Regional Round-up is a monthly newsletter providing an overview into the environmental and business conditions affecting farmers and rural businesses in the Goulburn Valley and North East Victoria.
Dairy
A Rabobank podcast predicts an opening milk price for 2017/18 of $5.30/kg ms and closing price around $5.75. Whilst the price improvement is welcome news, the current mood within the dairy industry is best described as sombre amongst service providers and farmers.
Cows that suffered lameness during the wet winter and spring have been quick to suffer from the same health issues after recent rains. Calving and sowing activities are keeping dairy farmers busy and juggling the books as cash flow reaches its tightest time of the year for many farmers. Payments to creditors are being extended in some cases.
Cropping/Sheep
Sowing activities are now in full swing following late April rainfall. Croppers are very positive about the timely autumn break.
As is often the case at this time of the year, some croppers and share farmers are discovering banks will no longer support them to extend their overdraft (again) to cover crop sowing and harvesting costs.
Horticulture
Fruit growers are attributing the wet spring and milder summer for a later than normal harvest, with fruit slow to colour and low in sugar.
Beef
Beef prices falling slightly but are still considerably higher than prior years. Some concern about a dry autumn and winter although there is an oversupply of cheap hay available and the late April rainfall has been helpful.
Local cattle sales have shown some variation during April, with the Easter and Anzac day breaks and heavy rainfall later in the month. Yearling steer sales varied from 331.6c/kg cwt on 4/4 down to 243c on April 18 then back to 334.8c/kg on May 2. Cows have fallen 2 to 5c/kg, with dairy cows down 5 to 10c/kg.
Irrigation
Storage levels in Lake Eildon are at 67% against 30% last year. The Hume is holding 60% (against 18% LY) and Dartmouth 78% (against 43% LY). (GMW resources storage levels website).
