Wimmera farmers could face an unusual harvest ahead

Western Ag Wimmera and Southern Mallee agronomist Spencer Weir, said one of the key issues was the incorrect rainfall predictions from The Bureau of Meteorology, with more rainfall received than expected, growers south east of Horsham struggled to get crops in wet ground.

"As a result [of drought predictions], it was a bit of a snowball effect, a lot of fertiliser companies didn't bring a lot of urea into the country, then it rained out of nowhere," Mr Weir said.

"Then we had bugger all rain for September, so that was a real challenge, south of Horsham they didn't mind it, but in the northern Wimmera and southern Mallee, it was a real concern for them, wheat was starting to tip a little bit and getting too dry."

He said he had not seen changing weather this dramatic since 2017, but this year in comparison was another level of all together.

Tim Rethus from Rethus Farming, Horsham said mice, slugs and weather had caused an average season for his broad-acre operation.

The Bureau announced an expected El Nino earlier this year, Mr Rethus said he had prepared for drought, but had temperamental rain until September.

"Actual water extraction from the from the crops in September, which is like the peak growing season, was down 100 millimetres of rainfall equivalent," Mr Rethus said.

Moisture probes across his land dropped dramatically in September, with full probes at the beginning of the month in a matter of weeks some fell to 10 to 15 per cent capacity.

"It's been really surprising how quickly it's used that moisture, in warm conditions we're using up to five millimetres a day," he said

He said rain in early October, although drenching Gippsland, barely hit Horsham and many farmers were looking at another great yield, but the recent low rainfall was a concern.

Mice and slugs had also been a significant problem this year for Mr Rethus, as he monitored fields mice burrows could be seen among many of them.

CSIRO Research Officer Steve Henry said that reports of mice were patchy across the Wimmera but they were more prevalent among crops that had significant grain loss last year.

Harvest losses can often be left on the ground, and Mr Henry said grain left behind becomes sustenance for the mice to breed over the seasons.

"It can be really significant these losses, anything from 100 kilograms a hectare, to 500kg, if you've got 150kg of grain a hectare left behind, that's the equivalent of 50,000 days of feed for a mouse," Mr Henry said.

"In the Wimmera, they often get a wind event or something like that, and it's not unusual to lose a tonne to the hectare."

He said for farmers in the lead up to harvest it was a timely reminder to ensure harvesters were able to collect as much grain as possible and for farmers to ensure baiting was completed outside of the 14 day withholding period from harvest.