‘Green drought’ in Hawke’s Bay, Manawatū has farmers waiting for spring rains

Hawke's Bay and Manawatū farmers are still waiting for spring to start as feed and water levels are stretched tight.

By Gianina Schwanecke of RNZ

The grass may be green on top, but underneath, the soil tells a very different story – one of increasingly dry conditions.

Farmers in parts of Hawke’s Bay and Manawatū are experiencing what’s known as a “green drought”, with many still waiting for the spring conditions that would see fresh pasture growth and depleted water tables topped up.

James Crysell, who farms in Puketapu, just north of Napier, said there was a bit of colour on the grass at his 1000-hectare hill country farm, but there’d been no new growth.

“Dams are down, water supply springs are running what they run at mid-summer.”

The green colouring gave some a “false sense of security”, he said.

Pasture growth was being held back by a lack of rainfall, and what rain he had received was “blown straight off” by the wind.

“So far for this month we’ve only had about 30mm, and then [the] previous month we had 29mm.

“In August last year, we had about 71.5mm, and September we had 42.5mm, so half what we had this time last year.”

The squeeze has come at a critical time on the farm, as he prepares to sell his 1000 or so 2-year-old Friesian bulls to the meatworks in November, and every kilogram counts towards his bottom line.

Crysell had been forced to speed up his grazing rotations – focusing on maintaining the weights of his heaviest mobs, which he would sell first.

He had also put on some fertiliser, which had helped him get through, but things were “tight” again.

“Every day I can squeeze out of a rotation I’m taking at the moment, making it count.”

He said it was just a matter of waiting.

Chill hampers growth

Further south, it’s cold conditions that have been holding back pasture growth.

Manawatū-Rangitīkei Federated Farmers president Ian Strahan said it had been a slow start to spring for the province.

“Spring usually means the rain is going to come and the grass is going to grow.

“There’s been some quite cold southwesters, which has kept the temperatures down, and obviously moisture and heat are the two factors we need.

“We’re probably a couple of weeks behind, really, in terms of the spring kicking off.”

He said most farmers had responded to the lack of feed by putting on a bit of fertiliser and selling stock, including lambs.

Despite the challenges, most farmers were still “optimistic”.

“All the industry is positive, prices are up, so everyone is in a great frame of mind.

“No one is too down in the dumps about the slow start to the spring.

“Most people know it’s gonna happen, you just have to pull a few levers in the meantime, waiting for it.”

- RNZ