THIS has been the ideal summer for dryland grain growers who chose double cropping options.
Prices may be similar for sorghum and wheat, but the excellent rain combined with mild weather during flowering has “nearly” guaranteed a top yield for those who regularly grow sorghum, or who took the punt.
The punters are probably only making up for a lost opportunity in winter where paddocks of wheat failed through lack of moisture.
However, according to Ag n Vet Services agronomist Ed Nixon, Warren, while the price may be low, sorghum growers will gain good yields in the coming harvest.
Mr Nixon said there were growers in the Warren region whose wheat crops failed early last season.
“Then there was virtually no rain for three months from June to August,” he said.
“They had the land and the fallow ready and with the early summer rain the opportunity was there.
“It should come off well for them in terms of profitability.”
Department of Primary Industries’ district agronomist Rohan Brill, Coonamble, said sorghum plantings in the area may be slightly up this season.
“Most growers who have put it in here either have sown into a failed winter crop from a poor strike, or they may have some resistant weed issues and have gone to sorghum for that reason.”
Mr Brill said by harvest’s end, even though the price return would not be great, “yield would be king”.
Pioneer Hi-Bred Australia’s national sales and agronomy manager Peter Kleinhanss, Toowoomba, Queensland, said he’d noted a small rise in sorghum sowings.
“Wheat is a priority to grain growers, but if there is an option available that gives them a double crop, then sorghum is the main grain,” he said.
“If the moisture’s right and the timing is right, growers will have a bit of a dabble. But I don’t see a trend towards sorghum.”
Meanwhile, growers storing unsold grain were encouraged to look at export options and act within the next six months ahead of the next European harvest.
Southern Ag Grain (SAG) this week lifted its 2011-12 season estimated harvest pool returns (EPR) for Australian Standard White (ASW) wheat by $6 a tonne and feed wheat by $12/t, with similar lifts to all grades in between, declaring it wants wheat for international stockfeed customers.
With the export window open, other exporters will follow suit and offer price incentives.
However, SAG general manager Simon Wishart said with reports of the Ukraine removing its export tax on barley, there would be an effect on Australian feed barley markets which already faced a $US30 a tonne price drop mid-year as buyers were already pricing-in the supply of new season northern hemisphere barley.
“Once again the opportunity for Australian feed into world markets is in the next six months,” he said.
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