Cold weather slows pasture and crop growth

Damaging winds, cold fronts and rain is whipping Australia’s farming districts with some Victorian regions on watch-and-act alerts due to risk of flooding.

Damaging winds, cold fronts and rain is whipping Australia’s farming districts with some Victorian regions on watch-and-act alerts due to risk of flooding.

Moderate flood warnings were advised on Tuesday for residents near Watts River, Latrobe River from Yallourn to Traralgon Creek, and also the township of Yea.

East and North Gippsland farmers were also advised of winds from the south averaging up to 90km.

According the Bureau of Meteorology’s eight-day forecast farmers in Victoria, southern South Australia, Tasmania and southern NSW can expect additional falls of 5mm to 50mm on top of what’s already been received.

BOM rainfall figures for the past seven days show Balook received 111mm, Mirboo North, 90mm, Coldstream, 83mm, Ben Nevis, 37mm, Omeo, 20mm.

In NSW, Wagga Wagga had 30mm in the past seven days, and Dubbo 22mm.

Jamie Quinlan of Elders Yea said farmers were welcoming the rain. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

Jamie Quinlan of Elders, Yea said 60mm had fallen in the area in the past 24 hours and despite the flood warnings, farmers welcomed the rain.

“It’s nothing too concerning at this stage. It will fill the dams,” he said.

Mr Quinlan said the colder weather had slowed pasture growth.

The conditions were also affecting livestock market indicators, with buyers seeking out well-finished prime lambs.

The heavy lamb indicator has soared by 64.66c/kg in the past week to settle at 883.07c/kg carcass weight, and the trade lamb indicator has followed the same trajectory to increase by 37.09c/kg in seven days to make 847.82.

The Eastern States Young Cattle Indicator has improved by 26.29c/kg this week to 622.77c/kg on Tuesday.

Farmers in Victoria’s Western District have finally had a reprieve with falls of up to 20mm in the past week.

Casterton has received 18mm, while Graeme McCrow of Westmere measured 19mm since Friday last week and the rain has come as a godsend for the parched region.

He said the cold change in the weather had slowed growth but any rain was still welcomed.

“It is very dry here, but the rain has really helped; the crops are starting to stand up and look a bit fresher,” he said.

In the Mallee, Birchip farmer John Ferrier said the area had received falls of 15mm to 17mm since Friday.

“The crops are growing slowly, because of the frosts and the canola is fairly slow,” he said.

Cold conditions as well as rain has been received in the past seven days. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Horsham farmer Luke Ruthus said his region had received around 10mm for the month and although temperatures were cold, the rain had helped.

“Things are germinating, but growth is slow,” he said.

“We have had a few frosts too.”

Chris Badcock of Hagley in Tasmania.

Tasmanian livestock and cropping farmer Chris Badcock of Hagley said the main concern was the extremely cold temperatures.

In the past seven days his property has received 30mm of rain, however the cold weather was also setting in.

“We have had morning temperatures of -2 to -6 degrees for two weeks,” he said.

“This makes it hard for pasture growth,” he said.

Coleambally cotton grower Joe Briggs.

Coleambally, NSW farmer Joe Briggs said he was grateful to have his cotton picking finished before 12mm arrived last week. And over the weekend additional falls of 13mm arrived for the Murrumbidgee Irrigation District.

Mr Briggs said there were still farmers in the southern valleys trying to get cotton crop off and the rain had slowed things down.

He said there was some optimism in general about the rain and farmers had been putting urea on paddocks ahead of the most recent front.