Murray Goulburn interim chief executive David Mallinson has acknowledged tougher times were continuing for the co-ops biggest supply region.
He confirmed Dairy Australia figures wet weather and flooding was having an effect on production so far this season; in the north it could be be by up to 10 per cent.
“We were expecting a bumper season, now it has actually turned against us,” Mr Mallinson said.
“We are seeing pastures under water, pastures which probably have to be resown, silage that hasn’t been taken, the cows are doing it very tough, it’s very hard for them to lay down in wet paddock.”
“It could be down 10 per cent, in the north, just on seasonal conditions alone.”
Mr Mallinson said it would affect the whole industry, with a reduction in recovery of overheads, while commodity prices rose.
“The shortfall in volume will see that come off those high commodity prices,” he said.
MG was the north’s largest milk processor, so it would hit the co-operative hardest.
“I think this time around, farmers have reacted differently, some have tried to preserve their pastures, others have cut them, to get a regrowth,” Mr Mallinson said.
‘We understand farmers need cash flow, and we are doing everything we can to ensure it is maximised, either through milk price or assistance through packages, to help fund fertiliser or seed.”
Mead dairy farmer Di Bowles said some farmers had seen a drop in production, but she was fortunate not to have experienced it.
“Our cows are still milking very well, they are still being fed well, but they are not excited about coming into the dairy,” Ms Bowles said.
“They are tired and grumpy, like the farmers that own them.”
But she said there was a positive side to all the rain, as irrigation water would be cheap.
“Water is our driver, we will recover more quickly, and we are looking at a pretty good summer - people are on their tractors now, putting in feed a bit earlier than what they would have.”
Further south, at Pyramid Hill, Kelvin Matthews said he was milking a 540 cow herd, which would increase to 600 once calving was finished.
“We would be 10pc gone, due to the wet conditions and lame cows,” Mr Matthews said.
“It does put you under a bit of strain, so you cut your costs, where you can to make up for it.”
He said 100 millimetres of rain, since September, had meant he had only recently been able to cut pasture for silage.
“But it will be lovely to get through to the end of the spring, without irrigating, that hasn’t happened for a long time, I can tell you.”
To the south, other farmers agreed production was down due to the weather, but others had reduced herd numbers before the rain.
In the Bullaharre area, the Bureau of Meteorology had recorded 614.0mm of rain for the year, up until late last week.
Bullaharre farmer, Craig Dwyer, said the rain had pushed out silage production and had cut production by about 12pc.
“It’s been so wet, it’s beyond saturation point,” Mr Dwyer said.
The ground was starting to dry out, but “we need a week of fine weather.”
“We can’t get the growth out of the grass, the ground is waterlogged and we have to shorten our rotation to get cows around, without wrecking paddocks,” he said.
“This time last year, silage was done everywhere in the south west, there were balers going everywhere, but this year there are very, very few people who have got a mower in the paddock.”
