Australia has a long history of agriculture dating back many thousands of years to Australia's First Peoples. This historical release includes a selection of agricultural commodities, covering crops and livestock from 1860 to 2022. Presented below is a snapshot of those results for wheat, sheep, and wool.
Wheat
The 1789 harvest at the Rosehill settlement on the Parramatta River was reported as consisting of 200 bushels of wheat (approximately 5 tonnes), 60 bushels of barley (approximately 1 tonne), and small quantities of oats, corn, and flax. Over 70 years later in 1861, Australia produced 279,000 tonnes of wheat, 68,000 tonnes of oats and 11,000 tonnes of barley.
Farming in Australia differed to the practices in the United Kingdom. This presented challenges for Australian farmers which they overcame with great ingenuity and innovation. In the 1870s the stump jump plough was invented in South Australia and completely changed agricultural practices. It allowed crops to be grown without removing stumps and rocks, saving a lot of work and time. Between 1876 and 1881, the area sown to wheat increased from 575,000 hectares to 1.2 million hectares.
Agronomist, William Farrer, developed a drought and disease resistant wheat strain called the Federation strain, leading to the expansion of wheat growing into the drier inland regions of Australia. The Federation strain was released to Australian farmers in 1903 and resulted in an almost doubling of the area sown to wheat and an eight-fold increase of Australia's production over a period of twenty years.
Innovations in agriculture through the last century drove further growth in the wheat industry. These included farm management activities (mixed farming, crop rotation and application of fertilisers), improvements in cultivation techniques, and, since the 1940s, the use of tractors.
Another major advancement for the industry was the introduction of bulk handling systems, which meant grain was no longer required to be bagged before transport and storage. By 1952, all mainland states had bulk handling systems in place. Grain stored in bulk handling facilities experience less deterioration compared to bagged storage and provide protection to the wheat from mice, weevils, climatic conditions, and spillage.
The ongoing development of chemicals to combat diseases, pests and weeds, and the further development of higher yielding disease resistant wheat strains continue to make important contributions to the industry. In 2022 wheat production achieved a new historic record of 36 million tonnes driven by a bumper season in Western Australia and New South Wales.
Historical timeline: Australian wheat production, 1861 to 2022
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An infographic charting Australian wheat production from 1861 to 2022 and events during the period which influenced production. Events include the stump jump plough invented in 1876, Federation drought impacted wheat production from 1895 to 1902, Federation strain of wheat released to farmers in 1903, 1914-15 drought saw production decrease 76%, during the 1940s tractors became more widely used, 1937 to 1945 drought saw production decrease 65%, in 1948 the Australian Wheat Board is formed, by 1952 bulk grain handling systems were used across all states, 1965 to 1968 drought saw production decrease 25%, 1982 to 1983 drought saw production decrease 46%, the Millennium drought between 1997 and 2009 saw production decrease 41%, 2017 to 2019 drought saw production decrease 45%.
The infographic also highlights key wheat production figures including: in 1861 Australia produced 279,000 tonnes of wheat, 635,000 tonnes produced in 1881, 1.3 million tonnes produced in 1901, 4 million tonnes produced in 1921, 2.2 million tonnes produced in 1941, 7.4 million tonnes produced in 1961, 10.9 million tonnes produced in 1981, 22.1 million tonnes produced in 2001 and in 2022 wheat production was 36 million tonnes.
Sheep and wool
In 1797, 26 Spanish Merino sheep were introduced to Australia from South Africa. These sheep adapted well to the Australian environment compared to those that arrived with the First Fleet. The Merino breed excelled in wool production, and in 1813, Australia’s first commercial fleece shipment was sold in England. This fortunate timing coincided with the British Government’s need for a reliable wool supply during the Napoleonic wars. This commercial success led to another 5,000 merino sheep being imported during the 1820s, laying the foundations of the Australian wool industry.
The Australian sheep and wool industries have seen boom and bust cycles. Between 1820 and 1850, sheep numbers surged from 120,000 to 16 million. By the late 19th century, wool became Australia’s primary export. However, economic challenges, including the depression of the 1890s and the prolonged ‘Federation’ drought (1895-1902), significantly impacted wool production. Sheep numbers dropped from 106 million in 1892 to 54 million in 1903.
Despite these setbacks the industry rebounded. In 1950-51, the wool industry reached its peak with an average greasy wool price of 144.2 pence per pound (equivalent to around $69 per kilogram in 2021-22). This surge was driven by American demand during the Korean War. However, prices eventually declined, and by 1970-71, the price fell to $0.60 per kilogram (equivalent to around $7 per kilogram in 2021-22). In 1974, Australia introduced the Reserve Price Scheme to stabilise wool prices. The scheme guaranteed producers a minimum price for their wool by purchasing wool that did not meet the agreed floor price, then selling it later during times of higher demand.
Australian wool production peaked in 1989-90 with 1,050 million kilograms of wool and 170 million sheep. However, the increasing use of synthetic fibres, a global over-supply of wool and the 1991 collapse of the Reserve Price Scheme, resulted in wool prices plummeting to $3 a kilogram in 1992-93 (equivalent to around $6 per kilogram in 2021-22). After a slight recovery from the economic issues, the Millennium drought saw sheep numbers drop again, from 120 million in 1997 to 68 million in 2010. After a brief period of better seasonal conditions, another drought between 2017 to 2019 resulted in Australia’s wool production dropping to its lowest level since 1923. In 2019-20 only 290 million kilograms were sold, and the sheep flock dropped to 63.5 million, the smallest flock since 1904.
Historical timeline: Australian wool production and sheep flock, 1797 to 2022
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An infographic charting Australian wool production and sheep flock from 1797 to 2022 and events during the period which influenced the industry. Events include the arrival of Australia's first 26 merino sheep in 1797, the first commercial export of wool in 1813, another 5,000 merino sheep imported during the 1820s, wool becoming Australia's primary export in the 1890s, the Federation drought impacted sheep numbers from 1895 to 1902, record high wool prices of $66 per kilogram in 1950-51 and a record low prices in 1970-71, the introduction of the Wool Reserve Price Scheme in 1974, the oversupply of wool and collapse of the Wool Reserve Price Scheme in 1991 and the impact of the millennium drought between 1997 and 2009 on sheep numbers.
The infographic also highlights key sheep and lamb numbers including: 120,000 sheep in 1820, 16 million sheep in 1850, 106 million sheep in 1892, 54 million sheep in 1903, 115 million sheep in 1951, 152 million sheep in 1959, a record high of 180 million sheep in 1970, 140 million sheep in 1973, 170 million sheep in 1990 and 68 million sheep in 2022.