Patchy in-crop rain leaves yield variation across NSW

While it's been a disappointing season in the north, Lloyd George from Ag Scientia said some areas had fared better than others due to patchy in-crop rain, such as around Moree and Narrabri.

Mr George said it was also patchy in the Central West with limited crop around Nyngan and Tottenham, but it improved around Narromine and through to Parkes, Forbes and West Wyalong.

"Crops were generally better in the southern half of the state where they benefited from the rain in the first week of October," Mr George said.

Yields tapered away in the Griffth region, with the rain having arrived too late, while south of West Wyalong, growers were reporting 2.5 to three tonnes a hectare and higher to the east.

Gavin Bartel, Greenbah, near Moree, planted 2200ha of Lancer wheat and 330ha of faba beans, which yielded better than expected.

"This year's average was varied compared to last, however, we had an overall average yield of about 1.5 to 1.6 tonnes to the hectare," Mr Bartel said.

"We had some stuff go really well, averaging anywhere from 3.3 tonnes a hectare in one block down to about 0.7 in another block."

Despite a very dry season where they only received 150mm of in-crop rain, Ruth Klingner was were pleased to get a harvest under after missing out the past two years due to floods, being near Forbes.

This year, Ms Klingner and her team (including Stuart Muller, on our cover) planted 320ha of wheat, saying yields were a little bit up and down.

"The last two years, half our farm was under floods and in some areas, it was still under water in December," Ms Klinger said.

"Some of the areas where it flooded, that was an advantage, but where the water lay longest, the soil's gone stale.

"So our harvest is down on what an average year is after not getting any rain.

"The lupins were the worst hit with the frost damage, but there was a little bit of frost damage in the wheat as well."

Matthew Bourke, Tungamah, Victoria, who is vice president of the Australian Custom Harvesters Association, is winding up his work in the Hillston district.

Last year, he had five harvesters working in the Croppa Creek and to the north-east of Moree.

"With the dry season, we only took one machine up there this season," Mr Bourke said.

"We had 11 machines working around Hillston, and we're just wrapping things up after a pretty good run with the weather. We'll be heading back to Victoria next, but there's not a lot of crop down there."

Poss Barry, Homebush, Lightning Ridge has just finished harvesting wheat and chickpeas near Hebel and Dirranbandi, Queensland.

"There were some good crops about, considering there was no in-crop rain," he said.

"I was harvesting wheat and chickpeas, which was going six bags [1.2 tonnes/ hectare]."