Australian crop report: September 2016 No.179

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 • Seasonal conditions in most cropping regions during winter were very favourable, and crops are generally in very good condition at the beginning of spring. • In parts of New South Wales and far southern Western Australia crops were waterlogged by very high winter rainfall, which is expected to constrain yields in these regions. • In its latest three-month rainfall outlook (September to November 2016), issued on 25 August 2016, the Bureau of Meteorology forecast spring rainfall to be around average in most cropping regions in Australia. • Total winter crop production is forecast to rise by 16 per cent in 2016-17 to a record 46.1 million tonnes, driven by significant increases in forecast production in Western Australia and Victoria. • Wheat production is forecast to increase by 16 per cent in 2016-17 to 28.1 million tonnes, barley production by 11 per cent to 9.5 million tonnes and canola production by 23 per cent to around 3.6 million tonnes. Wheat and barley production are both forecast to be the second highest on record and canola production to be the third highest. • Total area planted to summer crops is forecast to rise by 21 per cent in 2016-17 to around 1.4 million hectares. Planting conditions for dryland crops are expected to be favourable, and supplies of irrigation water for irrigated crops are expected to be higher than in 2015-16. • Forecast increases in area planted to rice and cotton in 2016-17 are expected to more than offset a forecast fall in area planted to grain sorghum. • Total summer crop production is forecast to rise by 28 per cent to around 4.8 million tonnes.