The report is a quarterly report with a consistent and regular assessment of crop prospects for major field crops, forecasts of area, yield and production and a summary of seasonal conditions on a state by state basis.
Key Issues
Summer rainfall has improved prospects for Australia's 2014-15 summer crop after largely unfavourable seasonal conditions in spring.
2014-15 summer crop production • Total Australian summer crop production is forecast to remain largely unchanged at around 3.7 million tonnes in 2014-15.
• While the planted area is forecast to be lower than in 2013-14, yields are expected to be higher.
• However, the forecast area planted to summer crops has been revised up from the forecast published in the December 2014 edition of the Australian crop report.
• Grain sorghum is forecast to rise by around two-thirds to 1.8 million tonnes in 2014-15.
• In contrast, cotton production is forecast to fall by 47 per cent to 470 000 tonnes of cotton lint and around 665 000 tonnes of cottonseed.
• Rice production is forecast to decline by 18 per cent in 2014-15 to around 684 000 tonnes.
2014-15 winter crop production • Total Australian winter crop production is estimated to have fallen by 13 per cent in 2014-15 to 38.2 million tonnes, reflecting estimated lower production in all the major producing states as a result of a decline in yields from the high yields in 2013-14.
• Production was still higher in 2014-15 than the 10-year average to 2013-14, by 7 per cent.
• Wheat production is estimated to have fallen by 12 per cent to 23.6 million tonnes.
• Barley production is estimated to have fallen by 18 per cent to 8 million tonnes.
• Canola production is estimated to have declined by 10 per cent to 3.4 million tonnes.