Record grain crop plantings, led by West Australian growers
Farmers are expected to plant their biggest winter grain crop on record this year, with one state leading the charge.
The nation’s farmers are forecast to plant the largest winter grain crop area on record in 2021-22, according to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural Resource Economics and Sciences.
In its first crop report for the new season, the national government forecaster is tipping about 23.196 million hectares of farmland will be sown to grain crops, marginally higher than the 23.126 million ha record set in 2016-17.
But it will fall far short of the record tonnage of 56.68 million tonnes set in 2016-17, with 46.78 million tonnes expected to be harvested this summer.
This year’s harvest will be the third largest winter crop in history, also falling short of the 55.23 million tonnes harvested last summer.
ABARES acting executive director Jared Greenville said winter crop prospects were forecast to be well above average nationally, but there will be differences across growing regions.
“Winter crop production is forecast to be 46.8 million tonnes in 2021–22, which is below the near record high production last year but 13 per cent above the 10-year average to 2020–21,” Dr Greenville said.
If ABARES’ forecasts prove correct, West Australian growers will go close to producing a record crop.
All other states are expected to produce winter crops well below state records.
The Victorian grain harvest is tipped to be 6.87 million tonnes, its eight biggest crop.
The bureau has estimated the WA winter crop production at 17.54 million tonnes, just shy of the 17.74 million tonnes harvested in 2016-17 and 17.63 million tonnes produced in 2018-19.
Grain Growers chairman Brett Hosking said WA was “off to an exceptional start to the season”.
Mr Hosking said good rain in WA had given the state’s canola crops one of their best starts.
ABARES has forecast the WA canola crop to be 2.1 million tonnes this harvest, accounting for half of the national production.
The government forecaster is estimating national wheat production at 27.82 million tonnes and barley at 10.37 million tonnes.
Dr Greenville said winter crop plantings in Victoria and South Australia were generally unfavourable.
“Most producers in these two states will be reliant on winter rainfall to finish planting, and for crops to establish and develop,” he said.
“Increased mice populations in the eastern states have resulted in producers undertaking more baiting than usual this season.
“This will increase costs of production in affected regions but farm management practices have so far minimised damage to winter crop plantings and development in affected regions.
“Some producers are likely to suffer production losses from mouse damage despite the step up in control activity, but national production levels are expected to be largely unaffected given the vast size of Australia’s cropping region.”
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