Crop yields, prices looking healthy

• Published date: 18 January 2023
• Publication title: Central Rural Life

It is early days yet for the harvest, but initial yields are promising on the back of high grain and seed prices. In some cases grain prices have risen by 50%, with contract prices for feed grains ranging from $540 a tonne to $580/t, milling wheat at $620/t to $650/t and barley in line with wheat ranges

Federated Farmers arable chairman Colin Hurst said growers were selling feed grain for about $430/t this time last year, but at the start of the month he sold some for $650/t on the free market.

‘‘I’ve never seen prices like that, but it’s the old supply and demand thing working. The flip side is our costs have gone up hugely with fertiliser, diesel and labour and it’s surprising how these compliance costs are creeping up on us. Rates are going up, with interest rates up quite significantly and are forecast to increase more. We really need a good harvest.’’

Mr Hurst has already brought in some turnip seed between Christmas and New Year at his South Canterbury family farm.

Nui ryegrass was harvested for seed last week.

‘‘That’s been going OK and is about the normal time for nui. Nui is one of the early ones and later ryegrass will be coming in probably another two to three weeks. The Nui [yields] have been nearer 2000kg to the hectare which we are quite happy with.’’

He said the rains had arrived at the right time in a season so far without many weather headaches and they had managed to keep on top of disease with fungicide sprays.

Wheat crops were maturing nicely with their harvest due to start at the end of January.

‘‘That’s looking all right too, but of course you don’t really know until you get into it. The dull weather and lack of sunshine can have an impact on yield. It’s early days really with the grass seed and we just need all sun. We don’t need all this rain they’ve got in the North Island or we will be getting back to last year with the harvest from hell.’’

He said growers were looking forward to the return of normal farming after last season’s ‘‘dire’’ harvest of continual rain and crop sprouting.

‘‘Fingers crossed we get some normal harvest weather. February is the full-on month and there’s not a day goes by without any harvesting happening as long as the weather’s right.’’

Most of the crops took some sort of hit last year from late rain with some grass seed...