Australia: Rainless month to downgrade South Australia’s barley crop, prices pressured by sorghum

South Australia's barley crop estimates are likely to be substantially downgraded after another extremely dry month, Farm Online posted on October, 30.

Only a few millimetres of rain fell in most areas around the State in October.

"What we're seeing is a lot of barley going into feed grades. At the moment 50 per cent is going to F1/F2 and the other 50pc F3/F4," ABB operations manager - storage and handling - Andrew Hannon said.

The large carryover of the summer sorghum crop is keeping pressure on feed barley prices.

"Sorghum is putting barley prices under significant pressure," Market Check managing director Brett Stevenson said.

Feed preferences also have impact on barley prices, according to Mr Stevenson.

He said many dairy farmers had switched back to wheat, with its superior feed characteristics for milk production, at the expense of barley, even allowing for the premium for wheat over barley.

31 October, 2008