Positive thinking; farmers hopeful for good season

HOPE: Farmer Geoff Piggott is hopeful for a good season.

By ANDREW STORY

Cleve Rural Traders Agronomist, Sarah Traeger said the seeding process has been slow, however after the rain it will pick up again.

“A majority of farmers have stopped (seeding) up until after the rain,” she said.

Ms Traeger said Eyre Peninsula farmers were seeding a range of crops including wheat, barley, canola, lupin, peas and vetch.

She said it was too early in the season to predict how much each would yield as it depended on how much rain the region received during the spring time.

Cowell farmer Geoff Piggott, pictured above, has received close to 100 millimetres of rain in the past week, which has slowed his seeding right down.

Mr Piggott, who has about three days of seeding left, said he has 800 hectares and will be seeding wheat

this season.

He said he had experienced an average start to seeding this season.

“In the 30 years since being here, seeding starts about May 23, which it did this year too, so it was about

average,” he said.

Although it is early into the season, Mr Piggott is expecting his crop to yield about 18 bags to the hectare.

“I’m hoping for about $270 a tonne,” Mr Piggott said.

Paul Webb from Cowell has received about 64 millimetres of rain in the past week.

“The rain has slowed us down to a stop, but we’re not complaining,” he said.

“Now that it’s wet, it will stay wet.”

This season Mr Webb is seeding mainly wheat, oats and barley.

With about 300 hectares left to seed, he has set 1600 hectares for wheat and 200 hectares for feed.

Mr Webb said he is expecting to yield around the same amount as Mr Piggott.

Ms Traeger said so far this season, there has been no issues with mice or other pests.

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