More wet, windy, cold weather

The last week has brought miserable conditions to much of west & south Gippsland once again.  Many paddocks are under water or waterlogged and where there is mud there is certainly not money!

Some natural weather disasters are quick and devastating - fires, flash floods.  Others are slow and creeping - droughts and long spells of wet weather.

Often, when dairy businesses in these regions of Gippsland consider the major threats to their business - wet conditions are high on the list.  This threat is being realised in 2011.

With the weeks of wet weather comes devastation that many who are not farming do not realise - damaged soils from pugging, damaged pastures, damaged tracks, reduced cow condition (despite every effort being made to put cow health as the number one priority) and a loss in milk production.  All of these factors add up to very stressed and tired farm managers and workers.

In mid July some areas of the region are nearing their annual average rainfall totals!  Australia's Bureau of Meterology has few weather stations in these areas so we rely on local people to take measurements - many farms measure their rainfall daily, however this year emptying the gauge is far from a joy!!