On the Farm for 2 August 2024

In Pukekohe, a mild winter weather has prevailed with regular rainfall. Vegetables are literally jumping out of the ground. Marlborough grape growers have finished with pruning and most are on track for getting their maintenance work done.Dairy calving has begun across the country.Feeding out is a bit of a chore, with wet and muddy conditions for Northland - Te Tai Tokerau farmers. Our contact who farms near Whangarei says he had about 150mm of rain for the month of July while others he knew had 200mm. Frosts from a few weeks ago have slowed grass growth though soil temperatures remain steady. It's been a "pretty good" winter but farmers are hopeful of an early spring. Dairy farmers were happy with body condition scores and are now well into calving, some are even nearing the end. Our contact says beef farmers in the region are unlikely to make a profit this season. That's due to high interest rates, on farm inflation and increased transport costs due to the earlier State Highway 1 Brynderwyn closure.In Pukekohe, mild winter weather has prevailed with regular rainfall. Vegetables are jumping out of the ground. Unfortunately, many consumers are not buying them resulting in a continuing oversupply of low price produce. Dairy farmers across the Waikato are flat out with calving at the moment. Pasture covers have held well so feed levels are good and there's plenty of supplementary feed to be found. Farmers are "apprehensive" about recent price drops at the Global Dairy Trade auction, but hopeful it's a similar trend to last year where prices will later rise.Bay of Plenty kiwifruit growers are well into pruning, having started on gold varieties and soon to get into the green varieties. They're also busy with general maintenance and picking up fertiliser. It was a great season with plenty of labour, good fruit and good growing conditions. Growers are hoping the tide will similarly change for avocados. Picking for the domestic market has already started in the Far North and those in the Bay of Plenty are not far off.Pruning of kiwifruit vines is underway in Bay of Plenty.Calving has just begun in King Country, with earlier scanning rates looking good. It's been a good winter, not too cold and the grass is still growing somewhat. Feed levels are good with plenty of silage still for sale around the region. Our dairy farmer contact says it'll still be a tight year for many, with uncertainty about the Fonterra brand sales and a lower GDT price. She's hopeful interest rates would start to drop. It's worse, though, for her sheep and beef friends…Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details