Windy weather clouds East Gippsland season

"It's blowing a gale here, mate, I hope you can hear me," he says.

The fourth generation farmer has been experiencing unusually high winds for several weeks now.

"It's been pretty windy all year," he said.

"We had a tinge of green grass but the wind has just killed it and there's not much feed for the cattle."

Mr Johnston is one of many farmers in East Gippsland concerned about a dry summer with limited feed as high winds and low rainfall have reduced soil moisture on farms like his, west of Bairnsdale.

"The last three years it's been dry and this season started off with 30 millimetres of rain - it looked promising - but it soon cut out and we've got bits and pieces since but nothing substantial," he said.

"Every day it's like someone is screwing a pressure valve down on you because the water is disappearing and I think it's due to the wind."

In the past three years, the Hereford breeder has reduced his herd by half, attempting to stay afloat by feeding his cattle on dwindling pasture supplies.

"I started off with 487 head and before the cows started calving in December I was down to 199 and that was last year's calves and the remaining breeding herd," Mr Johnston said.

"You manage your stock as good as you can, you feed them to keep them healthy but I've just kept selling off cattle to make sure the feed and water goes further.

"I was born and bred here, I'm a fourth generation, and I've seen it this bad before ... but in the past we've had some reprieve to keep us going and we're yet to get that reprieve this time around."

Bureau of Meteorology hydrologist Alison Oke said Victoria experienced above average winds for the first two weeks of November.

"It's been abnormally windy across all of Victoria for the first half of November," she said.

"We have seen increased wind for November ... we didn't see it particularly in September or October but November has been significantly windier than normal.

"At Bairnsdale, it's not a lot windier than average but we are looking at getting some record winds."

Ms Oke said the Southern Annular Mode or SAM - described as a climate driver which influences rainfall and temperature - was contributing to the above average windy conditions.

"We're getting increase westerlies coming through Victoria ... so we are seeing an increase in evaporation and a drop in in soil moisture," she said.

"Some areas did get some rain in early November so that has increased soil moisture again but right through from the end of August we've had a drop in soil moisture which is due to lower rainfall and it is also possibly due to the wind as well."

On Friday, Mr Johnston will offload a further 41 heifers at the fortnightly Bairnsdale store sale.

"We haven't had a lot of rainfall but the rainfall we have had has been dried up almost overnight," Mr Johnston, 67, said.

"I've never seen evaporation like this and I've never seen the countryside go off so quick and it's because we can't get enough rainfall without the high winds.

"I've still been able to make my money and pay my way but as I reduce my numbers, it's going to wind me down and I'll be headed for the pointy end."