Drought and rain wreak havoc on Victoria’s farmers

VICTORIA remains a state divided by unpredictable weather, with East Gippsland farmers wanting the drought to break while those in the Western Districts need the rain to stop.

DRENCHING rain and endless dry — Victoria remains a state divided by unpredictable weather.

While farmers to the east twist their boots in the dirt and pin their hopes on soaking spring rain for beef and dairy regions, producers in the wheat belt in the state’s west are praying for it to stop.

All this as farmers across the border grapple with one of the worst droughts on record.

VICTORIAN FARMING COMMUNITIES HELP DROUGHT-AFFECTED NSW FARMERS

GIPPSLAND FARMERS FEEL THE PINCH AS WINTER WEATHER FAILS TO DELIVER THE WATER THEY NEED TO SURVIVE

A SNAPSHOT OF THE DROUGHT ACROSS AUSTRALIA

Third-generation farmer Hamilton Gerrand is grappling with a green drought, where not enough water is getting into the subsoil. Picture: David Caird

The cruel predicament threatens to push some of our proudest producers to the brink as farmers fork out tens of thousands of dollars on fodder to feed herds, while waterlogged crops could be wiped out just a few hundred kilometres west of Melbourne.

The mix of conditions has been blamed partly on a shift in ocean temperatures off the coast of Western Australia.

But generational farmers say the unfolding drought is a repeat of conditions experienced in the early 2000s, the long hot El Nino summer of 1982-83, and the devastating dry in the mid 1960s.

It is, however, the first time in decades that farmers in the state’s west say they have ­endured soaking rain while the rest of the state has missed out.

Tim Whitehead on his sodden property near Hawkesdale in the Western Districts. Picture: Judy de Man

Tim Whitehead and his wife Bindi on their sodden property near Hawkesdale in the Western Districts. Picture Judy de Man

Tim Whitehead, a fourth-generation crop and sheep ­farmer at Minhamite, south of Hamilton, said the region had copped almost half its annual rainfall since the start of the growing season in May.

“We feel guilty,” he said. “We only wish that we could give farmers in the east a few inches.”

But he shared concerns of some farmers in the region who needed the big wet to stop.

“We could do with a bit of sunshine — the crops are starting to show yellowing and water logging.

“We’ve had two wet years in a row — this will be our third.”

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Dean Narramore said changes to the temperature of the Indian Ocean were partly to blame for the unusual weather patterns.

“We have had a lot of fronts moving through over the last couple of months, but there has been no real connection from the tropics to bring in moisture,” Mr Narramore said.

“Instead it’s coming up from the Southern Ocean and quickly drying out as it moves inland.

“Normally we’d see a front link up with some moisture from the Indian Ocean, which would move down over the Mallee and spread across the entire state. This hasn’t happened this winter.

“So the rainfall gradient from the southwest coast to the Mallee is really sharp and dries out quickly and it’s also drying up by the time it gets to Gippsland.”

Hamilton Gerrand is hoping for soaking rain to ease the dry spell in Victoria’s east. Picture: David Caird

Third-generation farmer Hamilton Gerrand has to spend thousands of dollars on grain and hay just to keep his sheep alive. Picture: David Caird

Like so many other farmers east of Sale, cattle and sheep producer Hamilton Gerrand has been forced to spend tens of thousands of dollars on fodder that he wouldn’t normally need at this time of the year.

“It’s getting tough,” he said. “It looks green but in reality we are no better off than those places in drought across New South Wales and Queensland.”

Mr Gerrand said just 300 round bales of hay remained from 1000 at the beginning of winter. He stripped his Angus and Hereford herd back by 400 in April to ensure he could make it through the period of uncertainty. He has spent more than $20,000 on feed to help his stock through calving season.

“It’s pretty stressful — if the weather doesn’t break and we go through to autumn without rain, we could be in real trouble,” he said.

Businesses in Sale have thrown their support behind a September 22 event, “Drink for the Drought, a farmer’s day out” — an initiative aimed at giving farming families a night off away from their properties.

A lamb looks for feed during the “green drought” on Hamilton Gerrand’s property in East Gippsland. Picture: David Caird

Sheep and cattle farmer Russell Heywood said it was initiatives such as this that helped farmers feel they weren’t alone.

“It’s really critical now that we get good spring rain otherwise we will have to keep buying more feed and nobody can afford it,” he said.

Victorian Farmer’s Federation president David ­Jochinke said administrative pressures were also taking a toll.

He said reducing fixed costs like shire and water rates was one way to give struggling farmers a break.

Reassessing the criteria for assistance schemes should also be considered for farmers who had sought additional side work to make ends meet, thereby ruling themselves out of any chance of government ­assistance.

“A lot of farmers are just really struggling to know what they should do next to survive,” Mr Jochinke said.

“There are some tough decisions to be made.”

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