Critical water shortages expose divide among Gippsland dairy farmers
Gippsland dairy farmers face a precarious season as unprecedented water shortages force some to truck in water while others enjoy abundant feed growth.
The Gippsland dairy season sits on a knife-edge with farmers experiencing vastly different conditions across the region.
While South Gippsland producers such as Brian Corr are now “growing heaps of feed” following the driest 12 months on record for the Korumburra area, water remains a critical factor.
“We are starting off on such a low base with soil profiles empty,” Mr Corr said.
“Our dams are probably below 30 per cent.”
In West Gippsland, Drouin’s Rose Atherton faces more severe challenges, having been forced to truck in water last season for the first time in four decades of farming.
“We’ve been here 43 years and never seen it like this before,” Ms Atherton said.
She has cut her milking herd from 400 to 360 cows and implemented multiple contingency plans as the drought hit hard in April.
“This year, we’ve had plans A, B and C but we need D and E now,” she said.
The situation has continued to deteriorate across her area.
“One farm we know will be completely out of water in a month’s time,” Ms Atherton said.
“Others have been pumping water.”
Despite recent rain creating green paddocks, she remained concerned about the lack of subsoil moisture needed for sustained growth, dam refilling and fodder production.
Mr Corr was optimistic on pasture growth but acknowledged serious water constraints.
He hasn’t washed yards with fresh water since last October and maintains strict water conservation measures.
“We are worried but can’t control it so try not to think about it too much,” he said.
They are currently making more silage than normal while feeding extra grain and hoping average rainfall continues through until late December.
In Central Gippsland, Yarram’s Justin Staley is in a more secure position with stock water but still needs significant rainfall for summer pasture growth.
He accesses creek water for both stock and irrigation and has already begun watering spring pastures and crops for silage.
Strong winds have dried out recent small rainfall events, limiting run-off.
“I’d like two inches in the next three to four weeks and we’d get away with it,” Justin said.
In East Gippsland conditions are more favourable.
Orbost dairy farmer Chris Nixon said he had “a sensational autumn and wet winter” that helped fill dams but it had been dry since early August.
“We’ve had a wonderful eight or nine months but we are looking for rain now – we’d like an inch (25mm),” Chris said.
