Crop conditions turn for worse

NSW Department of Primary Industries seasonal conditions co-ordinator Ian McGowen said moisture was disappearing at a rapid rate.

Early barley and chickpeas had already been harvested, but late sown crops, mostly wheat, had lost up to twenty per cent of their yield potential in the past fortnight.

"The crops in the ground are extracting a lot of the sub-soil moisture out of the system as they try to reach maturity. Most places in the state except the southern coastal areas and eastern Riverina are really lacking in moisture."

The lack of top-soil moisture would seriously impact the acreage of summer crop sown across the state, with rice plantings expected to take a plunge.

"In the north of the state there are multiple areas which don't have sufficient sub-soil moisture to sow summer crops. Growers are waiting for rain before they kick things off but the outlook for it doesn't look good."

Mr McGowen said the central third of the state was drying out quickly.

In the south, irrigation water was being used to finish winter crops.

There, cotton would be planted over rice.

Pasture across the state had started to hay off too and this would have a significant impact on producers carrying capacity into next year.

"There will be a serious lack of summer feed around for livestock," he said.

However, there was still green pasture around the Eastern Riverina but it too was beginning to show signs of stress.

Farm water supplies were highly variable across the state but generally not too bad.

"In the past six weeks there's been very little run-off but prior to that some areas had good falls which means their dams are still full."

- JESSIE?DAVIES