Planting plans on hold
Growers wait on wet weather
THIS year’s winter growing season will be a balancing act for Lockyer Valley farmer Greg Lerch.
The recent rainfall has made him optimistic, but Mr Lerch said the region needed a lot more to operate at the fullfarming potential.
Mr Lerch has about 110 acres at each of his properties in Lake Clarendon, Laidley and Blenheim.
He usually plants 175 acres of broccoli and cauliflower, but due to low rain levels he has only planted about 60 acres this year.
Mr Lerch said the weather had resulted in a poor start to the season, but with any luck, production could increase in the next few months.
“It’s been pretty bad before it started raining,” Mr Lerch said.
“Before that we were sort of wondering whether it was ever going to rain again, but now that it has it’s helped a little bit.”
A rain gauge at the Lerch’s Blenheim farm recorded 40 millimetres of rain on Thursday, March 21, and 30mm the weekend before.
With half a week to go, the March 2019 rainfall has already doubled last year’s levels.
Mr Lerch said if weather patterns continued he would plant more broccoli and cauliflower. “I’m not a real big risk taker so it depends how much rain we get,” he said.
“If we do get a bit of rain and things turn around then we will be able to plant more, but you’ve just got to plant and hope you’ve got enough water to get through.”
Mr Lerch said he had prepared all his fields for planting, but the next step was out of his hands.
But while transplant production was still up in the air, Mr Lerch said he planned to make the most of the recent moisture by planting barley, forage and grain.