increase font size
Earl Worsfold unloads peas after harvesting.
Green gold is flowing around New Zealand as this summer's harvest gets underway.
With pea pods popping in the 30 degree Canterbury heat, Greendale farmer Earl Worsfold hopes this will be a good season for farmers.
Worsfold was harvesting 20ha of blue peas near Darfield last week, destined for Indian food markets. He says at the moment crops on drylands farms appear to be a bit more advanced than those with irrigation.
As the dry weather stretches on he predicts those with water will do better than those without.
With the wells already dry on the 360ha Worsfold family farm they are hoping for rain in the coming weeks to tide them over to winter.
As shareholders in the Central Plains Water scheme the Worsfolds are eagerly awaiting the completion of its second stage, which will bring a consistent water supply to their farm.
Federated Farmers Arable representative for North Canterbury Alan Harvey says the harvest has started with the drylands farms harvesting first, but he reckons it is too early to predict yields.
With about 75% of NZ's pea crop grown in Canterbury and close to 70% of all crops in NZ grown across 140,000ha in Canterbury, everyone from farmers to economists will be watching to see how much production is affected by the prolonged dry spell.
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.
Farmers want the Government to scrap controversial freshwater rules that "put river spirits and ideology ahead of practical water use", says Federated Farmers board member Mark Hooper.
OPINION: Public pressure has led to Canterbury Police rightly rolling back its proposed restructure that would have seen several rural police stations closed in favour of centralised hubs.
When I interview Rachel Cox, she is driving - on her way to her next meeting.
With Fonterra's UHT plant at its Edendale site less than a year from completion, demand continues to grow for products the plant will produce, such as Anchor Whipping Cream.
A new $50,000 scholarship fund designed to support and empower women in the New Zealand dairy industry through leadership development has been launched.
Many farmers around the country are taking advantage of the high dairy payout to get maximum production out of their cows.
In 2015, the signing of a joint venture between St Peter's School, Cambridge, and Lincoln University saw the start of an exciting new chapter for Owl Farm as the first demonstration dairy farm in the North Island. Ten years on, the joint venture is still going strong.
OPINION: Ageing lefty Chris Trotter reckons that the decision to delay recognition of Palestinian statehood is more than just a fit…
OPINION: A mate of yours truly recently met someone at a BBQ who works at a big consulting firm who spent…
