WA harvest could smash 2022 record thanks to big crop planted and barley-growing boom

WA’s grain harvest could smash the record set three years ago with a big crop planted and a boom in barley-growing.

The latest industry forecast estimates the State’s farmers could harvest 25.4 million tonnes of grain between now and February, challenging the 26Mt record set in 2022.

The forecast, released by the Grain Industry Association of WA, was up 2Mt on last month’s estimate and comes as harvest kicks off in the Esperance area.

It will be the fourth time in five years WA grain farmers have harvested a crop bigger than 20Mt, after breaking through what many thought was an unachievable barrier in 2021.

Driving this year’s bumper harvest is the additional 500,000ha of crop planted compared to three years ago, as farmers continue to prioritise cropping over sheep.

GIWA crop report author Michael Lamond, an agronomist at York, said the amount of land cropped in WA has increased by about 15 per cent in the past four years, partially driven by the Albanese Government’s plan to ban live sheep exports.

There has also been a boost in the amount of barley planted this year, with many farmers dropping canola in favour of barley, which yields about twice as much grain.

These factors, Mr Lamond said, would offset the lower production in other areas.

Barley was expected to be the star performer across WA this year, contributing more than 30 per cent of the total grain in the State.

“Barley crops have looked sensational all year,” Mr Lamond said.

“The season has suited barley . . . and with more than seven million tonnes expected to be harvested, this will be the largest barley crop on record.”

Farmers were also fortunate to avoid significant damage to their crops from both frost and heat stress, with light frost events expected to have a minimal impact on tonnage.

It’s not been a picture-perfect season for everyone, with many areas having crop yield potential impacted by limited rainfall during the “critical grain-fill” period.

Mr Lamond said wheat production would likely be up in the Geraldton, Albany and Esperance areas compared to 2022, while production in more central areas had been impacted due to a later start and a lack of finishing rains.

Canola yields were expected to be mixed after what Mr Lamond described as a “scratchy start” and a lack of rainfall early in some areas.

“Much of the crop had to make up ground during the winter to fill the gaps left from the scratchy start,” he said.

“Canola crops are exceptional in the higher rainfall regions of the Geraldton, Midlands, West Albany, south coast and Esperance . . . this is where the big tonnes will come from.”

WA’s grain harvest kicked off on October 12 with a 55-tonne delivery to CBH’s Chadwick site, with deliveries since flowing in at Ravensthorpe and other nearby receival sites.

Mr Lamond said harvest was expected to start in the Kwinana and Geraldton Port Zones between late October and early November — about one to two weeks later than usual.

WA’s grain-growing districts are split into four main areas, with farmers in the biggest — the Kwinana Port Zone — expected to harvest 10.5Mt of grain this year.

The Albany Port Zone was expected to harvest 6.3Mt of grain, followed by the Geraldton Port Zone at 4.4Mt and the Esperance Port Zone at 4.15Mt.