Farmers preparing summer crops as Murrumbidgee water entitlements increase
Farmers in southern NSW are scrambling to prepare country for summer cropping with Murrumbidgee River water entitlements increasing today. Here are all the details.
RISING storage levels and falling water prices have some irrigators in southern NSW scrambling to prepare country for summer cropping this year — with Murrumbidgee River water entitlements increasing another 12 per cent today.
Good winter rain in the Murrumbidgee catchments has resulted in a dramatic turnaround in fortunes for local farmers following a horror year of drought and reduced allocations in 2019-20.
Murrumbidgee catchment dams Burrinjuck and Blowering were today sitting at 82 per cent and 75 per cent of capacity — up from 44 and 59 per cent in mid-July and up from 31 and 49 per cent this time last year.
The NSW Government today announced that general-security entitlements on the Murrumbidgee would rise 12 per cent to 44 per cent — up from 16 per cent a month ago when Burrinjuck and Blowering were at 45 per cent and 63 per cent respectively. It lifted NSW Murray general-security entitlements 4 per cent to 12 per cent.
This time last year, Murrumbidgee general-security entitlements were at just 3 per cent.
NSW Riverina cotton grower Peter Tuohey described the current conditions of rising water storages and falling water prices as “brilliant” and said today’s water allocation announcement could lead to temporary water prices falling to $120-$130 a megalitre.
“And if we can get some more catchment in Blowering or Burrinjuck (with the Bureau of Meteorology pointing to wetter-than-average La Nina weather conditions this spring) I reckon it will keep coming down towards 50 bucks,” Mr Tuohey said.
“It is definitely looking a lot better (than it was this time last year) and I think our Achilles heel if more water becomes available is going to be the amount of country that is prepared because a lot of people have put winter crops in.
“Next year will be the big one. If water can go down towards $40-$100 (a megalitre) people are going to top up, carry forward and put a big summer crop in next year.”
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