WITH the Bureau of Meteorology's current rainfall outlook sitting on the fence between a wetter or drier August to October, most of the state is managing their crops as "business as usual".
Dodgshun Medlin advisor Danny Conlan said while most places had close to average rainfall for July and the first half of August, it was crucial the spring comes home as many districts had limited sub-soil moisture.
"Some farmers in the northern Mallee are enjoying exceptional soil moisture and are looking at above average yields," he said.
(Pictured Dodgshun Medlin consultant Nick McNamara in a Wimmera flash lentil crop)
Pulse Australia chief executive officer Tim Edgecombe said the outlook for pulses in 2015 continued to be promising, given high prices for most legume crops.
Prices have been underpinned by the low Australian dollar and will depend on the Indian Rabi pulse harvest.
"If canola prices remain low, we may see a significant switch to pulses as the preferred rotation crop in many districts," he said.
An estimated 328,800ha of pulses was planted in Victoria this season, which is 25er cent more than last year. Victorian farmers have sown 129,000ha of lentils – the most of any state in Australia.
