Australia forecasts record wheat and barley harvests

Favorable weather conditions and high yields are driving record grain production and exports in the 2025-2026 marketing year. Australia is expected to deliver record wheat and barley harvests in the 2025-2026 marketing year, according to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). The FAS forecasts barley production at 15 million tonnes, 27% above the 10-year average of 11.8 million tonnes and 2 million tonnes above the previous forecast published three months ago. “This reflects better-than-expected growing conditions in most regions of the country and strong early harvest yields in Queensland and northern New South Wales, where harvesting has already begun,” the report notes. Australia is traditionally the world’s largest barley exporter and ranks among the top three producers. The projected export volume for the current year is 8.3 million tonnes, which is in line with the 2024-25 season level and significantly above the 10-year ...