The State’s farmers are on a knife’s edge that could see a bumper harvest deliver a record $2.8 billion winter crop, Minister for Primary Industries, Steve Whan, said today
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“That’s more than double the annual average of the last drought-stricken decade according to Industry & Investment NSW,” Minister Whan said.

“Things are finally turning to gold for rural and regional NSW which has been dogged by drought for far too long.

“Just 7.1% of the State is officially drought declared.

“With healthy prices, record plantings and a predicted best-ever 12 million tonne yield – the estimated crop income would be a major, long-awaited injection into the NSW regional economy.

“The predicted $1.8 billion wheat crop represents three-quarters of the overall plantings and almost two-thirds of the estimated harvest value – and would be the highest value wheat crop ever produced in NSW.

The bumper crop comprises:

• 2.95 million hectares of wheat
• 316,500 hectares of canola
• 782,000 hectares of barley
• 337,000 hectares of chickpea

“While there is still a way to go before the harvest is complete and the money is in the bank, this has been the best start for the winter crop in years.

“Locusts, fungal diseases and waterlogging are the risks still facing our farmers this season – but these challenges are less daunting than those posed by the lengthy drought.”

Minister Whan said grower information meetings on locusts, and others on stripe rust control, held across the State by local Livestock Health and Pest Authorities and Industry & Investment NSW, were aimed at protecting the valuable winter crop.

“More than 20 locust information meetings have already been held since mid-August and 50 more are scheduled to deliver important information at the local level,” he said.

“This includes predicted hatching dates, insecticide pick-up locations and contact details for reporting locust sightings.

“Finding locusts early will be crucial to the success of the campaign to minimise the impact of locusts in what is expected to be the State’s worst locust plague in 30 years.”

Minister Whan said wheat crop losses to stripe rust can also reach as high as 50% of potential crop yield where the fungal disease is not controlled.

Industry & Investment NSW Technical Specialist Pulses and Oilseeeds Don McCaffery cautioned that previous high production years had not meant all farmers in the State have benefitted.

“In 1996 it was north-east which had a bumper year, in 2008 it was the north-west, and in 2000 it was the south-west,” Mr McCaffery said.

“It is hard to say at this stage which areas will contribute most to this year’s estimated 7.8 million tonne wheat crop yield.

“It is also likely that gross margin returns for individual farmers will differ greatly across the State because of variable conditions and management practices.”

Minister Whan said the winter crop harvest would start in mid-to-late October in the north of the State and finish in the south in December.

“There is still some time to pass before the harvest but the start to the season is very promising,” he said.