Perfect isn’t a word used by farmers all that often, but the start to Victorian season has been close to it.
General soaking rains in late April allowed farmers to make a timely start to winter plantings, with more than two-thirds of the state’s crop already in the ground.
Last week’s rain has added to the good start, topping up moisture levels on crops that have already germinated and keeping soils wet for areas still to be seeded.
While last week’s rain was ideal for Victorian farmers, other parts of the country were less fortunate.
Local grain prices were mixed. Most markets were softer ahead of the rain, while feed barley values remained firm. Exporter prices for APW into Melbourne and Geelong slipped by $3 to $220. Feed barley bids into Melbourne were $3 higher at $203 delivered.
