farmers lose up to 90% to frost

Chelate you'll have sold before the inquiry starts I bet! LOL! Meanwhile some interesting reading from the Country Hour News Blogs today! You know some people charge for the sort of information I am disclosing!

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Farmer loses 90 per cent of grain crop
Report: Kirstyn March

As harvest progresses in the wheatbelt, so does the realisation that the winter frosts, were more severe than first thought. Mukinbudin farmer Ross English predicts that he's lost almost 90 per cent of his total cropping program to frost. And, what's more, he says he's not alone, when it comes to downgraded predictions. He says most farms in the north eastern wheatbelt, have had some degree of frost damage and harvesting has been heartbreaking. "I've left about 400 acres, not worth going over, because when you start doing about 22 kilometres to get a box full of wheat, it's time to give it away. So go and find another paddock somewhere else, which is pretty hard."

In this report: Ross English, Mukinbudin farmer.

http://www.abc.net.au/rural/wa/today.htm

Actually it is much more colourful in audio:
http://www.abc.net.au/rural/wa/content/2005/m1161436.ram

Frost seems a hot topic of discussion:

Possible links between frost and copper deficiency
Report: Owen Grieve

Well harvest continues across most areas of the South West Land Division. With the mild, cool weather in southern districts, moisture is a problem for some, but this year reports of frost damage seem very common. From the Great Southern, Owen Grieve investigates the possible links between copper deficiency and frost. Many of this season's harvest reports are indicating more extensive and severe frost damage in cereals than people were anticipating. And it does seem, over the last decade, the crop damage from frosts has been more widespread and costly. It suggested that modern and efficient seeding machinery has reduces the seeding period to such a short window, that if frost occurs at flowering time, a much greater percentage of crop is being affected. But farmers and researchers are becoming interested in the association of crop nutrition, the availability of copper and frost itself. Pingrup farmer Gary Featherstone says over the past few years, he's observed the amount of nitrogen being applied to crops has increased and not a lot of attention has been paid to other nutrients. He wonders if a copper deficiency could be induced by more nitrogen being applied? (therefore taking more copper out of the ground). Ross Brennan is a researcher with the Department of Agriculture and has been involved in copper trials at the Newdegate Research Station. Ross says the links between copper deficiency and frost are not yet clear-cut and more research is needed. One of the reasons being, he says, is that copper deficiency and frost symptoms look very similar in the late spring time of year. He says the Department has to be careful in distinguishing copper deficiencies and frost symptoms.