Summary :)

Moin.

Ich muss gleich weg und habe daher keine zeit eine inhaltsangabe zu folgendem text zu schreiben :(
Wäre sehr erfreut wenn einer von euch english pros da draußen das für mich erledigen könnte und sich nebenbei ein paar credits verdienen möchte!



Farmer`s high hopes fading fast as rain stays away

CARL Sudholz was upbeat when the tractors moved in at his property in Natimuk, western Victoria, in early May to begin sowing 800 hectares of wheat.

Global wheat prices were at a record high, more than 120 millimetres of rain had fallen in January alone, saturating the paddocks at the base of Mount Arapiles, and autumn rain followed.
All promising signs of a bumper crop and returns.

"We felt that finally the tables had turned after a terrible year last year," he recalled yesterday.

"We thought we were looking at returning to above average rainfalls for the rest of the season. Our confidence was extremely high."

But after poor August rains, the fourth-generation mixed-crop farmer describes the current situation as on a knife edge. In the past four days some sections of the wheat crop, now knee-high, have begun to discolour, and appear spiky.

Inspecting the crop yesterday, a nervous Mr Sudholz, 32, said they were early signs it was experiencing moisture stress. After drawing on subsoil moisture from the summer rains, the plants are beginning to shut down and without rain will soon wilt. The next fortnight is critical.

"If we don`t get rain within the next two weeks, we`ll start seeing our yields drop away; the outlook`s not looking all that bright," he said.

"It would mean the second tough year in a row — on top of 2005 with average yields but low prices. It`s really going to start to drain on our reserves."

Last year Mr Sudholz harvested only 200 tonnes of wheat — less than a 10th of what he considers an "average" year. Canola crops cut as hay and sold to desperate dairy farmers to feed their animals were his business` saving grace.

The Federal Government has provided more than $414 million in financial support to drought-affected Victorian farms since 2001. All of Victoria`s agricultural land has been declared drought stricken, with farmers and farm-dependent small businesses eligible for income support and interest rate subsidies.

But drought declarations for most regions in the state are due to expire in March next year.

Victorian Farmers Federation president Simon Ramsay said he would call on Agriculture Minister Peter McGauran to extend the support when they meet next week.

Yesterday Mr Sudholz said like many farmers he chose to remain optimistic and believed conditions would return to normal.

When told that the Bureau of Meteorology`s hopes of drought-breaking rains were fading, he said he hoped the forecasters had it wrong.

"We`re hoping they don`t get it right all the time, especially when they start predicting El Ninos," he said.