Beacon family set for above-average yields amid State’s own promising turn for the 2024-25 harvest

WA’s grain harvest is tipped to be the third-biggest haul on record, with farmers like the Miguel family closing in on bumper yields despite a worryingly dry start to the season. Hot, dry weather conditions, along with sporadic rainfall, were a cause for concern for growers across WA for the better part of the year. However, the Grain Industry Association of WA’s latest crop report, released on November 22, revealed the State’s 2024-25 harvest was on track to producing about 18-19 million tonnes of grain — about 2Mt higher than the group expected in September. The Miguel family, who crop 8000ha of wheat, barley and oats near Beacon, about 300km north-east of Perth, said they were looking forward to a “higher-than-average” yield, despite the weather earlier in the year. “We had a dry May, and most of the crop didn’t germinate until the first week of June, so it was a very late start,” Ryan Miguel said. The Miguels luckily had a wet winter, receiving 240mm for the growing season, which helped their crops catch up. “The crops have done pretty amazingly with what they’re yielding considering the late start,” Mr Miguel said. “We’re pretty happy with it.” The Kwinana North Zone, where Beacon is located, is producing higher-then-expected grain yields across the board, according to the GIWA report. Barley yields have been between 3.5 tonnes per hectare around Wongan Hills and more than 5t/ha west of Moora. Wheat in the areas that received less growing-season rain around Kalannie, Mukinbudin and Bencubbin is yielding closer to 1.5t/ha. Like the rest of the state, harvest in the area came to a brief halt because of recent rainfall. Farmers are used to being at the mercy of the weather, but the Miguels wouldn’t have it any other way — especially the kids, who attend the local primary school in Beacon. “They love it. They come out on the header after school, and they’re all pretty keen,” Mr Miguel said. “It’s a good lifestyle for them.” GIWA’s news of the predicted bumper harvest came not long after the CBH Group revealed WA growers had broken the record for the co-operative’s biggest day of receivals. On Monday November 18, the CBH network took in more than 620,000 tonnes of grain — enough to fill 320 Olympic-size swimming pools. This total surpassed the previous record set on December 2, 2022, when CBH received 603,000 tonnes in one day. Chief operations officer Mick Daw said the day marked a “shared success” for the entire WA grains industry. “From the farming operations that have grown the crop, the growers and contractors harvesting and safely delivering it, and the CBH frontline employees who are efficiently receiving and storing it in the network,” he said.