Latest news with #GrainProducersSA
The Advertiser
12-05-2025
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Farm leaders call for agriculture minister to prioritise drought-ridden regions
Farm groups are intensifying calls for the incoming federal agriculture minister to make drought a number one priority as seasonal and operating conditions continue to deteriorate across multiple states. A growing number of farmers in parts of South Australia, Victoria, NSW and Tasmania are facing one of the worst droughts on record, with little relief predicted at least until the end of May. Regions across South Australia are already recording record low rainfall, while parts of Tasmania, western Victoria and south-west New South Wales are enduring tinder dry spells. Producers across the four states are increasingly being forced to ship in water, hay and grain, while southern livestock markets are being inundated with animals some can no longer afford to tend. Farm groups have been calling for greater drought support from state governments for two years to cover things like increased water, freight and other input costs and, increasingly, for federal intervention. Grain Producers SA chief executive Brad Perry said while the organisation has previously invited Agriculture Minister Julie Collins to visit drought-affected farmers in South Australia, "with her re-appointment, we are extending the invite once again". "We congratulate the minister on being back in the Ag portfolio and we need her to see the impact the drought is having on the South Australian grain industry firsthand," he said. "After the driest 16-month period in living memory in SA, our growers will need every bit of support to get through one of the toughest years we are likely to ever face." The Albanese government has set aside $67 million to the next phase of the Regional Drought Resilience Planning program, part of the $520 million Future Drought Fund and progressed work on a drought plan to support farmers through the cycle of preparing for, managing, and recovering from drought and signed the National Drought Agreement 2024 to 2029 with state and territory governments. However, producers remain asking what it can do to provide immediate relief? In a statement released following her reappointment on May 12, Ms Collins promised Australia's farmers and producers that "I will never stop listening and engaging with you" to "be a true representative for you in the Albanese Labor Government". "This is especially important now as some farmers and producers across the country face difficult circumstances, including drier conditions and recent weather events," she said. NSW Farmers president Xavier Martin echoed Mr Perry's call in asking that Ms Collins visit the most heavily-impacted dry areas across Australia. "Getting out into drought-affected regions and speaking with the farmers and communities living through these conditions should be the first order of business for our federal agriculture minister once our new government is formed," he said. "Farmers know how to manage risk and prepare for dry periods, but our federal government needs to see firsthand how the support of practical, long-term initiatives to grow farm businesses is essential to getting through these difficult times. "Farmers should not be feeling forgotten in this drought - nor should they have nowhere to turn to get the advice and tools they need to get through the reality of business in a tough landscape." Two sales in Victoria last week saw unusually high volumes go through the yards, in Leongatha with 4000 head and Yea, 3000, related to the ongoing dry with areas like Gippsland in Victoria, an area that usually provides feed and growth in abundance during autumn, currently lacking both. Victorian Farmers Federation president Brett Hosking also hopes Labor leaders will visit the state and offer meaningful support after neither Prime Minister Anthony Albanese or Coalition leader Peter Dutton visited drought-affected farms during the campaign. "No one went and visited the farmers with no water in their dams, the ones suffering drought for 18 months and wondering what this cropping season will look like for them," he said. Meanwhile, former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack said there were already two drought-declared local government areas within his electorate of Riverina in southern NSW. "It is really worrying our farmers, all I got at pre-polls over the last two weeks was how dry it was," the Nationals MP said. "Our cattle and sheep cannot live on dust and nor can our farmers, and I hope that this incoming government acknowledges that we are potentially heading into drought. "But you look at much of regional NSW and Victoria in a long dry spell, and there is no regional funding." Dan Tehan, the federal member for Wannon in western Victoria, backed calls for urgent state funding and said the Coalition planned to assess the potential delivery of more water infrastructure for the long-term future of the regions if electd. "Our farmers need immediate relief and we have to look at using national water grid funding for the long-term water needs of our region," he said. He also said farmers needed to see action to address the outcomes of the recent reviews into the RIC and FDF drought hubs, "so these can be the effective tools we need, so we can invest, prepare, and properly manage for drought on-farm." In early April, the South Australian government announced a wide-ranging $55 million drought support package for South Australian farmers. It included measures like on-farm infrastructure grants, emergency service levy and vehicle registration rebates, investments in regional water standpipes, bulk water provision, pest culling programs to tackle grazing pressure, as well as several measures targeted at regional communities. However, things will likely get worse before better with the state's prolonged dry spell now setting unwanted records. BOM data reveals Tanunda, in the normally verdant Barossa Valley, has received just 266mm for the year to the end of April, a staggering 273mm below its long-term mean. The lowest rainfall recorded for the period in the 123 years of data collection at the local weather station is a story playing out across the state. Meanwhile, the Victorian government has announced a $13.5m drought package focusing on 12 local government areas in the south-west, but United Dairy Farmers of Victoria president Bernie Free called on it to ramp up drought support for desperate farmers in the May 20 state budget. The National Farmers Federation has also called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to "get boots on the ground" to witness what farmers were battling. "It's what farmers and drought-affected communities deserve," NFF president David Jochinke said. "Drought dries up more than land. It drains local economies, family budgets and wellbeing. It's not just farmers who feel it, it's entire rural and regional communities." The NFF said while Australia had "well-established drought policy frameworks" at the Commonwealth level, it is imperative they remain responsive to changing conditions and work in tandem with support packages at the state level. Meanwhile, farmers are well-known for initiative and Suzie Kenny, a farmer based in South Australia's Streaky Bay and wellness coach, has come up a #SaveOurSheep campaign. "We are well-prepared in this area for droughts but the fact this is happening for so long is very, very unusual," she said. "It does not look we will see a break in the next few weeks so it will be June at the earliest before there is any paddock feed." Ms Kenny said in 2024 the area recorded just 104mm for the year, a fraction of its 325mm average rainfall. Farm groups are intensifying calls for the incoming federal agriculture minister to make drought a number one priority as seasonal and operating conditions continue to deteriorate across multiple states. A growing number of farmers in parts of South Australia, Victoria, NSW and Tasmania are facing one of the worst droughts on record, with little relief predicted at least until the end of May. Regions across South Australia are already recording record low rainfall, while parts of Tasmania, western Victoria and south-west New South Wales are enduring tinder dry spells. Producers across the four states are increasingly being forced to ship in water, hay and grain, while southern livestock markets are being inundated with animals some can no longer afford to tend. Farm groups have been calling for greater drought support from state governments for two years to cover things like increased water, freight and other input costs and, increasingly, for federal intervention. Grain Producers SA chief executive Brad Perry said while the organisation has previously invited Agriculture Minister Julie Collins to visit drought-affected farmers in South Australia, "with her re-appointment, we are extending the invite once again". "We congratulate the minister on being back in the Ag portfolio and we need her to see the impact the drought is having on the South Australian grain industry firsthand," he said. "After the driest 16-month period in living memory in SA, our growers will need every bit of support to get through one of the toughest years we are likely to ever face." The Albanese government has set aside $67 million to the next phase of the Regional Drought Resilience Planning program, part of the $520 million Future Drought Fund and progressed work on a drought plan to support farmers through the cycle of preparing for, managing, and recovering from drought and signed the National Drought Agreement 2024 to 2029 with state and territory governments. However, producers remain asking what it can do to provide immediate relief? In a statement released following her reappointment on May 12, Ms Collins promised Australia's farmers and producers that "I will never stop listening and engaging with you" to "be a true representative for you in the Albanese Labor Government". "This is especially important now as some farmers and producers across the country face difficult circumstances, including drier conditions and recent weather events," she said. NSW Farmers president Xavier Martin echoed Mr Perry's call in asking that Ms Collins visit the most heavily-impacted dry areas across Australia. "Getting out into drought-affected regions and speaking with the farmers and communities living through these conditions should be the first order of business for our federal agriculture minister once our new government is formed," he said. "Farmers know how to manage risk and prepare for dry periods, but our federal government needs to see firsthand how the support of practical, long-term initiatives to grow farm businesses is essential to getting through these difficult times. "Farmers should not be feeling forgotten in this drought - nor should they have nowhere to turn to get the advice and tools they need to get through the reality of business in a tough landscape." Two sales in Victoria last week saw unusually high volumes go through the yards, in Leongatha with 4000 head and Yea, 3000, related to the ongoing dry with areas like Gippsland in Victoria, an area that usually provides feed and growth in abundance during autumn, currently lacking both. Victorian Farmers Federation president Brett Hosking also hopes Labor leaders will visit the state and offer meaningful support after neither Prime Minister Anthony Albanese or Coalition leader Peter Dutton visited drought-affected farms during the campaign. "No one went and visited the farmers with no water in their dams, the ones suffering drought for 18 months and wondering what this cropping season will look like for them," he said. Meanwhile, former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack said there were already two drought-declared local government areas within his electorate of Riverina in southern NSW. "It is really worrying our farmers, all I got at pre-polls over the last two weeks was how dry it was," the Nationals MP said. "Our cattle and sheep cannot live on dust and nor can our farmers, and I hope that this incoming government acknowledges that we are potentially heading into drought. "But you look at much of regional NSW and Victoria in a long dry spell, and there is no regional funding." Dan Tehan, the federal member for Wannon in western Victoria, backed calls for urgent state funding and said the Coalition planned to assess the potential delivery of more water infrastructure for the long-term future of the regions if electd. "Our farmers need immediate relief and we have to look at using national water grid funding for the long-term water needs of our region," he said. He also said farmers needed to see action to address the outcomes of the recent reviews into the RIC and FDF drought hubs, "so these can be the effective tools we need, so we can invest, prepare, and properly manage for drought on-farm." In early April, the South Australian government announced a wide-ranging $55 million drought support package for South Australian farmers. It included measures like on-farm infrastructure grants, emergency service levy and vehicle registration rebates, investments in regional water standpipes, bulk water provision, pest culling programs to tackle grazing pressure, as well as several measures targeted at regional communities. However, things will likely get worse before better with the state's prolonged dry spell now setting unwanted records. BOM data reveals Tanunda, in the normally verdant Barossa Valley, has received just 266mm for the year to the end of April, a staggering 273mm below its long-term mean. The lowest rainfall recorded for the period in the 123 years of data collection at the local weather station is a story playing out across the state. Meanwhile, the Victorian government has announced a $13.5m drought package focusing on 12 local government areas in the south-west, but United Dairy Farmers of Victoria president Bernie Free called on it to ramp up drought support for desperate farmers in the May 20 state budget. The National Farmers Federation has also called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to "get boots on the ground" to witness what farmers were battling. "It's what farmers and drought-affected communities deserve," NFF president David Jochinke said. "Drought dries up more than land. It drains local economies, family budgets and wellbeing. It's not just farmers who feel it, it's entire rural and regional communities." The NFF said while Australia had "well-established drought policy frameworks" at the Commonwealth level, it is imperative they remain responsive to changing conditions and work in tandem with support packages at the state level. Meanwhile, farmers are well-known for initiative and Suzie Kenny, a farmer based in South Australia's Streaky Bay and wellness coach, has come up a #SaveOurSheep campaign. "We are well-prepared in this area for droughts but the fact this is happening for so long is very, very unusual," she said. "It does not look we will see a break in the next few weeks so it will be June at the earliest before there is any paddock feed." Ms Kenny said in 2024 the area recorded just 104mm for the year, a fraction of its 325mm average rainfall. Farm groups are intensifying calls for the incoming federal agriculture minister to make drought a number one priority as seasonal and operating conditions continue to deteriorate across multiple states. A growing number of farmers in parts of South Australia, Victoria, NSW and Tasmania are facing one of the worst droughts on record, with little relief predicted at least until the end of May. Regions across South Australia are already recording record low rainfall, while parts of Tasmania, western Victoria and south-west New South Wales are enduring tinder dry spells. Producers across the four states are increasingly being forced to ship in water, hay and grain, while southern livestock markets are being inundated with animals some can no longer afford to tend. Farm groups have been calling for greater drought support from state governments for two years to cover things like increased water, freight and other input costs and, increasingly, for federal intervention. Grain Producers SA chief executive Brad Perry said while the organisation has previously invited Agriculture Minister Julie Collins to visit drought-affected farmers in South Australia, "with her re-appointment, we are extending the invite once again". "We congratulate the minister on being back in the Ag portfolio and we need her to see the impact the drought is having on the South Australian grain industry firsthand," he said. "After the driest 16-month period in living memory in SA, our growers will need every bit of support to get through one of the toughest years we are likely to ever face." The Albanese government has set aside $67 million to the next phase of the Regional Drought Resilience Planning program, part of the $520 million Future Drought Fund and progressed work on a drought plan to support farmers through the cycle of preparing for, managing, and recovering from drought and signed the National Drought Agreement 2024 to 2029 with state and territory governments. However, producers remain asking what it can do to provide immediate relief? In a statement released following her reappointment on May 12, Ms Collins promised Australia's farmers and producers that "I will never stop listening and engaging with you" to "be a true representative for you in the Albanese Labor Government". "This is especially important now as some farmers and producers across the country face difficult circumstances, including drier conditions and recent weather events," she said. NSW Farmers president Xavier Martin echoed Mr Perry's call in asking that Ms Collins visit the most heavily-impacted dry areas across Australia. "Getting out into drought-affected regions and speaking with the farmers and communities living through these conditions should be the first order of business for our federal agriculture minister once our new government is formed," he said. "Farmers know how to manage risk and prepare for dry periods, but our federal government needs to see firsthand how the support of practical, long-term initiatives to grow farm businesses is essential to getting through these difficult times. "Farmers should not be feeling forgotten in this drought - nor should they have nowhere to turn to get the advice and tools they need to get through the reality of business in a tough landscape." Two sales in Victoria last week saw unusually high volumes go through the yards, in Leongatha with 4000 head and Yea, 3000, related to the ongoing dry with areas like Gippsland in Victoria, an area that usually provides feed and growth in abundance during autumn, currently lacking both. Victorian Farmers Federation president Brett Hosking also hopes Labor leaders will visit the state and offer meaningful support after neither Prime Minister Anthony Albanese or Coalition leader Peter Dutton visited drought-affected farms during the campaign. "No one went and visited the farmers with no water in their dams, the ones suffering drought for 18 months and wondering what this cropping season will look like for them," he said. Meanwhile, former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack said there were already two drought-declared local government areas within his electorate of Riverina in southern NSW. "It is really worrying our farmers, all I got at pre-polls over the last two weeks was how dry it was," the Nationals MP said. "Our cattle and sheep cannot live on dust and nor can our farmers, and I hope that this incoming government acknowledges that we are potentially heading into drought. "But you look at much of regional NSW and Victoria in a long dry spell, and there is no regional funding." Dan Tehan, the federal member for Wannon in western Victoria, backed calls for urgent state funding and said the Coalition planned to assess the potential delivery of more water infrastructure for the long-term future of the regions if electd. "Our farmers need immediate relief and we have to look at using national water grid funding for the long-term water needs of our region," he said. He also said farmers needed to see action to address the outcomes of the recent reviews into the RIC and FDF drought hubs, "so these can be the effective tools we need, so we can invest, prepare, and properly manage for drought on-farm." In early April, the South Australian government announced a wide-ranging $55 million drought support package for South Australian farmers. It included measures like on-farm infrastructure grants, emergency service levy and vehicle registration rebates, investments in regional water standpipes, bulk water provision, pest culling programs to tackle grazing pressure, as well as several measures targeted at regional communities. However, things will likely get worse before better with the state's prolonged dry spell now setting unwanted records. BOM data reveals Tanunda, in the normally verdant Barossa Valley, has received just 266mm for the year to the end of April, a staggering 273mm below its long-term mean. The lowest rainfall recorded for the period in the 123 years of data collection at the local weather station is a story playing out across the state. Meanwhile, the Victorian government has announced a $13.5m drought package focusing on 12 local government areas in the south-west, but United Dairy Farmers of Victoria president Bernie Free called on it to ramp up drought support for desperate farmers in the May 20 state budget. The National Farmers Federation has also called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to "get boots on the ground" to witness what farmers were battling. "It's what farmers and drought-affected communities deserve," NFF president David Jochinke said. "Drought dries up more than land. It drains local economies, family budgets and wellbeing. It's not just farmers who feel it, it's entire rural and regional communities." The NFF said while Australia had "well-established drought policy frameworks" at the Commonwealth level, it is imperative they remain responsive to changing conditions and work in tandem with support packages at the state level. Meanwhile, farmers are well-known for initiative and Suzie Kenny, a farmer based in South Australia's Streaky Bay and wellness coach, has come up a #SaveOurSheep campaign. "We are well-prepared in this area for droughts but the fact this is happening for so long is very, very unusual," she said. "It does not look we will see a break in the next few weeks so it will be June at the earliest before there is any paddock feed." Ms Kenny said in 2024 the area recorded just 104mm for the year, a fraction of its 325mm average rainfall. Farm groups are intensifying calls for the incoming federal agriculture minister to make drought a number one priority as seasonal and operating conditions continue to deteriorate across multiple states. A growing number of farmers in parts of South Australia, Victoria, NSW and Tasmania are facing one of the worst droughts on record, with little relief predicted at least until the end of May. Regions across South Australia are already recording record low rainfall, while parts of Tasmania, western Victoria and south-west New South Wales are enduring tinder dry spells. Producers across the four states are increasingly being forced to ship in water, hay and grain, while southern livestock markets are being inundated with animals some can no longer afford to tend. Farm groups have been calling for greater drought support from state governments for two years to cover things like increased water, freight and other input costs and, increasingly, for federal intervention. Grain Producers SA chief executive Brad Perry said while the organisation has previously invited Agriculture Minister Julie Collins to visit drought-affected farmers in South Australia, "with her re-appointment, we are extending the invite once again". "We congratulate the minister on being back in the Ag portfolio and we need her to see the impact the drought is having on the South Australian grain industry firsthand," he said. "After the driest 16-month period in living memory in SA, our growers will need every bit of support to get through one of the toughest years we are likely to ever face." The Albanese government has set aside $67 million to the next phase of the Regional Drought Resilience Planning program, part of the $520 million Future Drought Fund and progressed work on a drought plan to support farmers through the cycle of preparing for, managing, and recovering from drought and signed the National Drought Agreement 2024 to 2029 with state and territory governments. However, producers remain asking what it can do to provide immediate relief? In a statement released following her reappointment on May 12, Ms Collins promised Australia's farmers and producers that "I will never stop listening and engaging with you" to "be a true representative for you in the Albanese Labor Government". "This is especially important now as some farmers and producers across the country face difficult circumstances, including drier conditions and recent weather events," she said. NSW Farmers president Xavier Martin echoed Mr Perry's call in asking that Ms Collins visit the most heavily-impacted dry areas across Australia. "Getting out into drought-affected regions and speaking with the farmers and communities living through these conditions should be the first order of business for our federal agriculture minister once our new government is formed," he said. "Farmers know how to manage risk and prepare for dry periods, but our federal government needs to see firsthand how the support of practical, long-term initiatives to grow farm businesses is essential to getting through these difficult times. "Farmers should not be feeling forgotten in this drought - nor should they have nowhere to turn to get the advice and tools they need to get through the reality of business in a tough landscape." Two sales in Victoria last week saw unusually high volumes go through the yards, in Leongatha with 4000 head and Yea, 3000, related to the ongoing dry with areas like Gippsland in Victoria, an area that usually provides feed and growth in abundance during autumn, currently lacking both. Victorian Farmers Federation president Brett Hosking also hopes Labor leaders will visit the state and offer meaningful support after neither Prime Minister Anthony Albanese or Coalition leader Peter Dutton visited drought-affected farms during the campaign. "No one went and visited the farmers with no water in their dams, the ones suffering drought for 18 months and wondering what this cropping season will look like for them," he said. Meanwhile, former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack said there were already two drought-declared local government areas within his electorate of Riverina in southern NSW. "It is really worrying our farmers, all I got at pre-polls over the last two weeks was how dry it was," the Nationals MP said. "Our cattle and sheep cannot live on dust and nor can our farmers, and I hope that this incoming government acknowledges that we are potentially heading into drought. "But you look at much of regional NSW and Victoria in a long dry spell, and there is no regional funding." Dan Tehan, the federal member for Wannon in western Victoria, backed calls for urgent state funding and said the Coalition planned to assess the potential delivery of more water infrastructure for the long-term future of the regions if electd. "Our farmers need immediate relief and we have to look at using national water grid funding for the long-term water needs of our region," he said. He also said farmers needed to see action to address the outcomes of the recent reviews into the RIC and FDF drought hubs, "so these can be the effective tools we need, so we can invest, prepare, and properly manage for drought on-farm." In early April, the South Australian government announced a wide-ranging $55 million drought support package for South Australian farmers. It included measures like on-farm infrastructure grants, emergency service levy and vehicle registration rebates, investments in regional water standpipes, bulk water provision, pest culling programs to tackle grazing pressure, as well as several measures targeted at regional communities. However, things will likely get worse before better with the state's prolonged dry spell now setting unwanted records. BOM data reveals Tanunda, in the normally verdant Barossa Valley, has received just 266mm for the year to the end of April, a staggering 273mm below its long-term mean. The lowest rainfall recorded for the period in the 123 years of data collection at the local weather station is a story playing out across the state. Meanwhile, the Victorian government has announced a $13.5m drought package focusing on 12 local government areas in the south-west, but United Dairy Farmers of Victoria president Bernie Free called on it to ramp up drought support for desperate farmers in the May 20 state budget. The National Farmers Federation has also called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to "get boots on the ground" to witness what farmers were battling. "It's what farmers and drought-affected communities deserve," NFF president David Jochinke said. "Drought dries up more than land. It drains local economies, family budgets and wellbeing. It's not just farmers who feel it, it's entire rural and regional communities." The NFF said while Australia had "well-established drought policy frameworks" at the Commonwealth level, it is imperative they remain responsive to changing conditions and work in tandem with support packages at the state level. Meanwhile, farmers are well-known for initiative and Suzie Kenny, a farmer based in South Australia's Streaky Bay and wellness coach, has come up a #SaveOurSheep campaign. "We are well-prepared in this area for droughts but the fact this is happening for so long is very, very unusual," she said. "It does not look we will see a break in the next few weeks so it will be June at the earliest before there is any paddock feed." Ms Kenny said in 2024 the area recorded just 104mm for the year, a fraction of its 325mm average rainfall.
ABC News
25-04-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
Anzac Day marks traditional start for grain planting but this year it's a gamble
Farmers across Australia's southern states are nervously watching the skies and waiting for rain as Anzac Day marks the traditional start of sowing. Under consecutive years of drought, many South Australian grain producers have begun planting crops into bone dry soil. On the Eyre Peninsula, in the state's south-west, Whitney Wright started planting beans, lupins, and lentils on April 11 — a week earlier than normal. Like many SA grain growers she and her husband had always dry-sown their crops, and this year is no different as they wait for season-breaking rains. "Last year we were able to dig to a depth where we could get to some moisture, and other years we have been able to do that as well," Mrs Wright said. Whitney Wright hard at work on the tractor planting crops into dry soil. ( Supplied: Whitney Wright ) But she said there was no point trying to get the grain deep in the ground this year because there is no moisture in the soil. South Australia's 2024-'25 grain production was the lowest since 2008-'09 with an estimated 5.2 million tonnes — 43 per cent below the five-year average according to the state government. And in more bad news the Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting below-average rainfall to continue for most of South Australia throughout May. Farmers 'hedge their bets' Grain Producers SA chief executive Brad Perry predicted about half of the state's crop will be dry sown, with many farmers starting crop planting last week. Others will "hedge their bets" and wait on the chance of late rain. Whitney Wright's seeding equipment cuts a dusty path through the paddock. ( Supplied: Whitney Wright ) "The challenge is that there's virtually no sub-soil moisture so it's a really different game when it comes to dry seeding this year in the drought." Mr Perry said. "We're not looking at a large amount of rain in the coming months. I think a lot of growers will end up forced to dry seed." Seeding crops into dry soils is not uncommon but is a big financial risk for farmers if it then fails to rain enough to germinate the plants. Mr Perry said farmers needed a soaking rain of about 30 millimetres of rain over seven days to be considered a "breaking rain". Without that he is worried for those growers facing consecutive years of drought. Some farmers have received no rain at all but will push ahead with dry sowing. ( ABC News: Timu King ) "There have been some regions now that are in two, three, four years of dry conditions in a row, and the struggle is real," Mr Perry said. "We've seen the banks not extending finance in some areas. We know of cases of farmers having to go into farm debt mediation already. "I think it's going to be a really tough time, not only for farm businesses and income but also for mental health and wellbeing. " We've got to do everything we can to try and help those in need, and if there's a second year of statewide drought it's going to be as tough as we've ever seen it. " Summer rain provides critical soil moisture Over the border in Victoria's far north-west at Millewa, farmer Dale Ramsay had some welcome rain a fortnight ago and is flat out sowing this year's crop. But he is keen for more rain to get the crops established. Millewa farmer Dale Ramsay has started sowing winter crops after some timely autumn rain. ( ABC News: Timu King ) "We've brought our seeding program forward a couple of weeks to match in with the germination and basically going as business as usual from that," he said. In his low rainfall region conserving soil moisture is critical. So when he got summer rain in November and December last year they had to spend additional money spraying out the weeds that germinated. "We had good summer rains coming into last [season] and this year is looking pretty similar," Mr Ramsey said. "We had half a years rainfall in November, pretty much topped up the subsoil from the previous year, and then with that recent 25mm we've been able to kick off our seeding program." Minyip grain farmer Ryan Milgate has decided to grow hay instead of canola this year because of the dry conditions. ( ABC News: Sean Warren ) Last year in Victoria winter crop production fell 31 per cent compared to the year before to 7.4 million tonnes, according to the ABARES Australian Crop Report. It was about 7 per cent below the 10-year average. In the Wimmera region, about 300km north-west of Melbourne, Ryan Milgate is taking a conservative approach to his cropping program this year. Moisture probes on his farm show very low moisture in the soil so he has decided to not plant canola which is a more risky and expensive crop in low rainfall years. Instead he will plant oats for hay — something that is in demand from livestock farmers when the season is dry. "Hay stocks are at a very low level, or will be by springtime this year, so I don't think hay is going to be a hard thing to sell going forward," he said. He has got his fingers crossed the forecast rain on Anzac Day will deliver a welcome soaking. "There's a bit about, it's still trying, so fingers crossed it tries a bit harder," Mr Milgate said. Despite the dry conditions Mr Milgate remained optimistic about the season ahead. "I'm hopeful, we're always hopeful. We're farmers, we're the eternal optimists." ABC Rural RoundUp newsletter Stories from farms and country towns across Australia, delivered each Friday. Your information is being handled in accordance with the Email address Subscribe
