On the Farm

Cattle prices have peaked and it's hard work selling sheep at spring fairs in Northland. In the Nelson region the late chill of August has set hops up well for strong growth.Cattle prices have peaked and it's hard work selling sheep at spring fairs in Northland. In the Nelson region the late chill of August has set hops up well for strong growth. Listen to On the Farm for a round up of conditions around the countryThe ground's sodden on Northland farms after about 150 millimetres of rain earlier this week. Our contact says it's nigh on impossible to get tractors into paddocks to sow crops. At local spring fairs, cattle prices have peaked and it's hard work trying to sell sheep. Our contact says farmers are holding back from buying stock due to economic uncertainty and fears of drought.Mild spring weather with sufficient rainfall has been good for growth in Pukekohe. Our contact says the light supply of most vegetables should no longer be an issue.A commercial blueberry grower in Waikato says there's another two months of harvesting to go in his tunnel houses. In the outdoor crop, flowering's all but finished, but the cool and moist conditions were not great for pollination. Harvesting gets underway in seven weeks. Staff are busy planting new varieties, mowing and weeding and doing machine maintenance.A Bay of Plenty avocado grower says his orchard's in the middle of the pollination phase. As the bees buzz around doing their thing, staff are thinning 30 to 50 percent of the fruit bearing flowers on trees. He says early avocados will be ripe for picking from late November onwards.A farm consultant in Taranaki says pasture growth's doing well at around 70 kilos of dry matter per hectare each day and lots of silage is being made. Mating's in full swing on dairy farms with good submission rates.It's been a beautiful warm spring in Te Tai Rāwhiti. There's plenty of moisture. The grass is starting to spring back. There have been some record-breaking docking results though the trick will now be to ensure enough feed for all. It wouldn't take long to dry out with the windy conditions they've been having. Farmers are just starting to be able to get in to do that heavy rehab work on dams and tracks and ensure water systems are ready for summer. They're being advised to try and break open dams if they can't get in to dig out the silt. Ensure animals have another water source and let out the dams dry out until you can fix them as stock could get stuck in the mud trying to drink…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details