Beef+Lamb says it's vital sheep and cattle farmers have a plan in place for coping with the very dry conditions in the upper North Island.
A state of drought has been officially declared for the west coast of Northland, and parts of South Auckland, Waikato and King Country are also very dry.
Beef+Lamb's extension manager for Waikato, Andrew Jolly, says it's crucial for farmers to have a drought management plan. He says they need to ensure that their high-value stock get the feed they need and, if they have stock that can be sold, having a plan to do that.
Mr Jolly says poorer paddocks can be grazed harder so that better paddocks that have been grazed less will bounce back first with the first rainfall.
He says most farmers he's dealing with are remaining positive and coping reasonably well, but all have their fingers crossed for rain.
