Manna Farms: Golf ball-size hail destroys crops at Colignan

In a not so happy start to the new year, growers in north west Victoria have been left counting the cost of devastating hail damage to their crops.

IN a devastating start to the new year, growers at Colignan in north west Victoria have been left picking up the pieces after “golf ball-size” hail destroyed their fruit and nut crops.

Manna Farms had four out five farms damaged on January 1, with general manager David Keens estimating about 150 hectares of biodynamic almond trees were affected, 152ha of citrus and 6ha of avocados – all to varying degrees.

Golf ball-size hail on new year's day destroyed almond, citrus and avocado crops across four Manna Farms properties. Pictures: Manna Farms Facebook

40-80 per cent of the almond crop is now on the ground in some areas.

“We were hoping to put 2020 behind us and we enter 2021 and couldn’t have got it any worse,” Mr Keens said.

And while it’s too early to tell, he predicts in a best-case scenario $2 million in losses or in a worst-case scenario $6 to $7 million.

Almond harvest began today, four weeks early, to get the nuts on the ground out of the field.

“We’ve got anywhere from 40-80 per cent of crop on the ground in some areas,” Mr Keens said.

The almonds are at “critical stage” where the hull of the almond starts to split.

Mr Keens explained if they had started to split, the almonds can be dried, dehulled and shelled to get the kernel out, but if the hull split hasn’t occurred and the almond is still solid green, losses will be greater.

Manna Farms will have a better picture of losses when it gets its citrus fruit into the packing facility and it is graded.

As for the avocados, they’re looking at an 80-100 per cent loss, as the trees are at a young stage and the fruit is small.

Citrus losses will become clearer when the fruit is in the packing facility and quality is assessed.

But the full extent of damage to the citrus and avocado trees may not be clear until next season in October or November when they can see how light that crop is.

New Year’s Day weather also created trouble for Western District grain growers, with headers throughout the south west forced to pull up after heavy falls hit in the afternoon.

Growers have been watching the skies eagerly as heavy falls not only put the brakes on their wheat harvest, but raise fears of downgraded quality.

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