Sweetcorn: Gisborne’s crops harvested early after perfect growing conditions

Gisborne grower Gordon McPhail says they are expecting to pick 850,000 cobs in the region over the next two weeks. Photo / Brennan Thomas

By Alexa Cook of RNZ

The sweetcorn season has come early - with Gisborne’s crops being harvested two weeks earlier than usual due to perfect growing conditions.

After a tough two years following Cyclone Gabrielle, the region’s sweetcorn is ready for picking and will be in stores this week.

Gisborne grower Gordon McPhail is Leaderbrand’s general farm manager and said it was shaping up to be a cracker of a harvest.

“We’re a good two weeks before Christmas with exceptional volumes and some of the nicest corn I’ve had at this time of year, so it’s a great start,” he said.

The region has had plenty of long hot days to ripen the sweetcorn, and 850,000 cobs will be picked over the next two weeks.

“It’s actually really good fun out there in the sun picking sweetcorn,” he said.

“We’re a pretty positive bunch when the weather is on our side, it’s just great to be back into it.”

A season like this has been a long time coming, as Leaderbrand’s Gisborne farm manager Michael Hicklin said there’s been two years of horrendous cropping weather.

But he said the conditions have been perfect since planting this year’s crop in August.

Gisborne grower Gordon McPhail. Photo / Brennan Thomas

“From then it’s been hot and dry with very few rain days, which is really good for pollination ... we’ve ended up with really good stands of corn.

“The yield is good, the quality is good and it should already be cooled and on its way, if not already in, a store.”

In previous years, the rain has disrupted planting resulting in patchy supply to consumers, but Hicklin said this year that won’t be a problem.

“Having consistent growing conditions this year has been great, it’s not uncommon to get this, it’s just been a while since we’ve experienced this ... so it’s a nice change.”

Unlike many other crops, sweetcorn is not exported, and McPhail said people needed to support New Zealand-grown food.

“There’s so much focus on export crops and there’s such a great domestic industry, such great domestic food producers whether it’s citrus, whether it’s vegetables ... and we need to support those local guys a lot more.”

- RNZ