The removal of tariffs of 80.5 per cent on Australian barley by China is the cherry on top to what is hoped to be a productive rest of the year, according to one northern Wimmera farmer.
Farmer Damien Keam, Wallup, said the original decision to place tariffs in May 2020 meant he would operate how he usually would.
But Mr Keam said farmers would still welcome the decision to remove those tariffs last week.
"While for us on the east coast, we are a bit more dominated by the domestic market, there are very good benefits for all of us," he said.
"We are always happy to have another market come back, especially one as big as China."
Mr Keam said that over the past two years, several older markets expressed interest in purchasing Australian grain again due to Russia's conflict with Ukraine.
Some new and unique opportunities also arose.
"We've been able to get malt barley into Mexico, and a few other countries in Asia over that time have also shown interest in malt barley and feed," he said.
"The market had to get out there and be really proactive, which was a great thing."
The news coincides with the advantageous weather conditions for farming in the Wimmera-Mallee which Mr Keam said improved farmer confidence.
His farm produces crops such as canola, lentils, wheat, along with barley and carryover soil moisture has given great benefits so far this year.
"A lot of us run soil probes and and all that sort of technology now, so going into the season we had some confidence that we're going to grow at some sort of a crop anyway with with the subsoil moisture that we had," he said.
"It didn't rain for a while and there were a few whispers about what may happen but when Easter came along, we had 50-odd millimetre off rain and then we just had a really good run."
Mr Keam said water had sat back in spots for extended periods, but it helped with their germination, especially their cereals.
"Canola was is a little bit patchy, but lentils, the wheat and the barley have come out of the rain really well," he said.
"We grow beans occasionally, but we haven't got any in the rotation this year, and we've put in some vetch for hay and green manure plus running some Merino ewes for fat lambs."
While he was willing to wait for the spring season, Mr Keam said an average to an above-average harvest might be on the cards for him.
But it was crucial for him to maintain a cautious mindset.
"I always like to think that if I get everything else that I'm capable of controlling and do that right, well then the rest of it should take care of itself," he said.
He said if there was one particular concern that farmers at the Mallee Machinery Field Days expressed to him this season, it was insect pressure.
"I know we've had a little bit of insect pressure ourselves in some cereal that we haven't seen quite to the extent any other year, but when you hear that some farmers have sprayed twice for insects already - that's unheard of," he said.
"We've had four reasonable seasons, so there's a fair bit of residue on the ground that's got to break down.
"So it's a perfect habitat for things to grow on and live in so, good soils also come with a couple issues."
