GRAINS industry leaders are stopping short of declaring an official autumn break for eastern and southern Australia, but rain in the past week and forecasts for good falls this weekend has boosted confidence in the sector.
Croppers in lowland eastern Victoria received falls of between 20 and 50 millimetres last week, while the Central West of NSW had large tracts enjoying falls of 40mm and above.
However, falls graded down through the Riverina and across western Victoria and South Australia, with the Wimmera and Mallee receiving 5-20mm in general.
Grain Producers Australia (GPA) chairman Andrew Weidemann, who farms at Rupanyup in the Wimmera said he had received 11mm in the last series of fronts, one of the lower readings in the region.
“It is a good starting point, but it makes further falls this weekend critical as we don’t want germinated crops not to receive follow up rain.”
Darren Arney, Grain Producers South Australia chief executive, said many parts of the state had good subsoil moisture, but added rain over the weekend was generally below 10mm.
The state’s wettest area historically, the south-east, is at this stage the driest after missing summer rain and significant falls so far this autumn.
Mr Arney said farmers had cranked up planting programs following Anzac Day.
“They are comfortable planting dry and it looks like we will get a good front come through at some stage.”
Kanagulk farmer Nic Pekin, in the far southern Wimmera, said he had received 21mm over the past week, with some reports of around 30mm in the area.
He said the rain would be ideal for crop already sown, while it has not been heavy enough to slow down the planting program.
“It will be nice if we can get further follow-up over the weekend while the soil is still warm and the crop can get itself established,” he said.
Dan Cooper, chairman of the NSW Farmers grains committee, said there had been promising falls of 20-30mm in his local area on the south-west slopes between Cowra and West Wyalong, which he said would be enough to germinate crop.
He said most farmers were busy sowing crop at present.
However, he added falls dropped back to just 10mm around Wagga Wagga, and said farmers there were anxiously hoping for further rain this weekend to assure a good start to the season.