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FOR E FUTURIA G R R S! U E N E R P
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Volume 53 I April 26, 2021 I email: agined@globalHQ.co.nz I w w w.farmersweekly.co.nz
This AgriHQ graph shows the average North Island mutton price in $/kg.
STRETCH YOURSELF: 1 Where do Lis and George farm? How big is their farm? What are their average stocking rates annually? 2 Lis is something of a self made apiarist, how did she get started with beekeeping? How many hives does she currently have? What is the Giesens own brand of honey called?
Have a go: 1 Go to www.farmersweekly.co.nz 2 Find and watch the OnFarm Story of Lis Giesen “Get them inspired young “ and read the article “Just getting on and doing it” 3 Lis grew up on a sheep and beef farm in South Canterbury but followed a different path when she finished school. What did she do during this time and where did it take her?
3 Lis volunteers at the local school? What does she do there? How much honey do the school hives produce each year? 4 What opportunities does working with bees give the students (particularly the seniors)? 5 Lis has been an integral part of establishing a catchment group? What is this? What benefits are there to those involved? 6 What are the Giesens doing with parts of their land that can not be farmed effectively? How does this benefit their bees?
Have a go: 1 When was the mutton price the highest on the above graph? 2 When was the mutton price the lowest? 3 What is the most recent mutton value?
4 On her return to NZ what did she do? Where did she do this?
STRETCH YOURSELF: 1 How does the mutton price compare to yearago levels and the five-year average? 2 Work out the percentage difference between now and the same time a year-ago. 3 Demand for mutton from China is very strong. A total of 14,000t of NZ mutton was exported to all destinations in March and 11,000t headed to China. Work out China’s market share of mutton.
PRECIPITATION - “WET STUFF THAT FALLS FROM THE SKY!” Precipitation is a great word as it covers anything water related that falls from the sky. Rain, drizzle, showers, hail, snow, sleet - it's all precipitation. At this time of the year (Autumn) we get more variety in our weather and injections of cold air can turn rain to snow very quickly. Hail, which is frozen raindrops, can freeze in the clouds at any time of the year. Big towering thunderstorms in summer can push rain droplets so high up in the atmosphere that they freeze. In winter the colder air closer to the earth's surface can also produce hail, snow and sleet. Autumn is a season that switches from warm to cold off and on each week - and this can impact precipitation. For example, here's the thunderstorm map from earlier this week, when subtropical air flows produced heavy rain downpours with a risk of isolated hail.
Compare that to the snow forecast map for this coming Monday (areas in red boxes show snow level in metres) showing a much colder pool of air and the chance of snow and sleet around Otago and the Southern Alps.
YOUR CHALLENGE! So, here's your challenge over the next few days Can you find at least three different precipitation types in our RuralWeather.co.nz forecasts? Eg: Snow, Rain and Showers? You may need to check a few locations right around NZ to find them!
Got your own question about how the weather works? Ask Phil! Email phil@ruralweather.co.nz with your question and he could answer it on the Weather Together podcast!
4 Supply of mutton typically tapers off during winter. If demand remains strong, what is this likely to do to prices?
FILL YA BOOTS: 1 What is a brassica? 2 Name a brassica used as a winter crop to feed animals in New Zealand. 3 What are some benefits of using this crop?