Saturday, March 30, 2024

Northland, Hawke’s Bay drying out

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Soil moisture deficits have very quickly become acute in Northland after almost no rain across the province since November.
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Rural professional Aaron Baker, of Total Ag, Kerikeri, said his dairy clients were 5-10% down in milk production this month compared with last January, when it rained heavily, and many were now thinking of once-a-day or 16-hour milking.

Those with the financial ability were buying palm kernel to prolong milk yields.

Soil moisture deficits of 120mm to 150mm were widespread across Northland and there was no forecast or expectation that would be remedied soon, Baker said.

Northland Regional Council has published a map of the rainfall figures for December showing most of the region received between 30% and 40% of the median rainfall while eastern districts from Whangaroa Harbour to Bream Bay received 10% to 20%.

There had been little to no rain in the east since Christmas Day and only 2mm in the west around Dargaville. Whangarei received 7mm in the past 30 days and the dairying district of Waipu only 2-3mm.

Lack of rain in December occurred last season too but was followed by a wet January and February, with up to 200% of median in both months.

Sheep and beef farmers responded to the El Nino prediction last summer by destocking, only to find themselves overwhelmed with grass, kikuyu especially, leading to subsequent control and quality issues.

This year there was no such forecast and land turned from wet to very dry quickly, with strong drying winds, catching farmers unawares.

Rural Support Trust co-ordinator Julie Jonker said heavily indebted dairy farmers, especially sharemilkers, had been counting on the much better milk payout to recover from two miserable seasons.

“Now, to find that milk production is being hammered through drought is a big disappointment.”

Fonterra Farm Source head in Northland, Eric Morrison, said farmers were telling him it was getting dry and milk production was falling.

The situation this season was in stark contrast to last season when summer and autumn rain enabled good silage tonnages and they would be helping supplementary feeding now.

In Hawke’s Bay rain during summer had been very patchy and never enough to improve soil moisture and grow grass, AgriHQ livestock market analyst Mel Croad said.

“The dry conditions are not unexpected in January but they have been very localised with Wairarapa and Gisborne in better shape than Hawke’s Bay.

“We have had some falls of 10-15mm but weeks of westerly winds have dried out soils quickly, followed by 30 degree days and no forecast of any rain during the rest of January.

“Hawke’s Bay is worse off than last year when we had the El Nino predictions but this year there was no forecast for which farmers could make plans.

“Many farms will still be under-stocked, which will buffer the dry conditions somewhat.”

Store lambs had sold through Stortford Lodge saleyards at the lowest prices for three years.

“The buying power has been zapped in Hawke’s Bay,” she said.

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