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Rain threatens bumper season harvest

North-western New South Wales farmers harvesting their most promising crops in several years say this week's rain could be devastating.

Up to 50 millimetres of rain has been reported in some parts of the Walgett district in the past few days.

Ed Colless from the Walgett Special One Cooperative says less than half of the area's crops have been harvested.

He says the rain will downgrade crops and delay harvest.

"It's leaving farmers in a position where they're facing major downgrading in a lot of their wheat quality and perhaps crop losses in some circumstances," he said.

"I mean the inch-and-a-half to two inches we're talking about now is basically on top of another two rainfall events we've seen in the past three weeks which has seen some people getting between four and six inches of rain in the old scale."

In the past day Coonamble has received 72 millimetres of rain, Coonabarabran 57mm, and Trangie 46mm.

Dubbo has received 35mm, 34mm fell at Tibooburra, 23mm at Lightning Ridge and 19mm at Walgett.

Mr Colless says it could be devastating for what was shaping as a bumper season.

"You know if this stopped now and did clear over the next two years we could start again, but as I say there would be some risk of downgrade just through bushel weight loss," he said.

"But if it continues to be wet through to the end of the week then not only are we going to see the crop downgraded then we're actually going to find it it hard to actually strip what's there."

- ABC

© ABC 2008

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