LOCAL crop growers are staring down the barrel of a season that could potentially devastate crops due to the excessive amount of rain that has fallen over winter and into spring.
Farmers with crops around the Springhurst area are playing the waiting game in the hope they can salvage what is left of their crops.
Low lying and flat areas are most affected with heavy soils already saturated, giving no leeway for water to drain, causing crops to rot that will cause significant damage costing farmers dearly.
Baker Seeds general manager Andrew Russell is playing a nervous waiting game but remaining positive as he hopes for a good outcome.
"The floods are bringing high anxiety to local growers with some crops already damaged, however some crops are holding steady," Mr Russell said.
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"Canola crops have been affected by floodwater which has made accessibility to crops impossible for any type of machinery to attempt to harvest due to saturated and boggy soils which further means the delay of harvesting and a risk of crops being damaged or destroyed.
"Currently 30 per cent of our crops are destroyed and as time progresses with unchanged conditions, this number will most certainly increase if we don't get a dry spell of rain that will allow soils to dry and have traffic ability to harvest."
Mr Russell said three weeks is needed with no rain and sunny days in order to commence harvesting with current conditions being labeled as poor.
He said time is against local growers and farmers not only being delayed with harvesting, but also their other seasonal work such as spraying and fencing.
The Bureau of Meteorology is expecting La Nina to continue until March 2023, however, rainfall is expected to be less frequent in the coming weeks.
