Growers cautiously optimistic thanks to lingering subsoil moisture

At the traditional Anzac Day start time, while many farmers had seeding rigs out, there has been a general trend towards a later start.

Some are waiting for a significant rain, while others need more time to prepare following a drawn out harvest.

On the Yorke Peninsula, many growers are starting later in the hope they'll move flowering dates out of the high frost risk time of August.

At Wauraltee, Todd Twelftree was sowing Maximus barley on Monday. He said last year's harvest was "the best by a long way" and 2021 had also been very good so he'd be happy with an average season in 2023.

Mr Twelftree, who farms with father Greg, said they'd received 12.5 millimetres of rain at the Easter weekend, which was their biggest event of the year.

With forecasts of 10-20mm in some areas late this week, he was feeling hopeful of a good start.

"There's already a bit of moisture in the profile so even if we get a start - last year we didn't get a decent rain until mid-May - so if it was to do that this year with the moisture that's there I think it'd be a reasonable start," he said.

The Twelftrees plan to sow canola once they receive some more rain, and also have wheat, barley and lentils in this year's rotation.

At Koolunga in the Mid North, brothers Shane and Craig Weckert sowed 200 hectares of vetch for sheep feed in early April and started on their main seeding program by sowing lentils on Anzac Day.

They will also grow wheat and barley.

The Weckerts had a good soak of 25-30mm at Easter and, like many others, are unsure if this year can match up to 2022.

"I'm confident harvest will be less than last year," Shane laughed.

"It can't be that good again and the year before that was good as well. Confidence in farming is quite high, but we'll see what the season brings.

"Every year's different."

Craig said they were kept busy spraying during summer, which has helped them to conserve soil moisture from a wet spring.

"I sunk a post hole out in the paddock the other day and it was very moist about a foot down," Shane said.

"An inch (25mm) won't link that up yet, but link that up and away they'll (the crops) go."

High input prices forced the Weckerts to dial back rates last season, but they say they'll be returning to more normal rates this season with prices softening.

RELATED READING: Wet 2022 keeps soil moisture strong ahead of 2023 sowing on EP

Grain Producers SA chief executive officer Brad Perry said a decrease in input prices was welcome, as they had been the one "dent in the gloss of a bumper season" in 2022.

He said grower feedback had suggested most were in good spirits about the year ahead.

"From the feedback we've had, most soils are still quite moist from spring rainfall," Mr Perry said.

"This time last year, about 60 per cent of the state's growers were dry seeding so it's nice to have some moisture to kick off that growth, but I'm sure all regions would like some more."

"I think there's some good optimism out there knowing that."

Long-range rainfall forecasts from the Bureau of Meteorology are not overly optimistic, with below median rainfall likely to very likely for most of Australia throughout May.

The Bureau's latest rainfall outlook warned of "unusually low rainfall" in May for most of SA, WA and the NT.

For the three months from May through July, the Bureau are forecasting a 75 per cent chance of more than 100 millimetres for the Lower Eyre Peninsula, Lower Yorke Peninsula, Kangaroo Island, parts of the Mid and Lower North and the South East.

These forecasts expect 50-100mm for the same period for the rest of the EP, Upper North, rest of the YP, much of the Mid North and Mallee.

But a drier outlook again has been predicted for the Riverland and Murray Mallee regions.

READ MORE: White grain disorder unlikely to return in 2023