Rain delivers more weeds for James Coghlan at Serpentine

James Coghlan has swapped the header for the spray rig in a bid to start cleaning up summer weeds, but in the Western District it’s a different story.

Farmers have swapped the header for the spray rig in a bid to start cleaning up summer weeds.

Rain in November and early December meant earlier spraying than normal for Serpentine farmer James Coghlan.

James Coghlan at Serpentine. Pictures: Yuri Kouzmin

Mr Coghlan said he sprayed barley stubble for weeds while still harvesting other crops.

“It was earlier than normal and we have sprayed barley, canola and vetch stubbles so far, and we are about to spray the oats for the second time,” he said.

Generally Mr Coghlan said they did one blanket spray across the farm after harvest, then they would use a Weed-It to spot spray up to two to three times more prior to sowing.

“It really is dependent on how much rain we get and how quickly weeds germinate,” he said.

“It’s our second year using the Weed-It and we use a lot less chemical, it’s better for the environment and has been good for moisture conservation.”

Mr Coghlan said they finished harvest about two weeks ago and were “really lucky” with decent timed rain throughout the growing season in 2024.

He said they had above average yields, the barley averaged 6.5 tonnes/ha and wheat 7.5 tonnes/ha.

Mr Coghlan said they finished harvest about two weeks ago.

In the Western District, it’s a different story, with only small amounts of rainfall.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Casterton has had 94mm in the past three months. Typically, the region would receive 131mm, and 121mm fell at Colac, which is 28mm less than what would usually fall in the corresponding three-month period.

Gorst Rural director Cam Conboy of Lake Bolac said farmers had started spraying in his area, but there hadn’t been a massive germination of weeds yet.

“Those who have livestock have put sheep on the paddocks to start cleaning up stubble,” he said.

Mr Conboy said there had been some fairy grass, but overall, farmers in his region were still waiting for the weeds to germinate.

He said harvest had all but finished with just a small amount to go.

“It is still incredibly dry here. We had a bit of rain in November with 50mm to 70mm, but it was too late,” he said.

“It was one of our driest years.”