Rick's Beef: Water on our minds

Rick Burke.

What a month of wet weather we've had.

Hopefully things will warm up and dry a bit so management can be a bit easier through lambing. Stick to the plan and grind those rounds out. It won't be too long before we will see increased pasture growth rates.

My partner Jan and I are hosting a Land and Environment level one workshop Tuesday, August 9 on our farm at 181 Lund Road.

The Beef + Lamb workshop runs from 10am to 3pm and is aimed at farmers to help identify tools and practices that will result in real environmental and financial improvements.

For those of you who are unaware, fresh water regulation being driven from central government is coming at us fast.

So here is an opportunity to stay ahead of the game and demonstrate to the regulators that you have a plan in place for your farm to take it to a future stage of development.

Lunch is provided and registration is essential. Email Rachel.Jukes@beeflambnz.com if you are interested in attending.

Bring along an aerial map of your farm and you'll need a 4WD vehicle for a farm tour. I urge all farmers regardless of your farm size to come along. Feedback from farmers who have attended these workshops across NZ has been that the workshop is an enlightening experience.

Beef: The softer NZ dollar has yet to flow into improved farmgate returns for cattle. All grades of export cattle have been making similar returns over the last few weeks.

The core of 300kg c/w prime steers are making $5.40-$5.50/kg.There remained plenty of demand for store cattle this week.

Numbers are coming out at a reasonable rate through the upper parts of the North Island, a product of the wet conditions under foot. While pasture growth generally has slowed.

R2 steers 380- 450kg have been making $2.85-$3.00/kg in the saleyards this week and 260kg R1 steers have been making $3.50kg LW.

Lamb: Slaughter prices are set in place this week at $5.45/kg. Slaughter numbers have come back across all regions of the North Island as winter mode well and truly sets in.

There was good interest in store lambs again this week, despite the generally mediocre conditions across the North Island, store lambs making $2.75/ kg LW.