Rnz: On The Farm

In Waikato a dairy consultant says it's been the best winter he can remember. A good week of weather in Canterbury has allowed cropping farmers to get on with planting spring barley.

It's been wet and warm in northern parts of the North Island. Lambs are appearing in Canterbury and calving is in full swing on dairy farms.

Pukekohe has had near perfect winter growing conditions and vegetables are in heavy supply. Pruning is in full swing in Marlborough's vineyards while on high country properties merinos are on winter rotation.

King Country farmers are spreading out ewes into lambing paddocks and are innoculating them before lambing. Agricultural work has ground to a halt this week while farmers wait for things to dry out in Canterbury.

The Pukekohe district in Auckland's south has had an unsettled week with rain and showers. Temperatures have been higher than expected in mid-July which means that crops are growing steadily. Central Otago sheep farmers are pre-lamb shearing.

Bay of Plenty farmers have had a kind winter, it is not too wet and they have very good pasture covers. Calving should begin in earnest next week. It has been another stunning week in Canterbury with dry and mild conditions which have allowed some farmers to get onto paddocks and start preparing them for spring crops.

Farmers in Northland are in good spirits because they've hardly had to put on their wet weather gear. Canterbury's had another amazing weather week with the temperature gauge nudging 20 degrees on Wednesday. The first spring lambs are appearing nearer the coast.

Gisborne has had good weather for picking mandarins but the frosty starts have growers nervous. Wintering stock is going well in Canterbury with no mud and great utilisation of feed.

Frosts have catapulted the central North Island into winter. In Southland farmers are putting sheep onto crops but crutching has been held up by rain.

A selection of farmers tell us about conditions in their part of the country and how they feel about farming. Waikato, King Country, Taupo, Canterbury, West Coast, Central Otago.

Wet muddy conditions have halted work on some market gardens near Pukekohe and in the South Island, the West Coast's had its first winter frost.

Rain in Waikato has been just what the doctor ordered. Pasture is growing but moisture is really needed to wet up the subsoil. It has been another stunning week in Canterbury with warm and mostly dry conditions. Farmers have been able to plant catch crops after early grazed fodder beet which is much earlier than normal.

Waikato dairy farms and cows are looking a lot better now than they were a month ago, and West Coast dairy cows are getting feed supplements to keep them topped up.

High winds in Manawatu have seen debris blown all over farms and, in the South Island, RSE workers are busy pruning grapevines.

The kumara harvest is 95 percent complete and growers have had a dream run. In the South Island pasture growth in Marlborough is up 30 to 40 percent on usual for the time of year.

Taranaki has had cold southerly winds and heaps of rain. Dairy farmers are mainly still milking but will dry off earlier than they had hoped. Pasture growth remains higher than normal in Canterbury for the time of year. Dairy heifers that have completed their May to May contract are on the move..

Confident sheep and beef farmers are paying top money and have out-bid foresters for land on the North Island's East Coast. In the South Island apple harvesting's almost finished in the Nelson Motueka region.

It's been a marvellous week for harvesting kiwifruit in Bay of Plenty. On Marlborough hill farms calf weaning has finished and ewes are on a fast rotation while the ram is out.

Hawkes' Bays grape harvest is 80 to 90 percent through. Horowhenua's had good grass growth but temperatures have taken a dive. Some rain and cooler temperatures this week in Canterbury have seen irrigators turned off and some put away for the season.

North Island grape growers have had ideal weather for their harvest so far and, in the South Island, Canterbury has had its first frost of the season. Read our guide to what's happening on NZ farms and orchards.