March 1, 2012

 

 

A bumper grain crop was the result of the perfect winter growing season across Australia of which the last of the record 45-million-tonne harvest was delivered to depots Wednesday (Feb 29) near Esperance, Western Australia.

 

It has been a bumper season for wheat, barley and rapeseed growers across southern Australia, in yield if not quality or price.

 

As the last grain receiving silos, depots and ports closed their doors and testing stations yesterday for open delivery of grain without appointment, the industry was taking stock of an incredible harvest.

 

But for farmers, particularly in WA, the bumper yields were marred by unexpectedly long rains in November and December during harvest, which caused a drop in grain quality and returns.

 

Wheat prices are also low due to the high Australian dollar.

 

Even with the rainy harvest, grain growers produced an unprecedented 45.4 million tonnes of wheat, barley, oats, rapeseed and other winter grains.

 

The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences confirmed the 2011-12 national harvest was 7% larger than last year's grains crop, itself a record.

 

ABARES director Paul Morris singled out the boom wheat harvest in WA resulting from a magnificent growing season and the efforts of grain growers as a major reason for surpassing the previous record of 40 million tonnes.

 

WA wheat farmers grew more than 15 million tonnes of wheat last year, stretching the harvest by more than eight weeks for some growers. The previous year, WA's vast wheat fields produced only a meagre 6.5 million tonnes.

 

Across Australia, ABARES estimates, total wheat production in 2011-12 will exceed 29.5 million tonnes, compared with 27.9 million tonnes in 2010-11.

 

Barley production was 8.6 million tonnes, 5% higher than last year, while the rapeseed crop increased by 16% to a record 2.8 million tonnes. WA's largest grain handling company, CBH Grain, yesterday closed all its 2011-12 wheat harvest pools to enable marketing plans to be finalised and to maximise returns to growers.

 

ABARES also is hopeful of record-breaking summer crops of rice, cotton and sorghum in eastern Australia in coming months, despite floods in Queensland and NSW. It predicts the total cotton crop will be up 20%.