By Pat Conlon
EL Nino was the buzz word for March, with conversations regarding rainfall predictions a daily occurrence – and a great concern. It had been a dry start to the season for most of the Mallee, with as little as 20mm of summer rain since November.
Patchy rainfall in late March – with falls ranging anywhere from 10mm through to a best of 40mm – offered a little reprieve, with some showers falling during Easter as well.
After a dry summer, the top 15-20cm of the soil profile has now dried out.
However, on the back of a record rainfall year in 2022, there is still plenty of residual moisture at depth.
Recent data released by Agriculture Victoria’s soil moisture monitoring network shows that root-zone soil moisture (from 30cm to one metre) in parts of the Mallee is actually at saturation.
The downside is that the most recent rainfall outlook released by the Bureau of Meteorology is also predicting a drier than average April-June period for the region.
However, if we can get that solid, traditional autumn break, there should be enough moisture for the dry topsoil to connect with the saturated subsoil, allowing crops to tap into enough moisture to carry them through to the end of the season.
Looking back at the months leading up to seeding, the sprayers finally came to a halt for the first time in almost six months.
This was due to a lack of rain during the February-March period, with paddocks remaining quite clean following their post-harvest weed control.
This has given growers the opportunity to complete other tasks, with repairing rough paddocks being the first cab off the rank, following such a wet season.
A variety of implements have been used to repair the deep wheel ruts and large bog holes, including speed tillers, discs and wheel track renovators.
And we saw many of the growers achieving some impressive results.
Additionally, there has been a lot of seeding preparation, which has included seed grading and treating, acquiring seed and fertiliser, gypsum applications, machinery maintenance and more.
Our growers made a start to their cropping programs earlier this month, sowing grazing crops such as vetch, medic and cereals to fill a winter feed gap, as well as any legume crops for brown manure.
Seeding is now hitting full steam with vetch hay, oaten hay and canola being sown mid-April, followed by lentils and barley around Anzac Day.
Wheat programs will most likely be getting their start from early next month, followed by field peas anytime until the beginning of June.
Ideally, we would like to get that solid autumn break to be seeding into moisture, which will help to establish crops on time and get a great knockdown on any early weed pressure.
Some areas were fortunate enough to get rainfall totals of about an inch during early April, which will hold them in good stead, although several other areas are still eagerly waiting, with a constant eye on the weather forecast.
In mid-April across the river, rice crops are now being harvested, with most paddocks being drained off in late March and early April. Crop maturity is later than usual due to the difficulties faced at sowing with the relentless wet weather, and the cold snap we had in early January.
Fortunately, yields are still looking promising considering the challenges faced this season, with some great-looking crops about the district.
* Pat Conlon is an agronomist with Elders.
