A Central Otago "pro- hibited" fire season has been declared, prompted by the severe fire risk after a month without rain.
This is two months earlier than last year.
Central Otago farmers are on drought alert after up to seven months with little rain, and are concerned about the pressure on irrigation water and potential fire risk.
"It's going to be a long summer" was the comment by farmers contacted yesterday.
A "restricted" fire season is already in place, and Central Otago Principal Rural Fire Officer Owen Burgess said the upgrade to a "prohibited" season would take effect throughout the district from Saturday.
All fires will be banned, except for gas barbecues.
"There's heaps of fuel loading out there and things are really dry.
"We've already had two grass fires in the past week caused by stones sparking when people have been mowing rank grass, at Cornish Point and at Alexandra.
"That's an indication of how severe the fire risk is."
Niwa agricultural clima- tologist Alan Porteous said most of inland Otago was dry.
November had been particularly dry with less than 10mm of rain.
The month had also been windier than usual, further drying the soil.
Gimmerburn farmer Mark Paterson said there had been "no rain to speak of" since May.
"We had 30mm in October, but really nothing apart from that since May.
"There's been no grass growth and areas that aren't irrigated have browned off.
"Any dryland farmers will already be struggling," Mr Paterson said.
The rainfall for the year amounted to 250mm, compared with 305mm for the corresponding time last year.
"By the forecast, there's no sign of it easing and getting rain any time soon.
"Thunderstorms might supply some much-needed moisture, but we'll need to get a lot of rain."
He was expecting irrigation water to be rationed during summer.
Farmer and Rural Fire Officer Mark Davidson, of Lindis Crossing, said there was a lot of growth early on, and "now all that grass growth is drying off, adding to the fire risk".
Oturehua farmer Ken Gillespie said his property had received 120mm of rain since the end of May, about a quarter of the rain during the corresponding period in 2008 and 2007.
The only saving grace was farmers still had good stores of feed after a mild winter.
Jolyon Manning, of Alexandra, who takes daily weather readings, said "hardly a drop" of rain had fallen in the town during the past 36 days.
