Drought in several regions means pasture covers, stock condition and feed supplements are below average for the time of year so farmers need to start assessing what extra feed they will need to meet deficits in the coming months, a Primary Industries Ministry spokesman said.
Nationwide stock feed assessments tracking pasture growth are being done regularly to monitor the situation.
A survey in April found pasture cover in parts of Northland, East Coast and Hawke’s Bay was down 30% to 40% on a normal year.
However, rain in Taranaki put pasture covers in early April 10%-15% behind average.
But Northland and the North Island’s east coast are still in drought and supplement supplies are limited, with farmers using winter feed reserves.
Two shipments of palm kernel arrived from Malaysia in April and while much of it was pre-ordered some is available.
Farmers need to order soon because some feeds, including palm kernel, take 10-12 weeks to arrive.
Federated Farmers grains vice-chairman Brian Leadley says some grain is available but it requires careful management to prevent acidosis.
“There are willing buyers in the market and we expect the 118,000 tonnes of uncontracted feed wheat and 126,000 tonnes of feed barley as at April 1 will soon find a home.”
Even with perfect conditions autumn pasture growth will be insufficient to fill the shortage so farmers are being urged to put feed plans together now.
MPI, Beef + Lamb, DairyNZ, AgFirst and Federated Farmers launched the free remote feed planning support service last month and so far 26 sheep and beef farmers have used it to get feed budgeting and professional farm systems advice.
Farmers get a free assessment of their feed planning needs by the relevant industry body and can then access an adviser to discuss management options and avenues for practical support.
Farmers who need more in-depth support will be referred to a farm systems consultant but will pay for that.
B+LNZ extension manager Mark Harris says all the farmers who have gone through process so far appreciate there is help available in what is a very tough season.
“I really encourage farmers to pick up the phone and make use of the service before winter progresses.
“Being proactive at this stage will ensure farmers can get through winter and protect the performance of their capital breeding stock going into spring.”
The service will be available till June 30 when the need will be reviewed.
B+LNZ has commissioned AgFirst to compile four farmer case studies to allow other farmers to see how drought management tools and management plans have been successfully applied in drought areas and in Southland where feed is also behind normal levels.
North Island general manager Matt Ward says Red Meat Profit Partnership research shows farmers learn best from each other and the case studies highlight management strategies farmers can adapt and apply.
They include a farm overview, options analysis, gross margin comparisons, a detailed breakdown of the decision-making process, practical considerations and next steps.
Ward says the level of detail lets farmers see the whole decision-making process and cost analysis as well as the practical implications of the management changes.
The first case study outlines drought management strategies adopted by Dargaville farmer James Parsons, including buying supplementary feed such as palm kernel and maize grain, off-farm grazing, early processing of bulls and nitrogen applications, though the latter was deemed a drought-recovery strategy rather than a drought-management tool.
The case studies and a supplementary feed table are on B+LNZ’s website.
The BakerAg table provides drymatter and energy content of a wide range of supplementary feeds and a breakdown of (April 20) costs.
Harris says the table includes a number of less commonly used feeds such as tapioca, canola meal, corn gluten meal, broll and vegetables.
