NOVEMBER rain was a thorn in the side of grain harvesting in many areas of Victoria and the Riverina.
Falls of up to 40mm in the past fortnight proved a sticking point for grain growers who have also battled heatwave conditions and a lack of soil moisture.
Harvesting contractor David Gall was busy last week playing catch up around Dookie where grain farmers were desperate to strip grain from paddocks following 30-40mm of rain.
"We had really only just started harvesting wheat last week when it rained," David said.
"That rain did not seem to have any real effect on the grain but any from now on will be a real problem, making the grain prone to germination while still on the plant."
David, his brother Greg and Greg's sons, Sam and James, contract harvest grain in the Dookie district.
David said this year's harvest was on par with last year.
"From what I've seen so far, the crops have gone pretty well. Most wheat has yielded three to 3.5 tonnes a hectare."
David was harvesting with a Case IH 2388 harvester, one of three the Gall family owns.
The 2388 has a 12m Draper style front and David said the bin holds about five tonnes of wheat.
The harvester's front has small jockey type wheels, which David can adjust to accurately harvest close to the ground.
The Galls have also just bought a new Case IH 8120 harvester that has a massive 13.7m front.
One of the crops David was harvesting last week belongs to the Dookie campus of Melbourne University.
Dookie campus cropping and livestock manager Frank O'Connor said the hot finish to the cropping season reduced yield by about 20 per cent.
"We had about 250mm of rain for the growing season, but it was quite dry during winter," he said.
"When it got so hot last month, it did knock the crops around and the grain at harvest is not as plump as it should have been."
