YORK grower Peter Keeble's canola crop has been the standout this year, yielding on average one tonne per hectare more than the farm's average of 1.2t/ha.
Peter, pictured with sons Andrew (left) and Matthew, cropped 2700ha this year, with 400ha of canola, 100ha lupins, 40ha oats and the remainder planted to wheat.
The family started harvest about four weeks ago, with mixed yields and quality showing up.
"It's been up and down - there's been some really good and then pretty average frosted stuff," Peter said.
"Canola has been exceptional and I think we'll end up somewhere above average overall but you just never know as it's still early days in the wheat."
Peter said it was very rare for the farm to be hit with frost.
"We have quite undulating country and down in the valley you might get a little along the creek line but this year in the wheat there was a patch of about 20-30ha that just had nothing in it."
Andrew said quality had not been too much of a problem, with the majority going APW2 and only one load going ASW.
He said early sown wheat had borne most of the damage from frost.
"In all the earlier season wheat there's been about 40 per cent frost damage, but we're now in one of the last paddocks sown and that has no damage," he said.
Like all growers Peter hopes to see upward movement in the grain price.
"We forward sold some and just sold the canola as there was a bit of a spike but who knows what is going to happen?
"You try and spread the risk and sell some early and some next year but price is pretty average at the moment especially if you don't have the quality - if you drop down to ASW that's a $40/t drop."
