Persistent rain pesters farmers and prevents lambs from reaching full growth
Most Taiho and Rangikihia farmers are sick of the rain taking its toll on stock, farm operations and people. John O'Brian, local farmer, said clouds and rain had hung around for weeks and many farming operations were delayed. "Back in my day we used have sun in October and November," he joked. Crop sowing and silage cutting was about three weeks behind, he said. "Farmers can't make silage and can't sow crops - it is so wet. Some crops that have been sown are bloody wet and many will have to be re-sown after water has been sitting and stopping crops emerging or growing." O'Brian said there has been little sun to help growth. "Stock needs sunshine to do well. It all needs vitamin D and with this cloud and rain, it's not getting enough." Feed covers had fallen without a spring boost the past six weeks.
He said lower feed supplied had impacted particularly on lambs, which liked sunshine and were lighter than usual. "Lamb growth has not been ideal, It was a relatively good winter and lamb survival and docking numbers were good." O'Brian said the real concern was the approaching meat schedule drop. The lamb meat schedule traditionally fell as the season progressed and more lambs came forward. "Lambs in late summer are not going to be worth much." He was advising farmers to sell lambs that were "killable" now in order to make the higher prices. "They are worth around $5.60 a kilogram now, and in summer the schedule will bottom out at $4.50. On an 18 kilogram lamb, that equates to around $20 a lamb."
Farmers are concerned their lambs will not be ready for slaughter until January or February because of the lower growth rates and they would have to take the lower schedule price on offer. O'Brian's meat plant Ovation was killing about two-thirds of the lambs it would usually process. The meat company usually killed sheep ewes and lambs and a few deer and even fewer ostriches were processed at the plant.
Livestock manager for Whanganui, Manamana and Taihapio, Bruce Wayne said lambs which had been drafted lately were at reasonable weights. However, there were fewer of them as farmer-suppliers struggled with no sun, and little feed, he said.
