IT’S been all hands on deck for farmers still harvesting this season’s grain and canola crop, before the next forecast widespread rain hits at the weekend.
Some croppers are already counting the cost of ill-timed rain slowing harvest and causing downgrades, while those lucky enough to have a summer crop in and winter harvest finished are counting their blessings.
A wild storm on Wednesday last week resulted in a lot of grain downgrading, especially durum, according to Quirindi Grain Trading’s John Webster.
“Even with the eight millimetres of rain, samples went from DR1 to DR3,” he said.
Some growers had warehoused durum and he said last Friday DRI was making $319 a tonne (cash).
“But people were warehousing it, and hoping it will go up,” he said. “I’d say DR1 will go up as a lot of the crop is falling to pieces.”
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Mr Webster said there was some sorghum planted, but still a lot more to go in. “There might be mung beans sown as well around Gunnedah and north, which had more rain than here around Quirindi,” he said.
“There might be black sunflowers going in out that way as well, but dryland cotton wasn’t planted because there wasn’t enough moisture and the window is now shut.”
Landmark Harcourts agronomist Cameron Barton, Tamworth, said while forecasts had looked promising, falls had been disappointing in his district.
“It has been forecast for a good fall all week but Tamworth hasn’t seen much,” he said.
“We could handle a bit, we have had enough to get us by week to week, but we are yet to receive a big fall.
“We are about two thirds or three quarters done with harvest. The last of the canola is coming off, about half of the wheat as well, now getting started on the chickpeas.”
Further north at Moree, agronomist with Poole Ag Consulting Angus Boileau, said there was a bit of dryland cotton still going in around the area and earlier sorghum already in was up and mid-booting.
“Pretty much around here all the cereals are off, however, east of Moree, around Delungra they are still harvesting wheat,” he said.
“They have had almost double the rain we’ve had. Up at my parents’ block at Delungra they had over 160mm in past two months.”
Moisture for summer crops is good, he said. Most of the fallow country has good moisture depth.
“Some paddocks held in fallow for next year have been planted to cotton due to the moisture profile there is at the moment.”
Cowra’s canola crops were off, and in most cases yielding more than expected, said Elders Cowra agronomist, Peter Watt.
“The grain harvest is mid-way, but between rain events all canola is off the paddocks and yields vary from 1t/ha to 2.4t/ha,” he said.
However, he said growers were fearing the imminent forecast of 50 to 70 millimetres from Friday through to Tuesday.
“Growers are gaining exceedingly good quality and high test weight,” he said. “Yields are anywhere from 3.5t/ha to 5.3t/ha and with good protein.”
Mr Watt said quality was holding “brilliantly”.
“We didn’t get the Parkes rain, but were knocked off last Sunday with 6mm to 20mm,” he said. “Headers began to roll again on Tuesday afternoon.
“They’ll go like the clappers until this next rain due Friday.
“Obviously lucerne is growing out of its skin and there has been a bit of hay loss and loss of hay quality as we are in an irrigated hay production valley, but growers will get another bite when it comes back again.”
Mr Watt said chickpeas were looking good, but would be desiccated because of the moisture.
“However, that does double as a first fallow spray.”
Wellington agronomist, Michael White of Michael White CRT, said the wheat harvest had restarted and specifications were pretty good, especially for protein.
“But the yield is anywhere from 1.5t/ha to 2t/ha. Normally it would be 2.5t/ha to 3t/ha,” he said.
“Right now there’s still an opportunity of planting cowpeas, Sudan grass, millet or forage sorghum,” he said.
B and W Rural North Star Goondiwindi manager Luke Fing said recent rains were positive for summer crops and building moisture profiles for next winter.
“Dryland cotton and sorghum plantings are up, so the rain is really good news for them. There’s fertiliser going down now, people are really looking to get this predicted rain working for them.”
Terra Ag’s Mark Zanatta, Griffith, said while rain was playing havoc with harvest, it also had croppers continually readjusting watering schedules.
“You know a couple of nights ago, some people had 50 millimetres, while others had nothing,” he said. “The dryland crop is about 80pc to 90pc off the paddock, even though it’s been a pretty disappointing year.”
“You know a couple of nights ago, some people had 50 millimetres, while others had nothing,” he said.
He said irrigated yields were really good because there hadn’t been a hot, hard finish, and “it’s good to see some blokes getting the potential we chase”, with 7t/ha to 8t/ha wheat crops coming off the paddock.
“We haven’t seen that for a while. “At the moment we’re trying to get in front of weather predicted for Friday,” said Mr Zanatta.
If the rain keeps up, the outlook is good for cotton and rice crops that have gone in.
“There’s a lot of cotton in and rice is about at two thirds of what was planted last year, but this rain is beneficial as long as we don‘t get hail,” he said.
“At the moment we seem to be always pulling up on watering, waiting for the next rain to come through, but that’s good, we’re saving a bit of water.”
Generally, he said, it had been a disappointing year for dryland crops.