The heavy rains over the past few days are a thorn in the side of many Wimmera farmers that still have plenty of crop to harvest.
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Kanagulk, Warracknabeal and Nhill all received more than 20 millimetres between 9am Wednesday and 9am Thursday.
Kanagulk farmer Nick Pekin still had 1000 hectares of cereal grains to harvest when the showers hit.
“The quality of grain could drop and it could be washed out, depending on the amount of rain that comes at once,” he said.
“We have been harvesting for the last two and a half weeks once we knew the forecast, and we have just been going around the clock trying to get it all done.”
Grain and livestock farmers further north said they would not be as heavily affected, given they have more of their crop harvested.
Pimpinio farmer and agronomist Matthew Beddison only has 45 hectares of wheat left to harvest, though he said the rain still has the capacity to affect growers like him into the new year.
“If it’s going to rain and we get decent rain it does start to put a small amount into the subsoil that can potentially benefit us next year, but obviously it’s one of the things that’s going to create summer weeds and create extra work,” he said.
“It would be nice to have all the harvest finished and to get three or four inches of rain to be a good starting platform for us for next year, but it will be what it will be.”
Victorian Farmers’ Federation Wimmera president Daniel Keam said the weather was case of bad luck.
“We always get rain during harvest and it can depend on where you are,” he said.
“You get thunderstorms where all of sudden you have a quick 20mm of rain and you drive three kilometres down the road and there’s nothing.”
But Mr Keam said not all was lost for harvesting farmers having to contend with wet weather.
“There’s still a pretty big upside if it’s feed grain, that’s still selling pretty well, so it’s not a lost cause,” he said.
Alexander Darling
Alexander has been a member of the Wimmera Mail-Times' editorial team since December 2018, covering politics, business and property among other rounds. He is a passionate St.Kilda and rock and roll fan, and has previously worked as a radio reporter in Port Macquarie and Gosford, NSW.
Alexander has been a member of the Wimmera Mail-Times' editorial team since December 2018, covering politics, business and property among other rounds. He is a passionate St.Kilda and rock and roll fan, and has previously worked as a radio reporter in Port Macquarie and Gosford, NSW.
