Frost and a dry season has reduced yields in the Wimmera

A PERFECT start to the season for Charlton grower Rick Lang had turned to bitter disappointment.

Crops. Wheat. Rick Lang. Grain Farmer near Charlton. begins harvest in about a week. Below average season.

A PERFECT start to the season for Charlton grower Rick Lang had turned to bitter disappointment.

Mr Lang and his wife, Sophie, started harvesting about 2830ha of crops on their Charlton and Richmond Plains properties.

Mr Lang said a combination of a dry season and frosts meant this year “wasn’t going to be a patch” on last year’s ­result.

“It was fantastic up until August but we didn’t get anything since then … we have only had about 15mm in spring,” he said.

Tylers Hardware agronomist in Rupanyup, Ben Cordes, said crops in his area varied in yield but had been hard hit by the dry. He said barley crops on heavier soils ranged from 1-1.5 tonnes/ha, while on mixed soils, they would probably yield 1.5-3 tonnes/ha.

Harvest 2014-15

But many crops had been hit by frost, with losses as high as 70 per cent in field peas and 30-50 per cent in lentils.

In western Wimmera, Chris Jones, of Westech Ag in Nhill, said the harvest was still a week to 10 days away.

He said most crops were “not too bad, but they are not going to be world beaters”.