THE increasing trend of going early is showing no signs of easing, with sowing already underway in the Riverland. Croppers in other areas are expected to make a start in the coming week.
A mouse plague on the Yorke Peninsula and Lower North is making some farmers nervous about starting. But Riverland and EP seem to have avoided the problem.
Riverland farmer Herbie Hyde, Loxton, who is already seeding, said he had started on April 1.
"I've already got 1200 hectares of canola in," he said.
"We've had 125 millimetres of rain for the year already, so it's been one of our best starts."
Mr Hyde said that although mice numbers did not seem to be a big issue as yet, he was keeping an eye on it.
"I'll start sowing cereals on Anzac Day, " he said.
"I always start seeding early, I never wait for the rain. Going early is the best thing I've ever done."
Weatherzone meteorologist Kim Westcott said up to 100mm was expected to fall in some areas this week, but follow-up falls were not forecast for some time.
"Behind all this rain, there is a big high-pressure system building up, which will bring clearer, calmer conditions," she said.
"Towards the middle to late May, we'll expect to see some more fronts coming through. While SA had widespread rain this week, that looks to be it for a while."
YP-based consultant and GRDC southern panel member Bill Long said there were many reports of mice issues across the YP.
"In 2011, there was a particularly bad mouse plague and then in 2012 we were on alert because there were some mice around the place," he said.
"But, I think numbers now are as bad as in 2011."
Mr Long said the problem had been building up in the past few months.
"We suspected it might be a problem even late last year before harvest," he said.
"Mice numbers were building up and then there was a massive wind event which dropped a lot of grain on the ground, barley in particular.
"It wasn't so much head loss, it was more grain loss out of the head, and it gave more of a food source for mice than they've had in previous years.
"We reckon there were losses of up to 2 tonnes a hectare in some paddocks from the wind event prior to harvest."
Mr Long said mice activity slowed down in January after lack of summer rain made conditions harder to thrive.
"The rain event in February triggered activity. It softened grain in the paddock and gave mice the perfect food source," he said.
"They prefer softer grain, so numbers have really built up rapidly."
* Full report in Stock Journal, April 10, 2014 issue.
Paula Thompson
Stock Journal's markets editor.
Stock Journal's markets editor.
