On the Farm - a wrap of conditions around the country

Changeable weather has prevailed in Pukekohe. Farmers in Otago are busy marking lambs and bulls are going out to the cowsPlenty of silage is being made in Waikato and most crops are in the ground. Farmers in Otago are busy marking lambs and bulls are going out to the cows. Listen to this month's wrap of conditions on the landNorthland welcomed a little bit of rain through November causing the grass to take off and bumping up farmers' spirits. Positivity is waning, though, with schedules on both beef and lamb dropping and farmers are bracing themselves ... will the summer bring a drought or another tropical cyclone? Changeable weather has prevailed in Pukekohe. Some rain on and off has kept crops growing but irrigators have been on especially where crops have been exposed to the wind. Potatoes and early onions are being harvested with strong demand from the local and Pacific Island markets. The same can't be said for broccoli and lettuce which are abundantly available at very low prices. At this stage, it is too early to predict prices for Christmas but our contact says there could be some bargains.It's been a mixed month in Waikato. On balance there has been a reasonable amount of rain and all the crops are generally in the ground. Plenty of silage is being made, although most are behind on production due to the wet spring. Contractors have been working until 3am to get the job done. Mating has also gone well with submission rates better than last year. And there's been a spike in morale due to the change in government, we're told.Bay of Plenty has seen some friendly weather throughout November. Consistent, yet light rain has grown a tonne of grass. One thing that needs managing is pasture going to seed - a reproductive state that doesn't provide much in the way of nutrients for livestock. The Rotorua A and P show is on this weekend .... on Saturday ... this is the new date for the show ... it's been brought forward a couple of months because of a lack of sheep and clashes with other events later in the summer. They need plenty of sheep for the shearing competitions.It's starting to warm up in King Country. Farmers are reporting cooler westerly winds and on the whole, nice bits of rain. Cattle are doing nicely, however, lambs are a bit behind due to a lack of sunshine. Our contact says it could be better, but it could also be a hell of a lot worse. With Christmas creeping closer farmers are hoping to get some reprieve from the year, but not before another busy two or three weeks weaning and drenching lambs. …Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details