SOLID rainfall last week was a talking point, with showers of more than 100 millimetres recorded across many parts of the State.
While the downpours were welcome, particularly from those in the north where some crops were on the brink of disaster, there are still downsides which could stop WA graingrowers from realising the 19.5 million tonne harvest which has been estimated.
In the central and eastern Wheatbelt, the risk of frost is an ever present danger at this time of year and will be an ongoing threat until mid-September.
Nutrien Ag Solutions, Mukinbudin agronomist Darren Marquis said the memories from last year - which saw frost cause losses of up to 60 per cent in some paddocks - were still raw for a lot of farmers.
"We hadn't had a bad frost for about five years and last year was a stark reminder of the risk," Mr Marquis said.
"We got an early start this year and farmers got going potentially a little bit too early for some varieties and we also had a warmer June and July which has sped up the growth process.
"The crops will come into bud a bit sooner than they normally would, so the frost window has already opened and will last from now until the middle of next month."
With 2021 being a record crop, so much was stripped from the paddocks and the nitrogen was matched to yield potential, however there was enough in the soil to compensate for it.
However, this year the 'tank' is completely empty and there is nothing left on cereal and canola stubbles, although pasture, fallow and legume stubbles are faring better.
When growers were making nitrogen decisions in June and July, it was costing them on average $70-80,000, whereas last year that average would have been about $25,000.
With that in mind, they were reluctant to spend - they had a budget in mind and wouldn't go over it.
"There are some growers at the other end of the scale who have gone for it despite the price, but the majority of farmers have held back and that means the potential crop yield likely won't be realised," Mr Marquis said.
"If the season continues like it is and it's above average in terms of rainfall, I don't think the yield potential will meet expectations due to the lack of nitrogen."
For those in the central and eastern Wheatbelt, there's only about a month left before it gets too warm and from now, the frequency of rainfall events drops off.
Ultimately that means the window is closing at a rapid rate for the chance of getting nitrogen washed in.
"There are still guys putting it on now at the last minute because of the recent rain and they're a lot more confident in what they're doing, but the effective window is rapidly wrapping up," Mr Marquis said.
On top of that, due to the moisture, there are foliar diseases in cereals which the region wouldn't normally encounter, including powdery mildew in wheat and net form net blotch in barley.
Lastly, mice are also becoming an issue in canola and lupins.
MORE CROPPING NEWS
Mr Marquis said with all of that being said, the positives of the rain far outweigh the negatives.
"To get a back-to-back on last year would be enormous for these marginal areas where we don't often get good years two times in a row," he said.
"Nobody is complaining about the diseases or the mice and we'll take the rainfall any day."
With almost a month of winter still to go, plus any other rainfall throughout spring, areas on the south coast are too wet, with the likes of Munglinup at 454mm and Coomalbidgup at 511mm for the year so far.
There are also other areas to the north, such as Badgingarra at 433mm and Eneabba at 418mm, which have also recorded incredible rainfall figures.
On the wet areas of the south coast, there are very noticeable signs of waterlogging with purpling and bleaching of leaves where nutrients have been flushed and/or a lack of oxygen.
The extent of the impact varies depending on when the crop went in - if they were sown early and are pretty bulky, then they're sucking in a lot of water, whereas the later-sown crops are struggling.
Elders Esperance agronomist James Bidstrup said there were some paddocks which would be resown, but growers were waiting for a break in the weather and for the ground to firm-up a little bit.
"Inputs are at a much higher than average level, but certain grain prices are still somewhat proportionate, so for a lot of growers in higher rainfall zones who have the potential for a long growing season there is still net profit to be made in an cropping production system," Mr Bidstrup said.
"In some of the wet areas, they're more likely to have a soft finish with cooler temperatures through spring and the grainfill period, so given it's a longer season growers can under some circumstances conceivably still put in a crop in August and get a reasonable return from that when compared to a fallow situation."
"In a lot of cases we're not talking about breaking any records but analysing the options and looking at cropping as the most profitable land use for many growers means they are persistent, resilient and ultimately committed to doing something with it."
Over the course of last week, the extra rain added to the waterlogging issue, but the wind which accompanied the showers also had nasty consequences.
As a result, there were a few paddocks where lodging has started to become an issue, particularly in some of the heavier crops and those which have shallow root systems and not much anchoring them.
