Waikato Herald
  • Waikato Herald home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Locations

  • Hamilton
  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Matamata & Piako
  • Cambridge
  • Te Awamutu
  • Tokoroa & South Waikato
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Weather

  • Thames
  • Hamilton
  • Tokoroa
  • Taumarunui
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Waikato News

Rain answers farmer's prayers

Patrick O'Sullivan
Business editor·Hamilton News·
23 May, 2013 06:29 PM2 mins to read
‌

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article

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.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"When we start getting three or four frosts in a row, that's when the ground temperature will start getting down and affect the regrowth."

He says soil moisture levels have improved - he recently dug a hole that showed 1cm to 2cm moisture depth.

"Now it's a good spade depth.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"If we could keep getting falls of 15mm to 20mm like that, even just once a week, it would be enough to get us going."

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Waikato News

Waikato Herald

Woman high on meth stole car with baby inside, dumped infant on side of road

06 May 07:00 AM
Waikato Herald

Chateau Tongariro bid deadline passes - local and overseas players in the mix

06 May 06:10 AM
Waikato Herald

'I'm so glad I could grab my baby': Family escape house inferno

06 May 06:00 AM

Sponsored

Future of wealth in NZ: A conversation with ASB CEO Vittoria Shortt

03 May 11:20 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Waikato News

Woman high on meth stole car with baby inside, dumped infant on side of road
Waikato Herald

Woman high on meth stole car with baby inside, dumped infant on side of road

The 59-year-old pulled out in front of traffic, cutting off cars, before noticing infant.

06 May 07:00 AM
Chateau Tongariro bid deadline passes - local and overseas players in the mix
Waikato Herald

Chateau Tongariro bid deadline passes - local and overseas players in the mix

06 May 06:10 AM
'I'm so glad I could grab my baby': Family escape house inferno
Waikato Herald

'I'm so glad I could grab my baby': Family escape house inferno

06 May 06:00 AM


Future of wealth in NZ: A conversation with ASB CEO Vittoria Shortt
Sponsored

Future of wealth in NZ: A conversation with ASB CEO Vittoria Shortt

03 May 11:20 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Waikato Herald e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Waikato Herald
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • NZME Digital Performance Marketing
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2026 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP