GARY Chislett's chinese cabbage crop stood no chance against the thick locust wave that hit his Mallee farm.

The Nangiloc vegetable and citrus grower was last week assessing the damage to a 2ha block of newly planted chinese cabbages, broccoli and cauliflower.

"In the space of a day they came and we had no time to do anything," Mr Chislett said.

"If you looked around you could just see locusts thick in the air and on the ground.

"They have just mowed the young seedlings back to ground level."

Mr Chislett sprayed some of his vegetables with the crop protectant, Surround, which he said may have helped limit the damage a little.

But it appeared as though the locusts had totally wiped out about 25 per cent of the 2ha block.

"You couldn't believe how thick they were on the ground and on the chinese cabbage and broccoli," he said.

Mr Chislett said most of the locusts had since moved on.

But the damage they left behind was the last thing Mallee farmers needed after battling low commodity prices and drought.

"Things are just tough in horticulture full stop at the moment without something like this on top of it," Mr Chislett said.