HEADERS have started rolling out of sheds and into paddocks as harvest gets into full swing in the region .
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Horsham farmer Peter Moore said good weather this week meant he could start harvesting lentils.
“The weather so far has been excellent, although there is rain on the way,” he said.
Mr Moore said quality had been mixed so far, but yields were generally good.
Natimuk farmer Brian Klowss has stripped about 200 hectares of canola so far.
“It’s going pretty good at the moment – we’re getting about 2.5 tonnes a hectare, which is pretty good,” he said.
“The oil is around 43 to 44 per cent, so overall it’s not too bad.
“It’s a small bonus for us so far, but we’ll have to wait and see how the rest goes – we’ll know more in a month’s time.”
Mr Klowss said with predictions of rain next week, he wanted to get going while the weather was clear.
However, other farmers in the southern Wimmera are yet to start harvest.
Noradjuha farmer Tim Rethus said he had still been bailing hay, but he hoped to start harvest on Thursday or Friday.
In the northern part of the region, Beulah farmer Ross William started harvest a few weeks ago. “It’s going really well so far – lentils are done and we started doing barley before the rain last week.
“Unfortunately it’s lost a bit of moisture since then and it’s been downgraded now.” Mr Williams said the rest of harvest would be up to Mother Nature.
“We’re not sure what is going to happen, but if we have a good 10 days we could pretty much clean it up,” he said.
Mr Williams said overall yields weren’t too bad.
“They aren’t record breaking but they are doing okay,” he said.
Beulah farmer Kevin Munro started stripping lentils on Tuesday.
“They are going about average,” he said.
“But we’ve managed to escape frost damage and rain damage, which is great.
“It’s been damn hot though.” Mr Munro said he expected his cereal yields to be average to above average.