emotional than financial.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy met with local farmers near Ashburton yesterday and says that dry conditions are a concern.

Farmers need to act now if they are to cope with the effects of a predicted drought in Canterbury, Lincoln University experts say.