West Australian farmers have begun harvesting one of the state’s biggest ever grain crops, forecast to reach 25.4 million tonnes and expected to be worth $7.8 billion.<\/p>\n
The WA harvest will account for potentially 40 per cent of Australia’s total winter grain crop.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Spring weather has been ideal, prompting the state’s main grain handler, the CBH Group, to “work furiously” to build additional “emergency” storage for grain across the state.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The bulk of WA’s grain growers span a 1,200-kilometre distance from Geraldton at the top and Esperance at the bottom and both regions are forecast to produce record-breaking crops, with some loads of canola and barley already delivered to CBH in Esperance and Kwinana port zones.<\/p>\n
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Michael Lamond says\u00a0this season has been one of the best on record in WA. (ABC Rural: Jo Prendergast)<\/p>\n
Grains Industry Association of WA (GIWA) crop report author Michael Lamond said warmer winter temperatures had fuelled crop growth.<\/p>\n
“You couldn’t have fathomed 25 million tonne in June, when a lot of the crop hadn’t been sown,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“It’s a surprise for everyone, the season just got better in the second half of July.<\/p>\n
“It’s going to be a cracker of a year.”<\/p>\n
Wheat at Pindar in WA’s north-eastern grain belt. (ABC Midwest Wheatbelt: Chris Lewis)<\/p>\n
Prices not so great<\/p>\n
In 2022, Western Australia produced a record 25 million tonne crop, worth $10 billion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While this year’s crop is a comparable size, Mr Lamond said falling grain prices meant this season’s was worth about $7.8 billion.<\/p>\n
The international benchmark for wheat prices, the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), is now hovering at a five-year low, due to an oversupply of grain in the northern hemisphere.<\/p>\n
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Crop production in the Esperance region is on track to break tonnage records in 2025. (ABC Esperance: Tara De Landgrafft)<\/p>\n
Grain market analyst Nick Crundall said domestic prices had firmed in recent weeks, but it was a challenging time for many Australian grain growers.<\/p>\n
“Profitability in broadacre cropping is going to be very challenged this year, input prices have not come down in line with what grain prices have done,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Unless something changes between now and over the next \u2026 six to eight months, they’re going to be looking at a very challenging margin situation in their cropping program.”<\/p>\n
A personal best<\/p>\n
Mic and Marnie Fels, who farm at Wittenoom Hills 50 kilometres north-east of Esperance, began harvesting 2,000 hectares of canola this week.<\/p>\n
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Mic Fels says he has never seen better barley than this year. (ABC News: Emma Field)<\/p>\n
“We are looking at a few personal best [for crop yields] this year if the wheels don’t fall off,” Mr Fels said.<\/p>\n
“We’ve got the best barley I’ve ever grown or seen, it’s amazing this year.<\/p>\n
“I don’t want to jinx myself though, let’s see how we go.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Farmers have begun harvesting barley and canola in the Esperance region. (Supplied: Monica Field)<\/p>\n
Mr Lamond said there had been isolated patches of frost in some areas, and the central Wheatbelt had lost potential due to drier winter conditions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“That’s been annoying for those growers, but most should have a good year,” he said. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Rain damage to crops before they are harvested is now the most serious concern for farmers.<\/p>\n
In the northern end of the grainbelt, crops are late to ripen after ideal mild spring weather and a late start to the season.<\/p>\n
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WA’s grain harvest is about to get in full swing. (ABC Midwest Wheatbelt: Jo Prendergast)<\/p>\n
Mark Flannagan expects to start harvesting 24,000 hectares of wheat next week at Pindar, 130km east of Geraldton.<\/p>\n
“We think it looks really good, there’s a lot more weight in the grain this year than last year, we’re battling to find small grain when we rub heads out,” he said.<\/p>\n
But the 100 millimetres that fell during harvest last year, damaging grain and bogging machines, is fresh in his mind.<\/p>\n
“It’s looking good, but it ain’t over till it’s over,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Rain damage to crops before they are harvested is now the most serious concern for farmers. (Supplied: Monica Field)<\/p>\n
National crop a mixed bag<\/p>\n
Across Australia, farmers were forecast to harvest 62 million tonnes of winter grains, in the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) September crop report.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This would have been the nation’s third largest harvest on record.\u00a0<\/p>\n