TL;DR: Farmers tackled drought by delaying mating, off-farm grazing, and buying feed, with strategic planning to ensure livestock health and pasture recovery for the next season.
Farmers have adapted various strategies to combat feed shortages during droughts.
In 2020, Beef + Lamb New Zealand highlighted how farmers, with guidance from farm consultants, navigated through droughts. These included delayed ewe mating, reconsidering hogget mating, off-farm grazing, and purchasing supplementary feed.
The study covered sheep and beef farmers from Northland to Southland. Each farmer implemented different methods to prepare for winter and spring.
In Northland, the Parsons faced the 2020 drought by buying a Palm Kernel Expeller (PKE) to support cattle growth in a tough market. They maintained forward steers for July slaughter, alleviating late winter pasture demands.
They fed Whole Maize Grain to ewes before mating. Additionally, applying 29 tons of SustainN proved cost-effective, enabling the purchase of 100 R1 bulls. This strategic move improved winter feeding.
Selling 33 R3 bulls early and off-farm grazing of 260 ewe hoggets reduced farm pressure. Choices like under-sowing annual ryegrass and selling surplus ewe hoggets in autumn further eased management.
Hawkes Bay’s Conon Kynoch faced low pasture covers in April 2020. Strategies included off-farm grazing of breeding cows and supplementary feeding. The farm’s steep terrain limited winter feeding options, emphasising the importance of building pasture before winter.
Farm consultant Lochie MacGillivray and Conon decided to sell surplus stock early, delay ewe mating, and apply nitrogen. These measures, along with continuous supplementary feeding, built pasture covers for spring.
Delaying lambing helped ewes lamb onto richer pastures, improving lactation and lamb survival. This careful planning ensured better outcomes despite challenging conditions.
