Central Wheatbelt grain farmers start season on strong footing, seeding early in the wake of light rainfall
It's a tale of two seasons in the Wheatbelt amid a mixed start in the State's top growing regions.
Central Wheatbelt grain farmers began seeding unseasonably early in the wake of light rain in mid-March, starting the season on strong footing.
Crops are also up and away in Esperance and the Great Southern, with canola and early-sown barley crops doing well.
However, it is a different story for grain growers in the Mid West, which is mostly dry and has little subsoil moisture available to risk sowing.
The Grain Industry Association of WA predicted in May more than 8.6 million hectares had been put to grain crops in WA this year, including wheat, barley, canola, oats, lupins and pulses.
That is down from the April estimate of between 8.5 million and 9 million due to persistent dry conditions in the top third of the State's grain-growing region.
GIWA said a majority of growers were sticking to their plans for now.
York farmer Alex Davies, pictured, is optimistic about the year ahead after putting in 1000ha each of wheat, barley and oats on their 4000ha property, leaving the non-arable land for roughly 2000 sheep.
Mr Davies rolled his air seeder out of the shed on April 1 — three weeks ahead of previous years ahead of predicted light rainfall in mid-April and following the 19.1mm that fell on his property in mid-March.
With two new crop varieties and a solid start to the year, the third-generation farmer said he had done his best to set up the farm for positive results to come from the 2025 season.
'We've got some new varieties in that are a bit of a change — Vortex wheat and Goldie oats,' he said.
'Our focus has also shifted to oats and canola this year as they were forecast to be our best earners.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bloomberg
15 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Disney to Pay Comcast $439 Million More for Its Hulu Stake
Walt Disney Co. must pay $438.7 million more to Comcast Corp. to complete its purchase of the Hulu streaming service, according to an appraisal process conducted by investment bankers. The transaction will close before July 24, Disney said in a regulatory filing Monday.
Reuters
15 minutes ago
- Reuters
Justin Thomas: Oakmont can make players 'look stupid pretty fast'
June 9 - Justin Thomas doesn't have a specific method for attacking Oakmont Country Club, widely considered to be one of the most difficult golf courses in the world, other than to maintain his patience. Thomas tied for 32nd the last time the U.S. Open was played at Oakmont in 2016. That year he carded three rounds of 3-over 73. The fourth was a 69 in the second round, which he called one of the best rounds of his life despite spraying his tee shots all over the course. "I think I hit four fairways, but I remember I hit seven greens and I shot 69. I chipped in three times. I was beyond exhausted when I got done," Thomas said Monday ahead of this week's U.S. Open. "I actually played with Brooks (Koepka) the first two days. I remember he was so pissed off. He just couldn't get over it." Thomas is anticipating long practice rounds this week, as players grind away trying to figure out every nuance of Oakmont's legendary greens. While he called them "some of the worst practice rounds of the year," Thomas also hopes that the lore of Oakmont gets in his competitors' heads. "Being perfectly honest and very selfish, I hope it psychs a lot of players out," he said. "It's a part of the preparation, like trying to go hit wedges or trying to get the speed of the greens or anything. It's getting a game plan for how you're going to approach the course mentally and strategically. "I understand this place is hard. I don't need to read articles, or I don't need to hear horror stories. I've played it. I know it's difficult. I also have faith that if I go play well and I'm driving the ball well and I'm hitting my irons like I know I can, I'm going to have a lot of birdie opportunities." Thomas, 32, hasn't enjoyed a ton of success at the U.S. Open, where his best finish was a tie for eighth at Winged Foot in 2020. He comes in ranked fifth in the world thanks to a win at a signature event at the RBC Heritage -- his first since 2022 -- and a pair of runner-up finishes this season. One of those came at the Truist Championship last month, but Thomas then missed the cut at the PGA Championship and is coming off a T31 at the Memorial. He arrived in Pennsylvania this week "shocked" to find how soft Oakmont's fairways still are due to the heavy rains the area has received. Thomas anticipates those receptive fairways and greens that still have some bounce in them will be much firmer come Thursday. And that's when the patience will need to come to the forefront. "If you just get lazy, like on any drive, any wedge shot, any chip, any putt, you can kind of look stupid pretty fast, especially at a place like this," he said. "I just feel like it's a great week to be in a great place mentally and very, very patient and kind of picking our spots out there." Oakmont has undergone some changes since 2016, when Dustin Johnson shot 4-under par to win. Thomas admits he doesn't remember enough to compare the conditions to that year, but he would be more than happy to replicate that Friday round four times -- even if it means going to battle against Oakmont's brutally long rough again. "I would prefer to not do that," he joked. "But if that means I shoot 69 every day, I'll take four fairways and seven greens right now." --Field Level Media
Newsweek
15 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Donald Trump Weighs In on 'Civil War' Concerns
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. On Monday, President Donald Trump was asked about Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom's remarks that his Republican administration wants "civil war on the streets" amid ongoing protests against raids by Los Angeles Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The president was asked by a reporter, "What do you make of the fact that [Newsom] says you want a civil war?" Trump responded, "No, it's the opposite. I don't want a civil war. Civil war would happen if you left it to people like him." REPORTER: Gavin Newsom says you want a Civil War. TRUMP: "It's just the opposite, I don't want a Civil War. Civil War would happen if you left it to people like him." — Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 9, 2025 This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
