Rain turns the tables on summer crop plantings.
By Chris Johnson
6th December, 2023
One can only hope that after the big falls across the eastern cropping belt last week, that the BOM manages to get this week’s forecast right, and growers in Southern NSW and Victoria escape any significant additional rain. With headers back in the paddock, harvesting should be moving along at a solid pace under clearer skies.
From the Liverpool Plains to Central Queensland summer crop planting, of either sorghum or dryland cotton is ongoing, making use of the recent rains. Sorghum prices have been feeling the pressure of the expected planted area increase, though just getting this extra crop in the ground with some good moisture around the seed, is a far better scenario than the one that most thought would be playing out just a couple of weeks ago. Harvesting in SA and WA seem likely to continue to see good harvesting weather, with only the odd passing showers not likely to cause to much disruption.
While most with crop still in the paddock waited with bated breath to find out what damage has been done to quality, I have already heard reports of the dreaded falling numbers on some of the last of the wheat on the Liverpool Plains coming in well under 200 seconds. Turning what would have been milling grade wheat, and pasta quality durum into nothing more than SFW1. While the crop in the most southern and southwestern parts of the NSW, and most of the Victoria are only just ripe enough for harvest, hopefully they will have used up just 1 or 2 of their 9 harvest lives at best!
Australian wheat and barley prices remain expensive in the international marketplace, with Wheat from the Black Sea still undercutting every other origin, and French and Black Sea barley continuing to price us out of export business.
Prices for wheat and barley delivered into the Downs feedlots has lost ground in the last week, with continued harvest selling pressure, and the quality question mark still sitting over the yet to be harvested crop weighing heavily on prices. With the nearby demand all but covered, February/March is the earliest a new sale made today will likely be called upon for delivery. With the cattle market kicking on the back of the rains, pasture paddocks looking a little fresher, and less stock coming on to feed will also start to play into the feedlots grain usage requirements.
Canola prices continue to see-saw in their current price range, with international markets carefully watching Brazilian soybean planting and establishment, along with European rapeseed crop progress to try and determine some price direction. Snow cover for the European winter will be important, and if this fails to arrive in a timely fashion the crop could be susceptible to frost and or freezing, rather than a winter dormancy. Meanwhile Brazilian soybean planting remains behind the main historical averages. Locally growers haven’t engaged in selling off the header as in previous years, hopeful of a post-harvest kick to prices in the new year.
Rain welcome in the North with Sorghum set to be sown.
Storm conditions have provided welcome rainfall to areas of Southern Queensland and Northern New South Wales. With rainfall totals between 15-50mm in the last week and some areas receiving more than 100mm........
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