Rain hit the region in the early hours of Wednesday morning and continued throughout the day.
Waikato Federated Farmers president Andrew McGiven got 5-6mm overnight and others in Hauraki and Raglan had similar downpours.
While it was hugely welcome at least 30mm was needed to reduce soil deficits across the region, he said.
“Soil moisture deficits are at 130mm plus so, ultimately, if we can get a good 25-30mm today and a follow-up of something similar in five or six days time it would be perfect.”
He might get his wish with more showers forecast for early next week.
The rain in Waikato Regional Council’s 23 gauges ranged from zero at Castle Rock on the Coromandel Peninsula to 10mm at Hauturu and 15mm at Waitanguru, west of Te Kuiti.
Another positive was the rain coinciding with warm temperatures to help regrow pastures. And it was light enough to soak into dry, hard soil, he said.
The dry weather prompted Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor to declare an adverse event on February 28, unlocking $80,000 in Government support for farmers and growers. An adverse event was declared for Northland and North Auckland earlier that month.
It has forced farmers to dive into winter reserves to bridge feed deficits and get through till the end of the milking season, McGiven said.
“A lot of the maize coming out was meant for winter and spring and they are getting straight into that. It could potentially be importing a problem forward a bit if we have a harsh winter and a harsh spring.
“The implication is that it could have an impact on next season’s production and next season’s cow condition. Instead of having a hole in the feed budget now there will be a hole in August-October, which will have a greater impact on next year’s season because it’s around the start of peak production.”
While the $7 milk payout has given farmers a useful buffer to buy feed, farmers have to balance that against debt repayments to the banks, he said.
Many dairy farmers with spring calving systems are on once-a-day milking and some are drying off some stock or culling where they can if space is available at their processor. Others, including McGiven, who run split calving systems are just about to begin autumn calving.
DairyNZ North Island team leader Sharon Morrell said farmers have to start thinking about the 2020-21 season.
“In all of the decision-making from here on, that needs to be the number one question: Does this decision protect next season?”
Repeatedly buying in feed could cause a spike in the milk’s fat evaluation index (FEI) as the pasture component of the cow’s diet shrinks and more palm kernel is used. That elevates the risk of the milk being graded.
Farmers using newly harvested maize now should check the quality of the crop before buying, she said.
“With people buying in maize the quality is looking quite variable because of the drought stress on the maize plants so it’s really important they test the crop they are purchasing so they know they know what they are paying for and so they know what they are feeding out.”
Morrell suggests farmers model scenarios looking at the impact bought-in feed has on their business and how long they can keep milking. If a portion of a herd is kept in-milk by using that feed then farmers can take advantage of any recovered pasture later in the season.
Fonterra on-farm excellence director Charlotte Rutherford said while the average FEI levels have increased in Northland and Waikato since Christmas they are in line with other dry parts of the country and there are no plans to lift the restrictions.
“Most farmers are continuing to manage their FEI levels well, despite the challenging conditions, by using blends, other supplementary feeds and by drying off lower-producing cows.
“We understand that conditions are particularly challenging in a number of areas, however, it’s during widespread dry times that our ability to dilute milk is made very difficult.”
