1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 2003
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 24/01/2003
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Table 16.21 shows the area of crops in the states and territories of Australia since 1880-81, and table 16.22 is a summary of the area, production and gross value of the principal crops in Australia over recent years.
Cereal grains In Australia, cereals are divided into autumn-winter-spring growing (winter cereals) and spring-summer-autumn growing (summer cereals). Winter cereals such as wheat, oats, barley and rye are usually grown in rotation with some form of pasture such as subterranean clover, medics or lucerne. In recent years, alternative winter crops such as canola, field peas and lupins have been introduced to crop rotation in areas where they had not previously been grown. Rice, maize and sorghum are summer cereals, the latter being grown in association with winter cereals in some areas. In northern Australia there are two rice growing seasons. Wheat Wheat is Australia's largest crop. It is produced in all states but primarily on the mainland in a narrow crescent known as the wheat belt. Inland of the Great Dividing Range, the wheat belt stretches in a curve from central Queensland through New South Wales, Victoria and southern South Australia. In Western Australia, the wheat belt continues around the south-west of the state and some way north, along the western side of the continent (see map 16.23). Final estimates for the 1999-2000 season show that wheat production increased by 15% over the 1998-99 season to a record 24.8 million tonnes (table 16.24). New South Wales recorded the biggest increase in production, up by 31% to 8.6 million tonnes, followed by Victoria which was up by 81% to 2.6 million tonnes. Western Australia remained the biggest producer of wheat with a record state harvest of 9.0 million tonnes. 16.23 WHEAT FOR GRAIN, Production - 1996-97(a) (a) This map has been generated using small area Agricultural Census data for 1996-97. Source: AgStats on Floppy Disk (7117.0).
Oats Oats are traditionally grown in moist, temperate regions. However, improved varieties and management practices have enabled oats to be grown over a wider range of soil and climatic conditions. They have a high feed value and produce a greater bulk of growth than other winter cereals; they need less cultivation and respond well to superphosphate and nitrogen. Oats have two main uses: as a grain crop, and as a fodder crop (following sowing, fallow or rough sowing into stubble or clover pastures). Fodder crops can either be grazed and then harvested for grain after removal of livestock, or else mown and baled or cut for chaff. Map 16.25 shows the production of oats for grain in Australia in 1996-97. 16.25 OATS FOR GRAIN, Production - 1996-97(a) (a) This map has been generated using small area Agricultural Census data for 1996-97. Source: AgStats on Floppy Disk (7117.0). Production of oats fell by 38% to 1.1 million tonnes in 1999-2000, with falls recorded in all states. The largest falls in production were recorded in New South Wales (down by 58% to 284,000 tonnes) and Victoria (down by 35% to 296,000 tonnes), leaving Western Australia as the main producing state with a harvest of 439,000 tonnes (table 16.26).
Barley This cereal contains two main groups of varieties, 2-row and 6-row. The former is generally, but not exclusively, preferred for malting purposes. Barley is grown principally as a grain crop, although in some areas it is used as a fodder crop for grazing, with grain being subsequently harvested if conditions are suitable. It is often grown as a rotation crop with wheat, oats and pasture. When sown for fodder, sowing may take place either early or late in the season, as barley has a short growing period. It may therefore provide grazing or fodder supplies when other sources are not available. Barley grain may be crushed to meal for stock or sold for malting. Map 16.27 shows the production of barley for grain in Australia in 1996-97. 16.27 BARLEY FOR GRAIN, Production - 1996-97(a) (a) This map has been generated using small area Agricultural Census data for 1996-97. Source: AgStats on Floppy Disk (7117.0). Barley production fell by 16% to 5.0 million tonnes in 1999-2000 (table 16.28). Falls in barley production were recorded in all states except Victoria, where production increased by 37% to 1.2 million tonnes after a poor season in 1998-99.
Grain sorghum The sorghums are summer growing crops which are used in a number of ways: grain sorghum for grain; sweet or fodder sorghum, Sudan grass and, more recently, Columbus grass for silage, green feed and grazing; and broom millet for brooms and brushware. However, the grain is used primarily as stockfeed and is an important source for supplementing other coarse grains for this purpose. Grain sorghum has been grown extensively only in the last two decades, with Queensland producing around 62% of the harvest (table 16.29). Grain sorghum is the third biggest cereal crop (in terms of production) in Australia despite it only being grown in significant quantities in Queensland and New South Wales.
Maize Maize is a summer cereal demanding specific soil and climatic conditions. Maize for grain is almost entirely confined to the south-east regions and the Atherton Tablelands of Queensland, and the north coast, northern slopes and tablelands, and the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area in New South Wales. Small amounts are grown for green feed and silage in association with the dairy industry. In 1999-2000, maize for grain production increased by 20% to 406,000 tonnes (table 16.30).
Rice Nearly all of Australia's rice is grown in New South Wales, with production centered in the Murrumbidgee and Murray Irrigation areas. It was first grown commercially in 1924-25 in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, which remains the largest individual producing region to this day. Rice production fell in 1999-2000 by 20% to 1.1 million tonnes (table 16.31).
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