Shepparton has seen 54mm of rain in the first 25 days of June, with the most rain falling on Sunday, June 8 which saw 11.6mm.
Strathbogie saw the most rain with 104.4mm in the first 25 days, while the rest of the region saw between 40mm and 63mm.
Agriculture Victoria seasonal risk agronomist Dale Grey said the rain had started crop growth.
“All the crops that were sown dry are emerging, but crop establishment is literally all over the shop in north-eastern Victoria,” he said.
“You’ve got some very advanced crops, and you’ve got some stuff that’s just emerging, and you’ve got a crop that is very advanced next door to something that’s emerging just beside it in the same paddock.
“We’re not hearing any reports of people needing to re-sow, which is good news, it’s just that some of those plants emerging are later than you’d like to see, but, later is better than nothing.”
Although the rainfall is good news, Mr Grey said it could not stop here.
“We need rainfall to keep coming to build up the soil moisture amount so that when we get to spring, they’ve got something up their sleeve if the spring turns out to be a bit dodgy,” he said.
“At the moment, the predictions are that spring has a chance of not being dodgy, but we have no signs yet that things in the Pacific or the Indian Ocean are moving in the direction that we would need to see them to make it a wetter spring.
“So, it’s a very guarded feeling of optimism for spring.”
Frosty mornings
Shepparton has seen seven mornings under 0°C in the first three weeks of winter, compared to two, this time last year.
However, the first week of July 2024 saw seven days straight of mornings under 0°C.
“We’ve seen more frosts in northern Victoria,” Mr Grey said.
“The plants that we’re growing, our pasture plants and our cropping plants, are quite attuned to frost at this time of the year.
“It doesn’t kill them ... but all it does is slow their growth because they freeze in the morning, they defrost in the morning, they shake their heads and go, ‘what happened?’ and don’t do much for the rest of the day, and wait for some warmer weather.”
Strathbogie has seen the highest number of cold mornings, with 12 mornings under 0°C in the first three weeks of June.
Benalla and Yarrawonga saw seven, Mangalore saw six and Kyabram, five, while Kerang and Echuca saw the least with three.
12°C