The timing for seeding was the critical factor in WA cropping programs this year, according to the Grain Industry Association of WA (GIWA).
It said with the break of season reliant on decent rainfall, and the decision to sow early often based on predicted rainfall or subsoil moisture content from summer rainfall, these random elements led to many predicting the 2023 season would be different to the previous record-breaking harvest.
Follow up rain throughout the growing season was not consistent and the timing of rain and weather conditions produced mixed outcomes.
GIWA Crop Report author and SLR Agriculture chief executive officer/research agronomist Michael Lamond, York, said there were some interesting results.
He said timing was a major factor.
"The timing of emergence was critical in getting a good yield," Mr Lamond said.
"We said this all through the season - timing of emergence was critical in getting a good yield and this was the major point for the year.
"Timing is always important but this year it really separated out and this is because of the shorter growing season."
This was the case for all the regions and within the same type and variety of grain sown, something that was flagged by growers at harvest.
When breaking down the results, Mr Lamond said one of the main points was how canola performed well in low rainfall areas, particularly where there was soil amelioration, however in the low rainfall areas on heavier country, it really fell away.
For others, canola was affected by the hard finish to the season.
"Canola really did suffer from the poor finish," Mr Lamond said.
Another factor that stood out because of the shorter growing season was the performance of barley.
"Barley out did the wheat because of the shorter season," he said.
"While wheat has been the preference over the past few years because of its performance in the longer seasons, we have seen a bit of a change.
"I think this may result in a little bit of a swap back into barley."
Overall the amount of hard wheat delivered was up across the board, which Mr Lamond said was reflective of the tight seasonal finish.
"A very high proportion of the wheat deliveries were hard," he said.
"Eighty per cent of Geraldton wheat was hard, 50pc for Albany, 70pc for Esperance and 40-50pc for Kwinana."
When taking into account past seasons, Mr Lamond said this year's results were similar, even though the conditions were in reverse to what would normally be.
"Normally you get a terrible year when you have frost then heat," he said.
"This year we had it around the other way and had those few days of heat, then came the frost.
"Oddly it garnered the same results."
Mr Lamond noted the current long range prediction was similar to last year.
"While it is still a long way off and could change (DPIRD senior research scientist) Ian Foster said it looked like the Indian Ocean dipole was going to drop off," Mr Lamond said.
"They are still predicting higher than average temperatures for summer and a lower probability of cyclones.
"This would mean less summer rain, but as I mentioned this could change overnight and the season is a long way off."
The final GIWA Crop Report for 2023 has shown total tonnages close to what was predicted at the start of the season, being about 14.5mt at the start of last week.
CBH deliveries to last week were 12,328,000t.
