North Canterbury News: August 13, 2020

Growers remain optimistic
By DAVID HILL
NorthCanterbury’s arable
growers areoptimisticina
time of uncertainty.
Growers, coming off strong
2020 season yields and amild
winter, haveeveryreasontobe
confident, despite the
uncertainty of Covid­19,
Federated Farmers North
Canterbury arable chairman
Roscoe Taggart says.
‘‘It’s easy to feel confident at
this time of year,but there’s a
lot of year to go.
‘‘Hopefully, things are
looking up, but we don’t want
to be too keen.You’ve got to
look forward, but you can’t
control the weather or what
happens overseas.’’
The final harvest data for
wheat, barleyand oats, across
milling,malting and feed,
releasedbythe Arable
Industry MarketingInitiative
Survey reportlast month,
showed a17percentincrease
in yields across the six crops.
The surveyfoundthat,
Scanning percentages down across region
By DAVID HILL
NorthCanterbury farmers can expect a
mixedlamb drop after achallenging
season, says localsheep scanner Daniel
Wheeler.
The Amberley­basedcontractor
pregnancyscans ewes in the North
Canterbury and Ellesmere areas.
He estimatesscanning percentages are
down about 10 percent across the region.
Drought conditionsinthe NorthIsland
and the top of the South Island, including
partsofNorth Canterbury, meant lamb
numbers could be down significantly
nationwide.
compared with 2019,wheat
yields were up by an estimated
26%,feed barleywas up 12%,
millingwheatup11%, malting
barley up 1%, milling oatswas
up 5%, and feed oats up 6%.
But Mr Taggart says it needs
to be put into perspective after
‘‘a coupleofyearsofpretty
pooryields’’ and low dairy
payoutsbefore that, which had
led to adrop in grain prices.
‘‘Itwas justnice to havea
half­decent year,’’ he says.
The last seasonwas heldup
by alack of raininNovember
in North Canterbury, but was
followed by near­perfect
harvest conditions and ideal
establishment conditionsfor
thenext crops.
Thenew plantingseason
followed amild winter,
allowing farmers to get on with
sowing and spraying
applications. But rain is
neededsoon, Mr Taggart says.
‘‘It’s drierthan people think.
Three or four weeksago, when
we were getting drizzly
weather,people thoughtitwas
‘‘We’rejust startingtowind down. The
percentages are pretty mixed and the
droughthas had areallybig impact on
some farmers.
‘‘I’ve scanned guys down from 170 to
140%, but othersare up about 10%. It will
be interesting to see whathappens, but the
spring willlevelthings out.’’
The silver lining is that the lamb price
was still strong,for now.
Federated FarmersNorth Canterbury
meat and wool chairman Daniel Maxwell
says indicationsare the earlylambers,
who mated theirewesinFebruary and
March, arescanning lower, but those who
mated ewes in May are faring better.
Big yield ... North Canterbury farmers Murray and Roscoe Taggart
enjoyed an excellent wheat harvest last season.
PHOTO: FILE
wet, but now there’s very little
moisture in the soil.’’
Whilearable farmers were
not directly affected by Covid­
19, the secondary effects are
starting to be felt with reduced
demand for specialist
vegetable seeds and prime
lambonthe international
markets,hesays.
‘‘Thingswere looking pretty dire for a
whilethere. We had agood rain in March,
but we didn’t get afollow­uprainuntil
May.
‘‘Butsince then we’ve had afairly mild
winter, so we’ve had somewinter growth
whichhas madeadifference.’’
Another good rainfall overthe next two
weeks would set farmers up nicely for
spring, Mr Maxwellsays. ‘‘Allinall, winter
has gonewell,but it would be premature
to say that we are in spring.Winter snow
can come in September.’’
Meatprices are holding up for now, but
the global uncertainty withCovid­19
meantthat couldchange quickly.
RURAL LIFE
The North Canterbury News, August 13, 2020
27
North Island
judge named
ANorth Islanddairy cattle breeder has
been chosentojudge the New Zealand
Agricultural Show’s on­farm dairy cattle
competitionfrom November 11 to 13.
Te Awamutu contract milker Corey
Ferguson will judge the on­farm
competition, one of several events being
held in place of the New Zealand
Agricultural Show, which was cancelled
because of Covid­19.The on­farm
concept has beensuccessfullyrun in the
Waikato region twice.
The competition will encompass
exhibitorsfrom the greater Canterbury
region,with severalbreeds expected to
be represented, including Holstein,
Jersey, Ayrshire, Milking Shorthorn, and
Brown Swiss.
Mr Ferguson will visit the farms
involved, with exhibitorsparading their
cattle as they would at ashow.
The public is welcometofollow the
judging andattendthe prize­givinginthe
Sheep Breeders’ Bar at Canterbury
Agricultural Park on November 13.
Formore information, contact either
Peter Gilbert on (027) 435 6334 or
glenalla@slingshot.co.nz; or Clyde
McIntosh on (027) 458 1958 or
clyderach@yahoo.co.nz.
New oversight
The FMG Young Farmer of the Year
competition board is being
disestablished.
The four­memberboard will be
replacedwith anew contest subcommittee
sitting under the New
Zealand Young Farmers(NZYF)
board.
The changeswill bring the contest
into closer alignment with the NZYF
board, organisation and strategy,
boardchairwoman Ash­Leigh
Campbell says.
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