Elders agronomist Pat Conlan shares his insights into the winter cropping program currently underway in the Victorian Mallee and Wimmera regions.
Seeding is drawing to a close throughout the region. Some growers have already finished. Most growers are on the home straight and others have pulled up waiting for further rain. It has been a relatively straight forward sowing period weather wise, with minimal interruptions bar patchy rainfall and a few windy days. The dry outlook is affecting germination timing for later sown crops.
Trash flow problems
Many farmers have had issues with trash flow – a legacy of last season’s high yielding crops. After such a wet spring last season there were some big crops around the region. This left behind large stubble loads, thick trash residue and viny, ropey straw. It has been a headache for seeder operators, causing stubbles to ball up, clump and eventually lead to blockages. Several methods have been trialled to alleviate these issues. Stubble mulchers, speed tillers and trash cutters were used to great effect, while others have had success seeding on a slight angle. Those with wider row spacings and coulters on the front of the bar have generally been better off. Others have simply had to resort to burning.
Crops are emerging
Early sown feed, vetch, lentils and canola have flown out of the ground making the most of the warm weather, topsoil moisture and longer days. Post-emergent sprays in these crops have started, with some paddocks now ready to be rolled. Later sown crops are yet to germinate as top-soil moisture has rapidly dried out. Further rainfall will be required for these crops to shoot however, the 28-day forecast does not look overly promising. We remain optimistic, as with plentiful subsoil moisture we only need enough rainfall for these two moisture horizons to meet up.
Rice harvest is just about wrapped up with some fantastic results given the adversity faced over the last nine months. Average yields have been far above initial expectations early in the season, when rice farmers were busy battling floods while trying to get their rice sown simultaneously. Some growers will be keen to sow crops back on rice stubbles where paddocks have sufficiently dried out. Others will be fallowed for this season.
Mice numbers continue to be monitored with varied reports around the Mallee. Further north in the Sunraysia district, growers have been baiting and seem to have numbers under control. Around Swan Hill mice pressure has been noted, particularly in barley stubbles. Generally, numbers have not been high enough to warrant baiting, but we will continue to monitor closely. In the higher rainfall regions growers have had to bait for slugs and snails, fortunately this is rarely required in the Mallee.
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We have agronomists across the region ready to help you maximise your winter crops and solve any issues as they arise.