On the Farm

There will be no asparagus on the Christmas dinner table in Horowhenua - moisture stress has left the plants tired and sad. Most people have completed the final wire lift in vineyards across the top… Read more Audio

Most of the North Island hoped in vain for passing thunder storms to drop rain this week, but only Gisborne, parts of Hawkes Bay and Wairarapa were lucky. In the South Island rain did fall in… Read more Audio

The East Coast's been warm with no wind which farmers have loved but they're all mindful it's getting dry. That's not reflected in sale yard prices yet however, the store market for lambs and cattle… Read more Audio

Northland has had a good week with sunshine during the day and showers at night. There is enough rain to keep pasture ticking over which means there's still good demand for store cattle at the sale… Read more Audio

Hot, calm days are suiting bees on orchards, but Hawkes Bay hasn't had any significant rain for six or seven weeks and it needs some. Eastern Marlborough is drying up too so farmers are offloading… Read more Audio

Very little grass silage has been made in dairy farming areas of the North Island so farmers are being warned they probably won't be able to buy any when they need it. Read more Audio

Hawkes Bay farmers are looking forward to the predicted moisture arriving this weekend. Milk production on dairy farms is ahead of last year and cows have been cycling particularly well. Canterbury's… Read more Audio

Maize is germinating well in most North Island areas, it's a little later going in than normal, and asparagus has had a terrific growing week. Lamb marking is in full swing in Central Otago and… Read more Audio

In King Country fine weather is let docking gangs separate thousands of lambs from their tails, and asparagus is growing better with warmer, drier conditions . Farmers in Canterbury are planting… Read more Audio

At last some more stable fine weather is letting North Island farmers get onto cultivating pastures and making silage, while at the top of South Island flower bud thinning is underway in kiwifruit… Read more Audio

Waikato has had a break from relentless rain this week but Canterbury has had plenty; 100 mils fell across the region halting cultivating, drilling and the spreading of fertiliser. Read more Audio

Docking has continued in King Country this week between the showers and despite muddy tracks and puddles in gateways. Wairarapa is looking lush, The planting of fodder beet and barley crops is… Read more Audio

In Horowhenua and it's hard to get any summer crops into the ground. Asparagus harvesting is underway but yields are down on last year. A good weather week in Canterbury has seen a flurry of activity… Read more Audio

Hill country Wairarapa farmers are expecting grass growth to rocket away after recent rain. Calving is drawing to a close in Southland and lambing has settled down after a run of wet weather. Read more Audio

Canterbury is drying out, allowing crops to be planted and paddocks that were in Kale and Beet cultivated. The North Island had a very warm end to the week. Read more Audio

The North Island is still swimming in water with regular heavy downpours, but ground temperatures are picking up. Temperatures are moving up in the South Island too, but the West Coast had a horror… Read more Audio

Bay of Plenty kiwifruit orchardists are struggling to complete winter work because of the rain, but daffodils are looking cheerful on roadsides. There's been flurry of activity on arable farms in… Read more Audio

Wet conditions on Marlborough farms are making it hard to get the lambs docked and brilliant sunshine has graced much of the North Island. Read more Audio

It's sounding like a broken record, but apart from Hawkes Bay and East Coast, it's still exceedingly wet everywhere in the North Island. The South Island's also very wet apart from South Otago and… Read more Audio

The North Island's still totally over flowing with water and in the South Island, Marlborough farms are well into lambing while those in Southland are just starting. Read more Audio

The North Island's had a string of crispy frosty mornings which is helping dry out water logged pastures and lifting farmers' spirits. Calving is in full swing in Canterbury. Sheep farmers in Central… Read more Audio

The entire North Island remains totally water logged. The wet conditions are putting stress on all types of farming. Only five millimetres of rain turns soils to bogs. West Coast farmers are getting… Read more Audio

The East Coast soils are absolutely chocker with water, especially on the flats, which are of minimal value for grazing. Canterbury's very wet too and there's and at least 100 millimetres of rain's… Read more Audio

Areas of Manawatu that never see snow received up to 15 centimetres on Thursday, Rotorua city had snow flurries, and outlying areas like Mamaku and Rerewhikaaitu had heavy snow on the ground.  Flood… Read more Audio

Northland continues to be very wet making ground conditions difficult particularly with calving now underway. In Canterbury prices for top sheep and cattle dogs have remained strong at the 61st annual… Read more Audio, Gallery

Frosty conditions have hit the North Island this week, but despite very little rain, conditions underfoot are extremely mushy. Canterbury dairy farmers are busy heavy rolling their dairy platforms… Read more Audio

In Canterbury it's been dry enough for stock to make good use of feed and even put on condition. Most of the North Island had a good dollop of rain late in the week. Read more Audio

The price of kumara has shot up because a bad growing season, coupled with appalling weather during the main harvest time in autumn, has seen a 35% drop in volume compared with normal years. Heavy… Read more Audio

Mild, calm weather has been good for vegetable crops in the Pukekohe district and in Otago, electric pruners are chopping through the work in apricot orchards. Read more Audio

On Central North island hill country farms second shearing continues and farmers are cracking on with maintenance. In Canterbury large numbers of dairy cows have moved from dairy farms to support… Read more Audio