by Keith Anderson

The continuing long and unusually dry conditions across West Gippsland are now putting major strain on many dairy farms.

District water cartage contractor Rod McIntosh of McIntosh Water Cartage said the business had trucks on the roads running close to around the clock seven days a week to meet demand.
"We are flat out."
He said many farms were in trouble and demand had now extended to supplying water for stock as well as domestic use at properties that were not connected to Gippsland Water's reticulated town supplies.
The rain that has fallen in the past few months has not been enough to replenish dams that were dry or at low levels and Mr McIntosh said the "long range forecast was not promising."
Although paddocks are now showing some green, new pasture growth in autumn had generally been minimal.
Most of West Gippsland had received well below average rainfall since last August and, according to GippsDairy, the situation was as bad if not worse in many parts of South Gippsland.
At Warragul, April was the ninth successive month in which rainfall was below the 115-year average.
And at the Bureau of Meteorology's weather station at Nilma North, just nine kilometres from Warragul, the only month since August to exceed the average was March - but by less than five millimetres. Rainfall recorded at Warragul last month totalled just 39.6 millimetres, the most significant fall of 20 millimetres coming in late afternoon on April 25.
Only two other days had falls of more than one millimetre.
Nilma North received 46.6 millimetres during April.
Since the start of the year to the end of last month Warragul's rain has totalled 145.2 millimetres and Nilma North's 159.4, totals that are well down on the average of 259.5 millimetres for the period.
It has been a dry start to May also with only a few drops (0.4 millimetres for the first week) but a welcome 9.2 millimetres was registered for the 24 hours to 9am last Thursday.
However, the Bureau's outlook for the rest of the month is a 60 to 80 per cent likelihood of below average rainfall continuing.
While the higher areas of the region continue to be wetter than elsewhere - Mount Baw Baw has received 441 millimetres this year - South Gippsland also has generally been well down with, for example, coastal Wonthaggi receiving only 29 millimetres last month and 131 millimetres since the start of the year.
But there has been plenty of sunshine and balmy weather.
Temperatures at Nilma North last month reached into the 20 degrees level on the majority of days with a top of 31 degrees.
Minimum overnight temperatures dropped below 10 degrees on only six of April's 30 days.