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| victoria |
 For the six months June–November 2007, rainfall was 40–80 per cent of the historical average across northern Victoria, making 2007 another difficult season for cropping in this area. In the other major cropping area of south western Victoria, rainfall was either close to or above average, resulting in good yields in these regions. Overall, the harvest of winter crops in Victoria in 2007-08 was well below the historical average. Total winter crop production is estimated at 3.8 million tonnes in 2007-08, compared with the five year average of around 5 million tonnes. The Mallee and Wimmera regions together accounted for the majority of crops harvested; however, south west Victoria also represented a larger than average proportion (25–30 per cent) of the quantity harvested, because of the relatively favourable conditions in this region. In the Mallee, there was significant variation in yields, mainly owing to differences in soil types and management systems. Generally, yields in areas with lighter soils were only slightly below average, while in areas with heavier soils, yields were around 20 per cent of the average. In the Wimmera, the Western Highway seemed to be a dividing line, with areas to the north generally having a much poorer season than those to the south. Reflecting the degree of variation within regions, the proportion of crops cut for hay varied widely across the state and between crops. In the Mallee, the vast majority of (90 per cent) was cut for hay as midseason rainfall was insufficient for crop development. In the northern Wimmera and southern Mallee, 20–30 per cent of cereal crops were cut for hay. High hay prices had a strong influence on farmers’ decisions to cut crops for hay. The area sown to wheat in Victoria was 1.5 million hectares in 2007-08, an increase of 9 per cent from the previous year. Production is estimated at almost 1.9 million tonnes, more than double the previous year’s harvest, reflecting the increased area sown and slight improvement in yields. Victorian barley production is estimated at 1.1 million tonnes, an 85 per cent increase from the drought reduced production in 2006-07. Barley yields increased to 1.2 tonnes per hectare in 2007-08, compared with 0.66 tonnes per hectare in 2006-07. While yields increased on average by around 80 per cent in 2007-08, it was still well below the five year average of 1.86 tonnes per hectare. The area sown to canola in Victoria was 270 000 hectares in 2007-08, an increase of 44 per cent from the previous year. Canola production is estimated to have been 200 000 tonnes in 2007-08, more than four times larger than in 2006-07. |
| winter crop estimates, 2007-08 | ||||
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area |
yield a |
production |
production change from 2006-07 |
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`000 ha |
t/ha |
kt |
% |
|
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| wheat | 1 500 |
1.23 |
1 850 |
116 |
| barley | 920 |
1.20 |
1 100 |
85 |
| canola | 270 |
0.74 |
200 |
365 |
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| a yields are based on area planted. | ||||