While the areas of most crops are similar to last year’s plantings, the area in milling wheat is predicted to increase by 24% on last year’s plantings.
It is being speculated that a new flour mill in Timaru committed to using only locally-grown grain might have helped drive this increase in the area planted in milling wheat.
Feed wheat sowings are also up 17% on last year while the area in feed barley, which is the biggest grain crop, is expected to be similar to last year.
The area sown in oats is predicted to be down by 1000ha while the total area in maize is expected to be similar or slightly higher than last year.
On the back of two bumper harvest seasons, growers are going into this year’s harvest with unsold grain on hand, although the survey indicates that these are medium volumes and certainly not as high as in October 2012.
At the time of the survey in October, there was an estimated 52,700 tonnes of feed wheat unsold and an estimated 31,900t of feed barley unsold.
The survey states that these figures reflect the effects of the drought that affected the North Island in autumn last year.
Once it broke, the drought was followed by exceptionally good pasture growth in most regions.
Total stock held on farm sold and unsold is estimated to be 162,000t of feed wheat (compared to 206,000t in October 2012 and 55,000t in 2011) and 119,000t of feed barley (compared to 152,000t in October 2012 and 68,000t in 2011).
The survey gathers data from 87 wheat, barley and oat growers and 47 maize growers and the results are scaled up to the national level using recent Agricultural Production Statistics and maize seed sales.
