Key Points:
- Average yields for irrigated wheat, barley and ryegrass have been consistent over the three years whereas dryland yields refl ect the dry 2008/09 season.
- Gross margins increased for wheat and ryegrass over the three years by between $300 and $1600.
- Ryegrass gross margins/ha were markedly better for irrigated paddocks compared to dryland paddocks, whereas for wheat and barley they were very similar.
- Crop establishment expenditure has generally decreased due to farmers adopting reduced tillage practices, the exception being irrigated barley where a signifi cant increase in cost of establishment has occurred.
- Total expenses in ryegrass dropped markedly even with large fertiliser price increases in 2008/09 as farmers adopt new management practices from the results of FAR’s research.
- The increase in herbicide expenditure (and other expenditure) over the three years has been in the order of 15 to 30% in cereal crops, well above the CPI of 2% refl ecting price increases and management changes often to control grass weeds.
- This data can be very valuable to benchmark this year’s harvest against previous years and in planning crop management practices for the coming year.