RAINS at the weekend didn’t dampen the spirits of the Wimmera’s cropping farmers, however many had to cease harvest temporarily.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Cam Mibus, of Bungalally, said he had to stop last Wednesday following heavy rains and was yet to start again.
“It’s been frustrating having to stop and start over the last month. We’re happy but are looking forward to the new year,” he said.
“We’re a bit over half way and have maybe a week to go. The quality has been fantastic up until now, and the quantity is about where we thought it would be.
“Canola and beans are finished and we still have wheat, lentils and barley to do. The best so far has been the barley.”
Daniel Keam, of Wallup, said he was about 99 per cent complete.
“The rains have held us up from doing that last little bit. The quality had been good, but the yield has been down. We’ve been really lucky in some pockets due to the rainfall,” he said.
Malcolm Eastwood, of Kaniva, said he was about two thirds done, or had about 1000 acres left to harvest.
“We’ve done canola, lentils and have almost finished beans – then there’s the wheat to do,” he said.
“Our paddocks are very spread out, and some of them got 40 to 55mm of rain over the week. There has been some damage to the crop – some of the beans are slightly discoloured.
“We won’t know the full extent of the damage to the wheat until it’s harvested, but the samples are looking fine.”
He said the rest of the week wasn’t look good for harvest conditions.
“Once night falls, you’ve really got to stop because the conditions change. So that three hours of works that you can’t do anymore,” he said.
Mr Eastwood said said he hoped to have his harvest completed around new year.
“The district is going pretty well. The GrainCorp site is working well and really looking after the farmers,” he said.
“Yields are living up to the expectations, or even slightly above.
“All we really want and need now is a couple of weeks of really good weather to finish everything off.”