SA harvest: Late rain saves the day for Hamley Bridge cropper

LAST year’s wet season proved vital to achieving better-than-average crops this year at Hamley Bridge in South Australia, according to Adrian McCabe.

Grain gain: South Australian farmer Adrian McCabe checks grain in one of the last paddocks he harvested at Hamley Bridge, which enjoyed an above-average season despite rain being patchy across many parts of the state. Picture: Tait Schmaal

LAST year’s wet season proved vital to achieving better-than-average crops this year at Hamley Bridge in South Australia, according to Adrian McCabe.

Mr McCabe farms about an hour north of Adelaide and said his yields were “pretty good and above average” this season.

“We were very dry in April, May and June, but the season turned around after some good rain, and we had high levels of sub-soil moisture from the year before,” he said.

He said canola, durum wheat and legumes all achieved good yields, but lower prices of some crops were frustrating.

“The disappointing thing of this season was the price of some speciality crops, such durum (wheat) which is down $70 a tonne on last year,” he said.

Mr McCabe, a director of Grain Producers South Australia, said the recent 30 per cent tariff imposed by India on lentils was also a blow.

“We were also hit by the legume tariff. It has dampened the lentil price significantly,” he said.

“We need free trade in Australia … we need the price signals being directed straight to the growers.”

Mr McCabe also has farms at Grenfell and The Bland in the northern Riverina of NSW. He said crop yields on these properties were decent, despite frosts and a slow start.

“There was flooding in this area last year, so the sub- soil moisture helped … we had good average yields, and the prices in NSW were good because of the domestic demand,” he said.

South Australian bulk handler Viterra reported 68,612 tonnes was received into its network for the week to Sunday, taking its season haul to 5.595 million tonnes.

This is well short of its record grain receival last year of 9.3 million tonnes.

Meanwhile, in Victoria, GrainCorp reported it had received 34,000 tonnes into its network in the week to Monday, taking its season total to 2.94 million tonnes.