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Dry conditions making life tough for Northland farmers
have headed south, with Waikato and eastern Bay of Plenty dairy
farmers now feeling the bite of summer.
Farmers in the Galatea basin south of Whakatane are reported
to be wilting under the financial pressure as drought dries
up their pastures, sucks moisture out of their soil and cuts
production and income.
Galatea dairy farmers were experiencing their third
consecutive bad season for milk production, the Whakatane
Beacon reported.
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa)
forecasts offer no relief, suggesting below normal rainfall
for the next three months in important dairying areas such as
Waikato. That has the potential to affect the economy, with
at least 50 percent of Fonterra's milk supply coming from
farms north of Taupo, with Waikato its key milk catchment.
Hamilton residents today had sprinkler restrictions placed on
them, after the city water alert levels were raised. The
change came after increasing water consumption over the past
weeks and prolonged fine weather, Hamilton City Council city
waters manager Tim Harty said.
Waikato milk collection was down 2% on this time last year,
Northland down 5%, while overall North Island collection was
about 2% down overall, as Taranaki levels held firm, the
Dominion Post newspaper reported today.
Waikato farmers do not have as much supplementary feed as
they did last year, but were likely to have to start feeding
cows 20 days earlier than last year, consultant Ken Bartlett
of advisory agency Farmwise told the newspaper.
"If it doesn't rain a bit in the next 10 days it's going to
look a bit bloody ugly."
A week ago, many Northland farms were already in the grip of
drought, with grasslands turning brown and little prospect of
rain. Hardest hit were the Far North, the east coast and in
southern sections of the Whangarei and Kaipara districts.
In the eastern Bay of Plenty Paddy Briscoe - who, with his
sons, farms three Galatea properties - said anything not
irrigated in Galatea was "looking pretty sick".
Whakatane Federated Farmers branch chairman Gerard Van Beek
said production on the Bay of Plenty plains was down 9% in
the month to early January compared with the past season.
Agricultural contractor Cheryl Brogden said maize crops were
starting to suffer from the dry spell, and a drought was in
the making.
It had been a poor spring for making hay, haylage and silage,
and crops were late being harvested. She said despite that
Brogden Contractors had thousands of bales in stock ready for
sale.
Mr Van Beek said pasture growth was down to 22 kilograms of
dry matter a hectare: "That's a third of what's needed."
Fonterra was forecasting a bumper $6.05 per kilogram of
milksolids payout this season thanks to improving commodity
prices, so the drought had the potential to severely restrict
the economy.
Rainfall, river flows and soil moisture for January, February
and March were likely to be below normal in the north and
east of both islands, Niwa has said, though Taranaki was
about normal. While South Island milk collection was likely
to be up about 3%, strict water controls were being
introduced in parts of Otago due to continuing dry weather.
Otago Regional Council said it would be encouraging
irrigators to manage what water was still available.
Otago has been dry since November, with the Shag River below
its minimum flow, the Kakanui River at very low levels and
the Waianakarua and Taieri rivers also affected.
Federated Farmers Don Nicholson president has suggested the
Government look hard at improving the country's water
storage.
"Given the tens of millions of dollars of time and money
spent on developing the emissions trading scheme and other
policies, it seems lunacy that we are not putting that same
level of commitment into water storage.
"The simple truth is that water pays the bills and while New
Zealand does not lack for annual rainfall, we chronically
lack the means to store it.
"Summer should be the season of maximum agricultural output
but pasture and crops need water as well as sunshine hours
and soil temperature to flourish."
