Good feed levels in the region have coincided with high stock prices and even strong wool returns are making a comeback.
Arable farmers are the exception as they recover from costly hail storms and struggle to bring in crops during a sodden harvest.
Federated Farmers Mid Canterbury president David Acland said Mt Somers Station had good grass growth after a slow early spring, with many sheep, beef and dairy properties across the region also in a strong position.
While they were well placed, arable growers were finding it challenging, he said.
Mt Somers was taking the opportunity to build up feed reserves to take through over winter.
"We have actually sold probably a few more lambs store because the market was there and [we had] the opportunity to make more supplementary feed which hadn’t been made in the spring ... We took the opportunity to clear the decks quite aggressively early on. They are a challenge for the year if we have a feed challenge, so we have to make sure we have got ourselves in a good spot for that."
At their on-farm sale store, lambs were making just over $150 in January.
The prime lamb schedule was north of $10/kg for an 18kg lamb through February.
He said sheep and beef farmers had few complaints about lamb or beef prices, while costs such as interest rates were back.
Coming calf sales would provide another indication of the market.
New Zealand exported a record $11.7 billion of red meat and co-products last year — up 19% on the previous year, according to the Meat Industry Association (MIA).
Leading the way in export markets was the United States, up 17% to $3.2b, followed by China, up 25% to $2.5b.
Fonterra’s milk payout forecast is back from last season, but still at a respectable $9.50 midpoint after the Global Dairy Trade auction had a fourth rise in a row, up 3.6%, on February 17.
Mr Acland said many sheep, beef and dairy farmers escaped major hail damage to winter crops in the region, while others were unlucky.
"The main problem here in the foothills at the moment is the paddocks are very water-logged. With my own crops here, some were planted in the heavier ground in spring when it was quite dry and we thought it would give us some benefit of moisture and they have very wet feet at the moment."
Most of the winter crops would be fed to stock from June so there was a long way to play out yet, he said.
Some farms previously grazing cows are being converted, and grazing alternatives will have to be found over winter.
Meat processing companies signalling the stock supply was drying up from rain would have little option but to pay more for them to keep plants running.
Mr Acland said more of a concern than the winter crops was a potential shortage of straw usually made after barley, wheat and grass crops were harvested.
"The winter feed crops are not too bad off as I think it was early enough on that people got sprays on the fodder beets and [other winter crops] and they got back in not too bad nick. So we are not in too bad a position probably ... It’s more the availability of straw.
‘When people are feeding out winter crops they usually put out a bit of straw and that side of things to help bind cattle up and get them a bit of fibre. So there could be a bit of shortage of that. In these challenging conditions it’s quite hard to get straw dry in this sort of weather."
He said drizzly and ongoing wet conditions had frustrated arable farmers, who were having a rough ride during the February harvest.
"Mid Canterbury dairy and sheep and beef is in a pretty good space. We just need the arable guys to be in a good spot too."
