Rain needed to boost crops and hopes

It was a stellar start to autumn but now farmers are looking to the skies for fronts that could set up the new season.

Concerns about the season in parts of southeast Australia have intensified after weeks of little to no rain in some regions.
Bureau of Meteorology figures show that after a good autumn break in some districts, rain clouds had dispersed with several centres recording next to no rain during April. Adding to farmer concerns are forecasts of a significantly drier-than-average winter in southeast Australia and a return to dreaded El Nino conditions.
The lack of rain is most pronounced in Victoria’s Mallee and Wimmera grain growing regions with Mildura measuring just 0.4mm so far this May, followed by Hopetoun and Ouyen (1mm), Kerang and Longerenong (2mm), Wycheproof (4mm), Bendigo, Shepparton and Stawell (6mm) and Horsham (7mm).
Elders Ouyen merchandise manager Donald McGregor said the last rain in the area had been in mid-April with 15mm and it had since been dry.

Rain is needed to keep crops growing and get some out of the ground.

This was making those who had dry-sown crops, or those who had planted early, nervous.

“I think there is a bit of anxiousness as we’ve had frosts since that rain,” Mr McGregor said.

“We are all hoping that we may fluke something from the rain predicted this week.”

Mr McGregor estimated about 75-80 per cent of the crop was already sown in the district, with early crops of lupins, vetch and cereals out of the ground.

“Most people are heading towards the end of seeding,” he said.

“If we could get 10mm now, it would join up the moisture.”

Many farmers have taken a gamble on sowing and are waiting on rain.

Further south, Horsham-based agronomist Matthew Sparke from Sparke Agricultural and Associates, said rainfall to date meant the area was sitting on average, but “the forecast does not seem so good”.

Growers in the area had forged ahead with dry sowing and were banking on rain to fill in the moisture profile in the top 30cm of country.

“A fall in the next 10 days would be really great and it would help settle crops in,” Mr Sparke said.

“If we have a dry May/June it is not the end of the world.”

Even with lower-than-average rainfall, falls of 180mm north of Horsham during the growing season could produce 4.5 tonnes/hectare of cereals, and 200mm south of Horsham over the next few months could see corps as big as 5.5 tonnes/hectare, he said.

“It might be a dry year but it does still rain in a dry year,” Mr Sparke said.
Only 1-10mm of rain is forecast for the northern Wimmera and Mallee in the next week.