Information on Selected Australian Crops |
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| Barley | Cotton | Corn |
| Millet | Oats | Peanut |
| Rapeseed | Rice | Sorghum |
| Soybean | Sunflower | Wheat |
| Potatoes | Sugarcane | Sheep |
| Index of Calendars | So.
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Australia
Info CIA Factbook |
1997/98 Western Australia produced the bulk of Australian crops, followed by New South Wales. - ABS Aug'98. For the first time in five years the market has not rewarded grain growers who held back grain at harvest. Prices will not lift between now and harvest. - "The Weekly Times" August 19, 1998
...description and notes go here... 1997/98 South Australia was largest Barley producer.
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NSW Yields of irrigated cotton sown after October are usually below those of crops sown in late September-early October. High yielding dryland crops can be sown as late as mid-December at Narrabri and further north. The latest sowing date for high yields from dryland crops in the Liverpool Plains area is late November. - NSW Agriculture
Over 90% of Australian cotton produced is exported. As the largest Southern Hemisphere cotton exporter, Australia offers new crop cotton to spinners during the Northern Hemisphere off-season.
The full life cycle of the cotton plant from planting to picking lasts about 150 days. The seedlings appear approximately five days after sowing. 45 - 50 days later the first flowers open, pollination takes place and the peak flowering time occurs 80 - 110 days after planting. The bolls now form and open about 120 days after planting.
How much cotton is produced per hectare
in Australia?
Australia achieves the highest cotton yields in the world with
1488 kg of lint (6.6 bales) per hectare compared with the world
average of 2.5 bales per hectare.
How much seed cotton is required to
produce one bale of lint?
An Australian bale is 227 kg of lint. It takes approximately 675
kg of seed cotton to produce one bale.
How much cotton does one plant produce?
A single plant can produce up to 75 bolls. It takes
approximately150,000 bolls (2,000 plants) to make a bale an
Austrlian 227kg bale.
Australian Cotton Information Links
Australia Cotton News Highlights
COTTON GROWING TRIALS PLANNED FOR NORTH QUEENSLAND
Thursday 17 September, 1998 (2:23pm AEST)
Moves are again underway to establish a cotton growing industry
in north Queensland with a number of southern based companies
planning to establish cotton growing trials in the region. A
small trial crop has already been planted 200 kilometres north of
McKay at Bowen, and the Country Hour understands a number of
other unnamed companies are expected to establish further trials.
Central Queensland Manager for Cotton Australia, Jamie Milne,
says there's every chance the cotton industry will push further
north. JAMIE MILNE: Well as I said, the limiting factor will be
water, but as far as all the other factors go, the soil type and
the climate up there is quite favourable for cotton production.
The other factor I guess would be the distance from the nearest
gin, but if it does go ahead I should imagine that some of the
ginning companies would look favourably at putting in new gins
closer to the area.
The amount of genetically modified cotton grown in Australia is expected to increase in the coming season. Monsanto has announced that it's been given approval by the National Registration Authority for cotton growers to plant 85,000 hectares of its Ingard Cotton during 1998/99. It's estimated 64,000 hectares of the insect resistant plant was grown in Australia last year. Monsanto's Richard Jagger says if the full 85,000 hectares is planted, Ingard would account for 20% of all the cotton planted in Australia this coming season. - ABC News,24 August, 1998
...description and notes go here... 1997/98 Western Australia was largest oats producer.
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Australian Rapeseed
...description and notes go here...
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POST Sep'98: Australian rice production is based in southern
NSW. Between 1993-94 and 1995-96 the NSW rice industry received
water allocation of between 100-120 percent. The allocation for
1997-98 started the season at 75 percent, with the final
allocation being 90 percent. The lack of water was due to
seasonal problems which included the El Nino event. The NSW
Murray river system lost a large amount of water due to
maintenance work on the Hume Dam wall which resulted in the
release of a substantial amount of water from the Dam.
Low dam levels at the beginning if the 1998-99 season have
resulted in water allocations currently being very low, i.e.
around 52 percent for the MIA and 25 percent for the Murray
valley system. ABARE forecast water allocation figures will
increase to around 85 percent for the MIA and 60 percent for the
Murray valley. The 1.01 million MT production forecast for
1998-99 is based on the above mentioned forecast water allocation
figures. Rice can be planted until mid-November thus rain in the
next few months will dictate future prospects for this
industry...Scott Turner
Major survey or rice farmers found that mMore than 40% of Riverina ricegrowers are lowering groundwater by growing a winter crop immediately after rice. - "The Land" Aug 98
NSW Grain Sorghum: Sowing usually starts in late October in the Moree/Narrabri area when soil temperatures are satisfactory for establishment. In the Gunnedah area sowing can commence in early November, continuing through until early January. There is strong optimism paddocks will dry sufficiently to enable sowing on time but some feed grain prices are depressed. - NSW Agriculture 9/98
A rapid build up of the cattle feedlot industry in the summer rainfall areas resulted in an increase in sorghum production and a decrease in sunflower production during the 80's (a time also of low oil values). Sorghum has a dual purpose: a) grain for lot feeding and b) the stand over sorghum stubbleprovides nutrition through the winter months for breeding cows, supplying the feedlots with feedercattle.("Oilseed production and utilization in Australia" ,presented by Ian Mack President, Canola Association of Australia, New South Wales, Australia)
Central QLD crop typically provides 30% of ALD sorghum production. (FAS file notes, 1992) Grain sorghum is a summer crop usually planted in spring and early summer and harvested in late autumn and early winter. The plant is susceptible to frosts during the growing period. It can be grown on a wide variety of soil types from light loams to heavy clays but the heavier soils, with better moisture retention, are best suited, particulary in areas subject to long dry periods to realize the high yield potential of the plant. Sorghum readily follows any crop in a rotation system. Sorghum deplete soil moisture and nitrogen. Perennial plant in the absencse of frost fresh growth continues after harvest which is not a desirable feature in modern farming systems designed for maximum stubble retention and moisture conservation. The soils most suited to sorghum are the black, grey and brown self-mulching cracking clays. Sorghum responds well to irrigation, with average yields on the Darling Downs of 4.5 t/ha compared to dryland yields of 2.4 t/ha over the period 1977 to 1981. Like sugarcane sorghum has a ratooning ability so in areas free of frost a few early irrigated crops are harvested, slashed, heavily fertilized and watered to provide a second (ratoon) crop in the same season. Costliest pest: sorghum midge; weed: thornapples.
NSW Irrigated crops are an option in inland areas of northern NSW. Sowing should be completed by mid-December for high yield potential. Dryland crops also need to be sown by mid-December. Seed availability will limit sowings and soybeans may be an option only for a relatively few of the growers who are unable to sow irrigated cotton. - NSW Agriculture
A shortage of irrigation water and high cotton prices resulted in available land for soybeans almostdisappearing. Even today there is only a small area on the coast and hinterland of Southern Queensland and Northern NSW suitable for rain grown (dryland) soybean production. Soybeansproduced in the main cropping belts in Australia are dependant on irrigation water. Consequentlysoybeans struggle for country against other high return crops including cotton, rice and maize.("Oilseed production and utilization in Australia" ,presented by Ian Mack President, Canola Association of Australia, New South Wales, Australia)
NSW In the Moree/Narrabri area spring dryland
and irrigated crops should be sown
by late September to avoid heat stress during seed filling. Late
sunflower crops
may be sown from late December to late January. On the Liverpool
Plains,
sunflowers may be sown in all spring/summer months. -NSW
Agriculture Sep98
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AWB LTD. CONFIRMS 1996/97 WHEAT HARVEST AS "MOST
VALUABLE"
It's been confirmed that last year's wheat harvest was
Australia's "most valuable" on record. National wheat
marketing body, AWB Limited has released the details of the final
pool payments for the 1996/97 harvest showing the crop was worth
$4.17 billion. AWB Limited says the final pool payment, which
represents about 5% of the total pool equity, will be worth
another $187 million. On average, growers can can expect a final
payment for the 96/97 pool of $9.43 a tonne. - "ABC
News", 31 August, 1998
other winter grains: August 20, 1998, NSW some growers were sowing crops of canary seed and safflower. - The Land
Other Australia Agriculture
Australia Pasture
...a measure of pasture growth is in kilograms of green dry matter per hectare per day. within one region there is often wide variations in growth between paddocks. In June 1998, season of abundant rainfall, pasture growth rates ranged from 10 to 30. lower numbers, 10, 12,16 were associated with cold, too wet, or too dry.
Australian Chick pea
...Northern New South Wales, including the major chick pea producing areas of Walgett and Moree. Queensland has a chick pea crop.
Australian Sugarcane
...description and notes go here...Sugar Cane 2 year growing season
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Australian
Sheep & Lambshearing
...important to market lambs before they cut their teeth... Sheep and lamb flock declined by 0.5 percent to 119.6 million at the end of March. It was the eigth successive annual decline. "With expected matings 1.9 percent down on last year's forecast, the flock size seem likely to decrease even further in 1998/99" - ABS Aug/98 re: 1997/98 stats.
...; Dairy cattle herds rose 1.6 percent to about 3 million, while beef cattle herds fell 0.5 percent to 23.7 million. ABS Aug/98 re: 1997/98 stats.