Greetings all,
I thought I would talk a bit about how spring is shaping up here in Tasmania. We are now into our third week of the spring & the grass has begun to grow away, around the countryside. We have had some rain, albeit not as much as we would like. The major concern among both farmers & cropping companies is still the lack of irrigation water, due to another dry winter.
The majority of cropping in the region is irrigated, comprising the following major crops; process potatoes, process peas, poppies, grass seed, clover seed, process beans, onions, vegetable seeds, lucerne, process and fresh market broccoli & cereals. Without irrigation, nearly all of this cropping wouldnt be possible. Our farmers would just graze sheep & maybe some cattle in the higher rainfall areas, instead of being diversified mixed farmers, growing crops and running cattle & sheep (for wool & meat). Farm incomes would be alot lower & so would the level of employment in the rural sector & the level of investment in machinery & infrastructure.
Without water we as humans cant exist; this could well be the same for many of the farmers in our area, if this season shapes up like the last. Below average rainfall last year (50-60% less in some areas) followed by similar figures this year could well spell the beginning of the end for some farmers.
Enthusiasm is down & pessimism is rife. I deal with farmers on a daily basis, as part of my role as an agronomist and I see it on an ever increasing basis. The average age of farmers here is rising & for many, they dont have a son or daughter who wants to take the farm over from them when they have had enough.
Many farmers are currently opting to plant fodder crops for their stock or cereals this spring in lieu of some cash crops. The added bonus of barley or oats is that they can be grazed or cut for hay / silage if required, or carried through for a harvest if the season shapes up better than is currently expected.
We shall have to wait & see what happens and just sit back and enjoy the lovely weather for now.
TC 