Wimmera farmers looking for good rain to boost winter crop prospects

Light falls over the last week have kept conditions ticking over, for Rupanyup grower, Peter Teasdale.

Forecasts from the Bureau of Meteorology have rain starting in the Wimmera on Friday and continuing throughout the weekend, with the possibility of thunderstorms on Saturday.

"The crops are up and running, but we don't have a lot of stored moisture, we didn't get a lot of rain, like some of the others," Mr Teasdale said.

"We are hoping for some good winter and spring falls."

But he cast doubt on predictions of a bumper harvest, and Bureau of Meteorology forecasts.

"Anything beyond a seven-day forecast isn't worth looking at," he said.

OTHER NEWS:

"We'd certainly like to see some good inch rainfall events, we need one of them, at least every month, until the crop has finished."

Mr Teasdale said he was growing a mixture of canola, wheat, barley, lentils and chickpeas on 1750 hectares.

Faba beans had also been included in the rotation this year, as he said he expected prices to be on a par with other pulses.

"We have a few paddocks now, that are more suited to beans, and the market has been comparable to lentils and chickpeas, with the tariff situation that's going on," he said.

Mr Teasdale said the biggest issue was a good finish to the season, with no frosts in October and November.

"That seems to be the tricky bit," he said.

Narelle Drage, who is north east of Warracknabeal, said the rain had been patchy.

The Drage's are growing wheat, barley, canola and field peas.

"We need a really good drink, soon - although, right now, we are going along quite well," Ms Drage said.

"This weekend would be great."

OTHER NEWS: A new Horsham nurse and a prostate cancer plea - over 50, get checked

Brian Barry junior, at Manangatang, said his property received between 50-100 millimetres in April, but only light falls since.

"We are pretty keen to see rain, the ground is drying off," Mr Barry said. "April was alright, but very variable."

He said the drier conditions came on the back of a relatively dry summer.

"They were enough to have to spray, but not enough to put any subsoil moisture away."

He said after the last two seasons, he'd be happy to get an average return on his wheat and barley.

"The earlier sown crops look good, but the later crops, on the heavier ground, are really struggling.

"Fingers crossed it's a wet spring."

Ryan Milgate, east of Minyip, said his property had been quite dry, since the start of May.

"We have had 19mm for May and we have had maybe 10mm that we might have stuck together for June," Mr Milgate said.

"It's still looking fantastic, but we had eight frosts in nine days - that's slowed things down a bit.

"It's making herbicide application a bit tricky, and slowing things up, but it's not doing any yield damage."

Mr Milgate said he was hoping for an average harvest, but there was potential for it to go better, if the rain came.

"We probably need an inch or so, for June,and another inch or two in July," he said.

He's planted canola, wheat, barley and lentils and was growing hay.