Meet the Strathkellar farmer fencing off his dams during a dry season

Strathkellar beef producer Rob Walter has taken to fencing his dams to help his Angus cattle bloom. “We’ve had dams I’ve never seen dry in my lifetime, but they’re dry.”

A Strathkellar farmer has found fencing his dams one of his best methods for tackling drought, in the face of little summer rain.

Commercial beef producer Rob Walter fenced his dams south of the Grampians, to help bring his 300 Angus cows and 100 heifers through summer and autumn.

“We normally get about 27 inches (685mm) annually, last year we had bugger all. We’ve had dams I’ve never seen dry in my lifetime, but they’re dry,” he said.

“There’s a hell of a lot of people in strife in this district for water. Plumbers are doing a roaring trade, they’re flat out.

“We’ve made a few blues here and there, but as long as I learn from it. I have a heap of weaners still and I should’ve gotten rid of them, I was banking on summer rain which we didn’t get so I’m feeding them.”

Lewis Walter, 9, with dad Rob Walter at one of their Strathkellar farm dams, which is fenced. Picture: Rachel Simmonds

Rob Walter's dried dam at Strathkellar. Picture: Rachel Simmonds

Rob booked his cattle in for the WVLX store sale at Mortlake next week. He said his biggest cost was feed, after ordering seven B-doubles last year, and two this year. He had 150 silage bales left of 500 harvested.

He said fencing his dams helped prevent stock losses and injuries, and maintain clean drinking water for healthier cattle.

“A few years ago I had weaner steers and weaner heifers. I had the steers on just dam water, and I had the others on good, clean water out of the dam that hadn’t been trampled. There was a big difference,” Rob said.

“Same feed, but the water was different. It was everything, the steers were ordinary and the others were blooming.”

Lewis Walter, of Strathkellar, in the middle of his family farm’s dry dam. Picture: Rachel Simmonds

Rob farms alongside his wife, Lee Beattie, and their children Jordan, 20, Will, 17, Harlie, 15, and Lewis, aged 9, and is currently taking reprieve after a busy bushfire season.

The dry summer meant he was one of many volunteers fighting the fires at the Grampians National Park since December.

Rob said he volunteered alongside about 18 others at his local brigade, with a diverse volunteer base.

“One fire we had, the whole railway line caught on fire at Hensley Park, the pager went off at 11am and we didn’t get back until 7 at night, I fed cattle into the dark just to get it done,” he said.

“(The Grampians) was such a huge fire, it was a matter of where it popped out. The aircrafts do a magnificent job, they really do. CFA volunteers sit around the edges (for asset protection) and when it comes out, we stop it,” he said.

Lewis Walter, 9, with dad Rob Walter at their Strathkellar farm dam, which is mostly dry. Picture: Rachel Simmonds