Last autumn saw increased winter cereal planting but the higher swing towards winter barley is indicative of the recent good performance from this crop and the high cost of growing wheat.
Winter barley helps spread the workload and extend the harvest.
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The good autumn saw a significant increase in winter cereal planting with winter wheat certified seed sales up 34% and winter barley up 46%. While the increased wheat area was significant the rise was lower than was possible as many growers recognise the high cost and low margin associated with all but the best of wheat land.
The result is an even greater increase in winter barley area with the sown area increasing to around 50,000ha, quite similar to the current winter wheat area. This represents a significant change on previous decades where wheat was always the dominant winter crop.
Certified seed sale figures from the Department show that JB Diego is the major wheat variety with 51% of sales followed by Avatar at 22% and Lumos at 15%. In barley Cassia is the major variety with 68% of sales. Volume is the next biggest at 10% and then Leibniz and Saffron have 7% each.
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Progress in spring crops planting remains slow with virtually no field work done in the past week due to inadequate soil conditions. A lot of land is wet, so further planting delays can be expected. However, much of what has been planted is already emerged and looking well.
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The good autumn saw a significant increase in winter cereal planting with winter wheat certified seed sales up 34% and winter barley up 46%. While the increased wheat area was significant the rise was lower than was possible as many growers recognise the high cost and low margin associated with all but the best of wheat land.
The result is an even greater increase in winter barley area with the sown area increasing to around 50,000ha, quite similar to the current winter wheat area. This represents a significant change on previous decades where wheat was always the dominant winter crop.
Certified seed sale figures from the Department show that JB Diego is the major wheat variety with 51% of sales followed by Avatar at 22% and Lumos at 15%. In barley Cassia is the major variety with 68% of sales. Volume is the next biggest at 10% and then Leibniz and Saffron have 7% each.
Progress in spring crops planting remains slow with virtually no field work done in the past week due to inadequate soil conditions. A lot of land is wet, so further planting delays can be expected. However, much of what has been planted is already emerged and looking well.
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