FRIDAY’S large storm cell caused major havoc on cotton crops in the Bellata/Gurley area.
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Cotton Seed Distributor extension and development agronomist, Rob Eveleigh, said four farmers were directly affected by heavy rain, wind and hail resulting in the loss of majority to their crops.
“The storm started near Rowena and moved to the east from there. It went through Millie and just north of Bellata and Gurley, and then moved towards Delungra,” he said.
Mr Eveleigh said one of the four families was away at the time of storm so their workman alerted them to the cell, and damage it caused.
“I know certainly at least three or four farmers had severe damage to their crops, basically wipe-outs, on the portions affected. It’s taken the majority of crop for one family, affected 1000 hectares probably. It’s too late for the cotton so I guess where the crops completely removed and there is a lot of moisture the family can certainly prepare for winter crops,” he said.
Mr Eveleigh said one farmer’s crop was uninsured causing a loss of not only bolls and yields but a majority of their income.
“Hail is difficult though because you get great crop that’s badly affected and you can still pick off outside around the margins. But how do you deal with a field where a fair portion can’t be picked? Farmers need to form boundaries of what needs to be removed and what doesn’t; it’s never an easy decision to make.
He said even some portions that look physically okay, may not be.
“It takes time to see how severe it is because there is even portions of the crop that is in reasonable shape but there may have been bruising to the bolls so it may not appear that severe but in a few days’ time you cut them open and find bruising and they can become completely unharvestable,” Mr Eveleigh said.
Although, he agreed natural disasters were part of the farming scene.
“The farmers badly hit are certainly affected, but those on the margin of the storm who just got the heavy rain did quite well out of it, so those people who may have got three or four inches of storm, without hail, their crops will be magnificent now.
“Where there are losers there are winners, and there is not much you can do about it.”