Surviving the Victorian summer heatwave of 2009

摘要

ELDERS' 20,000-head Charlton feedlot is located in the North Central region of Victoria, about an hour west of Bendigo, in an area defined by low average rainfall of about 300 millimetres per year and hot dry summers. The 2009 summer started out quitewet and mild compared to a typical summer. Staff commented almost daily on how mild conditions had been so far, with nothing really troubling the cattle - or the staff, for that matter. Despite the mild beginning to summer, Charlton was well prepared if things took a turn for the worse. It was not often that the site escaped without at least one week of extreme heat over a summer season, and we were ready for it if it came our way.