‘Heartbeat rain’ falls on David Jochinke’s farm at Murra Warra

DAVID Jochinke describes the 10mm forecast to fall on his Wimmera farm today as a heartbeat rain.

A HEARTBEAT rain. That’s how David Jochinke describes the 10mm forecast to fall on his farm in Victoria’s parched Wimmera region today.

“This is the one to two-week reprieve and then we’re back on that slippery slope down,” the 38-year-old told The Weekly Times as soft rain fell on his paddocks at Murra Warra, north of Horsham, this morning.

“September is our money month, if we don’t get some catch up rain this month, it is really going to be diabolical as far as the crops go.

“You go a little bit to the west of here, and we’re only talking 20km, they are even worse than we are.”

Mr Jochinke, the vice president of the Victorian Farmers Federation, is not holding out much hope for today’s anticipated rain. By noon, nearby Horsham had received just 4mm.

“But if we get two decent — I’m talking 40-50mm — rainfall events (soon), that’s all we need to get home,” he said.

“If even we cut that four ways and had it in 25mm lots that would be OK. But we’ve had nothing to penetrate (the soil profile). We’ve had these skippy showers which has kept us going but as soon as the weather warms up we need something deep.”

Mr Jochinke said the growing season on his farm got off to a dry start, and while there was reasonable rain shortly after the crops were sown in autumn, dry overcast days” had led to a “very slow season”.

“We had a reasonable June but we haven’t really had anything substantial since then. We had 9mm during August where we really should be kicking 40-50mm,” he said.

“We’ve got nothing in the tank underneath. Those cold, cloudy, windy days have definitely taken their toll.”

Mr Jochinke’s cropping program this year includes wheat, barley, canola, chickpeas, lentils and oaten hay. In terms of yields, he said he was currently budgeting for a zero return from legumes

“There’s no reason, if we don’t get any more rain, that they will come to anything,” he said.

“With cereals there is a chance to get that 1-1.5 tonne/ha but with canola there’s no reason that’s going to come to anything either. Really, we are desperate.”

Mr Jochinke said the season was better for those with lighter soils or in those areas that received summer storms — such as Rupanyup and north of Hopetoun.

“It is chalk and cheese. They got it and we didn’t,” he said.

He said there were reports of farmers already turning sheep on to their failed crops, adding that with strong returns for lamb and crops meant all was not lost.

”Even if we had a decile three production year, it could still be an average year because of where prices are,” Mr Jochinke said.

“Lentils are through the roof, wheat and barley are solid, canola is extremely solid but it’s just actually getting anything in your hands.”