NSW farmers gamble on planting amid drought and rising costs
Winter crop production nationwide is down a third. But some NSW farmers risked planting despite dry starts. They are seeing returns.
NSW farmers had a tough harvest. Drought, fuel around $3 a litre, and high fertiliser costs shaped it.
Rodney Slack-Smith planted half his Burren Junction property after a May break. He got below-average returns but crucial income.
Neighbour Toby Moore chose not to plant, giving up grain income. Near Wagga Wagga, Trent Lindbeck doubled his canola yield.
Winter crop output is forecast to fall roughly a third. NSW remains second behind Western Australia.
- $3 a litre
- Diesel price
- About a third
- National crop production decline
- Less than 10 per cent
- Walgett district planting rate
- Second-largest behind WA
- NSW production rank
Why it mattersAustralian food security depends on these tough choices. Farm viability also depends on them. Drought and high costs are reshaping production across regions.
AustraliaNSW farmers supply a large share of Australia's winter grains. Decisions to skip planting or reduce acreage could tighten domestic grain supply and push prices higher for Australian consumers and stock feed operators.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 17 h ago
