What's the temperature where you are???

[chrissynemetz]

50°F partly cloudy and breezy
12:47.a.m

 

[Grannys Backyard Chicks]

55° high 86°
Waiting on daybreak. Going to be a beautiful Monday.

 

[007Sean]

Monday: 5:42am, 70°F, humidity 90%, wind SE @ 8mph, clear.

 

[kikiruru]

Monday 646 AM

 

[Jenbirdee]

8 am

 

[muddy75]

High of 87 and mostly sunny today

 

[sourland]

56F and sunny with a high near 80 predicted. Too hot too soon for me.

 

[kikiruru]

256 pm Monday 80 feels 82

 

[Nym]

Tuesday 16th April 11.17a.m. Patchy cloud. sunny gaps. 9.3 / 13kph ESE, Hg 61%, 19.6C / 67.3F top of 22C / 72F Mostly sunny.

Moon is 52.7%

WA government launches dry season taskforce amid feed shortage, says 'farmers need to be prepared'​

1 day ago​

Low rainfall has seen dams dry up right across the Great Southern (ABC Great Southern: Mark Bennett)

A state government-backed taskforce will assess drought and mental health support for WA farmers who face the prospect of culling herds as they experience one of the driest autumns on record.

The announcement comes as producers who sweltered through the hottest summer on record endure soaring feed costs as the hot dry weather flows into autumn.

Denmark Transport driver Matt Cybula usually carts hay, grain, fertiliser and lime around the Frankland River region 330 kilometres south of Perth.

Supply and demand​

He said increasing demand and limited supply meant farmers as far away as Narrogin and Lake Grace were chasing hay that had doubled in price.

"The first season's hay was around $220 to $240 a tonne, now it's around $440 a tonne," he said.

"It's the age-old supply and demand, people are either hanging onto [hay] or they know the commodity they've got, and they are asking top dollar for it," he said.

Mr Cybula said the continuing dry weather coupled with the rising cost and scarcity of feed was taking a toll on farmers and stock alike.

"In terms of mental health, they're struggling because they don't want to see their animals suffer," he said.

'People are hurting out there'​

Denmark beef producer Ken Bourke, who has farmed cattle in the region for over 30 years, said fields that would normally be green with grass were bare, forcing him to turn to feedstock.

"Winter rain cut off really early and we've had a dry spell since September," he said.

"I've got plenty of hay and silage now, so I'm not so worried … But I know people are hurting out there".

Data from the Bureau of Meteorology showed that 2023 was the South West Land Division's seventh-driest year on record, and driest for rainfall since 2019.

 

[chrissynemetz]

42°F mostly cloudy and windy
11:14 p.m.