NSW expects great winter harvest
Due to large amounts of rainfall this May, farmers of New South Wales are expecting some record-breaking harvest amounts for this winter, the NSW government has said.
However, NSW Farmers Association has warned farmers to remain on their toes, saying talk about bumper harvests is still premature.
Charles Armstrong, president of the NSW Farmers Association, stated that crop conditions have been great since May, with heavy amounts of rainfall providing for the drought-stricken areas of NSW.
However, Mr. Armstrong said that the on-going drought, a hot spring, and threat of locusts all have the possibility of turning the good situation around.
"Farmers won't be holding any exciting parties celebrating the news just yet, put it that way," the association president said.
"We've had predictions like this in the past, only for them to be false starts and for very hot weather in September and October to ruin things."
Only in the last two months of the year, when the actual harvests have been taken in, would the farmers be totally sure of how well the farming industry has done, Mr. Armstrong stated.
Frank McRae, technical specialist of the NSW Industry and Investment, has announced today that this year's winter harvest could actually end more than ten years of the bad crop streak for the NSW farmers.
Rain for the past two months has greatly improved the growing conditions for several years, across the NSW's southern and central regions, Mr. McRae said.
"This rain allowed farmers to consolidate crop prospects and for others it was ideal for finalising plantings," Mr McRae added.
"Continued rain and ideal spring conditions could turn around the fortune of our farmers with the possibility of state-wide average yield of 2.7 tonnes a hectare for wheat."
Farming conditions for canola, chickpeas, and cereals have also been very good, farming specialists said.