The dry winter on Tasmania's east coast is beginning to take its toll on superfine merino sheep farms.
Stock is being sold off much earlier than usual and hand feeding with grain has started on properties running low on grass and fodder crops, such as oats.
"For that three month winter period, we've had 22 mm of rain," Bruce Dunbabin said from his property at Mayfield, overlooking the Freycinet Peninsula.
"So it's not an awful lot."
It is in stark contrast to last winter where around 300 millimetres of rain fell across the farm.
Mr Dunbabin said the seasons were becoming harder to plan for.
"It certainly doesn't seem to be normal anymore," he said.
"We get a drier period and then a wetter period and it's totally unpredictable."
"You just don't seem to know where you're heading from one year to the next."
Further south towards Triabunna, it is a similar story.
William and Melissa Ferguson run around 20,000 merinos and 1,000 head of cattle across two properties on Grindstone Bay Pastoral.
They have had 33 millimetres of rain for winter.
"Our calves are not as heavy as they would normally be when I put them into our farm feedlot," Mr Ferguson said.
"Instead of growing them on cheap grass in the spring time, they'll end up being grown and finished on grain.
"Some of our other young sheep will just go a bit early."
For both farmers, the lift in price for fine wool is helping to make the dry a little easier to wear.
The Fergusons recently sold their clip in Melbourne and made double the money they received last year.
Mr Dunbabin is shearing at the moment and hoped prices would continue to hold.
"Wool is a much better proposition this year and hopefully it'll stay there."
