Australia: WA croppers endure a tough start

Published 2024년 4월 21일

Tridge summary

The Western Australian grains sector is currently grappling with concerns about a potentially delayed start to the autumn season and ongoing dry conditions, as reported by the WAGG chairman Alastair Falconer and the Grains Industry of Western Australia's April crop report. With much of the state's grain-producing regions experiencing below-average rainfall since the spring, there's an increasing reliance on in-crop rainfall for the season's success. Farmers are continuing with dry sowing while considering adjustments to their crop rotations in response to the persistent dry weather. Although there's still hope for a positive turnaround, the current lack of sub-soil moisture and the risks posed by a late season break could significantly affect the yield potential.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

The increasing likelihood of a late autumn break is weighing heavily on the minds of those within the WA grains sector. Much of Australia's largest grain producing state has seen markedly below average rainfall since spring, with isolated pockets of storm-driven rainfall in the eastern wheatbelt the only exception. WA Grains Group (WAGG) chairman and Mid West farmer Alastair Falconer said there was still ample time for the season to recover but cautioned farmers were becoming concerned about the dry conditions. "The average timing of the autumn break for WA is not until around May 10, so we are still a way off that yet, but the medium term 14 day outlook does not have a lot of promise for rain so it doesn't look likely we'll get a lot of crop up before that date," Mr Falconer, who farms at Coorow, between Perth and Geraldton, said. "The in-crop rainfall is the key in our cropping systems so there's still well and truly the chance for things to turnaround but we do like to get the ...

Source: Farmweekly