Dryland sheep systems in Canterbury and Marlborough
Abstract
Livestock production in New Zealand is based
primarily on pasture and forage for all classes of
ruminants (Waghorn and Clark, 2004). Increasingly,
sheep and beef cattle are being confined to dry hill
country and some un-irrigated plains as the irrigated
land is converted to dairy and cropping. Dryland
farming on the east coast of both main islands is
subject to significant climate variability. Rainfall is
the main climatic factor constraining pasture growth,
with spring and summer rainfall accounting for 60%
of the variation in pasture production in New Zealand
(Radcliffe and Baars, 1987). Baars and Waller (1979)
identified both rainfall and temperature as influencing
pasture production, with temperature playing an
important role in pasture growth in winter and early
spring.
