Grain growers in WA's south start seeding early while others look to the skiesBy Kate Forrester and Anna CoxABC South West WATopic:Wheat Growing1h ago1 hours agoFri 2 May 2025 at 4:58amSeveral early bursts of rain have seen southern farmers starting their seeding early. (Supplied: Brianna Jones)In short:Farmers in southern growing areas of Western Australia have experienced an earlier than usual start to seeding due to several early bursts of rain.Some growers in northern areas are yet to make a start due to inadequate moisture.What's next?A DPIRD climate scientist said northern farmers shouldn't expect large amounts of rainfall in the month of May.abc.net.au/news/wa-rain-early-seeding-wheatbelt-weather/105241132Link copiedShareShare articleWith a wet weekend looming, farmers across southern Western Australia are hoping it will consolidate their decision to start seeding early.But those further north are still looking for their first break of the season.After rolling the dice and dry seeding this time last year, Kulin farmer Barry West said he was in a similar position now to what he was 12 months ago.Kulin farmer Barry West said he was in a similar position to this time last year in his seeding program. (ABC Great Southern: Mark Bennett)"It's pretty dry at the moment. We had a good start in March and early April but now we are dry seeding," Mr West said."[The rain] has definitely been patchy but we are hoping to pick up 5-10 millimetres out of the front coming through this weekend."Dam levels are really low at the moment. I've flown over a couple of dams recently in the district and it's the same there."A cold front is forecast to cross the state's south on Friday afternoon with a small amount of rain expected to fall over the election weekend.Early rain has seen some farmers start seeding early. (Supplied)Early start for areas in the southAt Gairdner, 470 kilometres south-east of Perth, Brianna Jones's family were about 50 per cent through their seeding program due to early rains and good soil moisture.The mixed cropping farmer said they were looking to finish ahead of schedule."It puts us in a good stead to get onto some maintenance and get started on the wheat," Ms Jones said."We have had 115mm, with 80 of those falling in April. So it really has been a great start."That soaked up pretty quickly because it's been pretty dry the past two years."Gairdner farmer Brianna Jones said they are 50 per cent through their seeding program. (Supplied)At Bruce Rock, 240km east of Perth, farmer Leigh Strange said he was feeling happy after comparatively low rainfall last year."We started seeding canola at the start of April. We've had a couple of storms go through that have really caught things up," Mr Strange said."We were in a dry strip last year but this year is the polar opposite. So I guess that's the swings and roundabouts of farming."Seeding underway at a farm in southern Western Australia. (Supplied)Waiting for double digitsIt was a much different picture further north where a lack of rain has meant growers have been unable to start seeding.At West Binnu, 530km north of Perth, farmer Lloyd Cripps said he wanted rainfall to hit double digits before starting to dry sow."We got caught out last year because of the late break. We are trying to play the season as much as we can," Mr Cripps said."If we get that 10+ [millimetres] we will get going."If we can get a good event such as that in the next seven days we will start pulling the trigger."The farmer said they did not get their season break last year until the June long weekend.Dry May outlook for WADPIRD senior research scientist Meredith Guthrie said parts of the state over the month of April had received a lot of rainfall but other parts had missed out completely."Some areas in the central west forecast district, near Geraldton, have had less than 10 [millimetres] for the month, and near Harvey and Waroona in the south have been very dry," Ms Guthrie said."We've had isolated thunderstorms kissing the coast the past month but we've had this blocking high [pressure system] sitting over the south-west land division. So that's been stopping a lot of the systems moving in."Rainfall across southern WA through to April 30 this year. (Supplied: DPIRD)The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast some rain to fall across the weekend, but Ms Guthrie said it would be isolated."It was going to be quite a wet weekend but now they've downgraded that," Ms Guthrie said."Farmers might pick up a little bit but nowhere near enough for a break in the north.The climate scientist said she was noticing a trend of seasonal breaks getting later each year."Last year we had no stored soil moisture at this time of the year, and then it kicked off in June," Ms Guthrie said."We might have a dry May and then hopefully it will start raining in June."Posted 1h ago1 hours agoFri 2 May 2025 at 4:58amShare optionsCopy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)Top StoriesLittle-known entity comparing Dutton to Trump spends more than $400,000 on political Meta adsTopic:Australian Federal ElectionsPhoto shows A man in front of a billboard which says "the parties are the problem"Vote Compass data reveals key issues for respondents ahead of electionTopic:Australian Federal ElectionsPhoto shows A graphic shows a smartphone screen showing a graph.'It's just a disaster': Motorists describe chaos on M1 after scrap metal spillTopic:Road Accidents and IncidentsPhoto shows A metal shard embedded in a tyreDutton has 'no doubt' Coalition can win this election, as campaigning nears endLIVEPhoto shows Peter Dutton speaks at lectern Erin Patterson sent 'extremely aggressive' texts to estranged husband, court hearsTopic:CourtsPhoto shows A close up photo of Erin Patterson looking over her shoulder wearing glases.Related storiesRecord-breaking wettest day causes flash flooding in southern WATopic:FloodsPhoto shows A flooded road.'Scarce resource': Do the rules governing groundwater use in WA need to change?Topic:WaterPhoto shows a windmill at sunset Drones replace tractors after grain crops cop a year's rainfall in just weeks Topic:AgriculturePhoto shows Aerial view of a drone over green and brown landscape belowFarmers rejoice after cold front breaks drought in WA's northern WheatbeltTopic:RainPhoto shows A flooded paddock Related topicsAlbanyBinnuBruce RockBunburyEsperanceGairdnerGeraldtonHarvestingHarveyKulinRainRural and Remote CommunitiesWaroonaWheat GrowingTop StoriesLittle-known entity comparing Dutton to Trump spends more than $400,000 on political Meta adsTopic:Australian Federal ElectionsPhoto shows A man in front of a billboard which says "the parties are the problem"Vote Compass data reveals key issues for respondents ahead of electionTopic:Australian Federal Elections'It's just a disaster': Motorists describe chaos on M1 after scrap metal spillTopic:Road Accidents and IncidentsDutton has 'no doubt' Coalition can win this election, as campaigning nears endTopic:Government and PoliticsErin Patterson sent 'extremely aggressive' texts to estranged husband, court hearsTopic:CourtsJust InCosts and cancellations adding up for fed-up flyers in regional SATopic:Air Transport Industry7m ago7 minutes agoFri 2 May 2025 at 6:20amSnowtown killer's parole bid 'slap in the face', says nephew of victimTopic:Homicide23m ago23 minutes agoFri 2 May 2025 at 6:04amOne Nation staffer reported to corruption watchdog over referrals to law firmTopic:Federal Government34m ago34 minutes agoFri 2 May 2025 at 5:53amHeritage-listed prison building set to become independent schoolTopic:Secondary Education7m ago7 minutes agoFri 2 May 2025 at 6:20amMore Just InBack to top