South Australian farmers reap record harvest as crops produce bumper $4.6bn season, PIRSA report finds

South Australia’s grain farmers have produced a record multibillion-dollar season, with values surging almost 40 per cent, official figures show.

South Australia’s grain farmers have produced a record multibillion-dollar season, official figures show.

A new state government report, released on Wednesday, shows the “farm gate” value of crops surged almost 40 per cent from $3.3bn in 2021/22 to $4.6 billion this financial year.

The Advertiser foreshadowed in October last year how grain farmers were set to reap the most valuable crop on record.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regions SA Crop and Pasture Report production also spiked more than 51 per cent in 12 months to almost 12.8 million tonnes.

Officials said it was a record production and is almost double levels recorded in 2017/18.

“This is a great result for … primary producers (and) the economy,” said Primary Industries Minister Clare Scriven.

Farms reported a record harvest. Picture: Greg Wood / AFP

Despite “weather damage” downgrading yields and delaying harvests, high world commodity prices helped fuel bumper crops, according to the annual PIRSA assessment.

Crops included barley, beans, canola, chickpeas, durum, hay, lentils, lupins, oats, peas, rye, triticale, wheat and vetch.

The report’s authors said seeding was delayed across many farming districts from flooding in January and February before further late season rains.

Most districts reported leaf disease problems including stripe rust and septoria in wheat, powdery mildew in cereals – which was more widespread than previous years – chocolate spot in beans, grey mould and other diseases in lentils.

Farmers grew more canola over barley while pea productions hit a record low this year, the report found.

Grain Producers SA chief executive officer, Brad Perry, said the seasons “will be remembered for years to come”.

“We should acknowledge the outstanding efforts of South Australia’s grain producers who

battled record input costs, weather and disease to pull off a record crop,” he said.