Waikato has had a crazy dairy season - lunging from one extreme to the other.
Country Life reports the beginning of the current season followed an unprecedented autumn drought. Then late winter and early spring were the wettest many people could remember.
That was followed by a spring drought right through October, November and most of December.
It was so dry that the 77mm of rain that fell around Chistmas barely got things growing again.
Country Life reports that when it did finally rain on 20 January - there were two amazing deluges a week apart which have just transformed the countryside.
The region now has springlike conditions. Cows are picking up and most people will have a great February.
King Country has had sweltering conditions too, but there's been enough moisture in the ground not to burn pastures off.
Cooler weather arrived at the end of the week and there has been an absolute transformation there too.
King Country farm consultant Geoff Burton has been calculating the percentage increases in schedules between last January and this:
According to his figures, the beef schedule went up 35%, the schedule for cows up 50%, lambs 35% and second shear ewe's wool jumped 72%. Vension is also up by 14%.
Mr Burton says they are the biggest increase for a long, long time.
