MAY-sown wheat will be planted around Wagga Wagga this week after most of the canola was expected to be knocked over by the weekend, said field services manager for Riverina region, Neil Durning, AG n VET Services, Wagga.
Some growers had dry sown with Sakura in the mix as they saw the Easter front approaching, but those that waited until after the long weekend would have sown in to moisture, he said.
Weed maturity was the main difference with the cold delaying emerging weeds in later sown crops.
"The sowing conditions now are magnificent and now we're long enough after the break; the cold conditions have made emerging weeds fairly slow so we've had to wait a bit longer than we expected for those wanting to get a knock down before they plant," Mr Durning said.
"But we're in to the window from the Easter rains now so the weeds that germinated on that will be up now and we'll be headstrong in to it from here on in.
"It seems that if you missed out on one rain you might have got another one so most people got a decent starting rain."
Isolated areas had been set back for being too wet but that was isolated, Mr Durning said.
"There are areas that haven't loaded up their subsoil moisture yet; its one thing to get a crop out of the ground but it's another to grow a crop," he said.
"There are significant areas across the whole southern regions that are yet to fully load up."
Mr Durning said early on there was expected to be a push away from canola into barley, following the results of last year's harvest.
"With this break that we've had though I don't think that will have as big as effect as what we thought; when it came to the crunch, a lot of growers still went with their canola," he said.
Wheat-wise, Wedgetail again had the most hectares around Wagga given its role in a mixed-farming enterprise, Mr Durning said.
He said long season spring wheat Lancer would also go in.
"Gregory still has a bit of a hold but it's in the process of being outclassed," he said.
"You do see a better yield in other varieties but it is a stable variety over a big area, it seems to be pretty bulletproof."
"Those chasing the top end yield will probably swap it out."
Mr Durning said the area sown to Suntop would continue to grow given its good results and Condo had been getting a lead on around the Wagga area.
"It was originally designed for marginally areas but it's done well in some of the higher rainfall zones, so that's one we'll keep an eye on," he said.
In the Griffith region the area sown to canola could be back a third on what it was last year in places depending on where the pre-sowing rain fell, according to broad acre agronomist Allan Tonacia, Elders Griffith.
While rain had been widespread falls were varied and the areas east of Griffith and Lake Cargelligo as opposed to west seemed more promising for suitable canola growing conditions.
Lower risk crops including wheat, barley, lupins and vetch had been sown in its place, he said.
Grazing wheat had been planted at least a fortnight ago and was at the two to three leaf stage, he said.
Most growers were now holding off on starting sowing spring wheats until weeds had germinated.
"Our earliest sowing for spring wheats will be around the second week of May, including varieties like Spitfire and Suntop," Mr Tonacia said.
"If we can get a reasonable knock down on our weeds early it should take the pressure off in crop."
Growers had opted for a similar choice of varieties to the last growing season, with later varieties including Bolac and Lancer creeping in to rotations, Mr Tonacia said.