Rural Weather

Rural Weather

The long-term forecast for April was for not very much rain. It didn't quite turn out that way and if the drought had a serious affect, has the recent rain produced worries too? It depends on who you talk to and what you're doing on the land.

Dairy: At least half of the dairy farmers dried off their stock in the drought. Gareth Baynham from AgFirst says the recent rainfall is a 'fantastic' first step towards growth rate recovery. The drought, though, will have a financial impact in around six - 12 months' time.

Sheep & Beef - Farmers of both are looking forward to the grass growing which will lead to a hopeful improvement in product prices. Mr Baynham says all farmers will need to budget their feeding. Nitrogen fertiliser is best applied now, while the weather is still relatively warm.

Citrus: Mandarin picking commenced a couple of weeks ago but the citrus industry in the Far North has access to irrigation so the Big Dry wasn't as difficult for this industry as, say, the dairy industry. In fact dry is better. Rain has meant the fruit has become a little more plump as acid levels have dropped. The ideal would be for more dry weather over the next eight weeks because it's more comfortable for the pickers.

Wine: Dry and arid is beautiful. The grapes were picked before the heavens opened up in early April so it had no effect on the fruit. In fact the vintage for both white and red is expected to be superior because of the drought. Sugar levels (known as brix) are up, the fruit is clean and there is no disease. Many a vintner

is smiling.

Kiwifruit: The majority of Kerikeri orchards have access to irrigation water which keeps vines active. Natural rain helped top up soil water too. The combination of drought and cold spring has meant fruit size is smaller than would have been anticipated but the recent rainfall has seen the weight of green fruit catch up and, to a slightly lesser extent, gold fruit as well. Despite the fruit being of slightly smaller size than previous seasons, the taste experience remains very good.

Avocado: This fruit will be finishing in the next week or so and the drought has not affected the current crop significantly. For avocado growers who don't irrigate, however, the lack of rainfall could see the size of the fruit reduce. Brett King from Puketona Orchards says the drought hasn't affected the area much and pasture remains relatively green thanks, he says, to kikuyu.