Drought Update - Northland
Welcome to the weekly update from the Northland drought committee for the dairy, horticulture, sheep and beef sectors.
Would you go fishing with a hole in your boat? Probably not. Low pasture covers and poor livestock condition are a hole in your business. Do not start next season with a hole in your business from the drought. Let this season take the loss and set up well for next season.
If you or someone you know needs help call 0800 778 667.
Tafi Manjala
Chairman - Extension Sub-Committee
Current Sutuation:
- Facial eczema focus: The data below is taken from the RD1 website and indicates the current danger areas.
- While the winds are cooler and dry at present, drought breaking northerlies are likely to be warmer and will generate an FE challenge in other areas. Be ready to act if not doing so already. Having got this far, don’t let FE ruin the good work to date! To check spore counts in your area go to www.meatandwoolnz.com or www.rd1.co.nz. Also talk to your vets!
- 0 – 5mm rainfall over the last 7 days. No substantial rain is forecast for the next 10 day
- Pastures and livestock are the income earners. Plan to get them in good shape for next season
- Milk production is 2.3% behind last season and 19% behind on a daily basis
- 7% of Northland suppliers have dried off the whole herd
- Pasture growth: 8 – 10kgDM/ha/day. Kikuyu has slowed due to cooler temperatures
- Average pasture cover 1400 – 1600kgDM/ha. Reaching pasture cover targets for calving of 2200kgDM/ha AND putting condition on cows will require pasture growth rates of more than 30kgDM/ha/day. Average growth rates after a dry 1994/95 were 21kgDM/ha/day
- Re-grassing: Use treated seed to give protection from pests such as black beetle. The best endophyte at the moment that gives protection against black beetle is AR37 or NEA2. Use slug bait. After rain if you have more than 50% bare ground you need to regrass. Talk with your seed supplier
- Rotations: Start extending the round once it starts raining to build cover faster. Use supplements and sacrifice paddocks to increase round length after it rains
- Crickets: Baiting is less effective (only 25% effective now but will reduce infestation next summer). If cricket numbers are more than 10/m2 you need to be baiting. The cost to bait is $25-30/ha. Consider if regrassing.
- Water Supplies: Clean and deepen dams for the future. If facing water shortages, consider a temporary supply pumped from a river or stream (if there is one flowing), cart in water and if all fails then remove stock from the farm. Have a "worst-case" plan
- The RST Ag Recovery Facilitators provide drought 1:1 visits. To book a visit contact Helen Moodie on 0800 778 667
- Financial: Bankers are recommending farmers prepare feed and financial budgets before calling them to review funding. To avoid delays CONTACT YOUR BANKER NOW!
- Rural Assistance Payments are available to provide financial help to farming families. For more information call 0800 778 667.
Events:
Let your colleagues and clients know about these drought management events:
Dairy:
At the Hutchings' field day, Roger's key message was try and contain the impact of the drought to this season. Next week we will begin profiling the actions they are taking on-farm.
Do you have a plan when effective rains start? Book these important dates on your calendar.
Lunch provided.
- 25th March: St John Center in Wellsford (on main street), 10:30am-12:30pm. Topics: Completing an autumn/winter feed budget and discussing the drought
- 23rd March: Sharemilker of the Year field day, 802 Kokopu Road, Whangarei 11am – 2pm
- 26th March: Drought Recovery Workshop. Jordan Valley Farm, 259 Jordan Valley Road, Hikurangi 10.30 – 1.30 pm.
|
Sheep and Beef:
Three drought meetings are scheduled for later in March focussing on recovery:
- 22nd March (Monday): Upper North, Dennis & Rachelle O’Callaghan’s woolshed, Aurere (just north of Taipa) 10:30am-1pm
- 25th March (Thursday): Mid-North, Pakaraka Hall 10am-12.30pm
- 25th March (Thursday): Lower North, Tangiteroria Memorial Hall, 2:30pm-6pm
Contact Malcolm McCallum 027 2315680, or visit www.meatandwoolnz.com or Northland Regional Council website for other drought strategies,
Key Messages:
Below are key messages to help you manage your way through the drought:
Dairy:
- Cow condition: Any cows under condition score 3 need urgent attention; keep them close to the farm dairy or the house paddock so you can better monitor their condition score gain
- Dry cows: Clearly mark especially if using dry cow therapy. What are the options, given the longer dry period? Consult your vet for advice
- Somatic cell counts. If you are grading, do an emergency herd test to identify high-risk cows which may need to be dried off. Talk with your Fonterra area manager or DairyNZ consulting officer
- Lessons from past droughts in other regions:
- Do not milk too many cows for too long. Dry some cows off (especially the 2 and 3yr olds)
- Act early and if feed cover and supply is low, dry-off and graze off the platform
- If 50% or less of pasture has survived per paddock, drill seed and develop a plan for pasture recovery
- Be aggressive with nitrogen. Apply 40 kgN/ha after the next 30 mm rainfall to the whole farm except paddocks to be grazed in next 2 weeks (in order to reduce nitrate poisoning).
- For more information visit www.dairynz.co.nz/drought
Sheep and Beef:
- Feed levels are decreasing in some areas in spite of destocking. Further destocking is an option to consider especially with ewe mating coming up. Store stock prices have eased in the last week which makes the decision more difficult. Buying supplements may be an option depending on the class of stock to be sold
- With little or no supplements left, most farms will have to winter with an all grass system and should be planning this now
- Think about pastures now. Do any areas need renovating? Would an annual rye grass suit your plan? Plan a rotation now to give the pastures time to recover and build up pasture cover for the winter. Talk with your seed specialist
- Restocking: With so many livestock moved out of Northland, farmers will have to be flexible in the type and class of stock they buy. Think about possible options now
- Continue to monitor animal health for FE, internal parasites and stock water. Sporadic rain has probably lifted the risk of high worm burdens
- Financial: Get the budgets and cash flows done for the next 12 months and talk to your bankers
- For more information visit www.meatandwoolnz.com
Horticulture:
Useful Links:
- To view the previous Northland drought updates click on the links below:
- To read more about managing the drought in Northland click on the links below:
Contacts:
If you require any further information on the Northland drought, please contact the relevant person below:
    
|