Soil profiles positive

BY ABBY WALTER

Wimmera farmers are confident heading into a new cropping season that a strong soil moisture profile will be a key ingredient for a good year.

Crop Opti Horsham agronomist Matt Beddison said some farmers had begun sowing crops for hay and sheep feed.

“Throughout this week, farmers will start sowing canola,” he said.

“Confidence is quite high. There is subsoil moisture and with 50 to 90 millimetres of rain during the past two weeks that moisture has probably joined up in the soil profile.”

Mr Beddison said the moisture was also good for the timing of killing weeds.

“Typically, when we get a break, we want to start sowing, but within 10 to 14 days all the weeds germinate and grow,” he said

“With the rain we had 10 days ago it’s been nearly perfect from a knockdown point of view to get in and kill the weeds.”

Bartlett Brothers Contract Harvesting’s Chris Bartlett, a Pimpinio farmer, said the season was off to a good start.

“Like most people, I am not complain-