Growers feel the heat

Cooler weather at the moment is just as important as rain, as plants continue the ripening process, according to Ag Scientia analyst Lloyd George, Melbourne.

"While rain may be a last minute saviour to some crops, or at least a reprieve, at least the cooler weather stops further yield decline," he said.

Feed grain prospects loom as the hotter weather turns crops towards an earlier harvest, however, wheat prices are still looking encouraging, according to Mr George.

"The best benchmark at present for feed grain is probably the Australian Stock Exchange wheat futures which were up at about $300 a tonne delivered to port for new crop January contract," he said.

"That's largely been reflective of exporter bids into both Newcastle ($300/t) and Port Kembla ($297/t) last week, up modestly by probably $25/t during the past four weeks."

Mr George suggested feed barley was fetching "about the $260/t mark" delivered to capital city markets.

He said he had heard yields in southern Queensland had been very good and northern NSW would be much the same.

"But it will be really patchy if moisture wasn't as good underneath," he said.

Concern is for the later harvest of central west and southern crops where feed grain results may come into play.

"There is good demand up and down the coast from malting facilities and that's pretty non-elastic as they need that quality barley," Mr George said.

"High temperatures and wind will do a lot of damage and can turn barley to feed grain."

May-sown barley on the Liverpool Plains is hanging in and will make grain, according to Quirindi Grain Trader, John Webster.

"My agronomist is hesitant to suggest it may make Feed Barley 1, but that will depend on a fluke rainfall which is doubtful," he said.

"Any double crop that was sown is doing it tough and the tops of heads are turning white."

Mr Webster said this was the third year in a row that winter crops had a good start and then "run into a hole".

"Everybody will get crops, but might only be 3.5t a hectare and not sure of the quality," he said.

Wellington's wheat harvest will be in another month, yet crops are struggling, says local agronomist and grain trader Michael White, of Michael White and Company.

"September is the make or break month and we have fallen short of rain to finish the crops at the crucial period," he said.

"There had been some sightings of frosted grain in the district which would result in feed grain quality, but also yield and quality will depend when a plant shuts down.

Mr White said the yield would not be what growers thought a month ago.

"We will certainly get wheat or crops, but as to quality or quantity, that's a bit of a conundrum at the moment."

However, the Cowra region is expecting good yields after much of the region received good rain in late August, according to Elders agronomist, Peter Watt.

"We picked up 300 millimetres or so of growing season rainfall," he said.

"But it is obvious our potential yields are being clipped by this dry run during the past three weeks.

"We've been very lucky with milder conditions."

Yield profit modelling of crops in the Canowindra district show there is still a 50 per cent chance of achieving about 4.2t/ha.

Hay from pinched crop

THE Basham families of Weethalle have decided to make hay while the going's good.

Their wheat and barley has felt the pinch from the dry and warm conditions through September and the first two weeks of October's hot and windy weather.

Nate Quigg, 8, Canberra, on holidays with grandparents, Brian and Jessie Basham, at "Monteagle", is pictured with dog, Bell, resting on a bale of yarran oats during baling on a small block near town.

The Bashams are cropping a combined 2230 hectares of wheat, barley, oats and lupins with Brian's brother Wayne and his wife, Janece, of "Oasis" and Janece's mother, Marj Hall, of "Gogo".

Janece Basham said oaten hay was being baled at a normal time of the year.

"However, we have decided to make hay out of 120ha of wheat on "Oasis" because we don't think it will finish," she said.

The crop didn't get enough rain, so the family is turning it into hay.

"That will enable us to think about increasing stock later on if we can and then we will have hay to feed them."

The families also run a herd of 100 Angus breeders, some joined to Murray Greys, plus 1400 Merino ewes joined to either Merino or terminal meat sires for prime lamb production.