“When you are farming,” Tony said, “something always goes wrong.”

“When the price is good, we can’t grow it and when we can, the prices are usually bad,” agreed James.

“This year we are looking at an optimum yield and optimum price, but it is owed to us,” James continued.

“In the last 10 years we’ve had more crops that haven’t come off than crops that have.”

But the Morris’, who have planted about 500 acres of barley, 2500 acres of chickpeas and 4000 acres of wheat, say they aren’t home and hosed yet.

In the lead-up to their harvest, which James predicts will get underway at the end of October or the beginning of November, the Morris’ biggest concern will be too much rain.

“The moisture is doing more damage than good at the moment,” said James.

Mr Morris said frosts, mice and locusts also posed potential problems for them.

There has been a lot of talk about the damage plague locusts are predicted to cause in NSW this spring, but the Morris’ hope to avoid the worst of it because their farming country is located in a lower-risk area.

“We haven’t got much good, red country ‘round Lightning Ridge. They prefer the softer, loamy country like you get further west towards Bourke and Brewarrina,” said Tony.

However, James did admit that the spur-throated locust presented a risk.

Regardless of the species however, the local Livestock Health and Pest Authority (LHPA) is urging farmers to stay on the lookout for locusts hatching on their properties over the next few weeks and to report any sightings to the LHPA office as soon as possible.

The LHPA will be holding a meeting at its Walgett office next Wednesday at 10.30am to brief landholders on how best to prepare for the expected locust plague in the region.