Summer cropping has always been opportunistic in the state’s north, but a run of bad seasons has many farmers in the Walgett district removing summer crops from their rotations.
A lack of significant rainfall and increasing maximum temperatures in recent years has made it nearly impossible for farmers to grow any sort of profitable crop.
Local farmer and agronomist, Brad Coleman, “Yarral Yarral”, Rowena said despite the area always being a winter-dominant cropping area, having a run of decent season and being able to plant a summer crop was important to crop rotations.
“The last five summers have been particularly tough by being dry, and as people would know the heat is just getting worse,” Mr Coleman said.
“Even coming back from Walgett into the western third of the Narrabri and Moree Plains shires, we've got clients there that are dropping summer crops out of their cropping rotations because it hasn't been profitable.
“Dryland cotton has always been the most reliable type of summer crop, but a lot of people are saying that the heat is too cruel so they've just forgotten about it altogether and they'll just rely on long-fallow from one winter crop around to the next.”
Agronomist Greg Rummery, Walgett said looking back 10 years, sorghum was typically the summer crop of choice.
“There were days here back in the 1990s that there was quite a bit of sorghum and it made up quite a part of our rotation,” he said.
“But that’s basically gone because it's just been too hot and too dry, and sorghum hasn't worked here now for a few years.
“Dryland cotton is the new kid on the block and it's worked very well in good years but then in tough years it really struggles.
“Obviously it's got a high requirement for water and if what you've got available is only in the ground and you don't get much useful rain in-crop, not many crops can still be profitable if that's how the season unfolds.”
