Mixed conditions bag for WA grain growers as many gear up for seeding despite geopolitical uncertainty

Grain growers are ploughing ahead with their seeding despite constraints around global fuel and fertiliser supply, gambling their odds on breaking even or making a profit this cropping season. Mid West grain growers have been handed a mixed bag of conditions amid a lack of rainfall and global geopolitical uncertainty. Agronomist Anne Millar said 90 per cent of her clients had pulled up on their plans before getting into dry seeding next week. It’s business as usual for many growers along the south coast, near Albany, as they prepare to put canola down while conditions are perfect. Wheatbelt growers around Toodyay and Wongan Hills are split on their seeding, with larger croppers seeding as usual and smaller farms pausing plans for fear they won’t be able to secure fertiliser and fuel supply needed to finish their crops. Wongan Hills and Toodyay Elders agronomist Alana Hartley said pre-cyclone Narelle rainfall had turned out to be “a bit of a fizzle”, giving growers in the Toodyay area 30mm to 45mm. “That sort of topped up the soils from the decent rainfall event that we had in February which was around 20mm to 35mm depending on where you were within the Avon Valley area, whether it was around Northam or out towards Meckering,” she said. “All the Central Wheatbelt received over those two rainfall events was between 50mm to 85mm.” Ms Hartley said the rainfall gave some growers the confidence to start seeding despite uncertainty around nitrogen security, while other paused after their fuel allocation had been reduced and uncertainty around nitrogen deliveries. “There was a few guys that have put canola in the ground and then they’re just going to wait and see what happens,” she said. “And then there’s guys that have completely flipped and gone; ‘we haven’t got enough fuel and we haven’t got enough fertiliser, we’re just going to put a whole lot of lupins in so that we’ve got the nitrogen for next year and we don’t have to spend the money and find nitrogen’. “That’s going to be really interesting watching that crop over the next couple of months with those guys that have had to make massive changes to their program because of fertiliser availability, because I reckon there’s going to be some down price, but we’ll see what happens.” Geraldton agronomist Anne Millar said about 90 per cent of her clients had put their dry seeding plans on hold due to a lack of rainfall, but many were hoping to resume next week. “There’s no rain in sight,” she said. “Seeding will probably begin pretty soon, now that the problem is at the second it’s still that half wet, half dry, so we’re nervous to put anything in and have it half germinate or germinate and die . . . kind of have to hold off on canola so we don’t lose it.” Ms Millar said canola planting in the region was set to increase this year. She said some fields had been left fallow, while more lupins had gone in than first expected because of the geopolitical uncertainty and increased fertiliser costs. Buntine crop and cattle farmer Stuart McAlpine is determined kick off his cropping plans later this week, planning to put in canola first, followed by lupins and wheat vetch across his 5000ha farm that also runs between 400 to 500 head of Angus cattle. “We’re sort of half wet and half dry, otherwise we might have started that before now, and then there was a thunderstorm going through a couple of nights ago which put another couple of millimetres out there, but it’s not too bad,” he said. “We’ll put canola in first, and then some lupins, and then we’ll probably put some hybrid pasture wheat in. “At this stage we’re just gonna roll with whatever happens — the aim is to do what we’re going to do, but we’ll see . . . no one knows what’s going on in the world at the moment.” Along the south coast, near Albany, grain growers are operating as usual with many looking to increase their canola crop and continue on with their initial growing regime. Agronomist James Bee said the majority of his growers were determined to stick to their program, juggling their paddocks based on nitrogen supply, existing nitrogen in the soil along the medium to high rainfall zone, and future fertiliser supply security. “Conditions right now are excellent, they’re a little drier to the east to Boxwood Hill — they didn’t get quite as much rain, so there’s a bit there that’s been a bit of a hit and miss,” he said. “But on the whole, they’ve had enough to get a germination and get some weed control . . . now we’re just looking for more rainfall.”