MEAT PRODUCTION

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 41, 18 January 1944, Page 5

MEAT PRODUCTION

EFFECT OF DRY CONDITIONS

A DOMINION SURVEY

Reports on conditions affecting stock throughout the Dominion have been received l'roin its Supervising Meat Graders by the New Zealand Meat Producers Board: These show that the objective' of killing lieayiei weight lambs this season will bo difficult to achieve, as the feed position is unsatisfactory in most parts of the country, details of the reports for the week ended January Bth are as follows: — Auckland District: Weather conditions becoming ' very serious, but have not yet reached the desperate stage. Pastures have dried up and rain is badly needed.. The holding of. lambs for extra weight lias been a failure, in this district. West Coast and Taranaki: The dry spell continues on this Coast, and the position is now rather serious. Little or no rain has fallen for weeks, and, the drying winds have been almost continuous over the past fortnight or so. It is the driest summer Taranaki has experienced for years. It is reported that areas as far North as Taiimarunui are also very dry. Generally,feed is fairly plentiful, but it is dry feed, and therefore not good for lamb fattening. Poverty Bay and Hawke's Bay: Again there has been a week of very hot weather, worse than anything experienced so far this summer, and even the nights are hot. This is going to stop all growth of feed and very soon burn up what feed there is; in fact Hawke's Bay is looking burnt up already. Wairoa and Poverty Bay are not so burnt up as Hawke's Bay\. but it is dry in both of those districts, j.ainbs are. going off already, more so in Poverty Bay''and Wairoa districts. Manawatu and Wairarapa: The weather has continued hot and dry. Pastures arc drying off, and lambs are showing the result of the long dry spell. Canterbury: Weather conditions in Mid and North Canterbury are still very hot and dry. Feed for stock is scarce and rapidly drying up. This is noticeable from some lines, of* lambs that have come forward for killing, and also in" the fat. lamb pens, at Addington sale, where a large number of forward stores were offered. Otago and Southland: Weather conditions over the holidays were fairly and though rain fell on several occasions there was not enough to do much good, as very hot days followed. A good fall of rain is badly wanted, especially in the hill country as it is beginning to look very drj'. The report adds that as feed, is going off in the hill country, fanners are killing off iines of lambs that are definitely not ready.