Rain relief for farmers in region
Graeme and Fred Bissett with Harley the wonder dog inspecting a crop of potatoes after Sunday's 10mm in 10 minutes.
January 24, 2024
Recent rainfalls have been a blessing for farms across the district but those ready to harvest crops are praying for some sunshine in coming weeks.
“The rains are certainly good for the growing season and it has allowed us to have less expense with irrigation,” Scottsdale farmer Graeme Bissett said.
“We are at the stage now where we need some dry, warm weather because we have wheat ready to harvest and will need it to dry. Poppies have finished flowering and we need them to dry off for harvest in the next three to four weeks.”
Pyrethrum was harvested over the weekend before Sunday’s deluge but it looked like yields would be down, he said.
“The tonnage was less than expected and whether that was because it was too dry and cold in October and November as it was coming into flower I am not certain,” Mr Bissett said.
“It’s been a very difficult season because we had a lot of wet weather and then a cold and dry Spring and we had to irrigate to get the seeds to germinate but now we have had an abundance of rain – sometimes you just don’t know what to expect, but overall the season is looking good at this stage.”
Carrots will be in the ground for another month while early potato crops are already being dug at some properties.
Senior Agronomist for Nutrien Ag Solutions, Stuart Millwood, said growers had experienced a really good start to the potato season so far.
“The drier spring allowed for ideal cultivation and timely plantings throughout October and early November,” he said.
“We have had some timely rains whilst avoiding the big dumps experienced up North. “Hopefully the favourable growing conditions continue over February and March.
“Early harvest has begun on the East Coast for McCain with Simplot to begin in the North-East in mid-February along the Waterhouse strip.”
The rainfall has been a blessing for those in the dairy and beef cattle industry.
Telita Dairy farmer Alan Davenport said things were “pretty peaceful at the moment”.
“It was a pretty slow start but things are going well in most ways. The rain over the last month has been quite wonderful for pasture growth,” Mr Davenport said.
“Availability of labour has improved with a lot more backpackers around than we did have which is not the way we’d like to employ as we’d prefer locals but we can’t seem to get them.
“We’ve got people from all over the world working with a lot of Argentinians who are proving quite an asset for our farms.
“The market for milk is still really competitive with processors chasing supply so the price is maintained at a reasonable level.”