Our team is currently engaged in the harvest of our broad acre program, which is comprised of trial sites across three Australian states, namely New South Wales, South Australia, and Victoria. This is an extensive and complex undertaking that necessitates the unwavering commitment of our staff, exceptional logistics management, and a fully operational fleet of harvesters. Our Wintersteiger trial plot harvesters, which are tasked with yield determination in plant breeding and crop protection trials, operate long hours across a vast expanse from Bordertown to Kimba, Corowa to Tottenham, and Lake Bolac to Donald.
With the recent transition from La Nina to El Nino and heavy rainfall over the last few days, the outlook for the 2023 harvest season is significantly different from the previous years. This season, the harvesting process in Western Victoria began three weeks earlier, owing to notably warmer and drier conditions. The canola trials are almost complete, with the final plots expected to be harvested next week. The focus has now shifted to the cereal crop trials, where tonnages are expected to exceed expectations.
In New South Wales, the harvesting process has been paused strategically to allow the remaining cereal crops time to mature. All trials in the Dubbo region have been successfully completed, while around 50% of the trials in Wagga have been harvested thus far. Our New South Wales harvesting team has demonstrated their commitment by heading south to Victoria to provide support to the team there.
In South Australia, the harvest has been underway since late October. The plant breeding trials on the Yorke and Eyre Peninsulas has now concluded, with the focus of the Newton crews now firmly on the lower north region of SA. Our team from the Jamestown Hub wrapped up the National Variety Trials (NVT) on the Yorke Peninsula last week. Now, a pause ensues as raindrops fall, providing a moment to catch one’s breath before the harvest continues south of Jamestown in the coming weeks.
Alana Hill-Ling
Marketing Manager, AgXtra