Victorian grain growers have a suite of new resources to help them prepare for, and deal with the effects of late frosts and a potential dry finish to the growing season.
Agriculture Victoria has produced a new webpage, ‘Cutting failed crops for hay or silage,’ to help growers make decisions on crops that have failed due to spring frosts or moisture stress.
Agriculture Victoria Regional Grains Manager Felicity Pritchard said grain growers also have access to new tools for forecasting frosts through the Bureau of Meteorology and tips for practical strategies for managing better for frost.
These topics were explored in detail in a recent Agriculture Victoria webinar with Jonathan How of the Bureau and South Australian agricultural consultant Mick Faulkner.
The recording of which is now available to the public here: frost webinar – with the password Frost.
Ms Pritchard said the resources are important given the wet start to the season and forecast dry spring conditions for the major grain growing areas of Victoria, which brings with it a heightened risk of late frosts.
‘Crops that fail due to frost, moisture stress or other limiting factors may be cut for silage or hay as an economically viable option.
‘The new webpage highlights for growers the key factors they need to consider to make sound and timely decisions,’ she said.
‘The webinar helps them to understand their risk of a potential frost up to 7 days out and to provide greater confidence in making decisions.
‘It also provides strategies to mitigate the risk of frost damage in future seasons, including zoning of paddocks with different management techniques, based on frost risk.’
Ms Pritchard also encouraged growers to join the ‘Better Frost Decisions
