Episodes
Assessment of damage is underway in Pukekohe after a deluge of rain saw onions floating down the street and farms turned into lakes. Kiwifruit vines and structures have also been wiped out - while parts of the South Island start preparing for a drought.
Published 02/03/23
Published 02/03/23
Cows are laying in grass in Waikato, while pasture growth has dropped dramatically in Southland. Clinical signs of facial eczema are starting to show around the country and a tropical insect which could be hugely detrimental has been found on the West Coast.
Published 01/27/23
Heavy rain in Pukekohe mid-week made the ground too wet to dig potatoes or lift onions. Cherry picking is underway in Otago. The last two weeks have seen warm days and cool nights which has been good for ripening and flavour.
Published 12/16/22
Rain has come back to Northland in the past few days. It's a blessing to see conditions like these in the summer months as soil moisture levels won't be improving from now. Silage making is in full swing in Canterbury and vineyards are at the tail end of shoot thinning in Central Otago.
Published 12/09/22
Hawke's Bay has had good weather for flowering vineyards. A dairy farmer in Southland says grass is shooting out of the ground after a good dose of rain.
Published 12/02/22
There's an explosion of grass in Waikato this week after countless days of rain and warmish weather, calves are being weaned and drenched on the West Coast and winter crops are in the ground in South Otago.
Published 11/25/22
In Manawatu it's gone from being too wet to drive tractors on paddocks to hanging out for rain. While on the West Coast of the South Island, farmers are shutting up paddocks for silage, and some are past their peak milk production.
Published 11/18/22
In Taranaki the temperature gauge is rising and pasture growth is finally looking good. In Southland, they're flat out tailing and some farmers are pleasantly surprised that their lambing tally is higher than scanning predicted.
Published 11/11/22
Warm rain and a mix of sunshine has kicked grass out of the ground across the country. It's a relief for many across the North Island trying to get silage together. Farmers are treading water in Wairarapa and join those in Nelson wanting a bit more rain now the ground is drying up. And the last of tailing completed this week marks the end of the lambing season in Southland.
Published 11/04/22
Most farms are pretty short of grass in Northland and supplementary feed suppliers say there has been a big uptake. Strong wind has stopped spraying in its tracks for an olive grower in Wairarapa, while in Central Otago a frost at the beginning of the week was an early wake up call for cherry growers.
Published 10/28/22
Weather has been kind in Bay of Plenty with enough sunny days to finally finish docking and creative juices have been let loose on the humble gumboot on the West Coast.
Published 10/21/22
Bay of Plenty kiwifruit growers are counting their losses this week after a frost last Friday caused irreparable damage. Central Otago sheep farmers are nearing the end of shearing and lambing is in full swing.
Published 10/14/22
Cold and extremely wet is how most are feeling in Waikato. About 110 millimetres of rain has fallen this week. Snow fell across Canterbury this week to sea level. Grass growth remains very slow with many farmers still feeding out.
Published 10/07/22
In the Bay of Plenty gold kiwifruit are in their full bud stage and the new red kiwifruit vines are starting to flower. In Otago one farmer says it' been one of the best lambing seasons in his 50 years.
Published 09/30/22
In the Bay of Plenty it's still wet and boggy around kiwifruit vines. Bud burst is a bit slower than usual which is a relief for orchardists still trying to finish pruning. Ewe scanning percentages are down about 10 percent in Southland and that's being attributed to this year's drought.
Published 09/23/22
It's been one of the wettest springs for a while in Hawke's Bay which makes it physically hard on farm as everything is sodden. In South Otago the weather has been perfect for those in the thick of lambing and pasture covers are as perfect as they can be for early spring.
Published 09/16/22
A southerly cruised through the Bay of Plenty making it miserably cold for staff continuing to prune kiwifruit. Bud burst has started in Marlborough vineyards. Some growers have been fighting frosts this week with windmills and helicopters.
Published 09/09/22
Early fruit trees are blossoming, asparagus heads are peeping out and lambing is in full swing as spring touched down this week after a miserable winter.
Published 09/02/22
Lambing percentages are looking positive In King Country with plenty of twins frolicking around the paddocks. In Marlborough some vineyards are still tying and pruning their vines behind schedule due to staff shortages and last week's horrendous weather.
Published 08/26/22
Northland, Tasman/Nelson, Marlborough and West Coast farmers are once again dealing with flooded paddocks, slips, access roads blocked and significant damage following huge volumes of rain falling this week.
Published 08/19/22
Farmers In Waikato say they don't want any more rain for some time as July had double the usual amount. Calving is well underway In Southland and cows are munching their way through beet and swede fodder crops.
Published 08/12/22
Dairy farmers near Tauranga say their paddocks are drying off nicely during drier weather this week and in Southland ewes are being moved onto crops before lambing next month.
Published 08/05/22
Around Taumaranui it's been time to get firewood stacked in the shed between showers. Scanning's done and lambing starts about mid August so the ewes are being moved to their set paddocks. Calving is going well in Southland but winter is only half way through and farmers are wondering whether they need to buy in more feed.
Published 07/29/22
Wet rules around the country, with good dumpings of snow on higher altitude South Island properties.
Published 07/22/22