Powerhouse farming region gripped by the dry

The Western District of Victoria is experiencing dry conditions while temperatures drop and hopes of decent rainfall this week fade.

Farmers in Victoria’s Western District are accustomed to water-logged paddocks in June.

But this year, it’s uncomfortably dry.

While benchmark rainfall of around 20mm has fallen in many Victorian farming areas, Westmere has recorded just 3.8mm for the month and 2mm in the past week.

In June last year Westmere received 70mm.

There was some optimism about a front coming through the area, promising more rain on Thursday but the Bureau of Meteorology has now downgraded that forecast.

Graeme McCrow at Westmere when seasonal conditions were better.

Westmere farmer Graeme McCrow grows winter crops and runs sheep and described the landscape as dry and brown.

“We haven’t had a lot of rain, and the crops are struggling to emerge,” he said.

The Westmere weather station is located on Mr McCrow’s property and he said in addition to dry conditions the temperatures had plummeted.

The temperature on Wednesday morning was -5 degrees.

“On the heavier country the crops haven’t emerged,” he said.

Mr McCrow said farmers in the Western District were used to battling boggy conditions in winter. He said in the past there had been struggles because it was too wet.

He grows wheat, canola and faba beans and said hopes of decent falls of rain later this week had mostly faded for the region.

Stewart Hamilton of Inverleigh.

Stewart Hamilton farms at Inverleigh and said things were looking pretty poor.

“It is more than a little bit concerning,” he said.

“It is a different problem for us this year, normally if we are dry, everywhere is dry,” he said.

But other farming districts had received a reprieve with some season boosting rain this month.

One positive was that farmers could still drive the utes around paddocks without getting bogged.

“Normally, we are stopped at this time of the year because it is too wet,” he said.

Mr Hamilton said most of the canola was out of the ground, but the crops on the heavy soil were struggling.

Barley had emerged and wheat appeared to be affected the most.

“I don’t think there is much rain on the forecast for us for at least another week, every week there is something promised and then it disappears before we get it,” he said.

According to the BOM Colac has had 6.8mm in the past week, and 17.3mm for the month, Ballarat had 3.6mm for the week and 9.4mm in the past month, Warrnambool received 8.4mm in the past week, Hamilton has had 7mm for the month, 4.6mm has fallen at Beeac and just 2mm has fallen at Camperdown in the past month.