![NOT SO MICE: With crops now establishing, Border farmers are seeing the toll mice have taken on their sewing. NOT SO MICE: With crops now establishing, Border farmers are seeing the toll mice have taken on their sewing.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/127011937/f87e17f7-31bc-4c0c-9dc0-ce4b6b30722f.jpg/r0_174_3552_2179_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The mouse plague continues unabated across the Riverina with Pleasant Hills, Henty and Rand remaining under siege.
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Henty Ag n Vet Services agronomist Nathan Soulsby said the extent of damage caused could now be measured with crops beginning to establish themselves.
"There's plenty of canola paddocks that have big holes and patches through them and we've lost some paddocks totally," Mr Soulsby said.
"They have been into cereals as well, digging holes and eating the seeds and messing with hay stacks and sheds."
IN OTHER NEWS:
Mr Soulsby said the extent of damage had been difficult to gauge given a lack of rain in April.
"We've had a lot of issues with establishing crops, it's been one of the scratchiest canola starts in a while because we've had a run of seven or eight weeks without any rain," he said.
"We had one of the driest Aprils in a really long time.
"We didn't know until the second or third week of May when we got some rain how much damage was in the canola because it hadn't germinated."
The Henty-based agronomist said his key concern now is spring.
"If the numbers sit there and hold and then start building up again the spring will be worse than what the autumn was," he said.
"Hopefully we'll end up with a good finish but the mice will be a big issue going into the spring."
However, at Jerilderie the mice situation seems to be improving, according to town agronomist Amy Perry.
"We're sort of getting through it," she said.
"It feels like we're through the other side, there's still a bit around but it seems like we're out.
"Now that crops are away they aren't as big a danger to them anymore."