Green Fields, Dry Truth: The Drought That’s Still Here
If you’ve been driving around South Australia lately, you might’ve noticed something that looks like good news — lush green paddocks, muddy tracks, and even a few puddles. At a glance, it might seem like the drought is over. But dig a little deeper — literally — and you’ll see the story is much more complex.
Take Chris Rowntree, a dairy farmer in Myponga, for example. His property looks green, but the reality is far from ideal. Despite some decent winter rains finally arriving, Chris still considers his land in drought. Why? Because while the surface looks healthy, underneath, the soil remains dry, pasture growth is thin, and feed has to be trucked in — and has been for months.
This phenomenon is known as a “green drought.” It’s a bit deceptive. The rain came, sure, but it was late. And now, cold temperatures are stopping plants from growing properly. As Chris puts it, it’s like a winter lawn that looks fine but doesn’t really grow. That’s what’s happening across entire farms.
And this isn’t just isolated to Chris’s patch. Across SA, Victoria, Tasmania — areas that supply much of Australia’s wine, grain, meat, and dairy — rainfall has been at record lows over the past 17 months. Even in typically wet zones like Myponga, the shortfall has forced farmers to buy in feed. Nine semi-trailers of it, in Chris's case — something he usually wouldn’t need.
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Just south of him, at Hay Flat, property owner John Dallwitz has watched old eucalyptus trees — some hundreds of years old — lose their leaves and show serious signs of stress. Some trees may recover, but many won’t.
Even further east at the Currency Creek Arboretum, ecologist Dean Nicolle has estimated up to 20% of eucalypt species there could be lost or permanently damaged due to drought stress.
Then there’s the ripple effect — businesses in Langhorne Creek are feeling it too. Beck Burgess, a farm consultant and local brewery owner, says the green paddocks give visitors the wrong idea. Behind the scenes, local economies are hurting. When farmers suffer, so do mechanics, shops, bars — everyone in the supply chain.
In northern and eastern SA, things are even worse. Rain barely touched these areas. Steph Schmidt, a farmer and psychologist in the Mallee, says their crops have been blown away or buried under dust. This season has been described as the worst locals have ever seen — even worse than those “bad but survivable” years of the past.
A colossal low-pressure system did finally bring widespread rain — some towns recorded their highest July totals in decades. But it’s too little, too late for many. The rains missed critical growing windows, and climate trends show that regular rainfall patterns are becoming less reliable.
Experts agree: you can't judge drought just by looking at the ground. Farmers know when they’re in drought. It’s not just about rain — it’s about timing, consistency, and the ability to recover.
So, while the surface may sparkle with green, the drought hasn’t gone anywhere. It’s just hiding — for now.
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