07 Season to Date

The 07 season also appears to be shaping up hot and dry, with Murrumbateman in the grip of drought, just like most of the rest of NSW (and beyond).  The dam is 2/3 empty, despite overflowing at xmas 06 and not being used since.  Budburst was 2-3 weeks early across most varieties due to an early warm burst.  This also increases frost risk, and guess what?  Early in the morning on Sunday 29 October, a convection frost hit us badly, wiping our most of the early growth in the Riesling (one of our lowest blocks) and destroying 50% or more of the growth in most of the other varieties.  There will be no oversupply this year, at least in this district!  While the hot, dry conditions look like continuing, we’ve given up trying to predict the weather.

It’s lovely to see the rain again but, like many things, it’s a double-edged sword. We haven’t had to irrigate until the last week or so as summer approaches. But some of us have been spending a lot of time on the tractor, spraying.