GRAIN yields in the northern half of Western Australia are lower than what was estimated a month ago, according to the Grain Industry Association of WA (GIWA).
In its November 2019 report, released last Friday, it said grain yields for all crops in the northern areas, where harvest is 50 to 70 per cent complete, are up to 50pc below recent averages.
In the central eastern regions, grain yields are 25 to 30pc below recent averages.
Further south and west where harvesting has only just begun, grain yields are higher, although in most cases still below average.
In the Esperance port zone it is a very mixed bag due to the compounding influence of the frost events in spring.
Wheat quality is variable and grain yields so far are a little less than predicted.
Grain protein is higher than in previous years due to the low yields.
Barley grain yields are in most cases lower than they look, with high to very high screenings.
Few deliveries are making malt grades due to screenings and/or protein being too high.
Ten years ago when barley was around 20pc of the total cereal production, 50pc of deliveries were malt.
Last year, barley was 50pc of cereal production and 20pc of that was malt.
GIWA said this year WA would struggle to produce the usual historical amount of malt barley of one million tonnes.
Total grain tonnage is going to be around 25pc lower in WA than the more recent eight-year average of around 15mt.
GIWA said a return of between 11 and 12mt of total grain would be a good result considering the low growing season rainfall, higher than average temperatures in spring and no rain in September.
It said crop grain yields would pick up as harvest stepped up a gear in the southern regions and these areas would make up a bit of ground on the low yields returned so far, especially from areas north of the Great Eastern Highway.
Canola is yielding more than expected and total canola production could exceed 1mt.
To achieve this canola yields in the southern regions would need to continue the trend from the north and central regions i.e. being 10 to 20pc higher than pre-harvest estimates.
Lupin grain yields are coming in higher than pre-harvest estimates.
The short lupin crops have made harvesting difficult although recent higher prices are compensating for the effort.
Oat grain and hay yields are well down on last harvest, although current high prices have negated some of the downside in tonnage for growers.
