Wednesday, 11 January 2012 11:27

Weather woes hit award entrants

Written by 

Weather extremes across the country are presenting a new challenge for 2012 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards entrants.

The awards national executive chairman Matthew Richards says his Southland farm has gone 43 days without rain, something he is calling a dry spell.

In Northland, regional convener Murray Jamieson has had 730mm of rain since the beginning of December and has lush grass cover a foot high.

"We could easily milk another 100 to 150 cows – the only downside is the lack of sunshine hours which makes the grass low in ME (energy) and fibre. Production is up nearly 4% and grass growth ranges from 45 to 80kg DM per day. "We're very happy with our lot," Jamieson says.

In Southland, supplements are keeping milk production up.

Richards says the dry spell had not affected his milk production, as he was feeding out silage but those without supplement would be affected. He says good rain would change the situation in Southland quickly.

He says the weather conditions across the country would make it interesting for judges.

"It will be quite good to see how the entrants are managing the dry spell and I am sure there will be some managing it better than others. Likewise in the north, it will be interesting to see how some are managing the abundant feed to maximise production and costs.

"Regardless of the weather, judges treat all entrants the same by judging them on how they are managing the resources available to them. It's not about who has the highest milk production, but who is doing the best with what is available to them."

The New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards are supported by national sponsors Westpac, DairyNZ, Ecolab, Federated Farmers, Fonterra, Honda Motorcycles NZ, LIC, Meridian Energy, Ravensdown and RD1, along with industry partner AgITO.

Entrants in the New Zealand Sharemilker/Equity Farmer of the Year, New Zealand Farm Manager of the Year and New Zealand Dairy Trainee of the Year contests have been invited to information and sponsor evenings prior to judging. These begin on January 18.

The first regional winners will be announced at the end of February.

Visit www.dairyindustryawards.co.nz for more information on the awards.

More like this

Keeping a watch on dairy farms

OPINION: Dairy farmers are under increasing pressure to safeguard their livestock, equipment and operations from a range of security threats.

Inconvenient truth

OPINION: You would've missed this one if you rely on mainstream media for your news, but your old mate reckons credit should go where credit's due: Emissions by dairy cattle decreased by 1.6% according to the latest NZ Greenhouse Gas Inventory report.

Taranaki dairy farms saved by $10/kgMS payout

Only this season’s $10/kgMS bumper payout has saved some dairy farms along the Taranaki coast from absolute disaster due to the present drought – dubbed as one of the worst ever for some.

Featured

Editorial: Time for common sense

OPINION: The case of four Canterbury high country stations facing costly and complex consent hearing processes highlights the dilemma facing the farming sector as the country transitions into a replacement for the Resource Management Act (RMA).

National

Machinery & Products

Calf feeding boost

Advantage Plastics says it is revolutionising calf meal storage and handling, making farm life easier, safer, and more efficient this…

JD's precision essentials

Farmers across New Zealand are renowned for their productivity and efficiency, always wanting to do more with less, while getting…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Are they serious?

OPINION: The Greens aren’t serious people when it comes to the economy, so let’s not spend too much on their…

A hurry up!

OPINION: PM Chris Luxon is getting pinged lately for rolling out the old 'we're still a new government' line when…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter