crop damage not as bad as feared

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/01/13/3111931.htm

Crop damage not as bad as feared
Updated 1 hour 6 minutes ago


The report says damage to crops is not as bad as originally feared (ABC News)
A report on South Australia's crops says damage caused by recent wet weather is not as bad as initially feared.

The Department of Primary Industries' Crop and Pasture Report estimates the harvest will be South Australia's biggest on record and will reach more than 9.7 million tonnes.

The Agriculture Minister, Michael O'Brien, says while nearly half of the state's crop was downgraded in quality, strong prices mean it will generate returns of more than $2 billion.

He says while 80 per cent of the harvest is complete, some of the remaining 20 per cent could be damaged by heavy rains forecast for today.

"Our hope is that the rain will have minimal impact on the crop and it will dry out reasonably quickly and harvest will resume," he said.