Nurture your team and grass regrowth

Bay farmers are being urged to protect pasture growth for spring.

Bay farmers are being urged to protect pasture growth for spring and take care of their own welfare following wet weather conditions.

DairyNZ Bay of Plenty regional leader Sharon Morrell said calving was a challenging, busy time on farm and both people and pasture need to be cared for.

"Soil moisture conditions are now extremely wet. During July, the coastal Bay of Plenty had around 150 per cent of the long-term average for July (200mm at Te Puke)," she said.

Along with managing pastures, farmers were encouraged to talk to neighbours, farm advisers or a DairyNZ consulting officer to discuss their situation.

"Simply getting everyone together for a home-cooked meal or finding a way to keep the team motivated and uplifted can be a real boost - even something like a morning tea in the shed."

The way farm teams respond to pasture management can also pose a big threat to future pasture regrowth and milk production, she said.

"It can be tempting to change set paddock rotations and offer larger or fresh breaks of grass when paddocks are so wet. But it's important to manage rotation length and therefore pasture cover to achieve the growth required later, when the herd is eating more.

"Grass growth from balance date will secure feed supply and milk production until Christmas, and underpin a profitable farm business under the current reduced milk price."

Federated Farmers Rotorua/Taupo provincial president Alan Wills said he was halfway through calving on his two properties and there were water logged pasture issues in the region.

But calving had gone "pretty well ... give us two or three days and the pumice country will start to dry out while other parts of the Bay of Plenty will take longer".

The biggest challenge for farmers was the low milk payout and "it's just about keeping your chin up and working ahead".

Te Puke Young Farmers Club chairman Casey Brown said life had been tough over the last few weeks and it was hard to try to stop the cows making a mess in the mud.

Fortunately, the farm on which he was a contract milker had installed a new barn-like facility which had helped.

"Everyone is in the same boat but you if get a bit down go to Young Farmers or have a beer with your mates after work. No one is better off than anyone else and that makes you feel a bit better knowing you are not the only one out there struggling."