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HEADERS are starting to roll onto paddocks for Horsham district farmers, however growers are trying to start harvest and finish bailing hay at the same time.
Wonwondah farmer Peter Velthuis is yet to start harvest but has been windrowing canola and barley.
“We hope to get going by the end of the week but it’s hard to estimate how it’s going to go,” he said.
“I windrowed barley because it was too green and we’ve got black tip so it’s not going to be malt, I’m confident of that.
“Yields look like they will be good, but there has been about a 20 per cent reduction because of the wet in September and October.”
Mr Velthuis said crops around Horsham were variable.
“Some guys will do extremely well, it just depends on the soil type,” he said.
“There are some ordinary crops further south because it just got too wet.”
Mr Velthuis said farmers were also trying to balance hay bailing and harvest.
“I’ve been cutting hay and windrowing for the past nine weeks, while trying to get the header up and going,” he said.
Mr Velthuis said overall his crops looked promising.
“They would be average to above average,” he said.
“About 30 per cent of our canola got knocked around with water.
“We were looking at a fantastic year at the end of August, but then our chocolate lollies turned into boiled lollies.
“We are still 100 per cent better than last year though.”
Landmark Horsham agronomist Matt Beddison said most farmers in the district had made some sort of start with harvest.
“Canola crops are being stripped as well as some barley,” he said.
“There has been a few mixed results with more frost damage than first though, but all in all yields are okay.”
Mr Beddison said lentils would be harvested in the next few weeks.
“Hopefully the yields are there and the weather stays away so we can get stuck into it,” he said.
McKenzie Creek farmer Neville McIntyre said the header was lined up in the first paddock of barley on Sunday when it started raining.
He said overall most of his crops were waterlogged.
“With low yields and low grain prices, harvest will not be much fun for me this year,” he said.
Natimuk farmer Michael Sudholz started harvest on Monday afternoon with a paddock of canola.
“The barley is not quite ready yet but the canola is, so we thought we would start with that,” he said.
Mr Sudholz said he was concerned about what the quality of his crops would be like.
“I haven’t had anything tested yet,” he said.
“But the quality doesn’t look as good as we thought it would be.
“We thought barley would go malt, but all the barley in the district seems to be only going feed.
“It’s a shame because everything was looking so good.
“We’ll know more when we get into it though.”