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Frustrating but uncontrollable. Three words that have been uttered often by farmers in the region as wet and cold weather has consistently hammered the regions through the spring.
While lambing is well over for many, it hasn't been good news for hill country farmers, many of whom tend to lamb from October 1 as their ground cover hits peak growth a few weeks later than the lower, coastal farms.
James Lindsay, of Stoneburn Station in East Otago, says the season has been ''quite the shocker''.
''We just tailed our earlies yesterday and they were back about 15%. So if that kind of loss is across the board, we might be looking about 1500 less lambs this year than our normal average of 10,000.
''The weather just hasn't let up. Getting around in the truck this morning, it was 1 degree [C] and the sleet was coming sideways. It's not ideal - that's for sure,'' he said.
Ground work has also been held up as many wait for a window of dry weather to get spraying and drilling done.
''The paddocks are all ready to go. It's just a matter of getting on them,'' Mr Lindsay said.
-By Alice Scott
