With the extra moisture in the ground and sunshine we should get a good response. The spade test has put a smile on the face of the Federated Farmers Hawke's Bay Meat & Fibre chairman Will Foley.
When the plight of Central Hawke's Bay farmers was highlighted on page one
of Hawke's Bay Today recently, just 4mm of rainfall had fallen on his Waipukurau beef and sheep farm since 40mm three weeks earlier - not enough to break the drought going into winter.
"Overnight we got 15mm over 24 hours - when Auckland was getting floods and whatnot - that's been a great help," he says.
"With the extra moisture in the ground and sunshine we should get a good response."
Foley says that occasional light frosts would not affect growth.
