The removal of large numbers of trees to make way for pasture was relevant
50yrs ago. On our farm at Myponga [SA] the rainfall dropped from 55" to 40"
after significant clearing. I think that the last 10+yrs is about climate
change. When I was a kid [long time ago..] our opening rains were in
march/april at the latest. Most years now it's may/june.
Last year we had opening rains June10th, & it kept raining till the end of
the year to give as above average rainfall.
Dairy SA is running a dairy innovations day on climate change & how it
affects the dairy industry. It will be at Murray Bridge racecourse on 9th
March starting at 10am.
We would love to welcome some interstaters.
Elaine Trevilyan
-----Original Message-----
From: leon [mailto:leon@grazinginfo.com]
Sent: Thursday, 26 January 2006 8:25 AM
To: vicdairy-l@unimelb.edu.au
Subject: Re: Dairying
I remember reading about 50 years ago that rainfall had dropped in parts of
Israel so they replanted ³dark green² trees and rainfall increased.
I donıt the significance of ³dark green².
An old time farmer near Taihape, NZ. roughly in the middle of the North
Island, told me that rainfall there had decreased because so much bush had
been cleared.
On 25/1/06 23:14, "David & Barbara Clayton" <barbclay@dcsi.net.au> wrote:
> Hello everyone,
>
> I have been amazed at some of the newspaper articles that have been
written
> about the lack of increased milk production lately.
> Reading said articles one would think that green grass was up to the tops
of
> the fences across the whole of the State. Just because one part of the
State
> is having a booming season it doesn't mean that the rest is in the same
boat.
> On our farm we a struggling to survive our nineth year in a row with below
> average rainfall.
> In 2005 we recorded 757mm which is the lowest in the 19 years we have been
> here. The 19 year average is 1056mm, the first 9 years average was 1145mm
and
> the last 10 years av. 975.
> There is absolutely no way that we could increase production with these
> weather conditions. Our farm is mostly red soil and for the last 4 years
we
> have had to buy in all feed from Christmas through to May. This last
spring is
> the first time in 4 generations that no silage or hay was made.
> If there is no good autumn break this year we will be joining all our
> neighbours and nearly all others within a 5km radius and throw the towell
in.
> I don't think that Dairy Australia realises that when then next down turn
in
> prices comes that we will probably see the biggest exit from the industry
> ever. There are a number of farmers in the 55+ age bracket who are only
still
> milking because we like the job. There again I might just sell out and
move to
> another, hopefully wetter area.
>
> What are other areas of Gippy like re rainfall?
>
> Regards,
> David Clayton
> Warragul
Best wishes,
Vaughan Jones
Hamilton
New Zealand
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