rain rain come and stay...

I hope it does rain properly for the sake of the poor animals on farms throughout the Waikato.

This article suggests it will - sadly it could also interfere with our fieldtrip!

Rain forecast for drought-stricken Waikato

Low pressure weather system from tropics will bring wind and rain to upper North Island, soaking Waikato over next few days

13 April 2008
Relief is in sight for drought-stricken Waikato with rain forecast for the North Island over the next few days.

A low pressure system is dragging wet air from the tropics which will bring wind and rain. The first bout will make its way down the island from Northland later today or tonight.

Weather analyst Philip Duncan warns there will be wind gusts reaching 100km/hr across the northern part of Northland and up to 80km/hr across Auckland Harbour. Winds of 100km/hr are already lashing Cape Reinga.

Rain will reach Waikato tonight or tomorrow and should last up to 36 hours.

http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/article.aspx?id=83971&fm=psp,nwl

Secret pig farming at Peachgrove

Hi kids. I want to raise rare breed pigs, chickens and sheep on a bushclad lifestyle block near Hamilton. If I was drought affected and needed more grass for my stock, could I sneak them onto the school field during the holidays?

If I have ten Auckland Island pigs who require one hectare of grazing area per week to be happy and well fed, is the school field big enough to cope with them during the school holidays for two weeks?

This is a measurement exercise. You need to measure distances around the field using metre long step [use the metre ruler to gauge how big your steps need to be] and calculate the area of the field in sqaur emetres. Add comments to convert hectares into metres. Comment regarding what you need to subtract from the overall area to make your calculations more accurate.

Once you have worked out the area, if you believe it is too small for ten pigs over two weeks, work out how many pigs I could sneak on - I can always leave the others at home.

Draw a tidy scaled diagram in your maths book. Include your measurements. Show your calculations and findings.

Have fun.

:-)

Be nice to pigs and chickens [DONT SUPPORT BATTERY FARMING]