<html><div style='background-color:'><P>Hi everyone, Our family has been recording rainfall in Tyers from 1951 onwards without missing a year, with our average being roughly 33 inches. From 1951 to mid 1976 my Grandfather wrote in a book the rainfall figures and other comments like Floods, frosts, dryspells and muddy spells, fires, caterpillar plagues and when man landed on the moon.</P>
<P>Our wettest year here recorded was 46 1/2 inches in 1952 with the comment MUD & WET, with mud being underlined. In 1964 the Latrobe River Flooded our farm flats 5 times in 4 months. In the last 10 years from 1996 to 2005 there has only been 2 or 3 floods, they were minor with one being in the miidle of february last year. The last year I remember it flooding, Tyers was cut off from Glengarry by Rintouls Creek, Traralgon by the Latrobe River and Yallourn north/Morwell by the Tyers River. The only way in or out was to go around through Erica/Rawson and down the Moe-Erica Road. </P>
<P>The last 10 years rainfall including the 1995 flood year was: (in inches)</P>
<P>1995 = 40 3/4, 1996 = 30 3/4, 1997 = 22 1/4, 1998 = 31 1/2, 1999 = 23 1/2, 2000 = 31, 2001 = 35 1/4, 2002 = 28, 2003 = 28 1/2, 2004 = 32, 2005 = 27 1/2</P>
<P>In all these years we have not had a significant Autumn break like in previouse years.</P>
<P>It would be interesting to know if anyone else has recorded rainfall for this long in one area and what the last 10 years have been like?</P>
<P>Regards </P>
<P>Jennifer Baillie</P>
<P>Tyers.</P>
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From: <I>David & Barbara Clayton <barbclay@dcsi.net.au></I><BR>Reply-To: <I>vicdairy-l@unimelb.edu.au</I><BR>To: <I>vicdairy-l@unimelb.edu.au</I><BR>Subject: <I>Dairying</I><BR>Date: <I>Wed, 25 Jan 2006 21:14:01 +1100</I><BR><BR>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hello everyone,</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I have been amazed at some of the newspaper articles that have been written about the lack of increased milk production lately.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>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.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>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.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>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. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>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.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>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.</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>What are other areas of Gippy like re rainfall?</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Regards,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>David Clayton</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Warragul</FONT> </DIV><BR></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></div></html>
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