Most of the south has since spring been cooler and wetter than usual with cultivation and harvesting six to eight weeks behind.
NIWA data shows average January temperatures in the south almost 2C below average and that most of the South Island recorded more than 50% more rain than average in December.
Forecaster Maria Augutis says the unsettled weather is caused by the prevalence of southwesterly weather being pushed on to the south as high-pressure systems in spring and early summer were locked over Australia.
And southern stratospheric warming created higher pressure over Antarctica that moved lower-pressure systems over New Zealand.
Last year Invercargill recorded 150mm more rain than average and its average annual temperature for the year was about 1C cooler.
The rest of the south had average rainfall and slightly lower temperatures though spring and early summer were decidedly cool and wet.
Meat companies report a slow start to the year in the south with the processing season yet to kick in to gear.
Southland agricultural contractor Daryl Thomson says cultivation and harvesting are six to eight weeks behind where he planned to be.
“It’s been very challenging.”
Usually by Christmas farmers are planning their second cut of silage but many are still waiting for their first.
“We’ve virtually missed a round of harvesting prior to Christmas and it is hit and miss after Christmas whether they will get it.”
A lack of sunshine is affecting the quality of regrowth on paddocks that have been harvested and crops planted have struggled or parts of paddocks are waterlogged.
Wyndham farmer Dean Rabbidge says after weaning drafts lambs have not grown out as usual.
“If you didn’t get a weaning draft away then you’re not getting much away after it.”
Rabbidge can’t recall the last day it didn’t rain in Southland but unlike other years temperatures have been cooler than usual, affecting pasture and livestock performance.
He has made balage because it had reached the stage where it had to be cut but the quality was poor.
Pourakino dairy farmer David Diprose says other than a lower-than-usual seasonal peak his milk production is as expected.
His cows are on top of any grass growth, which is helping to maintain quality and production but left little surplus.
Diprose says the sowing of crops on his coastal Southland property is at least a month late.
Agribusiness Consultants principal Ivan Lines says as grass growth has fallen away some dairy farmers have turned to concentrates to maintain production and cow condition.
Unless average temperatures increase in the next few weeks farmers face some tough decisions as they prepare for autumn.
“February is the key date to think about cow condition rather than cow production.”
Silver Fern Farms supply chain manager Dan Boulton says stock flows in October-November were lower than expected because of poor lamb growth in the early regions of the East Coast, Canterbury and Marlborough.
The situation is worst in the south.
“Southern lamb volumes have been very slow with many farmers not supplying their traditional, normal, first weaning draft in December or taking only a small skim draft of lambs, and lambs weaned to pasture have struggled in their first weeks.”
Boulton says while SFF has met orders the slow season has delayed by a week the recruitment of extra shifts at plants.
The southern lamb season is still running late and unless the weather improves lambs could be sold to Canterbury as stores.
Alliance livestock and shareholder services manager Danny Hailes says lambs were slow to finish, meaning processing through its southern South Island plants is keeping up with demand.
The co-operative is operating overtime at its Lorneville plant near Invercargill.
NIWA forecasts temperatures up to March for the west of the South Island, the foothills and inland Otago and Southland to be near or below average, rainfall to be above or near normal and soil moisture and river flows to also be near normal.
Temperatures for Canterbury and east Otago are expected to be near average, rainfall near normal and soil moisture and river flows below normal and near normal.
