DESPITE some welcome rain on the weekend in Dubbo, crop yields are still going to be badly affected from the continued run of hot weather over the past few weeks according to agronomist Dean Walton.
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Walton Rural owner, Dean Walton, who has 30 years experience as an agronomist in the Dubbo area, believes the hot weather Dubbo and much of Western NSW has endured from the final week of September will have serious impacts on the returns farmers will get this harvest.
"Depending on where you were the rain was quite sparse," he said.
"The rain was definitely welcomed as we have had some unseasonably hot weather and a real run of it, not just the odd day.
"We don't usually get that until November so it's been a month early this year which has caused a lot of the crops to hit a wall."
According to Weatherzone, Dubbo received 17 millimetres (mm) of rain over Saturday and Sunday.
With harvest kicking off for many farmers in the coming weeks, Mr Walton doesn't believe many farmers would want large downpours despite the recent warmer temperatures.
"A little bit of rain could really help but it's all about timing now," he said.
"Harvest is very close so you don't want too much leading into that. "The big crops draw more moisture so with all the hot weather we've had the heads won't fill as well and that will affect the yields."
The hot weather is forecast to continue this week with 30 degrees Tuesday through to Thursday, with Friday predicted to reach 32, Saturday 33 and Sunday 29.
Less than one mm of rain is forecast per day for the rest of the week.
