Milking the Weather - June 2010 Edition
Dairy state roundup for autumn (March to May) 2010
Rainfall Deciles
A ranking of historical rainfall data into 10 even groups which allows comparison of a defined rainfall record (one month or greater) with the full set of records for that period.
For example, for a set of rainfall records for a 60 year period split into ten equal groups, Decile 1 would be the six years of lowest rainfall, Decile 2 would be the next six driest years, etc and the six wettest years would be Decile 10.
Or Decile 1 = lowest 10 per cent of records and Decile 10 = highest 10 per cent of records.
Northern Irrigation Region (NIR): Conditions for most of the NIR are good. Many farms received around 50 mm of rain in the last week of May. This has been followed with a couple of smaller rainfall events through June. Most crops and pastures are growing well. Conditions are looking good for the new season. Many farmers are watching the catchments to see how much they will fill as we move into the peak inflow months of the year.
North East: Conditions for most of the NIR are good. Many farms received around 50 mm of rain in the last week of May. This has been followed with a couple of smaller rainfall events through June. Most crops and pastures are growing well. Conditions are looking good for the new season. Many farmers are watching the catchments to see how much they will fill as we move into the peak inflow months of the year.
Macalister Irrigation District: Drier than average conditions, with dryland areas struggling for growth. Irrigation water was plentiful and late irrigations occurred on a lot of farms which has carried them through to the winter. A few early frosts have slowed pasture growth around the district.
South West: There were no significant rainfall events during the month May and conditions have been drier than average. In the north, pasture growth has dropped off markedly due to a number of frosts and has slowed slow down closer to Warrnambool from a number of light frosts.
South West Gippsland: Good autumn rainfall across most of west and south Gippsland and good pasture growth. There is adequate moisture for pasture growth to continue into winter. The days have cooled down and there have been a couple of light frosts.
Coastal East: Autumn conditions have been variable across the region. Some districts are experiencing a tougher season while others report a reasonable autumn with around average rainfall and mild conditions.
