GIWA Crop Report speculates on 24.74mt WA crop

But with harvest running several weeks later than normal, the question remains as to by how much?

According to the latest Grain Industry Association of Western Australia (GIWA) Crop Report, released last Friday, total WA production is expected to be 24.74 million tonnes.

However, with so much harvesting to go, the final result will not be known until mid-January 2023.

Regardless, it will be a year to remember across all WA graingrowing regions, for the yields achieved but also for those in the southern regions with the unseasonal weather leading up to and during harvest.

Report author Michael Lamond said grain yields in some cases were the best ever and in most cases, growers average paddock yields were higher than in 2021, which produced a record tonnage by a fair margin.

"However, the very wet southern Albany and Esperance port zones may not come in with all the tonnes expected due to the likely impact of lodged crops and head loss on final harvested yields," Mr Lamond said

"Apart from the lower protein due to the dilution from the very high yields, wheat grain quality has been very good with very low screenings and very high grain weight.

"Falling numbers and sprouting have not been too bad, although much of the area of suspect varieties in the rain impacted southern regions is still to be harvested."

According to the report, wheat will exceed 13mt with more of a contribution from the low rainfall regions than there has been for a long time.

Canola and lupin yields have both been exceptional and in most regions are yielding whole-paddock averages not seen before, while barley grain yields and quality have been good in all areas other than the southern regions.

Growers in the Geraldton port zone still have a bit to go to finish off the wheat and with bins filling rapidly, they are racing against neighbours to get the crop off.

"It was a later than normal start for growers to get stuck into it, however the region has only lost two days due to harvest bans," Mr Lamond said.

"Grain yields for all crops are up on the 2021 season, which saw just over 4mt produced in the region, so it will certainly be another record for the zone."

Harvesting in the Kwinana North Midlands region is about 60 to 70 per cent completed with canola and barley done and just wheat to go, plus some growers leaving a few lupin paddocks for the end of their programs.

Grain yields for canola, lupins, barley and wheat are all exceptional.

The whole medium to higher rainfall regions of the Kwinana South zone are having a very good year and will probably end up better than 2021.

"The region had a later start than the rest of the State, although the very warm temperatures in the winter pushed crops along and mostly caught up with the other regions by spring," Mr Lamond said.

There is still canola to come off as many growers increased the percentage in the rotation to close to 50pc of their cropped area.

There have been some exceptional wheat and barley grain yields in the Kwinana North East area, particularly north of Merredin through to Mukinbudin, Beacon, Warralakin, Wialki and Bonnie Rock.

"Many growers through those areas have had a tough run over the past few years and won't be too concerned if they do not finish harvest until Christmas," Mr Lamond said.

"Further east, the yields have been above average rather than exceptional."

West Albany zone growers are getting close to wrapping up the canola harvest with 3.0 tonne per hectare averages across programs for many and oil percentages in the high 40s, adding a bit of cream to the margins.

The absence of the very wet areas experienced in 2021 has had an impact of pushing whole paddock averages up this year to a point that will exceed last year and that is likely going to be the case when the cereal paddocks are harvested as well.

It is a different story in Albany South where canola yields have been all over the place.

The variable yields seem to be due to the lack of podding on the main stem, the wet areas quickly switching to being too dry for the crops to adjust to in the spring and the impact of frost.

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Once everyone was able to get started, harvest in the Albany East region has been ticking along nicely.

"There is some question as to whether there will be more grain produced this year than last year, but as 2021 was such a good year, it is difficult to imagine a result that will top it," Mr Lamond said.

Harvesting in the Esperance zone has been a pretty frustrating affair, with more rain during harvest than was received during the growing season for some areas.

"The continuous rain is resulting in a lot of weather damaged grain," Mr Lamond said.

"Growers have found it difficult to get the moisture down to deliverable standards and are having to go to silo bags for storage and will deal with this high moisture grain later."