The ground is rock hard and cracks are glaring as drought conditions remain in Northland, and it's especially hard for farmers who were already on the back foot from brutally dry conditions last year.
Okaihau beef farmer Paula Flood told TVNZ1's Breakfast this morning it had been "a mongrel season right the way through", making it tough on farmers to have enough feed for their stock.
The dry has forced some farmers to offload stock, grass is down meaning less feed and lower prices. The economic impact of the Covid-19 coronavirus is also starting to be felt.
It's especially tough when comparing 2020 so far to last year which saw an all time record for beef export revenue. Forty per cent of that income came from China, where demand for New Zealand meat and dairy products is down due to Covid-19.
Amid the dire times, Ms Flood said her overdraft was up to the limit and she hasn't been able to buy more haylage for her animals.
"It's just a big juggling act and of course none of us have got a crystal ball so what the heck," she said.
"We're gonna need to get more rain in pretty quick."
Ms Flood said there had been some showers overnight "straight from the heavens", but it's not enough rain to be a drought-breaker.
"We've had little spells of 2mm, 3mm here, 2mm there, getting a slight green touch but we need lots more," she said.
"Certainly not enough grass. We've had a bit of a mongrel season right the way through, like last year we got late drought and we were dry February, March, April and May and we never got rain till June so we went into the winter with nothing on board."
Ms Flood said in winter, ideally, there would be extra feed for pregnant stock and since grass doesn't grow as well in "the rotten cold" of winter.
"Then the spring, you got a bit jittery and excited and thinking 'yeah, yeah, she's about to boogie' but it sort of never quite happened. And then we got into summer and boom way she comes - so it's not just the drought as well, it's what's been leading up to the drought.
"Normally if you can get one season of good you get a bit of a head start and a kick in the guts, but you know, we haven't had that this year, so yeah, been pretty tough."
Ms Flood said for farmers, their animals were "part of your heart and soul".
"So when they're suffering, it's pretty tough. Tough on them and tough on you because it's like having a family of 10 kids - it's all up to you ... we've just got to go with what the weather gives us."
Ms Flood said the scary part was about looking forward - again not having enough feed in the bank for this winter.
"Looking forward, we need to get this rain now while we've still got the warm weather to grow grass. Once it gets cold we'll be in the same situation as last season, we're going into winter with absolutely nothing on board.
"It's pretty scary and water supplies are a big thing for farmers."
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