Graham says monitoring rainfall has become a hobby, and he has more than 45 years’ rainfall data for The Plains. His statistics were even used in the planning of the Spring Grove Dam.
“ We now average about 850 mm rainfall, although it follows a seven-year cycle of good and difficult years. Nutcombe gets less rainfall because it lies lower than us and is warmer in summer and colder in winter. The Estcourt farm, on the other hand, receives higher rainfall.”
“ With a strong El Niño forecast to influence our weather next year and create extremely dry conditions, Agrimark can play a significant role in securing supplements when they are really needed. Agrimark is also a big player in our fertiliser programmes, and we buy about 90 % through them.”
“ We run a low-input, low-cost system.”
8. A total of 1 200 cows are milked twice daily on The Plains.