MANY Wimmera farmers have wrapped up harvest grateful for decent prices after a tough growing season.
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Noradjuha farmer Tim Rethus finished his grain harvest a day after Christmas, and said cereal quality in the area was surprisingly good.
“The wheat and barley was excellent,” he said.
“I think it shows what we can achieve with our farming practices in drier conditions.
“There were a few mixed results with falling numbers. We didn't seem to have any problems, but some farmers did after the rains.
“Legumes were a bit of a letdown for the second year in a row. Yields were below-average.
“Some growers struck it right. Growers down south did well with beans, but on the plains lentils were not pulling their weight.”
Mr Rethus said the prices this season were a welcome change from a few years ago.
“We’re doing well with amount of grain we're harvesting,” he said. “The prices are a soft landing for some of the lower yields we had.”
Glenorchy grower Kevin Jess said he was pleased with his results.
Mr Jess was due to finish stripping barley at the weekend.
“It's been pretty good this way generally, though quality has been down a bit since the rain,” he said.
“The barley we have delivered has only gone F2, but given the pricing it's still pretty good.
“In our immediate area I think people are pretty happy. Things have turned out pretty well considering the dry season.”
Mr Jess grew peas for the first time this year, and said the crop yielded reasonably well.
Kalkee farmer Glenn Jenkinson said he was happy with the harvest result considering the lack of rain during the growing season.
“We were lucky to get what we've got from a tough season,” he said. “Prices have certainly helped a lot with all the grain.”
Mr Jenkinson said he had a reduced lentil area this season, but increased his chickpea area.
“The lentils were a bit frosted, and chickpeas were very frosted, but we're still happy with what we've got,” he said.
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