MAIZE & CROPPING 2022

Farmers wary of what the new sowing season will bring

Local farmers are facing some unpredictable circumstances as the spring sowing season kicks o˜ .

“They are somewhat guarded about the months ahead and watching and waiting to see how the weather goes, what the pay-out will be, and what feed costs will be,” says Federated Farmers Wairarapa President David Hayes.

As the calendar moves into spring farmers are still being challenged by the weather and wondering when it will dry out, says David.

“They are in the middle of lambing and calving now, so are very busy. Dairy farmers have had a very challenging calving time and are hoping for a dryer September. At least the soil temperatures have stayed up. There have been plenty of slips on hill country and some road closures and damage.”

Some farmers will be checking with their banks in case things get harder, with cost increases and some slippage in pay-outs, David predicts.

“Feed costs are going up signiÿ cantly – grain costs, less pea available than expected, a terrible harvest period earlier in the year, and international grain prices.”

How much farmers are a˜ ected will be very speciÿ c to each operation.

“Some dairy farmers have had to go to once-a-day milking due to the weather and this will reduce the feed stress. Others making decisions as late as possible to see how the early spring goes before committing to additional feed costs.”

David expects to see some reduction in the use of fertiliser because of rising costs.

“There will tend to be more tailored application to manage costs. Some nitrogen is being applied to optimise growth in the spring period. Some reseeding has been deferred, and oversowing only to keep costs down.”

It is di˛ cult to know at this stage if more maize will be grown in the Wairarapa this season in response to the increased cost of imported feed, David says.

“Dairy farmers are the main customer, and they are holding o˜ as long as possible to make decisions dependent on pay-out projections. There is a risk prices might slip for dairy pay-out.”