Wet Season Fails To Deliver for Top End Cattle Country But Central Australia Soaks
( Source: ABC Rural )
Parts of the Victoria River District are enduring their lowest rainfall on record.(Facebook: Heytesbury Cattle Company)
The wet season has failed to deliver for large parts of Top End cattle country, with some stations experiencing their lowest rainfall on record.
Key points:
Many cattle stations across the Top End received below average rainfall for the wet season
Cattle producers started mustering early because of poor rainfall but animals are in good condition
Central Australian pastoralists have benefited from big January rains
The coastal regions of Darwin, north-east Arnhem Land and Wadeye, all had average seasons, but further south it was a different story.
Victoria River Downs had just 47 per cent of its average rainfall — 301 millimetres for the wet season — while Katherine, Tennant Creek, Borroloola and Daly Waters all had around 65 per cent of their average rainfall.
At Lakefield Station, 150 kilometres south-east of Katherine, the Riggs family experienced its worst wet season since they started recording rainfall in 1999.
The property received about 600mm less than its 1,000mm average.
"[The wet season] didn't fill up any of our dams," Garry Riggs said.
"It hasn't filled up our water table [and] none of the creeks ran.
"Our main, bigger dams will hold water in them, but we have 42 dams here and we'll probably get through the year with 10 having water in them."
Australian rainfall deciles from October 1, 2021 to April 30, 2022.(Supplied: Bureau of Meteorology)
He said the rest of the dams would go dry.
"If we get an early break in September, we'll be right but we could be struggling if it doesn't rain until Christmas-time," Mr Riggs said.
Despite the poor wet season, Mr Riggs said his cows had fared well over the wet season and had produced more weaners than usual.
"The cows have access to hard grass without huge amounts of water in it, mosquitoes and buffalo fly aren't humbugging them, and there's no boggy conditions," he said.
"If the breeders are maintaining good body weight then they are going to produce a lot of milk … the cows are lactating very well and growing the weaners out for us."
Positive for the year ahead
Rusty Richter, manager of Victoria River Downs, said the wet season was the worst he had seen in his 15 years at the property.
The station started mustering a couple of weeks earlier than usual because of the dry conditions but Mr Richter said he remained positive about the year ahead.
"The cattle are in really good condition [and] the markets are all strong, which gives us more options if we need to turn cattle off," he said.
"We stock our country conservatively for times like this and [it] gives us a back-up plan."
Central Australia looking 'magnificent'
After heavy rain in November and January, many Central Australian cattle producers are looking at a good season ahead.
Alice Springs had 497mm between October and the end of April — 225 per cent more than its average, with the Todd River running several times.
Sandover Pastoral Company's Stewart Weir said the January rain had transformed the country at Milton Park but Ammaroo, north-east of Alice Springs, did not fare so well.
"Out the west side of Alice Springs, it's had a massive wet, and our country out there had been destocked for a couple of years, so it really responded — it's magnificent," he said.
Speaking to ABC Rural after trucking out 40 decks of bullocks, Mr Weir said the sight of the well-fed cattle going onto a truck created a good feeling.
"The good seasons come and go, you get a few dry ones in between, but it's the end product that keeps you here," he said.
"It's a good feeling and a good sight when you get a mob together and you truck them out."
