NSW growers reveal the tough calls made before this year's harvest

From taking a gamble on planting to sitting out the season entirely, New South Wales farmers are navigating a harvest shaped by drought, rising fuel and fertiliser costs and difficult decisions.

Australia's overall winter crop production is forecast to be down by about a third this year, but the state is still on track to be the second highest-producing state, behind WA.

But it has been a tale of two seasons for grain growers in north and south NSW.

Burren Junction farmer Rodney Slack-Smith took a risk many other were unprepared to take when he planted a crop after one of the driest starts to a season in recent memory.

"We got a bit of a break mid-May and we took a punt," he said.

The family planted about half of the property to crops, despite limited stored moisture and little follow-up rain.

Yields were below average but the harvest is providing some return.

Mr Slack-Smith said farming in western NSW was about accepting the cycles.

"If you farm for long enough around here you expect you get really good seasons, average seasons, you get a failure," he said.

Two years ago the family planted 1,200 hectares and "didn't get any of it up", but last year was a bumper crop for much of the region.

Rising input costs, however, posed major challenges throughout 2026.

Mr Slack-Smith estimated diesel accounted for as much as a quarter of the mixed-farming operation's input costs.

"With the wet weather, the headers are using more fuel than they normally would — I think it's $3 a litre," he said.

"But what can you do? You need fuel to run your machinery."

Mr Slack-Smith's neighbour, Toby Moore, made the tough decision to sit the season out.

"The rain came a little bit late for us and the moisture profile wasn't quite there for us, so we chose not to plant," he said.

The call effectively meant sacrificing a year's grain income, but Mr Moore, who also runs cattle, believes it will position the business more strongly for next season.

He hopes summer storms will recharge soil moisture reserves ahead of next year's cropping season.

Autumn rain sets up springtime harvest

At Cryon, Enid Coupé and Hunter Hopcroft said their harvest had been "madness" thanks to some late storms.

The couple count themselves among the minority of Walgett district growers who managed to get a decent crop in this year.

With drought conditions gripping much of north-west NSW, Dr Coupé estimated less than 10 per cent of the district was able to plant.

"We were lucky enough to get a good hit of rain at the end of May and it was on," she said.

Yields are lower than in recent bumper years but strong grain protein levels are helping to compensate.

Wheat prices remain steady but chickpeas prices have spiked to about $1,000 a tonne.

"We've only got 600 hectares of chickpeas in. I wish we had more," Mr Hopcroft said.

"It's not often your commodity doubles on last year's prices."

Risk and reward in the Riverina

After battling through the most expensive cropping season of his farming career, southern NSW grower Trent Lindbeck was relieved to see yields exceeding expectations on his farm.

Mr Lindbeck began harvesting canola about 10 days earlier than usual, after what he described as a favourable growing season.

"I reckon we've got double the canola from last year to this year and expecting the wheat and barley to be a hell of a lot better than 12 months ago as well," he said.

Mr Lindbeck planted more than 1,200 hectares of canola, wheat, barley and field peas on his property at Junee Reefs, north of Wagga Wagga.

"Probably the dearest [crop] I've ever grown with fuel and fertiliser where it is,"

he said.

After a lighter crop last year, he said a solid 2026 harvest was critical.

"Very important to get that back and having a bit more to go again next year."