Croppers across a large swag of Victoria face challenging decisions as good rain remains elusive.
Most areas of northern and western parts of the state have suffered from rainfall deficiencies since early November 2017.
Rainfall for 2018 has been intermittent with generally light falls across cropping regions.
Rainfall toral of around 7.5mm for February, 26mm in March and 6.4mm for April were recorded at Maryborough.
Dellavedova Fertiliser Services’s, Shane Dellavedova, said any farmers in the region around Maryborough that had a “reasonable sized” program were already dry sowing.
Decision making about nitrogen topdressing was an entirely different scenario to the 2017 season.
Last year there was good early rain and germination was on sowing, around mid April. The first nitrogen application was at emergence - about three to four weeks after sowing.
“Rainfall is the limiting factor this year, and decisions will have to wait on what rain we get,” he said.
The region received anywhere between 5 and 15 mm last Thursday night - “which is better than what we’ve had,” he said.
“The lack of subsoil moisture is a concern after we’ve had little rain since November 2017, however the equipment available to farmers meant dry sowing was a viable option rather than waiting for rainfall.
Farmers could sow into the harder ground and then follow up with weed control, but “timing is everything,” he said.
He said there had been a trend to more continuous cropping in the whole region, “but livestock is now holding it’s own”.
High prices for sheep and wool had also gained the interest of livestock producers in increasing their fertiliser applications to pastures in the region.
Other trends were to variable rate fertiliser applications. An application map can be generated using data from soil tests and yield maps to ensure the greatest benefit from the inputs applied, Mr Dellavedova said.
He said that with the advent of shorter crop rotations using canola and wheat, and increaseed disease pressures, had seen the use of fungicides applied to fertilier blends.
The company’s variable rate spreaders were fitted with GPS systems and auto steer to mainly apply variable rate lime and gypsum, but with some variable rate phosphorous and potash being done this year.
In the Wimmera Simon Severin, agronomist with Agritech Rural, said it was “very early” in the region’s cropping programs with just 15-20 per cent complete.
The completed crops were the low risk crops.
Fertiliser sales were “pretty normal” at sowing and urea applications would depend on soil test results and paddock history.
He said the dry conditions meant there had been limited use of a knockdown as there was no “green bridge”.
In the western district Lake Bolac based Gorst Rural manager and agronomist Cameron Conboy said about 40pc of the area’s crops were sown.
He said it was “pretty reliable” area, but sowing had been “staggered and measured”.
Crops already sown included canola, pasture seed and red wheat.
It was far to early to plan nitrogen use, but traditionally farmers in the area metered out two or three top dressings. Farmers were a bit more conservative this season after being hit hard by frost in November last year.
