Australia Yearbook - 2009-10

Area of wheat (ha)
Wheat production (t)
16.17 WHEAT PRODUCTION (a)— 1908–2008
mill.
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1908 1918 1928 1938 1948 1958 1968 1978 1988 1998 2008
(a) Due to the scale of this graph breaks in the time series have not been noted
Source: Historical Selected Agricultural Commodities, by State (7124.0).
'000
6000
16.18 WHEAT PRODUCTION AND AREA, BY STATE -- 2007-08
Production - tonnes
Area - hectares
4000
2000
0
NSW Vic. Qld SA WA
Source: Agricultural Commodities, Australia, (7121.0).
used domestically for human consumption, with
lower quality grain being used for domestic stock
feed.
New varieties of wheat have enabled it to be
grown in more marginal areas. In particular the
development of dual purpose winter wheat
varieties which, like oats, allow grazing of the
plant up to a few months prior to harvest, have
become very popular in some areas.
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. Oats have a high fodder feed value
and, with the exception of dual purpose varieties
of wheat, produce a greater bulk of growth than
other winter cereals. They need less cultivation,
and respond well to superphosphates and
nitrogen. Oats have two main uses – as a grain
crop, and as a fodder crop. Fodder crops can
either be grazed in the initial stages of growth
and then locked up for a period prior to
harvesting for grain, or else mown and baled for
hay or cut for chaff.
The majority of Australian oats harvested for grain
is used domestically for stock feed purposes. A
small proportion of high quality grain is used
either domestically or exported for human
consumption.
In 2007–08, farmers planted 1.2 mill. ha of oats
and harvested 1.5 mill. tonnes. Western Australia
produced the most oats (840,000 tonnes),
Chapter 16 — Agriculture 495