On The Farm for 5 July 2024

Apple growers in Hawkes Bay are busy pruning trees and pulling out old blocks. Further south, farmers on the West Coast are feeding out silage, moving breaks and getting ready for calving.It's been one of the "kindest" winters for Northland growers, certainly one of the best in recent years. Our contact described the conditions as more like a late autumn, with lots of sunshine. Plenty of feed means the cattle market is strong, prices are good though there's less stock around due to changing land uses and farming practices. It's driving the store market as farmers looking to fatten stock up on the extra feed.In Pukekohe, shed-stored onions and pumpkin along with recently grown outdoor vegetables remain in abundant supply. June has been mild with adequate rainfall, while July has brought cooler weather.Most dairy farmers are getting ready for or already well into calving.Waikato has also had very favourable conditions. Our dairy farmer friend says pasture cover is higher than usual which means cows are in better condition. Things are generally pretty good though the latest global dairy trade prices were "disappointing". In a few weeks, most dairy farmers will be right into calving. Preparations are underway in the meantime.In Bay of Plenty, the kiwifruit harvest is now complete with growers busy pruning, tying down vines and making any changes on orchard. With 197 million trays sold, it's thought to be their biggest season ever and growers are confident about marketing results. It's a different story for avo growers, where picking is soon to start. Fruit is looking good and there are high hopes for better prices this year after last season's domestic glut due to poor weather. Avocado growers are hopeful of a better season, after last year's bad weather led to fewer exports and a flooded domestic market.It's been a good run up to winter for King Country farmers. There's plenty of feed around and one sheep and beef farmer described conditions this week as spring like. Pregnancy scanning results were good and things were "ticking along nicely". He just has his hoggets to scan next month. With low returns on sheep, farmers are knuckling down and trying to reduce spending. Most have been busy with maintenance jobs like fencing or trying to get off farm for a bit.Taranaki farmers have also had a good season. Our dairy farmer in Ōpunake had good autumn calving rates and was busy with winter milking. Others he knew were already a week into their calving for spring milking. With rainfall down it was a slightly drier winter but there was plenty of feed. Grass and crops like maize and oats, had seen moderate to good growth. The orange harvest is soon to start…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details