In one seriously optimistic editorial stroke, we have decided to run with a waterlogging article as this issue’s lead story. With Cyclone Odette – the supposed ‘perfect storm’ – ominously bearing down from the Coral Sea towards eastern Australia in early March, this optimism didn’t appear to be too misplaced.
There were many newspapers seemingly luring Odette in with front page headlines heralding “the biggest deluge in 30 years about to hit”. The Bureau of Met also got into the act with seven-day forecasts of widespread falls of 150 to 250 mm. And I even booked tickets to several uncovered outdoor events just to make sure this titillation turned into torrents. But like an invitation to a Brian Burke dinner – Odette quickly changed her mind and headed off in the opposite direction.
There’s still tropical cyclones brewing and the summer thunderstorms are active. And the latest El Niño has officially ended. So there’s every justification to bring you a story about a ridge seeding technique to overcome the problems waterlogging can deliver to a winter cereal crop. Some canny WA researchers have been trialing this seeding system with very encouraging results (see article page 3). But just in case waterlogging is not a significant problem for us this year, we can all grab some positives out of last year’s trials and tribulations and identify the lessons to be drawn from such difficult seasons (see page 10).
Enjoy this issue – and send her down Hughie!