THERE are likely to be quality issues emerge in unharvested crops in South Australia and Victoria, following a band of thunderstorms that delivered over 100mm in parts of South Australia.
Similar heavy falls fell in Victoria, but the only cropping area to have dangerously heavy falls was in the eastern North Central / Goulburn Valley region, where Murchison recorded over 50mm.
The rain came about with a band of tropical moisture that started with Cyclone Yvette which lashed the Kimberley region in Western Australia before Christmas and then pushed south-east, delivering record rainfall in central Australia.
Heavy falls then hit parts of South Australia, such as the Upper Yorke Peninsula and the Adelaide Plains.
Mid North farmer Mark Hill, Tarlee, said the heavy falls were patchy.
“We had a lot less rain than others just here, but you go back towards the plains and it was very heavy.”
He said there was still a reasonable amount of crop to be harvested, including pulses such as peas and beans.
“Some of the earlier areas around here will only be a week or so away from winding up, but others will be a bit longer than that, the rain has certainly hit a reasonable amount of standing grain.”
He said local bulk handling sites had been set up with falling numbers machines to test for sprouting grain.
“We expect there will be some downgrading of wheat, especially where the rain was heavier.”
Farmers in the Wimmera in Victoria were also concerned with widespread falls of 10-30mm followed by the intensely humid days normally conducive to grain sprouting.
However, initial falling numbers tests have come in at around 350 seconds, way above the 300 seconds that is the threshold for downgrading wheat to general purpose quality.
Farmers east of Bendigo are yet to resume following the rain.