Country Life: On the Farm

Strong winds have finally dropped in Te Tai Tokerau-Northland, with a Whangārei farmer reporting no major damage. Things are very wet underfoot, though, having received 40 millimetres in the rain gauge overnight. He said June was "more wet than it was dry" so many like him are shifting stock regularly to avoid cattle "walking it more than eating it". Temperatures are good, and with a few adding urea on farm the grass is still growing - no frosts yet. It's long days and nights for those starting to calve but otherwise farmers are pretty happy.

Regular rainfall and mild temperatures have seen outdoor crops continue to grow "unchecked" in Pukekohe. However, it's been important for growers to keep an eye out for disease outbreaks in such conditions.

Calving has started in Waikato, and most dairy farmers have one or two on the ground already and are into it. A Piako farmer said it's pretty wet underfoot and he had about 120mm of rain in June. He said the season seems to be starting a bit early, like last year but pasture cover was good going into winter. There was plenty of optimism at Fieldays which he hopes results in some spending flowing through to other parts of the community.

In Bay of Plenty, growers are celebrating the end of this year's record kiwifruit harvest. Nationwide over 210 million trays were picked, up on 194 million trays last year. This season was held up slightly by the weather, with the green harvest running a week late. Red and gold kiwifruit were picked mostly on time though. The rain was causing further delays, slowing growers getting on with winter jobs like pruning.

It's been a "pretty good" June for most Taranaki dairy farmers. The region saw steady rainfall of between 140-180mm over the month. On Thursday they got a drenching - about 74mm on the coast according to a local, which caused some flooding - good for the aquifers but less so for those wintering outside and starting to calve. High altitude calves are a month away still. There's been a bit of snow on the maunga, but not much and it's been a "mild" winter so far. Everyone is feeling good and raring to go, though cashflow will be a bit tight over the winter.

East Coast - Te Tai Rāwhiti farmers are in a good mood, especially as they're past the shortest day of the year. Our agent contact said weather's been a bit of a mixed bag but the grass is still growing and it's not too wet so as to lead to pugging. Most are well into ewe pregnancy scanning with mixed results. There have been some "unbelievable" bull sale prices - a new record was set when an Angus bull from Tangihau Angus sold for $161,000 to Oregon Angus, Masterton. Though they're mostly "stud-to-stud" sales, the region's averaged about $20,000 for each bull.

Hawke's Bay's been quite dry. A Heretaunga Plains farmer said he's only had about 24mm for the whole of June. Ground conditions overall were good though. He said most are happy with their pregnancy scanning results, with "reasonable rates" and not too many ewes in triplets which can be more of a handful. Some early early lambs have even started to drop. Top dressing pilots have also been making the most of the dry though there are concerns about potential fertiliser price increases.

Follow Country Life on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart or wherever you get your podcasts.

Manawatū-Rangitikei farmers had been having a "dream run of winter" up until last week when they got up to 50mm of rain. A local farm consultant said this came as a bit of a "shock to the system" but the water quickly disappeared. Pasture growth rates have been double what was budgeted for, despite a few frosts and the usual winter slow down. Farmers are busy with ewe scanning, winter cropping and break feeding. Budgets are mostly done and, with positive cashflow, many are feeling better.

It's been a similar story in Wairarapa though things are wetter on the ground. All in all the mood is comfortable and most farmers are happy. Those in the vineyards are busy with winter pruning while one Martinborough winery, Craggy Range, is celebrating its pinot noir being recognised among the best in the world at the Decanter World Wine Awards.

Across Te Moana-o-Raukawa Cook Strait, farmers and growers in the Tasman, Nelson and Marlborough regions have been busy with the cleanup in the wake of the extreme rain and flooding event. Top of the South Rural Support Trust, Richard Kempthorne said the main challenge has been silt left behind by the floodwaters. He said for growers this is a "real problem" for health of trees and vines, while farmers have lost fences and grassland. There is support for those affected though, through the trust and others like the Farmy Army. He said the recovery for this event will take months.

Heading further south and a West Coast dairy farmer has been tidying up around the cow shed and getting maintenance done. They're hoping to get away over the school holidays now they're in full winter mode. There's been the odd wet day but, on the whole, a pretty normal West Coast winter.

An arable farmer and grazier in mid-Canterbury said it'd be nice to see a bit of sun. Here too it's wet. He said the mud is hard on men, animals and machinery. Half the day's spent feeding out and then maintenance jobs the rest of the day. They'll start planting malting barley late August. More and more of the crop is going offshore for the craft beer market, particularly in Japan.

Pruning is about a third of the way through on a Central Otago vineyard. It's been warmer than normal. The first significant frosts have come later this year - it was -6C earlier in the week. The '25 vintage is maturing nicely in barrel.

There've been few frosts, a wee bit of flooding but generally fair conditions at a dairy farm in Southland. They're taking the time over winter to bed in new staff and virtual fencing technology. The mood is pretty positive. They're just hoping the towns can get some of the feel-good factor too.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.