Dry weather since New Year has forced the Clydevale, south Otago, farmer to feed silage and nuts to his stock since early March but despite recent rain Wilson will not get any let up with ewes going onto crops in a few weeks.
A healthy 75mm to 80mm of rain last month eased extremely dry conditions over most of south Otago where about half the normal average rain has fallen so far this year.
Wilson says the rain helped feed quality but quantity is still short.
Crops have responded to the rain and will help farmers get through winter, he says.
He has bought 120 bales of lucerne balage and 12 tonnes of nuts to help him through late summer and autumn and sold half his 4000 lambs as store.
Those lambs he did sell prime were about 1kg lighter than usual.
The dry weather has prompted Wilson to consider growing lucerne as a backstop for future dry seasons.
