While yields for the Queensland's wheat crop are highly variable they are expected to average 19 per cent below the median.

Queensland's Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries crop modeller Andries Potgieter said the latest wheat outlook showed predicted yields varied greatly, with projections in some areas in the worst 10 per cent of all years but normal in the Far South West and south-west Queensland.

He said as most crops were nearing maturity, rain now would have little effect on the final yields but could reduce grain quality.

The yield forecasts are based on an agro-climatic computer model that considers El Nino and Southern Oscillation forecasts and up to 102 years of historical information to generate a crop water stress value for each shire.

The wheat crop yield forecast is the last for the season and will be followed by grain sorghum yield forecasts for the 2004-5 summer season.

DPI&F senior development extension officer Graham Harris said that due to good starting moisture and timely rain wheat yields on some farms in the Border Region and Western Downs could go as high as 2.8 tonnes per hectare.

"The best crops are those grown under reduced or no tillage because of soil moisture conservation," he said.

Mr Harris said frosts and mice had damaged crops, with some mouse baiting going on in the Goondiwindi district. A few wheat crops had been grazed because of frost damage.

"The cropping situation in southern Queensland is variable and poor rainfall is the greatest problem many wheat growers have faced this season," he said.

Mr Harris said farmers were looking forward to good rain soon as a prelude to the summer cropping season.