Australia: Harvest hopes hinge on weather

Continued warm weather across Tasmania could rescue some of the State’s producers from modest harvest results. Three weeks of above-average temperatures have offset a damp spring, with poppy and grass seed growers expected to benefit most from the balmy conditions, agronomist James Burbury said. Bureau of Meteorology statistics show northern areas were 0.5 degrees warmer than long-term averages in January, which meant rainfall was at a premium. Scottsdale producer and Simplot potato grower group head Trevor Hall said north-east Tasmania’s terribly wet winter had dried up “like concrete” recently, making it difficult for potatoes to thrive naturally. “Everything is very dry, all the crops are very irrigation heavy,” he said. More