Dry weather forcing some farmers to wean early

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Tim Kensington prepares to drench newly weaned lambs on Ben Graham's Hartfield farm near Hyde. Photo by Craig Baxter.

Dry weather has forced some Central Otago farmers to start weaning a month early.

One such farmer was Ben Graham, who farms the 3500ha Hartfield property near Hyde.

He last week weaned lambs off 2000 Merino ewes which had been mated to a terminal sire.

Mr Graham said normally he weaned that flock in mid-January, but the lack of rain encouraged him to act early and he sold 810 lambs as store and put the balance on to saved irrigated pasture.

He said Hyde through to the Maniototo appeared to be missing out on rain, while the Middlemarch end of the Strath Taieri valley was catching passing showers.