1. Improved Farming Trends
The following farming trends have become popular over the past 20
years and help produce of better quality crops, higher yields and lower farming
costs.
• Improved crop rotation involves planting different crop species.
Employing crop rotation, with crops like lupins and clover every second or
third year, deposits nutrients back into the soil and provides a disease and
pest "break". This ensures cleaner conditions for wheat crops and
reduces the need for pesticides and chemicals.
• Use of nitrogenous fertilizers coupled with improved management with
more soil testing and better formulations of fertilizers.
• Minimum till farming uses herbicides to control weeds pre planting
rather than relying on cultivation of the soil to kill weeds. This technology has
considerably aided moisture retention and soil conservation.
• Improved varieties have had an influence on increasing yields. New
varieties have been produced that are higher yielding, as well as being
resistant to disease, meaning higher production and reduced input costs.
2. Wheat Productivity Trends
The area of wheat planted has increased from 9.2 million hectares in
1990/91 to 11.5 mio ha in 2001/02. During this time, production has grown from
15 mio t to 24.8 mio t. Similarly, the average yield has increased over this
10- year period, from 1.6 to 2.1 t per hectare.
These values are relatively low when compared to other wheat producing
nations, however, Australian agricultural scientists and farmers have achieved
outstanding results in both profitability and sustainability in a country with relatively
low and variable rainfall, inherently low soil fertility and persistently
declining terms of trade.
3. From Paddock to Port
Delivery to Silo
After the wheat is harvested, the grain is either stored on the farm
in small silos or taken by truck to a designated grain receival centre. There
are more than 900 receival sites in the Australian wheat belt. At these sites, grain
is first tested for quality and graded accordingly into specific segregations.
It is then stored until it is ready to be moved to port for shipping.
The first step is the grain sample, which is tested for physical
attributes such as protein, screenings and moisture. After sampling, the truck
is weighed (to determine how much grain the farmer is delivering) and then
unloaded into a specific silo or bunker depending on the quality of the grain
in the truck.
Storage and Handling
Grain storage and handling in Australia is undertaken by regional Bulk
Handling Companies (BHCs). The storage and handling system in each state must
be capable of accepting the annual crop quantity within the relatively short
harvest period of some six to eight weeks.
On-farm storage and private commercial storage is also available and
is becoming increasingly important in providing some buffer capacity in the
delivery system. The types of storage facilities provided by the BHCs vary within and between states. This reflects regional
differences in the types and quantities of grain produced, as well as changes in
storage construction policy and technology through time. There are four basic
storage types in common use - horizontal storage sheds, circular storage bins,
vertical storage and temporary bunkers.
Each BHC has a network of country receival facilities connected by
road and or rail transport links to several seaboard export terminals. In some
cases, the network includes a number of regional or central subterminals which
provide greater flexibility to the system. In particular, they enable the
accumulation of larger volumes of grain for more efficient transport and
provide overflow capacity to other local silos, usually having faster receival and
outloading capacities.
Movement to Port
The majority of Australian receival centres are located on railway
lines, so once the grain has been allocated to a customer it is usually transported
by train to one of Australia's 18 port terminals to be loaded onto a vessel. The
grain transported to port matches the quality contracted by the customer. Grain
may be sourced from a number of receival sites and blended to meet the precise
customer quality and quantity requirements.
Loading the Vessel
The grain is tested again at the vessel loading point for any traces
of insects or damaged grain. Strict quality assurance testing occurs at the
port so that certification can be provided to the customers while the vessel is
on course for the chosen destination. Ships vary in size and can hold various amounts
of grain, but the largest boat shipped from Australia to customers – a Panamax vessel
– is approx. 64,000 t.
4. Australian Grades of Wheat
The six main Australian wheat grades developed by AWB are suitable for
many different types of wheat based products, summarized in Tab. 30.
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Tab. 30: Typical applications of Australian wheat grades
|
AWB Hard wheat (AH) flour
is suitable for European pan and hearth breads, Middle Eastern-style flat
breads, yellow alkaline noodles and steamed products. AH is grown in all wheat
states.
AWB Premium White wheat (APW)
is used to produce Middle Eastern flat and pocket breads such as baladi,
tanoor, barbari, taftoon and Indian specialty breads and is also well suited
for many types of Asian baked products and noodles. APW is produced across the entire
Australian wheat belt.
AWB Standard White wheat (ASW)
is ideal for Middle Eastern, Iranian and Indian style breads such as lavish and
naan. It is also suitable for Asian steamed bread products and instant noodles.
ASW is cropped in Southern NSW, South Australia and Western Australia.
AWB Soft wheat (AS) is
suitable for a wide range of confectionery and baked products including sweet
biscuits, cookies, pastries, cakes, steamed buns and extruded snack foods. Soft
wheat is only grown in a small area of Western Australia, where the
environmental factors are suitable.
AWB Durum wheat (ADR) is
ideal for producing a wide range of wet and dry pasta products, as well as many
types of North African and Middle Eastern products such as couscous. The
production of Durum wheat is limited to Northern NSW and SA.
5. Where Australian Wheat Goes
Internationally
Importing Countries for Australian
Wheat
AWB exports wheat to more than 100 customers in more than 40 different
countries, with major markets in the Middle East and Asian regions. AWB works
hard to secure end-user demand for AWB wheat from Australia. AWB is continually
broadening its services to international customers with value added products
and services, such as risk management services, grain finance, chartering,
technical support, professional development and wheat processing expertise.
All international markets have different needs and AWB continuously
explores improvements with its customers and Australian grain growers to manage
expectations and supply quality grain made to order.
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