The yield on broadacre crops this year averaged 0.4 to 0.6 tonnes per hectare less than in 2005, and 0.2 to 0.4 tonnes per hectare less than the previous five year average for Western Australia.
BankWest through
WA Business News reported that farm input costs declined for the second year in a row. Operating costs fell to $186 a hectare from $194 a hectare in 2004 as farmers responded to the poor seasonal outlook by trimming inputs.
Despite tight cost control, operating costs as a percentage of farm income increased to 86 per cent, the highest level observed since the first BankWest report in 2000.