Well guys if you really want to know.

[malleefarmer]

So Mallee, was it good management or just luck that you are farming fewer acres this year?

They say you have to be good to be lucky.

Nothing good about my management mate but both maybe hustler struggler thinker maybe.

Our planting window is mid/late april to 10 th of june. Hopefully rains come late march and april for seeding to commence and good storms have fallen over dec jan feb to provide subsoil moisture. Also a swing to dry high risk seeding and get weeds later if it dont rain spent big bucks on a failed crop that may not germinate.

Our last double digit rainfall in mm meaning 10mm or over was november 17th 2017 and prior to that august 10th 2017. So soils were dry,dry as a nuns wizzer.

Planting time came and we had spasmodic light falls to germinate some weeds.

Weather models and forecasters and gut feel suggested dry would continue until june at least even july.

Also grain prices were crap at the time and sheep and wool in stratosphere.

So d-day came sprayed off 80% intended acres so a drop of 20%.Paddocks dropped off had ok feed for livestock. Then once seeding commenced made another decision to drop another 15% but these paddocks were sown with vetch and oats for livestock or hay and poor mans break crop.

Some nieghbours decided not to crop at all other when full noise. I was somewere in the middle.

Now some have grazed crops, some have baled them up other like me hoping for crop will take photos this arvo currently 8 am sunday morning and please no laughter but will accept humour lol.

Funny though i should maybe be a climate change supporter but im not but not a sceptic either sit on the fence and look at both sides try to keep out of the pointless debates.

Since climate change talk occured from say mid 80s our rainfall has actually increased but distributuion changed big time, but rain anythime of the year stores moisture for us.

end of sunday day sermon.

[LEP]

Don't worry you won't get laughter from me about your situation. I farm in an area called the palliser triangle where before the country was settled, one of the first explorers thought the area in the triangle was unproductive and shouldn't be settled, let alone farmed.

Most years we are looking for the next rain, on the verge of a crop failure. Sometimes we get the needed rain, sometimes not.

I won't ever make fun of someone else's plight. Good luck.

[grassfarmer]

Hope it turns around for you Mallee, couldn't imagine being that dry.

[farmaholic]

What's a "wizzer"??????

[grassfarmer]

What's a "wizzer"??????

Have you never heard of the Wizzer of Oz?

[farmaholic]

Have you never heard of the Wizzer of Oz?

LOL....that is funny.

[Guest]

Have you never heard of the Wizzer of Oz?

you are a funny fellow tonight

[malleefarmer]

admin will get me so a wizzer will be left to your imagination
up to 20mm forecast by tommorow evening.

And yep betcha farma was hoping for graphical explanation of a wizzer, sorry weather radar mate

[malleefarmer]

LEP we are in a low/medium rainfall area but its usually ultra reliable.

The whole of aust has reliable areas up shit creek without a paddle this year.

Few ways of looking at it LEP and maybe farma weve been here since 1912/13 we are the ONLY pioneering family left 1 means were stupid beyond all beleif to still be here, 2 stubborn, 3 apathetic cant be stuffed moving else were or 4 were doing something right.

[LEP]

I would say it is probably a combination of grit, determination, and good management.

Some of the new generation around our neck of the world are getting a lesson in these characteristics, the last 2 or 3 years.