The latest cereal survey by the Arable Industry Marketing Initiative (AIMI) to July shows overall yields from the last harvest were 6% higher than in the previous season.
Feed wheat yields were up about 1%, feed barley up 11%, milling wheat up 4%, malting barley up 6%, milling oats up 15%, but feed oats were down 2%.
Overall, the area harvested was similar, up 1%, but total tonnage was up 7%.
Harvest conditions were favourable across most South Island regions.
That changed in March, when rain in parts of Canterbury delayed the harvest.
Cyclone Gabrielle hit North Island regions in February, delaying the harvest, reducing yield and quality and in some cases large portions of crops were lost.
Growers surveyed by AIMI on their unsold stocks of feed wheat revealed they were down 5400 tonnes compared with this time last year and unsold feed barley stocks were up 37,600 tonnes.
Unsold milling wheat is up 11,200 tonnes and malting barley down 5400 tonnes.
The harvest area for the six cereal crops is predicted to fall 1% to 94,700ha.
AIMI said many growers were undecided about sowing spring feed crops as a result of a weakening market and lower demand with forecasts falling for the dairy payout.
North Island cereal growers are struggling with the wet and some new crops struggled over a wet autumn and winter in Southland. Most autumn crops established well in Canterbury.
- By Tim Cronshaw
