Nelson parched

Press, 25 February 1981, Page 7

Nelson parched

Nelson reporter '.Nelson province is in • thegrip of its worst drought for many years. la some places rivers have been reduced to a trickle or have dried up. Farmers have had to feed Out so much hay and silagd that they will be hard-pressed to find winter feed, and stock have been sent to sales in such numbers that prices have dropped dramatically. As a direct result, the Waitaki N;Z< Refrigerating freezing Works at Nelson, while killing to capacity, has a three-week backlog. The mean rainfall, for Nelson for the period December, January, and'February iSft 215fflm, but. Only 75mm has fallen in that time this season, including 55.8 mm that fell on two days (14.6mm' on December' 8, and 41.2 mm ,’on January 20), ' Had heavy rain not fallen on January 20. the province's total rain for the . month would have been T.Omm. So far this . month, 5.6 mm has fallen. The province's worstaffected area is south of Spooners Range — Tapawera, Kikiwa, Korere, and Motupiko —- where farmers- ate reported to be dipping into winter feed

stocks, Tneh problem has been aggravated by a cold late spring and a poor hay-making season. Hay ..is being carted from Canterbury, but farmers’ say their greatest problem is to find the hay to buy. Other winter feed crops Such as swedes arid turnjps have failed to germinate because of lack of moisture: Farmers • have been forced to get rid of stock quickly and prices have dropped between $6 and $l2 on last.season’s prices at. the’Brightwater sales, according to one Nelson stock agent. The worst prices, however, were to come, he said. He reported an almost total absence of fee 5 d on the foothills from Tapawera to Upper Buller, and said that, some other areas were almost as bad. Mr T. Johnston, Nelson manager of Waitaki, said that weights, even for the best stock for slaughter, were already down about a kilogram on last year’s. The works was already 10,000 lambs and sheep up on last year’s record and it could make no impression on the demand for .killing, he said. Use of water over the Waimea Plains is restrict- " ed but this has not se-

riously interfered with horticultural production. ' Farmers in Murchison, a dairying district, have reported a 25 per cent drop in milk production and a shortage of hay. “The green stops at Shenandoah," one farmer said, referring to the Maruia area where several days of drizzle have revived dormant grass. ’ In Golden Bay, milk production is estimated to be down at least 5 per cent on last year, and likely, to get worse. Farms on Mid and North Canterbury’s coas'tal strip also have had little rain this year. Hay and fodder crops, usually saved for winter shortages, are being fed out, and some crops are not growing well. The amount of hav cut on many farms is 'only about 40 to 60 per cent of annual requirements. Stock is still generally in good order, if the quality of most of the ewes offered at Canterbury fairs so far this month is an indication. The worst-affected areas are on the Mid-Canterbury coast, in the Ellesmere district, and ' parts of Banks Peninsula. The Scargill and Cheviot districts are also very dry. Stock prices in Canterbury have not been affected markedly but buying power. from the drier areas has hot been as strong this year.