Farmers hope for the best

While Lower Eyre Peninsula towns such as Cummins and Yeelanna were suffering from significant waterlogging, crops here were looking a picture.

But late winter and spring brought their challenges.

While many properties in the district received more than 250 millimetres to late July –which can be more than Kimba receives in an entire year in drier seasons – August was particularly dry.

Kimba-based agronomist Hayden Whitwell, Agsave Merchandise, said hot and windy conditions had been challenging.

"There is still potential there, but it has started to dry out," he said.

"Days like we've seen in the middle of September, 30-degree plus days with strong winds, don't help."

Significant pest pressures added to the problems.

"Mice are still a huge issue in the district at the moment," Mr Whitwell said.

"There's been more than 10,000 hectares that has been baited with aeroplanes, as well as what has been put out on the ground."

Mice were a problem earlier in the season, quietened down with the cold and wet winter but their activity has started to ramp-up.

August was one of the driest months on record.

"Most areas only received two to three millimetres of rain, all through the month," Mr Whitwell said.

"Before that, we had a very full profile of moisture and because of that, the crops haven't suffered too much from the dry August, but we do need more rain soon."

Mr Whitwell said there had been "a bit of rain" in September but farmers would warmly welcome more.

Pests and diseases had been major issues this season.

"As well as mice, we've problems with aphids and a bit of stripe rust," Mr Whitwell said.

"In the medics, they've been hit pretty hard with aphids.

"With our canola, the aphids are out there in the paddock, but they haven't seem to have done that much damage, certainly not like we saw earlier in the season in the Mid North."

There has also been quite a bit of frost in the district.

"In August we had a run of 10 to 11 days with really cold nights," Mr Whitwell said.

"The crops have really had everything they could thrown at them."

* Full report in Stock Journal, September 25, 2014 issue.