increase font size
Andrew Reid.
Northland and some upper regions of Waikato are highest on the radar for concern about summer dry, says Andrew Reid, DairyNZ’s general manager, extension.
Lack of moisture but also the unrelenting wind are drying the pastures so farmers in those regions are very conscious of what the rest of the season will hold for them, Reid says.
“That doesn’t seem to be so much the case for the rest of the country though,” Reid told Dairy News. “Temperatures slightly back from where we would normally find them and good rainfall over spring means the lack of rain over the last month has had less impact than we would have expected.
“Certainly Northland is the area of greatest concern for us.
“For those farmers who are concerned about what to do, we have local consulting officers they can refer to, or our website where we have fact sheets to help inform farmers what their options are.”
Taranaki seems to be faring well and so does most of the South Island, Reid says.
“It is particularly the Northland region that seems to be getting hammered by the lack of rain over the last month or so.”
This is typical of the middle of summer and most farmers would have planned for this dry period. The areas prone to dry are Northland, Hawkes Bay, Wairarapa and some parts of Canterbury.
From most reports from around the country they would define the season as “pretty typical” so far.
He expects pasture growth to be down on normal for this time of year due to lower soil temperatures, coupled with lack of moisture.
He says one of DairyNZ’s regional team pointed out that due to the wet spring less supplement was harvested. That means there is less of a buffer for farmers to feed out to stock if they get short of feed later in the season.
Fortunately there is a lot of kikuyu in Northland and it thrives in the dry weather so that will be helping farmers in those regions.
Production will definitely be down this year due to the destocking last year and also less feed going into the cows.
DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.
As an independent review of the National Pest Management Plan for TB finds the goal of complete eradication by 2055 is still valide, feedback is being sought on how to finish the job.
DairyNZ has pulled together tactics that will help farmers improve on-farm efficiency and have positive benefits for the environment. These tactics are based on research, data, and lessons from leading farmers.
The design and construction of an effective dairy effluent system is a complex process.
After serving three as a DairyNZ director, Waikato farmer Chris Lewis is ready for another term.
NZPork has appointed Auckland-based Paul Bucknell as its new chair.
The Government claims to have delivered on its election promise to protect productive farmland from emissions trading scheme (ETS) but red meat farmers aren’t happy.
Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.
OPINION: Should cows in NZ be microchipped?
OPINION: Legislation being drafted to bring back the controversial trade of live animal exports by sea is getting stuck in the…
