Too little sunshine puts lambs back four weeks

A lack of sunshine is continuing to take its toll on lamb growth, with too much dull weather leaving lambs behind usual growth rates, says Stantiall and Keeling farm adviser, Feilding-based John Stantiall.

"Pasture quality is starting to go off as well. Until recently, stock was right on top of it – eating all the leafy growth. Now, pasture is growing but it has gone to seed," he said.

Only those with quality lamb feed are in a position to do much about it.

"Lambs have been lacking soluble sugars in grass. They've had plenty of protein, but not the carbohydrate they need."

He said that even with good feed, lambs still needed sunshine to do well.

Stock agents, farm advisers and farmers believe most lambs are about four weeks behind usual development.

As for the future demand for lambs and price, Mr Stantiall said there seemed to be two strong schools of thought.

"One is that the schedule [meat price] for lambs will not be flash; the other is that there will be reasonable demand for lambs as those on lamb finishing country want stock and don't have a choice."

He said the result he expected was a balance of some good sales for lambs, and some not so good. Picking them would be the difficult part.

"Ewes are in pretty good condition. At this time of the year, farmers are working through the usual summer jobs of shearing, dagging, drenching and weaning lambs."

Mr Stantiall feels that if regular rain continues, there should be a bit of leaf in pasture, which will help pasture quality even as it goes to seed.

"Bring on the sunshine, though," was his call to the weather gods.

There was likely to be a shortage of feed in the dairy industry when autumn struck, Mr Stantiall said.

"There has not been a lot of maize go in, there hasn't been a lot of silage made. I expect the people who have grain stored have a bit of an opportunity."

Cool spring and early summer weather meant many dairy farmers who had closed paddocks to allow pasture growth for silage had to reopen them for cows as feed conditions tightened up.

There would also be an opportunity for farmers to graze dairy cows, Mr Stantiall predicted.