Heavy rain’s impact on crops being assessed

Narrabri was hit with heavy rain over the weekend with falls of up to 43.2 mm across the region.

The rain over a 24-hour period on Saturday and Sunday was the heaviest recorded in a single day since February this year.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the rainfall for the month, just over 70mm, is well above average following the weekend’s downpour.

It is a stark contrast to this time last year when around five mm fell in October.

For farmers and wheat growers across the region, the rain can have differing impacts on production and quality. Agronomists at Outlook Ag Mitch Cuell and Sam Boyle said the implications for crops were still being assessed.

“The rain could potentially downgrade wheat quality but we won’t know exactly until the headers get going,” Mr Cuell said.

“From our perspective we are expecting a downgrade, but some will be more affected than others depending on how much rain they received.

“We were looking at a good quality year and above average wheat, but there might be a drop in quality now.”

However, the rain will benefit other crops including cotton.

Narrabri is expected to have mostly cloudy conditions for the remainder of the week with a chance of showers midweek.