HOW hot, and for how long, will be a huge factor in the ripening rate of one of Victoria's biggest crops in years.
The state's fickle weather will play a massive role in when the headers hit the paddocks. At lunchtime on Monday, it was nearly 30C at Ouyen. Just 200km south, Horsham hit just 16C.
Croppers would hope for more cool weather, an ideal finish to the cropping season, said Department of Primary Industries grains acting director Chris Sounness. "If we could order what we want, it would be a cool finish with no frosts," he said. Mr Sounness said rain from now on would do good for crops south of Horsham, but the cool weather was more important than moisture.
And while a few headers might have hit the paddocks this week, Mr Sounness said it was not the real deal.
"You wouldn't get knocked over by a truck at the silos at the moment," he said. "People are playing around and testing things a bit, but the start of November is when we traditionally think harvest kicks off."
Mr Sounness said there was little rain throughout much of the cropping areas over the weekend, but storms delivered a few millimetres. The storms also produced hail around Bendigo and Ballarat, with building damage reported in those areas.
Australian Grain Harvesters Association president Graham Mulholland said the true harvest was another fortnight away, starting with canola.
