Cropping is in full swing across the district. Diapur farmer Tom Cook said, “Funny start to the season. I wouldn’t really say we’ve had the break, but I’ve got vetch and canola out of the ground. Still sowing into moisture at the moment as we move through our wheat program. Not sure the moisture will hang around for long though, unless we get more rain”.
Tom said he has “had some trouble getting the seeder through some of the heavy residues that last year left us with. Dewy nights and mornings haven’t helped this problem, but we’ve usually been able to find somewhere to sow with less residue at night to manage this.
“Hard to say how the remainder of cropping will play out without rain. But I think we’ll continue on through the program. Rain at any stage will be welcome.” Tom concluded.
Matt Rohde said, “We’re sowing wheat at the moment; all of our crops are either up or coming up. The top is starting to dry off a lot but still sowing into moisture. Another rain on the forecast would be nice to see to top things up”.
Netherby’s Shannon Launer said, ” We started sowing around three weeks ago; started off well moisture-wise. Definitely drying up quickly on top, but been getting a very good knockdown on most weeds, which has been great. Canola and vetch are just coming up. Nearly finished sowing our wheat and should finish before the weekend with hopefully no breakdowns between now and when we finish. Hopefully, we can get some rain soon to get all the crops up and growing before that real winter weather sets in and gets cold. Hopefully, the rain can link us up to the moisture that’s there from last year.”
Lewis Bothe said, “Cropping is well underway now. The canola and beans are in and heading onto wheat. It was a scramble to get the air seeder ready, but we are on top of things now.
“The cupboard is full of bbq shapes and Nescafé Blend 43. Shoutout to Lisa Natt at KCR for keeping me fed most brekkys! With a cool damp start to autumn, we have had exceptional lambing, very little losses and plenty of lambs running around. They have green feed in front of them too, which is great, so they are growing like mushrooms.”
Bothes are also welcoming some calves within the last few weeks.
This article appeared in the Nhill Free Press & Kaniva Times, 17 May 2023.
