Warm weather welcome, but water prices rise

Warm weather is benefiting rice and cotton crops in NSW and northern Victoria, but rising water prices also loom.

Rice and cotton growers say the warm conditions have been ideal for the summer cropping season.

Rob Massina from Logie Brae in southern NSW grows rice and cotton and said from a rice-growing perspective, this season was in the top four warmest years in the past 30.

This is the first time he has grown cotton, and he said the warm days were certainly beneficial for the 80ha he planted.

“We are ready for a warm week of weather with 43C forecast on Monday and that will be warm enough, but it is ideal for rice crops,” he said.

The night-time temperatures have also stayed higher, which he said was beneficial for flowering.

“There has been no pest or disease pressure; it has been a great summer for growing crops,” he said.

“All crops are on track to mature on time, which is critical, especially with cotton being so far south.”

Water prices for temporary allocations in the Murray Valley were hovering around $130 a megalitre.

Rice and cotton grower Rob Massina. Picture: Supplied

Forecasts from the Bureau of Meteorology showed consistently warm weather for this week, with Echuca and Shepparton expecting a 40C day on Monday, 36C on Tuesday, 35C on Wednesday, 34C on Thursday, 36C on Friday and up to 38C on Saturday.

Rice grower Jeremy Morton from Moulamein in southern NSw, who has 150ha of rice planted, agreed that the warm temperatures with lots of solar radiation were beneficial for the crop.

“We have had lots of sunlight, which has been fantastic,” he said.

However, he warned that “really hot” weather wasn’t ideal and could, in fact, be damaging.

Mr Morton said in the NSW Murray Valley, prices for water had increased from $110 a megalitre to $130 a megalitre.

Sam Ryan farms at Murrami in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area and is growing both rice and cotton.

“If anything, it is a bit earlier than in other years; rice came to PI (panicle initiation) about two weeks earlier than usual,” he said.

“The cotton looks great too.”

Mr Ryan said the biggest challenge was the water price and allocations, with the Murrumbidgee sitting at 35 per cent.

“We had budgeted on a 50 per cent allocation,” he said.

Prices for temporary water were ranging from $210 to $220 a megalitre.

In northern NSW at Moree, Matthew Madden said sorghum crops were looking good, but dryland cotton was in urgent need of rain.

“There was a band of rain that came through earlier in the month, and some places got 200mm to 300mm,” he said.

“But a lot of places missed out.”