FARMERS are becoming increasingly concerned about how crop quality will hold-up with the storms and ongoing unsettled weather.
Sporadic thunderstorms, dumping as much as 40 millimetres in some areas, has limited harvested activity through central and southern NSW in the past week. Harvesting the in the north is close to finalised.
Rainfall amounts through the central west and southern NSW ranged from 5mm up to 40mm around Mathoura and Moulamein along the Murray. Cloud-bursts in some areas dropped as much as 50mm around near Wagga, such was the nature of the stormy weather.
Last week’s storms are not expected to adversely affect grain quality, but farmers are worried about more rain which could tip the scales towards widespread quality downgrading. Humid and stormy conditions are expected to continue through the next week, but forecasters aren’t expecting any significant rain.
Grain receivals into the Graincorp network continue to lag with the rain-stalled harvest. As at November 20, Graincorp had received 628,000 tonnes of grain into its NSW grain network from the 2017 grain markets, sharply below the longer-term averages for this time.
Yields have been patchy, but most farmers are reporting disappointing crops however the grain quality has been good, with most of the wheat in the north making Australian Prime Hard (APH).
Drought conditions during the winter have also played a big part in the small grain deliveries, with many farmers in the north west of the state not even harvesting a crop. Queensland grain deliveries were also decimated by the dry winter, with Graincorp harvest deliveries sharply lower than recent years.
Storm activity through northern NSW has dropped more rain on sorghum crops. It’s been an ideal start for the sorghum crop in the north which was planted on good moisture and has seen regular storm activity during November.
Good summer crop conditions have taken the steam out of northern grain markets. Northern NSW grain prices continued to ease with Newcastle Australian Premium White (APW) finishing the week down $14 at $301/t port. Higher protein grades were down $10/t to $15/t, while stockfeed wheat was steady at $300/t.
Southern NSW wheat markets softened with the weakness in the Newcastle zone. Port Kembla exporter bids for APW ended the week down $5/t at $286/t port.
Farmer selling remains slow. On farm bids remain well supported.
The first interstate grain shipment for the season was discharged in Brisbane last week. At least some of the 23,000-tonne shipment of barley from South Australia that was discharged at a Brisbane port last week is expected to find its way into Darling Downs feedlots. Some of the as barley is also expected be used by maltsters.
Traders believe the shipment was booked before the October rain when northern grain prices were high enough to justify shipping costs from South Australia.
