ABARES September quarter report shows we’re in for another bumper harvest. Farmpix Photography
It seems like you can throw anything at farmers and they’ll cope.
The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) latest report on Agricultural Commodities: September quarter forecasts agricultural gross value of production to be $73 billion this harvest.
This is up from last year’s production of $66 billion that had to be revised during last year from an initial estimate of $60 billion because of better seasonal conditions.
Canowindra Produce Agronomist Brad O’Reilly said producers should come out of harvest much better than last year.
“We’ve had two seasons in a row of great growth,” he said. “It’s going to be a great canola crop this year. Cereals look the same.”
However, Brad said recent heavy rainfalls have resulted in warnings. “Farmers need to keep on top of fungal disease,” he said.
The winter growth is remarkable and unprecedented in these economic times, with plenty of industries in Australia being under strain.
Brad said the return should have farmers smiling, with Canola prices at $850/tonne when they were $500/tonne last year.
“The gross margin at the end of the season should be pretty good, with a bit of a profit this time around compared to last year.”
“Stock prices are holding well for the whole agricultural sector and commodities.”
Mice will also be an issue again this year. Brad warns producers to be prepared this time around. While mouse numbers are unlikely to impact the harvest, they may affect grain stored on-site.