On the Farm - a wrap of conditions around the country

All stock are doing very well in Waikato and the maize crop is outstanding. In Canterbury grass growth is slow and even farms with irrigation have been battling to keep enough water going on.Find our more about conditions on farms and orchards around the motu.In Northland the biggest issue is the huge soil moisture deficit. Readings are well below historical levels for January, and the region's approaching a drought if no more rain falls. Some did mid-January but not enough. However if there is a drought it will be a short one, people say, which is better than earlier forecasts. Meanwhile the region's kumara crop is looking good. Early harvesting starts in a couple of weeks, with volumes ramping up from late February.In the Pukekohe area there have been light falls of rain since December but irrigators are still being well used. Onion growers are working seven days a week to transport their dry, mature onions into the packing sheds. Crop yields are said to be good. As container ships aren't going through the Red Sea, growers are paying an extra $1500 a container or $2 per bag of onions to get the crop to Europe.Maize on a Waikato farmIn Waikato, it's been hot and humid with grass growth rates significantly better than expected. All stock are doing very well and milk production is holding. Maize is outstanding - a perfect summer for it. It's been hot and humid with good spring rain. Yields could be 24 tonnes to the hectare, compared to the more normal 20 tonnes. It's also been a cracker season so far for blueberry growers and they've still got plenty of picking to do.Bay of Plenty farmers and kiwifruit orchardists are having a whale of a time with rain every four days or so. It's not too dry and not too wet. Gold kiwifruit looks to be nine out of 10, green - six out of 10. Milk production's holding here too. But for avocado growers it's been a disaster of a season. Returns from the crop will barely cover picking, according to one grower. He says there are real structural issues in the sector - too much fruit, and the once good Australian market isn't so anymore.There's been a good volume of rain in King Country. Grass has been growing like crazy. Sheep are looking good, but lambs need a bit more heat. The region's bucking the nationwide very low ewe price last week. Five-year-old ewes in super condition sold for $170 a head at the Te Kuiti sale, and $150 at Ongarue. Most ewes have been fetching at least half that.Our farmer contact in Taranaki says nature has been doing its part all summer so grass growth's good. He had just had a helicopter in to spray a top-looking maize crop for Northern Leaf Blight, a disease that's appeared in the past two seasons…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details