Week 1 - Regional Analysis Activity

Re: Week 1 - Regional Analysis Activity

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After doing some research I found Gippsland covers approximate 18% of the state of Victoria. Driving from Leongatha to Orbost it is obvious that Gippsland's topography varies a lot from flats to undulated rolling pastures in the south west. Historical data indicates Gipplsland's rainfall is quite high (600-700mm per annum) and temperatures are mild to warm in summer (21 to 25°C) and the soils are not able to retain this moisture well over the dry periods. During winter, temperatures average 12 to 15°C. There are frequent frosts further inland and snow in the mountains. These factors influence the type of irrigation system infrastructure and volume of water used. 40% of 102 farms surveyed in Gippsland irrigate. This is done mostly by flood irrigation (68%) followed by Spray (pivot) 43%; Spray (lateral) 31%; and finally Pipes/raisers 22%. Apart from food processing, the three largest primary production industries in Gippsland are dairy, beef and vegetables which uses a lot of irrigation. Most of the irrigation I have seen on farm is recycled sludge (effluent) from dairy washdown. I have not seen irrigation used for beef farms in Gippsland. I have however, seen plenty of pivot spray being use for vegetable production (specifically snow peas grown in undulated paddocks). I am more familiar with purchasing trends in the Murray region, than Gippsland. The majority of water sources I have seen in Gippsland are are on-farm dams (reliant on rainfall runoff from a catchment) and/or bore water.