Wild weather delays crop planting

Wet and windy conditions have resulted in significant delays to poppy planting, with the Bureau of Meteorology confirming that in October it issued the most severe weather warnings in a month since 2017.

Rainfall totals in October were above average across most of Tasmania and average in parts of the east and north.

Tasmania's area-averaged rainfall total in October was 163.5 mm, 38 per cent above the 1961–1990 average, making it the wettest October since 2022.

Extractas Field Operations Manager Noel Bevan said poppy planting so far this season had been frustrating due to the weather.

“We had to resow a significant area because when you get a large rainfall event, quite often that can cause damage to crops that are just planted,” Mr Bevan said.

“Sometimes the soil seals over and young seedlings can’t push through.”

Mr Bevan said the reduction in wet and windy weather had enabled poppies to be replanted in significant numbers.

“We’re looking forward to a much more stable growing period.

“Having said that, it’s still cold – we’re not getting prolonged, good and warm temperatures – so we’re desperate for some sun and warmth to make everything grow as it should.”

With poppies having to be resown, Mr Bevan said Extractas were around three weeks behind where they would like to be in the planting season.

“But we’ve had some very good results sowing in November the past four or five years.

“And crops planted now are jumping out of the ground and growing away, whereas the ones sown earlier – with all the wind and heavy rain events – have been much slower.”

There are now around 7000 hectares of poppies in the ground and Extractas is hoping to harvest more than 12,000 tonnes this season.

“We’ve been very grateful for the effort that growers have put into getting our crops in the ground in what’s been a very frustrating period for them,” Mr Bevan said.

“Much of the state has been excessively wet for a long period of time, but in other parts it’s been excessively dry for a long period.”