Milk production on Dirk Sieling's Whitianga dairy farm is down 8% on last year when there was a once in a lifetime drought reports the Waikato Times. Mr Sieling, who with his wife Kathy converted to dairy six years ago, said this season was the worst he had seen in his dairying career. "Last year milk production on our farm was down 8-10%," Mr Sieling said. "This season it's probably 8% down on that." Mr Sieling described the situation, which went in tandem with a 90 cent drop in forecast payout to $5.10, as "near desperate". "Things are starting to look precarious. It's very dry around the Hauraki Plains and we really need a good two inches of rain, or more, over the next 10 days." This time last season the drought had cut Waikato milk production by 27% slashing $500 million from farmers' milk cheques. Jason Minkhorst, general manager commercial for Fonterra milk supply, said Waikato milk production for February was down 5% on expectations. Niwa agricultural climatologist Alan Porteous said some people would be calling current conditions a drought. Rainfall was likely to be normal or above normal in the next quarter but he could not say when it was likely to come.
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