THE estimated SA grain harvest has been revised upwards to 6.7 million tonnes in PIRSA’s Crop and Pasture Report released today.
Rainfall in July and August improved earlier predictions of 6.4mt, with an estimated farmgate value of $1.7 billion.
The estimate comes off the back of a record-breaking harvest in 2016-17, which produced 11.1 million tonnes worth about $2.2b at the farmgate.
Agriculture Minister Leon Bignell said after eight consecutive seasons of above-average harvests, SA farmers had a slower-than-normal start to this season the because of dry conditions in autumn and a dry and frosty June.
“The season has since seen considerable improvement with wetter conditions in July and particularly August, with many parts of the cereal-producing districts receiving average to above average rains,” he said.
“Rain in early July enabled farmers to complete seeding, particularly on Lower Eyre Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula and the Fleurieu Peninsula.
“Unfortunately the July rains were too late for farmers on the Western EP, so while extra paddocks were sown, not all the original intended crop area was completed.
“While across the state crop stage of growth is highly variable, they are generally growing well and have average yield potential in most districts – we’re now hoping for a good spring finish.
“In a season like this, an estimate of 6.7mt for a small crop area of 3.55 million hectares is far more than we would have expected 20 years ago and reaffirms SA farmers’ hard work and know-how.”
While ABARES September edition of the Australian crop report has tipped SA’s harvest to produce 6.393mt – 43 per cent less than last year’s record harvest.
ABARES said this was mainly due to the large declines in average yields from the high yields of the previous year, but also adverse seasonal conditions in early September, particularly on the EP and YP.
“But these crops are still in good enough condition to benefit from the favourable seasonal conditions the Bureau of Meteorology have indicated are likely in October,” ABARES executive director Steve Hatfield-Dodds said.
“If this outlook is realised, ABARES does not envisage a significant change between the September 2017 and December 2017 forecasts of winter crop production in SA.”
Nationally however, unfavourable spring conditions are expected to further downgrade the harvest total, presently at 36.3mt.
The next Australian crop report will be released on December 5.
