Millewa rain is boosting crops and giving farmers harvest hope after drought
This time last year the Kelly family’s Millewa farm was so deep in drought it resembled a desert. Now incredible before and after photos show what a massive difference much needed winter rain had on our country farms.
Victoria
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This time last year the Kelly family’s Millewa farm was so deep in drought it resembled a desert.
Now, after winter rain, it is flushed green with crops of wheat, barley and vetch, and hope springs of a golden harvest.
Now, instead of pouring dust from his hat, farmer Kieran ‘Rad’ Kelly can pour water.
A good soaking rain 10 days ago, and a couple of lighter falls since, have helped the crops along, and there is water in the dams.
But more rain is needed if it’s going to be a bumper crop, and make up for the years’ lost to “the big dry”, Mr Kelly, a third generation farmer, said.
The paddocks of vetch – a legume grown for stock feed – are growing particularly strongly and verdantly green.
“It’s really picked up and starting to look good around here again now but up until a couple of weeks ago we were still looking for rain … and it’s a bit of a mixed bag, pretty patchy across the Mildura area, some places have had more rain than others.
“But generally, with what we’ve had, it’s given farmers confidence again,” Mr Kelly said.
When the Sunday Herald Sun visited the Kelly’s 4000ha farm in Werrimull in early Spring 2019, the paddocks were bare dirt and the family despairing.
The drought was the worst Mr Kelly had experienced in his lifetime and many in the Millewa believed it was the worst on record.
Before the drought hit, the Millewa region – stretching 100km west from Mildura to near the South Australian border, in Victoria’s north west – was one of the most productive cropping areas in the State.
Living on his vast property with his son, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren, Mr Kelly said in mid-September last year their once-fertile farm had been reduced to “something like the Sahara desert”, with top soil piled up against fences and hills of red sand, patterned by the wind.
Other farmers in the district were moving or selling up their stock and properties, fearful they owed the bank more than their barren farms were worth, and would not be able to make an income in the foreseeable future.
Most said they had “held out” over a couple of dry seasons – trying to exist on savings or money from other casual work – but could not last another year.
Parents of three, Cowan and Erin Tyack, were among them.
After having sold off their sheep and abandoned all hope of planting, yet alone harvesting, crops, this time last year, the Tyacks’ prayers for rain have been answered in 2020.
They, too, have paddocks under crop and are hopeful of a solid harvest this year.
“Everything is green again, finally,” Mrs Tyack said last week.
“We’ve got wheat, oats and barley, and they’re all coming along nicely – they’re perfect.
“This year we should hopefully get our average (income from harvest) and that’s a relief … to know we can keep going with farming, that we’ve got crops and we’ve got feed for our sheep.”
The family brought stock back to the farm earlier in the year, when rain finally arrived and grass started to grow, she said.
“There’s no dust anywhere, anymore,” Mrs Tyack said.
“At the start of the year the kids were having half-days at school because they were predicting dust storms and the school bus can’t run in dust storms.
“But since the first (coronavirus) lockdown we haven’t had any dust storms … so it’s been really good.
“It’s been lovely just have to have no dust inside the house … for things to be a bit back to normal.”