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Vol 21 No 35, September 11, 2023
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Dry sets in as El Niño breaks cover Neal Wallace & Annette Scott
NEWS
Weather
T
HE first signs of an El Niño weather system are appearing, with dry conditions taking hold in some eastern regions. “We’re getting close to an El Niño being announced. We’re seeing it more in the atmosphere than we did two months ago,” WeatherWatch head forecaster Philip Duncan said. El Niño generally means wet conditions on the west coasts and dry in the east, and Duncan said that is occurring in pockets on both coasts and will strengthen through summer.
I think it is going to be a long irrigation season. Myfanwy Alexander North Otago Federated Farmers “It’s likely to be generally drier and warmer with more westerly weather conditions, but there are likely to be rainmakers coming through.” NIWA reports this past winter was New Zealand’s fifth warmest since records began, and in many regions rainfall was below average. Duncan is forecasting little rain and warm temperatures for most of the country for the next two weeks. North Island eastern areas
that have endured 18 months of persistent wet weather are finally drying out but North Otago and parts of Canterbury had an extremely dry winter and have had little rain for six weeks. North Otago Federated Farmers president Myfanwy Alexander said just 5mm has fallen in the past six weeks. Irrigation started last month and warm temperatures have prompted pasture growth. “I think it is going to be a long irrigation season.” Irrigators in some districts began working as soon as temperatures warmed. Coastal parts of South Canterbury are similarly dry, with local mixed cropping farmer and Federated Farmers national vicepresident Colin Hurst recording just 6mm for August and 238mm for the year to date, less than half the 600mm average rainfall for the region. The conditions are not yet having an impact, but that could change without a decent rain, he said. The clods are hard and cool, and spring soil temperatures are stunting growth in Canterbury. Irrigators are working where they can while others are waiting for irrigation companies to crank up for the season. “The winter was kind, but it was 23 July that we had our last decent rain. A bit of a shower would Continued page 3
2023
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Subdued start to yearling bull sales Te Atarangi Angus principal Chris Biddles keeps a wary eye on yearling Angus bulls as they go through the sale ring at Te Atarangi stud on the Pouto Peninsula, Northland.
MARKETS 8
QualityNZ bowls its way to high-end India Former New Zealand cricketers Daniel Vettori, Brendan McCullum and Stephen Fleming, shareholders and ambassadors for exporting company QualityNZ, are as revered in India as they are in New Zealand.
MARKETS 10 NZ dairy exporters have claimed victory over Canada in their first CPTPP trade dispute.
A new report underlines the dairy industry’s importance as an export earner and job creator.
An innovative Kiwi has developed the world’s first gelato made from upcycled kumara.
MARKETS 3
NEWS 7
PEOPLE 20
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