Australia: Barley crop forecast slightly up on generally positive early harvest results

Weather conditions have been generally favourable across all of Australia’s major barley regions and supportive to harvest advancing south into Victoria, and southern Western Australia and South Australia. Barley has been a predominant crop delivered in the early stages of harvest but that is shifting a bit more toward canola, RMI Analytics reported earlier this month.

Reports from the early barley harvest progress are generally positive, with New South Wales seeing better than average results, while there is some early variability in Western Australia. South Australia harvest is advancing, where lower expectations due to hot/dry conditions, but some better yields have been reported.

Looking to the week ahead, weather is mostly clear (some rain in Western Australia), allowing harvest to advance at a good pace. RMI Analytics’ production estimate is up slightly 0.12 mln tonnes to 11.4 mln tonnes with good malt selection potential reported. Harvest is only now advancing into the eastern areas most impacted by the hot/dry conditions and frost and harvest results over the two week will be particularly telling as to the final crop outcome (yield and quality).