A Mid Murray farmer faces a fight to bring in his best crop in years as harvest season gets underway.
A Mid Murray farmer has had a heartbreaking setback while preparing to bring in the biggest harvest his property has produced in at least five years.
A fire broke out at 80-year-old Lloyd Castle’s property at Notts Well, near Swan Reach, on Sunday.
Mr Castle had been attempting to restart his harvester with jumper leads when a shower of sparks set off a fire that claimed about 10 hectares of grass, scrub and cropping land.
Seven Country Fire Service units, neighbours and relatives raced to the scene and were able to contain the blaze before it could do any more damage.
However, Mr Castle lost his $50,000 harvester, a $7000 tractor and about $8000 worth of his crop, none of which was insured.
His daughter, Julie Helgeson, thanked everyone who had helped in the emergency.
“You hear about these disasters happening, but it doesn’t hit home until it hits your own family,” she said.
Her dad had been able to reap six tonnes of grain on Saturday, she said, but still had about 200 hectares to bring in.
She hoped the farming community would be able to rally together and help him get it done.
Bumper harvest is coming in
Mr Castle’s setback came as producers start to bring in what looks like a very strong 2026-27 harvest.
Harvest season got underway about three weeks ago in the Murraylands, with the first deliveries to the silos at Monarto South – often the first to go – arriving during the week ending on October 25.
Apamurra took its first deliveries last week.
The Lower Murray cropping district is expected to produce almost 296,000 tonnes of grain this season, according to Primary Industries and Regions SA’s latest crop and pasture report – one of the better crops on record.
As a whole, South Australian croppers are expected to reap a harvest almost 44 per cent bigger than last year, the biggest improvement of any state, according to Rabobank.
Grain Producers SA CEO Brad Perry described it as an “exceptional” season.
State Primary Industries and Regional Development Minister Clare Scriven credited farmers across SA for their hard work in a challenging economic time.
“Fantastic conditions throughout winter have given farmers across much of South Australia something to look forward to after a challenging few years of drought,” she said.
“Forecast production reflects the innovation and skill of our farmers as much as it reflects the favourable growing conditions, as grain producers have seized opportunities even in the face of global pressures such as the cost and availability of fuel and fertiliser supplies.”
The state government announced on October 30 it would make it easier for grain handling companies to build temporary storage bunkers at existing processing sites, to make sure the harvest could be stored and preserved properly.
Source - https://www.murraybridge.news
