September 10, 2013

South Australian farmers are aiming for a record grain crop in 2013 as confidence is reportedly high in the sector, according to a Rabobank rural survey.

The survey states that a third of farmers expect conditions to improve over the next 12 months with optimism growing due to adequate winter rains.

Rabobank state manager, James Robinson, added that some grain growers are expecting the harvest to be their best ever.

"Good rainfall throughout June, July and August have really consolidated on earlier rains with farmers reporting that their crops are thick and healthy. While there is still a long way to go until harvest and rains will be needed to finish off crops, early forecasts have pegged a state harvest of over seven million tonnes. This would certainly be pushing the records we had back in 2001 and 2010," Robinson said.

According to Robinson, farmers had reported ideal cropping conditions across the state including the Eyre and Yorke peninsulas while some advanced crops on the west coast had been affected by frost.