Grain growers wrap up harvest after rough season

RUPANYUP grower and contractor Matt Weidemann has been working eight to nine hours a day with the aim of completing his harvest by the end of next week.

Nearly done: Matt Weidemann harvests lentils at his Rupanyup farm. He says three-quarters of harvest in the region is complete. Picture: Dannika Bonser

TRADITIONALLY the last week of November heralds the start of harvest for many Victorian grain growers.

But this year, grower and contractor Matt Weidemann has been working eight to nine hours a day with the aim of completing his harvest at his Rupanyup property by the end of next week.

He said about three quarters of harvest was complete in the Rupanyup region, with harvest due to wind up by the second week of December.

“It’s (harvest) a lot earlier than usual. That’s because of the drought, because of not enough spring rain,” Mr Weidemann said.

“The frosts and everything else we’ve had, it’s all contributed to an early finish.”

Mr Weidemann said average yield around the Rupanyup area was about two to four tonne of barley a hectare, with wheat paddocks left standing for the moment.

“Barley is probably the biggest, everyone’s finding a bit more barley than they were expecting,” Mr Weidemann said.

“At the moment the only thing that’s standing out regarding quality is the protein has been a bit too high, but a lot of the barley has been malt standard.

“At the end of the day, anything that helps the domestic malt market … and the rest of it will get picked up in the domestic feed market pretty quick. No-one’s really got into the wheat yet.”

Mr Weidemann estimated lentil tonnages to be sitting around half a tonne to one tonne a ha.

“Anything over a tonne has been a bonus.”

With a season of struggle coming to an end for many growers, Mr Weidemann said farmers were looking forward to harvest being “well and truly done with”.

“We’ve looked at the markets and been watching them deteriorate. A lot of people are storing on farm, they’ll be the ones to capitalise pretty quick,” Mr Weidemann said.

“From what I’ve seen in the Western District, their harvest will be quite reasonable to normal. It might be an average harvest down there, which might top up a lot of our domestic markets.

“It’s all rain affected.”