THE outlook for farmers and eastern Australia's largest grains handler has continued to deteriorate as crop inspections begin to reveal the extent of flood damage to the bumper harvest forecast for this year.
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Farmers in flood-stricken Victoria and NSW may have to push bulk grain handlers to accept wheat that falls short of specified weight levels, as early inspections in western Victoria reveal huge crop damage, The Australian Financial Review reports.
Farmer lobby groups in both states would begin talks with handlers such as GrainCorp to see if they would accept the lower quality grain at a cheaper price and try to find a market for it, said Victorian Farmers Federation president Russell Amery.
Even with flood waters receding, it will be some time before farmers are able to restart harvesting as they wait for crops under mud or water to completely dry out.
The past three days of sunshine in most of NSW and Victoria "is what we've all been praying for, because to get the grain in as best quality as possible we need to do it [harvesting] as early as possible", Mr Amery said.
