Farmers currently managing winter crops nationwide will have their work cut out for them with the latest bout of bad weather, DairyNZ lead adviser on wintering, Justin Kitto says.
This year's winter conditions were "challenging to say the least," Kitto told The Country Sport Breakfast's, Brian Kelly.
Heavy rain could cause issues over the winter months but there were ways farmers could prepare to support their herds in wet conditions.
With more rain forecast for the coming weeks, soils could become saturated, Kitto said.
Fortunately, farmers had already been working hard to prepare for these conditions, such as looking after critical source areas and having wide buffers around waterways to minimise sediment losses, he said.
Many farmers also had contingency plans for their cows and how to look after them when paddocks were too wet.
DairyNZ lead adviser on wintering Justin Kitto. Photo / Supplied
"Farmers are leaving the drier, lower risk paddocks with shelter … to be used on those [wet] days.
"They're giving cows extra food and moving them through the breaks faster which can minimise pugging damage - and some of them are rolling out straw to let cows lie down on."
It was vital to have an action plan, preferably written down, if conditions worsened, Kitto said.
Meanwhile, farmers in Otago and Southland had been congratulated on their winter grazing practices.
Flyovers from the Otago Regional Council and Environment Southland found that the majority of farmers were following the rules.
Winter grazing flights had been taking place in those regions over the last few years, Kitto said.
"They just fly over the region and if they identify anything that looks a little bit worrisome then go and follow up with that farmer for a site inspection."
Both councils told DairyNZ they'd seen "really good practices on the ground" this year, Kitto said.
"In particular, farmers have been putting good wide buffers around their waterways and drains and also protecting their critical source areas."
This was great to hear, especially as the regions had been dealing with severe weather this week, he said.
"There's been a lot of rain in the last couple of days in Canterbury and parts of Otago as well, which in some cases has resulted in flooding, and in Southland, it's quite wet as well."
Farmers in Southland were also dealing with a shortage of feed after a dry summer but they had a plan to deal with this challenge too, Kitto said.
"They don't have enough feed so they're prioritising the stock that they move around - the younger stock, or the lighter cows, or the earlier calvers - to those better parts of the paddock."
