Agronomists are predicting Australian farmers on normal soil types can expect to store around a quarter of January’s rainfalls, a figure likely to increase in autumn.
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Some agronomists have predicted up to a third of the rainfall could be stored in the soil profile, grading upwards in the coming months. Mallee Sustainable Farming’s (MSF) Michael Moodie said moisture retention rates would slowly start to improve from now on. Conservation Agriculture and No Till Farming Association (CANFA) secretary John Shepherd said moisture conservation levels would be influenced by weather over the late summer / early autumn period. South Australian No Till Farming Association (SANTFA) research and development manager Greg Butler warned growers might be victims of their own success. “I am not sure this rain may not just be replacing previous season in-crop rain that once was not available until the following winter crop. We’ve got better water use efficiencies and soil biology to mean crops now access that moisture much more effectively.”