Caroline Hammat
Local farmers are hoping rainfalls forecast for this week will be enough for the late season break needed to germinate crops and take the pressure off livestock feeding.
Farmers are facing dry paddocks, damage from frosts and rising feed costs with mixed-use farmer Trevor Rayson saying it was a very unusual season.
“It’s been a long time since we got excited when we had 5 ml of rain,” he said.
“Down here if you are not getting an inch or inch and a half to get the season going, you don’t even talk about it.
“Scott Clarke has kept good rainfall records since 1974 and he’s kept the date of the break of the season for every year.
“There are three times since 1974 the break of the season has been in June and one of them was as late as June 27 in 1990, which astounds me.
“It’s not unprecedented, but coming out of a very lean spring, we are probably in the worst position that anybody can really remember.”
Mr Rayson said this time last year he was faced with his crops underwater compared to this season where he has photos of dust billowing behind the seeder.
“It’s incredibly different between last year and this year,” he said.
“We have been teased by the rain, lots of people have sown thinking we are going to get the rain.
“Over the long weekend the weather apps showed we were going to get 15 mls of rain on the Monday and we got one ml.
“Since then, depending where you are, we have had perhaps 12 ml.”
“One of the things we do is grow winter varieties of cereals and canola and they have a very long growing season.
“The latest sowing date preferred is by the 15th of May and every day after that you can expect a yield loss.
“That is a big concern.”
“We are growing these flood resistant winter crops and if you don’t get them in the ground early and growing, you are relying on a late spring and ideal conditions.”
Currently lambing and calving is underway and ewes and cows are in need of a good food supply.
The lack of feed in paddocks, and high stocking densities common to the region, is placing extra burden on farmers who are paying increasing prices for grain and hay to feed stock.
Demand for hay has resulted in rising costs with farmers paying up to $400 per ton.
Mr Rayson said one local farmer has sent his cattle to Broken Hill for agistment where good rains have resulted in good feed.
Livestock agent John Chay said he has one client sourcing hay from Ouyen in Victoria based purely on price.
“Hay has become very hard to source and if you can find it, it’s very dear.
With some farmers left with little option but to send their livestock to market Mr Chay said it is not all “doom and gloom.”
“If you’ve got a bit of weight in your cattle, they are actually selling very well.”
85 year old John Buhlmann has a lifetime of farming experience and currently runs a block at Kalangadoo with 200 Angus cattle.
Recalling the years of 59, 67, 76 and 82 as particularly tough years, Mr Buhlmann remains optimistic there is still a possibility of the season ending on a high.
“It’s a late start, it doesn’t have to be a massive break just if the timing is good.
“I wouldn’t put the season as a disaster, because we are not quite fully six months into it and who knows the last six months might be absolute rippers
Mr Buhlmann said the pastures are better than they were 50-60 years ago and that Australia leads the world in low rainfall cropping.
“We are fairly lucky here that our seasons here usually are fairly reliable but our average break is the 26th of April.
“You do go either side and this season has pushed the limit of how late it is.
“We still need a good soaking, it’s not too late for some crops, there are some varieties that will grow on a shorter rotation.”
Although Mr Buhlmann grows pastures for feed he has had to buy a lot of hay and has held on to most of his livestock.
“I should have sold some but the market hasn’t been good enough and I’ve kept them going, mainly heifers.
“I sold some steers privately and got a good price for them.
“I would have like to have sold some by now, there is demand for them further north, NSW has had a good season and getting better
“They have had a run of tough seasons so are probably looking for breeding females and they might look to the market here.
“We are feeding fairly heavily as well, using quite a lot of hay, mainly on to the younger females.
“I’ve tried to keep my cattle in as good a condition as I could.
“If you let them go too low in condition and it does get a bit cold, next year they might not cycle and get in calf.”
