Harvest begins: Crop hopes high in southern NSW as harvest starts

Grain yields are looking promising for a Daysdale grower, with harvest now underway.

Heads up: Denis Tomlinson at his farm at Daysdale, NSW. Picture: Supplied.

HARVESTERS  are about to roll out on to crops in parts of southern NSW, with grain growers set for an ideal season.

For Daysdale grower Denis Tomlinson, yields this year look to be up “quite a bit” compared to the past few years, with his crops receiving good rain in March and April.

“We had below-average winter rain and average rain for spring, with a wetter October,” Mr Tomlinson said.

The grower expects wheat and barley yields to be above average, reaching about four tonnes a hectare, while canola is likely to yield two tonnes.

“We will start harvesting canola this week and cereals will begin in about 10 days,” he said.

“We will be heading into harvest about five days earlier this year.”

Mr Tomlinson said he was wary of a wet harvest, but was happy with the potential in the paddock.

“So far, so good,” he said.

IK Caldwell field services manager Andrew Bell said growers around Corowa had an “exceptional” autumn, with about decile 7-8 rainfall, setting up the season well.

“Crops that were sown on time had excellent soil moisture,” Mr Bell said.

“They had a dryish winter that helped some areas which were water-logged and an above-average spring.”

Ideal conditions this season assisted grain fill, Mr Bell said, which would help add to the above-average yields expected in the area.

And some growers would be looking at a complete turnaround in yields this season, compared with last year when some growers in southern NSW had no harvest, he said.

Harvest will ramp up in the area this weekend to windrow canola, with the grain expected to reach two to three tonnes a hectare. Wheat in the area is anticipated to hit five to seven tonnes a hectare.

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