Stormy conditions compounds losses for SA cherry growers, with produce costs expected to rise

The race to make up lost profits is on for SA’s cherry and grain farmers, who’ve been smashed by stormy conditions on consecutive weekends.

A second straight weekend of inclement weather has hit SA growers hard as they rush to recover with a profitable harvest and offset losses with high prices.

Growers of fruit and grain in the Adelaide Hills and Riverland have reported that a delayed harvest may have a lasting impact on their bottom line ahead of peak season.

The CEO of Fruit Producers SA Jose Gil said that the cherrypicking season is at least two weeks behind as the fruit has been unable to ripen due to the wet weather.

The delay may prove detrimental to cherry farmers as interest peaks near Christmas and the picking season lasts from October to January.

“With the delay in the season, it’s either going to be a massive rush to get these early cherries or there’s going to be a lot more cherries after Christmas that won’t be sold,” Mr Gil said.

“It’s a great disappointment because some of the best cherries are after Christmas.”

Mr Gil said the lower volume of cherries will drive the prices higher.

Tony Hannaford, owner of Torrens Valley Orchards in the Adelaide Hills.

Growers will hope that the high price will offset losses in cherry volume, Tony Hannaford, the owner of Torrens Valley Orchards in the Adelaide Hills, said.

“The price may be higher so the net loss may not be as great as it first seems.”

Yet growers are still bracing for the worst case scenario.

“The financial impact is going to be significant,” Mr Hannaford said.

“We have our best seasons when we have good volumes of fruit at a reasonable price so quite often high prices don’t necessarily compensate for much the much shorter volume,” he said.

In the Riverland, grain producers are suffering a similar fate but with bogged farms due to rains.

John Gladigau and Robin Schaefer, joint owners of Bulla Burra Farms. Picture: Jannette Fulham / Riverland Commercial Photography

John Gladigau’s Bulla Burra Farms – which produces wheat, barley, canola, chickpeas, lupins, lentils, field peas and canola – has been hit by hail and heavy rain for the second weekend in a row.

“We have to be careful where we go with harvesters so they don’t get stuck,” Mr Gladigau said.

Farmers thought they were in the clear after South Australia’s monster storm two weekends ago.

“We thought we had seen the end of it,” Mr Gladigau said.

But hail the size of a golf ball smashed his crops on his farm at Alawoona.

Insurance will cover some of the destruction on his farm but he will not recoup all of his losses as only hail damage is covered, Mr Gladigau said.

“You can have heavy rain or wind that can do as much damage as hail.”

Farmers are yet to discover the full extent of their losses as harvest is at least two weeks away.