In the latest edition of our monthly dairy farm journal Julian reports that he doesn't remember seeing the farm this dry in autumn in his 43 years in Cooriemungle on the Great Ocean Road.

Julian estimates rainfall as low as 20 millimetres in the opening three months of 2024 and according to his research the summer just gone may be the driest since 1968.

Julian's son Luke has brought in vetch hay to maintain a high level of protein in their cows' diet and this is combined daily with grain and the green silage they cut in September.

The dry conditions have, however, helped bake in the mole drains that were dug in January and they will be invaluable in keeping the water table low when heavy rain does eventually arrive.