JOHN Ferrier reckons if you can’t read a book by its cover, you can’t always judge a paddock by its topsoil either.
Which is why the Mallee farmer has been steadily working his way across his family farm’s 5000ha, starting with the vetch and having already completed the canola and the barley is expected to be done by the weekend.
When he will turn his attention to the lentils.
But with a weather eye on the sky – and the radar.
“I guess you might say April has been dry, but we still have very good subsoil moisture, so we are going forward with our sowing program, just not working long hours,” Mr Ferrier said.
“The people I talk to have some positive little vibes and they, and I, are optimistic we will get some rains.
“We had those good summer falls at the end of harvest and got another 25-30mm in early autumn and you can feel the damp in the soil.
“Our vetch has germinated, and the early canola we put into some of the wetter land we have has already emerged.”
Mr Ferrier cautioned that it is still early in the season and although there is a “slight amount of nervousness” that’s also not uncommon at the start of any sowing season.
By starting when he has, he and many others are spreading the risk with some crops already germinated and some emerging – and still some to come.
“At this point we will keep going to our normal schedule, with 5000ha to cover you can’t really stop and you don’t want to be caught where it’s too wet to get onto the paddocks,” he added.
“The majority of people are sowing, because crops such as barley can stand a slower germination, although canola can be a little more fragile, which is why people will be holding off on the shorter season varieties just now.
“By getting past the barley and to the lentils, we are on schedule – we do tend to sow to the calendar and the first week of May is ideal for those lentils.”
He said people across the Mallee holding onto livestock, in particular sheep, are now into hand feeding and those animals are in good condition.
His target market is primarily the supermarket trade, which means most of his lambs are gone now.
“That leaves us with our heavier, later lambs and with the fickle market we have right now, they are the ones attracting the better prices so we are happy to be in that category,” he said.
Omnia Sunraysia agronomist Ken Reed said he has also noticed more broadacre operators are “going flat out” off a bit of a start.
Mr Reed said there have been some amazing variations in recent rainfall.
Two weeks ago some widespread rain delivered as little as 5mm in some areas, but one tight band got 130mm.
“There’s still water lying in some of those paddocks, you don’t see that at this time of the year on a regular basis,” he added.
“A lot of pulses, peas and lentils have all gone in and I suspect a fair few will be moving onto their barley and wheat from this weekend.
“There is some subsoil moisture across the region and a strong belief if you don’t go early you don’t get it in.
“Some have been going for two weeks or more and right now the weather is typical for the time of year, cooler nights with warm days – but no rain.”
