Wimmera-Mallee and northern Victoria have good deep soil moisture

A recent Agriculture Victoria soil moisture monitoring report showed that all Victorian soil moisture profiles are higher than normal.

The report showed that Mallee paddocks started the sowing season with well-above average moisture conditions, despite well-below average summer rain.

The Mallee and parts of the Wimmera and northern Victoria had 25-50 millimetres of rain in April with an earlier autumn break.

A Speedo soil moisture graph in the Mallee showed moisture was 25 per cent higher than this time last year with deep soil moisture at 100pc.

The Wimmera, Central and Northeast regions had high soil moisture, and the October-November rain that caused deeper moisture connected with new season moisture.

The Speedo soil moisture graph at Birchip showed deep moisture was "excellent" at 74pc and similar to last year, and a Gippsland site had a 77pc moisture increase over the past month.

Agriculture Victoria argonomist Dale Boyd said the dry summer wasn't uncommon and dry-land farmers were reacting well with managing seasonal variability.

"The answer really is aligned with climate change and seasonal variability, long periods of dry/limited rain broken by connection to tropical moisture," he said.

"The dry summer is not uncommon, but recent climate drivers have really set up some substantial moisture that Victoria just needed connection to.

"If you compare the three months of September to November and then to December to February, they could not be any different."

He said cyclone Isla broke the dry and provided tropical moisture.

"Dry land cropping farmers are doing a great job in managing seasonal variability," he said.

"Bank the moisture when you can and be as best prepared if the dry period starts."