The irrigation season in Gippsland began on August 15, and irrigators are waiting to hear about their summer water entitlements, with a decision pending on December 15.
Irrigation water in Gippsland is managed by Southern Rural Water and allocated according to high and low security water licenses.
The season runs until May 15, depending on water levels in storages.
Many irrigators in the Macalister Irrigation District (MID) look to December 15 for an announcement of whether their high reliability shares will revert to zero in December.
It is commonly referred to as the ‘spill’, when storages such as Lake Glenmaggie are full or at close to full level.
A ‘spill’ enables farmers to irrigate with security of supply over summer. All water used from the start of the season to the date a spill is announced (from August 15) is credited against the irrigator’s allocation.
It enables farmers to continue to irrigate, especially over the hotter summer months, with their full seasonal allocation to use.
A relatively dry winter in many parts of Gippsland saw dairy farmers eager to begin irrigating when the season opened for their high reliability water shares on August 15.
At season opening, Lake Glenmaggie was at 75 per cent capacity and irrigators from this system were guaranteed 80 per cent allocation for their high reliability water shares.
The allocation is reviewed each fortnight during the season.
A wet spring so far has increased Lake Glenmaggie’s capacity. At the time of writing it had increased to 95 per cent, against inflows upstream and regular users downstream.
Blue Rock Lake was at 99 per cent capacity at time of writing and Lake Narracan was at 72 per cent.
Farmers have been assured 100 per cent of high reliability water shares and zero allocation of low reliability water shares. The next allocation review is on December 15.
Waiting for irrigation has put many dairy farmers’ harvest plans on hold.
Yarram dairy farmers Andrea and Graeme Barlow use bike shift laterals and centre pivots to irrigate their property, using groundwater from bores.
With an ongoing dry season, they need rain to supplement irrigation.
“We’ve been too busy with calving but we need to start irrigating now,” Graeme told Dairy News Australia in early October.
“Normally, we’ve begun harvesting silage before now, but we’re about another week away from our first decent cut.”
It was a similar story for other dairy farmers in the MID.
Tim Crooke, of Boisdale, has been irrigating for the past three weeks to build up a feed wedge. He irrigates on Sundays.
“Sunday is off-peak power for irrigating, which suits me,” Tim said.
“The hay sheds are 90 per cent empty because we’ve had to feed out so much during winter.
“I’m irrigating to build up a feed wedge.”
James Clyne, of Newry, said he would take two inches of rain now if he could get it.
“I’ve irrigated once,” he said.
“Silage harvest is about two weeks away.”
Alister Clyne, of Tinamba West, has also irrigated once since the season opened.
“We had a good rainfall for August,” he said.
“Silage is a fraction slow.
“We’d normally be cutting silage now, but it’s about two weeks away.”
In contrast, south Gippsland farmers have received regular and sufficient rain and are more worried about being bogged and pugging.
Binginwarri’s Warren Oakes is one of these dairy farmers. He irrigates his farm where needed using dam water.
“We got bogged the other day putting out feed for the cows,” he said.
He dispersed fertiliser on his turnout block in late September to encourage growth and build a feed wedge.
“We’ll make silage out of that,” Warren said.
“We’re aiming for November to make silage.”