HubWatch – 24 October 2025

The red warning winds yesterday were devastating for many farmers across the region, with many still without power or internet. Here at the Hub, the wind was intense from 11:30am to 3:00pm, with gusts reaching a maximum of 123.5 kph at the peak around 12:15pm and consistently sitting above 100 kph for about 45 minutes. We were one of the few fortunate farms in the region to have power restored late yesterday afternoon, allowing us to milk our cows this morning – although it was certainly a slow one. Damage on farm was relatively minor, with several trees down and some iron missing from the cow shed and calf shed roofs. Many farms are still without power and facing a big clean-up, but it’s been heartening to see communities working together to support one another through this weather event.

This week, soil temperatures dropped only slightly from 12.3°C to 12.1°C, which surprised us given the grass growth was a little better than expected. Interestingly, at this time last year, soil temperatures were 13.8°C. Contractors are no doubt itching for things to dry out. A couple of paddocks have been closed for conservation and are certainly getting long.

Rainfall is higher than the same time last year by 18.8mm due to this week’s rain – hard to believe given how wet it was in September and October last year. The strong winds have helped dry out some of our wetter paddocks. Like many in the lower South, we’re keen to get started on winter crop cultivation.