EP harvest back on track

Like most parts of the state, the season was looking very uncertain after a very dry and late start.

Strong winds also wreaked havoc on early-sown crops, causing patchy germination or even forcing farmers to resow on eastern EP.

But since June, fortunes have changed significantly.

According to the state government's latest Crop & Pasture Report, released today, the EP is expected to produce more than 2.4 million tonnes of the state's estimated 7.6mt harvest.

Primary Industries Minister David Basham said the 7.6mt figure would be the second highest in the past five years.

"There is no doubt farmers are going to need more rain to improve on the 7.6mt grain crop estimate," he said.

"But it is pleasing to see the Bureau of Meteorology outlook for August to October showing increased probability of a wetter-than-normal winter and early spring."

The report said the EP had been the only district to receive sufficient rain to germinate pastures until late May, before the dry kicked in and slowed growth.

"By the end of June, growth of both sown and regenerating pastures was sufficient for livestock to graze in the Lower EP, Yorke Peninsula and the South East districts, but in other districts with nil or low growth, farmers continue supplementary feeding livestock," it said.

Supplementary feeding over summer and autumn has resulted in many EP farmers increasing the number of cereal paddocks sown for hay or has changed their intentions to cut more crops for hay to replenish on-farm supplies, the report said.

It also highlighted an increase in the area sown canola on the EP (5-15pc) because of strong prices, while barley hectares also increased because of the late season, often replacing wheat and pulses.

On the Upper EP, Nutrien Ag Solutions agronomic advisor Leigh Davis, Wudinna, said the area sown to canola hadn't necessarily changed in his district, but was definitely sown a lot later than normal.

"Up here we normally get canola crops in early, but this year, because prices were so good, we were willing to push the seeding date out a bit from mid-May into June," he said.

"It is paying off now for those that took the risk, the crop is looking good at stem elongation, with the odd flower starting to poke through."

Mr Davis said most crops were looking good after 200 millimetres of growing season rainfall.

"The consistent rain is a nice change from the below-average seasons we have had the past two years," he said.

"Early winds definitely caused some issues on sandhills and deep-ripped areas, with some having to resow, but they have since recovered and are starting to grow some substantial crops, even if they are about a fortnight behind.

"This week's sun has helped kick them along, while there has also been a mad rush on spraying late grass, trace elements and pastures.

"There has also been a lot of spreading of nitrogen in various forms."

But Mr Davis said there was a "positive vibe" among farmers on the Upper EP.

"We are very much back on track for above-average crops," he said.

While not as wet as the lower EP, substantial rain during June and July has been a welcome relief for Arno Bay farmers Dean and Sam Siviour.

The father and son, on adjoining properties, crop 2200ha of wheat and 500ha of barley, with 1600 Merino breeding ewes.

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Putting it bluntly, Dean said the past four cropping years were best described as "an absolute disaster".

"We haven't had four bad years in a row like that before," he said.

"You might get one crook year, but not four in a row."

In country that receives about 250mm annually, Sam said they only had 117mm in 2019 and while they had 280mm last year, the majority fell at the wrong time.

This is the third season Sam has owned his property and he is hoping to finally get a crop off, while Dean said he'd been feeding sheep for five years running.

While 2021 also started out dry, 73mm in June and 44mm in July and year-to-date rainfall of about 200mm is giving the Siviours some light at the end of the tunnel.

"This year started off dry as well," Dean said.

"We started sowing on April 26 - all the barley was dry-sown and 1400ha of wheat was sown dry and I'm talking dust blowing off the back of the seeder."

"We had our first decent rains in June and June and July were both good. This month hasn't been bad so far either, we snaffled 14mm just the other day.

"People around here are feeling more positive. We're all talking that there's reasonable yields possible.

"It's not in the bag of course, but our vehicles are getting mud on them which hasn't happened in the past three years and is a good sign."

Wet paddocks caused by good rainfall during June and July has led to increased demand for aerial spraying, particularly on the EP.

Danny Allen, the chief pilot for Aerotech Agriculture, a company that sprays crops and pastures with insecticides and fungicides, spreads urea and applies fox and mouse bait, said it was too wet for many ground rigs to drive on paddocks.

"We're flat out at the moment, especially on the West Coast, doing urea applications and spraying fungicides," he said.

"Because it's a damp year there's a lot of fungi getting around.

"There's also increased demand and activity on the Yorke Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, Lower South East and the Mid North is just starting to get reasonably damp as well.

The skies are abuzz over Cummins, with four Aerotech planes operating from the Cummins airstrip.

Aerotech West Coast operations manager Matt Sheehan says two extra planes have been brought in to meet demand, with more than 30,000ha of spraying and spreading already booked over the coming two months.

Mr Sheehan says, weather permitting, they are operating seven days a week with two planes spraying either fungicides or insecticides and the other two spreading urea.

"The number of jobs we are doing has increased dramatically from last year to this year, with many people unable to get on the ground with their own rigs because it's too wet," he said.

"We're currently doing a lot of work on the lower part of the peninsula - places like Wanilla, the Tumby Bay hills, Cockaleechie - but we're expecting to start getting phone calls from Cleve and Kimba in the next couple of weeks."

Mr Sheehan said there was close to 200 farmers on the books for this season already, with most seeking urea application from the company's aircraft which have the capacity for 2t a pass.