In short:
Farmers on South Australia's west coast have delivered the first load of grain for the season.
asserted
Farmers → deliver → season
Primary Industries and Regions SA estimates 11,591,000 tonnes of grain will be harvested in South Australia in 2026/27.
asserted
tonnes → estimate → 2026/27
Recent storm rain has delivered a boost for regions not yet harvesting.
asserted
rain → deliver → regions
The harvesters have started rolling in South Australia for one of the most eagerly anticipated crops in years.
asserted
harvesters → start → years
Jesse Chandler was the first to front up to the silos at Thevenard with a load of Commodus barley on September 24.
He farms with his brother Harlee, father Milton and mother Tracey at Charra, halfway between Penong and Ceduna on South Australia's west coast.
Milton Chandler said it was the earliest they had ever harvested.
asserted
they → front → coast
"I think it was 14 or 15 [2014 or 2015] we reaped the Friday before the AFL grand final and delivered on the Monday and this year we reaped on the Thursday so we're a day in front," Mr Chandler said.
asserted
Chandler → think → front
"Earliest wheat we put in was on the 8th of April and I was nervous about that, but we've got quite a bit of heavy country and when it gets wet we've just got to go."
asserted
we → put → country
Mr Chandler has estimated they would harvest about 4 tonnes to the hectare with their barley.
asserted
they → estimate → barley
"Normally even in our good years we'll have a period during the growing season when the crop will have a bit of a moisture check but this year it's almost been textbook."
asserted
it → have → check
"I've been farming here since 1980, and this is the best it's ever looked.
asserted
it → farm → 1980
Crop estimate increased
asserted
estimate → increase → ?
Primary Industries and Regions SA's (PIRSA) crop and pasture report has revised up the state's crop yield forecast again.
asserted
report → revise → forecast
The September report found all regions of South Australia had average to above-average winter rainfall with August being the fourth wettest on record.
asserted
August → find → record
Disease pressure has increased under the wet conditions with rusts, powdery mildew, net blotch, black leg and sclerotinia reported across several regions.
asserted
rusts → increase → regions
Overall PIRSA now believes the area sown this year was 4,234,000 hectares and estimates 11,591,000 tonnes will be harvested.
asserted
tonnes → believe → ?
Growers have said they will need every tonne to make up for low grain prices and high input costs.
asserted
they → say → prices
"We did buy a little bit of diesel through seeding at $3.27; that hurt a little bit, that was a bit of a wake-up call," Mr Chandler said.
asserted
Chandler → buy → call
"Even though the [grain] prices aren't great hopefully we can [compensate] that with some big yields.
asserted
we → compensate → yields
"Logistically it's going to be difficult to deal with it [the size of the crop], but what a great problem."
asserted
it → go → crop
The September 24 delivery was not the earliest crop that has been harvested in South Australia.
asserted
that → harvest → Australia
Records show grain has been received as early as September 19 in the past.
asserted
grain → show → past
Bunge director of industrial management Gavin Cavanagh said the bulk grain handler had been planning for harvest to be two to three weeks earlier than normal.
asserted
harvest → say → management
"We are expecting that we will receive more than we normally would in October given the good start the farmers had and the early plant on the back of those good opening rains,"Mr Cavanagh said.
asserted
Cavanagh → expect → rains,"Mr
Bunge does a big recruitment drive each year for harvest, putting on an extra 1,500 jobs each year, including overseas workers.
asserted
Bunge → do → workers
Mr Cavanagh said the changes to visa requirements had not affected its ability to fill roles.
asserted
changes → say → roles
"It hasn't impacted us directly; the majority of travellers we recruit are already in the country.
asserted
we → impact → country
"From our point of view, we're confident that we've got the right amount of people in the right locations to support our farmers in their delivery pattern.
asserted
we → get → pattern
Perfect timing for storms
With warm, dry weather in SA in recent weeks, the recent storms that delivered about 15 to 40 millimetres of rain across the state were very welcome.
asserted
that → deliver → state
Loxton grain grower Robin Schaefer said he thought he was going to get only a couple of millimetres but ended up tipping 17mm out of the gauge on Friday, October 2.
asserted
he → say → Friday
"It was a lovely surprise," Mr Schaefer said.
asserted
Schaefer → say → ?
"Some of our very early barley is pretty close to going now so that won't benefit, but the majority, I'd say at least two thirds or more of our crop would still benefit".
asserted
I → go → crop
With so much moisture early in the season the plants have put on a lot of vegetable matter.
"The lentils up here, the biomass is amazing, hopefully that will translate into grain but there's certainly lots of pods on them"
asserted
that → put → them
"It does vary a little bit from farm to farm with a number of drought years in a row and the price of fertiliser people couldn't put as much as they would have liked in a year like this to take advantage of it but we're thankful for what we've got.
asserted
we → vary → what
"It's just wonderful compared to a drought and I think there will be some very tidy yields around right through the Mallee."
asserted
I → compare → Mallee
The Aporia