Hawke's Bay's November rain - good for stock, bad for crops

Organic sheep and beef farmer Andy Jamieson in knee deep pasture to be made into hay when the rain stops and the ground dries. Photo / Warren Buckland

Hawke's Bay farms have gone from dusty, drought-stricken fields to an explosion of grass growth after a wetter than usual spring.

Organic sheep and beef farmer Andy Jamieson said having over 200mls of rain in November has made it an exceptional season.

"It's been such an amazing recovery from the drought conditions and it's almost like everything is overcompensating for the extreme dry," he said.

Jamieson said he managed to keep hold of his breeding stock during the drought earlier this year.

"We calved and lambed as normal which means we've got plenty of animals on the ground," he said.

Jamieson added: "Every season is different, there's never a pattern. At the moment we are getting rain in a period where we don't usually get it."

The prolonged rain has come with some setbacks.

Jamieson said some paddocks are just waiting to be cut for hay and bailage.

"The challenge will be getting some decent weather so we can actually get out and make it," he said.

Farmer Andy Jamieson said the November rainfall has made for an exceptional season after a long drought-stricken winter. Photo / Warren Buckland

Napier experienced its driest January to April period on record, an almost opposite situation to last month's rain accumulation.

A Hawke's Bay Regional Council spokeswoman said their November weather report showed the region's rainfall was well above average – some places experienced three times their November average.

Federated Farmers Hawke's Bay president Jim Galloway said the volume of rain, especially from the deluge in November hasn't made it easy for producing different crops.

"That's been a real headache," he said.

Redloh Horticulture managing director Gareth Holder said the rain was welcome for his crop, just not the amount that fell.

"Obviously we had that storm in early November. We have land close to Napier which got well in excess of 200mls in that one event, whereas on the other side of the plains we got about 80-90mls," he said.

"The ground could take the latter amount no problem and that was very welcome but the intensity of what did fall in Napier was just far too much."

Holder said the weekly rain Hawke's Bay's been receiving has made it difficult to progress.

"Crops like squash and some of the processed crops don't like having wet feet for a long period of time, that's the issue we're experiencing at the moment," he said.

But, Holder said the arable crops like maize and corn have loved the rain.

"What we're really missing at the moment is sunshine and heat to get the crops moving and get some establishment," he added.

Galloway said more farmers are happy than not happy with the conditions.

"Where I am on the Heretaunga Plains it normally gets dry, but we've got a lot more feed and more moisture on the ground than normal. It's looking quite good," he said.

"Trying to keep quality in the feed is the hard work at the moment, because it's growing so fast.

He added: "Trying to keep the grass down before it becomes seedy is hard - it's a bit like eating Weetbix compared to having a three course meal on that nice short green feed."