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The driest start

nextdoor ยท 2009-06-14 00:56

Gday all, we have now had our driest start to the year on record. We have only had 2 inches of rain since the 1st of Jan. I would normally have finished wheat planting a fortnight ago but stopped last nigt with only 45% of the program in and doubtful that we will put any more in as it is getting a little too late. I hope everyone else is having a little more luck than me. Cheers.

Replies38
  1. #1qball2009-06-14 20:00

    i wish i could help us both by sending you some of our excess rain. our corn and beens look like hell, if they are even in yet.

  2. #2Cretebaby2009-06-14 22:54

    **** we got 2'' in 2 hours the other day

  3. #3nextdoor2009-06-15 06:28

    Ill give you half my dust for a quarter of your rain! Actually in a week or so it might be over in the states it blew so hard the other day. Visibility was down to less than 50 yards in a radius of 100 miles, bloody lovely!

  4. #4RocksnRoses2009-06-15 07:14

    I just checked the rainfall map, nextdoor, and you are missing out this year. We have had three dry ones and last year the rain just shut off at the finish, with a total of 9" for the growing season. This year is a total turn around for us, we have had nearly 2 1/2" this month and 7" since March. Keep your fingers crossed, the synoptic chart shows a bit might be headed your way on Friday. Rn'R.

  5. #5nextdoor2009-06-15 07:41

    Gday rocksnroses, yeah I think everything has been crossed around here! We cant complain too much as the last 2 years have been really handy but a third would have capped it right off, but alas its not to be as it is getting a little late now. We think that we may not put a lot more in unless we get something decent (0.5 inches) in the next 5 days or so. But its not all bad as I have a few jobs that have been put off for too long and now I will have a chance to catch up. Im glad to here that it looks good over there for you guys-I hope it keeps coming. Cheers.

  6. #6North Texan2009-06-15 21:15

    Harvest is over here and not much made. I planted some in August that got two inches of rain right after I planted it. It got less than two additional inches the entire growing season. Yields were terrible to tragic. The rest that missed the early rains never got enough rain to come up.

  7. #7nextdoor2009-06-16 05:57

    Sad to hear that North Texan, but I sure know where your coming from. We are expecting a cold front on Friday but only light falls are forecast (1-5 mm), so I think we will leave the fertilizer in the shed until next year. We do get dry years here quite often but somehow you just never get used to them. I hope next season treats both of us a little better. Cheers.

  8. #8Squizzy246B2009-06-16 06:59

    Your out of luck...I'm only doing some earthworks on Friday...now if I was pouring concrete it would be time to find the Gumbies

  9. #9JimInOz2009-06-16 18:30

    Hey NextDoor, Sorry to hear of your plight.Here in Bendigo,we got the best start we could wish for: 12mm on Anzac Day & 43mm this month.Let's hope the rain continues through the Spring. Watching rain fronts diverting around our food bowl for years....it gets frustrating...especially when cities to the North are being flooded. Where are you located,Next Door? I lived in the Southern Cross area in the early 90s.Hope to do a return visit soon. Jim

  10. #10dirt digger2009-06-16 20:12

    we could send you some here from PA too...its been raining every other day...we had a 3 day window to knock down hay...and it started to rain as we were loading the last wagon our corn isn't even in yet in some fields because its just been too wet

  11. #11nextdoor2009-06-17 06:26

    Gday Jim we are south of the Cross about 100km near the Holleton reserve (Holleton is the boundry of our east block). Squizzy cant you find the biggest cement job ever to do, like real soon!! And Dirt digger I'll take all the spare stuff you got. In all fairness though I hope Friday's fall will be either decent enough (10mm+) or just give us none so I havent got a carrot in front of me to risk doing anymore without just cause. MMMmm..... I do winge a bit but hell I am a cocky! (that is aussie for farmer for those who think Ive gone mad in too much sun)

  12. #12JimInOz2009-06-17 07:50

    Hi NextDoor, I hope that front becomes rain for you.You'll probably get floods....! I lived in Marvel Loch for awhile...operating Loaders,D8s,etc. I loved it there,but was glad to go after 4 years. Good luck...Jim

  13. #13Squizzy246B2009-06-17 08:47

    ND: So you must have the Holland Track just out the back door then. Hope you get a drop, Elders weather says 90% chance 10-20mm here for Thurs and same for Fri. My Mum comes from Mukinbudin and its really patchy up that way.

  14. #14Squizzy246B2009-06-18 05:00

    Did you get a drop?

  15. #15nextdoor2009-06-18 08:29

    G'day Squizzy, yep nothin yet. The Holland track is due east about 60km. As for Muka those guys are the toughest cockies around I wouldnt want to complain too much as life is pretty easy down here as compared to up there. A Jim you didnt meet a bloke at the Lock called Dags did you?

  16. #16JimInOz2009-06-18 17:58

    Hi NextDoor, No rain yet? I'll do a rain dance for ya... I don't remember a bloke called Dags.I remember that there were a lot of Harleys driving around that small town...mining attracts them,I suppose. I'm hoping to visit there soon...

  17. #17Cretebaby2009-06-18 20:04

    We had 2.5 inches last night :Banghead

  18. #18Squizzy246B2009-06-18 20:30

    Well Hyden, Lake Grace, Narembeen & Newdegate have all had zip according to the Bureau this morning...but I have to tell you ND.....its bucketing down here. No work for Squizzy today

  19. #19willd8r2009-06-18 22:29

    I am at Northern NSW an it just keeps raining here never done more than 3 weeks in a row without heaps of rain in last 8 months

  20. #20nextdoor2009-06-19 05:52

    Well we got a huge 5mm. Its enough to drive a man to drink! I will do one more paddock of 450 acres and then might call it quits for the year. With how cold it was here today I would not have minded not going to work - maybe I should have come and joined you Squizzy..... Cheers.

  21. #21willd8r2009-06-19 19:37

    Saw onTV last night Dorrigo is about 50 k as the crow flies from here, has had about 2.3m this year so I guess we have had about 2m so one has to frequent the drink bottle global warming is to blame so the experts say

  22. #22thejdman042009-06-21 17:00

    We got about 3" in 20 min friday. We had water over the road pretty much all weekend. We have water standing in places this year that I have never seen water in. Most fields have many lakes in them. We got some bad hail and wind with this last storm, any corn that was decent height sheared off. For once that wet spring and late start was a good thing, the smaller corn seemed to stand up to the wind better.

  23. #23North Texan2009-07-09 00:23

    I've learned to be very careful complaining about rain. I thought I'd had to much and complained one time. It didn't rain a drop for the next two years. Never again!

  24. #24willd8r2009-07-09 01:51

    Worked last week had to finish Wednesday lunch time because of rain, rained since, barely averaged 2 weekswor kin a row for last 10 months Time to go back to bulk pushing in the desert I think

  25. #25Cretebaby2009-07-10 13:07

    I take a drought over the flooding that we had last year.

  26. #26North Texan2009-07-12 00:51

    Not me. When it floods, the cows can stick to the high country for a little while. Floods don't last all that long, and every day after a flood, things only get better. When drought hits, there's nowhere to go. The grass dies or burns, the water holes dry up, and each day the situation just gets drier and more desperate than the day before.

  27. #27Finish Blademan2009-07-23 05:59

    It mighty dry here in central Texas.Wouldn`t take much to burn the whole country down around here.

  28. #28Cretebaby2009-07-23 11:00

    We just got another 2'' in 24 hours on Tuesday. We have had plenty of rain what we really need is HEAT.

  29. #29joeallen2009-07-23 14:15

    our corn here in ohio is chest tall.... We had rain all week

  30. #30Cretebaby2009-07-23 15:13

    Is that good or bad?

  31. #31joeallen2009-07-23 15:24

    its great, we had one of the best growing season in a long time.....

  32. #32Cretebaby2009-07-23 16:07

    Has it tasseled yet? Ours was about 7'-8' tall about 2 weeks ago and has tasseled for the most part know so it should be about a foot taller know.

  33. #33joeallen2009-07-24 09:26

    its starting too.

  34. #34Cretebaby2009-07-24 09:50

    I really shouldn't complain but it is looking like another late wet harvest with high moisture grain. But at least LP gas is cheaper this year. :drinkup

  35. #35Cretebaby2009-07-24 23:03

    Who needed rain? We have some to spare. We just got ~1.7" in ~20 minutes, along with tornadoes, high wind, flooding and literally the ice on the cake. Ping pong ball size hail.:Banghead

  36. #36North Texan2009-07-26 23:56

    I've had plenty of hail, high winds, and tornadoes for the year. Unfortunately, the storms just brought bad weather, not rain. I'm about to have to start dusting the catfish for fleas.

  37. #37Cretebaby2009-07-28 01:50

    Here are some before and after pictures of the hail damage to the soybeans.:Banghead The hail in the area of that pictur was tennis ball size!!!!

  38. #38jzimm2009-08-14 20:45

    Here in Minnesota, it's been dry all summer, but we've gotten a few good rains in the last week or so. Luckily along with being dry, it's been cool. I just hope for a late frost so things can catch up.