Australia Drought Hangover in Eastern Wheat States

February 28, 2013

Eastern Australia wheat farms, especially New South Wales, need heavy rainfall to replenish dry fields ahead of the new planting season.  

Soil conditions currently are very dry in Eastern Australia.   This is due to prolonged drought and extreme summer heat.    The November-January moisture deficit reached  50-100 millimeters over most of New South Wales and Victoria.  South Australia reported a 25-50 millimeter moisture deficiency from much below normal rains.

Western Australia, the country’s leading wheat state, experienced a cool and rainy summer that produced surplus soil moisture.   Weather conditions often are opposite at either end of the vast continent that spans 2,485 miles... subscribers continue to full story...