Dry start to cropping season for Mallee grower

Wilkur grain grower Dale Hinkley is in need of rain as his main sowing program approaches.

Still waiting: Mallee mixed crop farmer Dale Hinkley says his main farm at Wilkur has had no rainfall since a 30mm drop in January. Picture: Zoe Phillips.

IT has been a dry start to the cropping season for Mallee grower Dale Hinkley, who has had scarce summer rain.

The grower, whose main farm spans from Wilkur to Watchupga, said crops in the area usually banked on using stored moisture from summer rainfall.

“Our main farm got about 30mm back in January and nothing since anywhere else,” Mr Hinkley said.

“February and March were dry in our area, we work on a lot of stored moisture here and paddocks that have that would only be people with fallow pad­docks.”

But Mr Hinkley said it was normal to be quite dry this time of year.

“Traditionally, around this area they talk about a May 20 average break of rain and we are still well away from that,” he said.

“With practice and with technology evolving over time, farmers are becoming smarter and wiser and we usually bank on those summer storms and capitalise on them by storing that moisture.

“But we haven’t got much in the tank so far.”

Sowing of vetch has begun on his property, which also produces wheat, barley, lentils, canola, beans and oats.

“We are currently sowing vetch and pasture mixes for sheep and we will continue to dry sow, starting the main program with lentils around Anzac Day weekend,” Mr Hinkley said.

Lack of rain will also mean it is unlikely canola will be sown this year.

“It is a week out from Anzac Day which is the optimal sowing period for canola, until early May and we haven’t had a whole lot of rain in the southern Mallee area and we have got poor subsoil moisture so at this stage we are probably unlikely to sow canola,” he said.

Mr Hinkley said that to reach average yields, crops would need a normal winter and above average spring.

“It is the polar opposite of last season, but two seasons are never the same,” he said.

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