Climate and weather patterns as well as soil type effectively split Australia into two major grain cropping regions — northern and southern — and two crop growing periods — winter and summer. Most regions are only able to produce one crop per year however some areas are capable of producing both a summer and winter crop each year due to particular soil types and climate.

Northern cropping region

Covers central and southern Queensland through to northern New South Wales down as far as the Dubbo region.

Winter crops
Planting – across a wide time period starting during March in the Queensland Central zone, through to July in the New South Wales Central zone.

Harvest – northern region’s winter crops can stretch from September through to December.

Summer crops
Planting – from September through to February.

Harvest – February to May period.

Southern cropping region

Stretches from central New South Wales (south of Dubbo) through to Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia and the southwest corner of Western Australia.

Winter crops
Planting – depends on ‘opening rains’ and usually begins in May and can continue through until late July.

Harvest – can begin in late October and continue through until January in the higher rainfall areas.

Hay Season

Hay is cultivated and produced all over Australia, but one of the best growing regions in the country is Western Australia. The state produces approximately 48% of the exported hay in the country. One of the most common hays produced in the region is oaten hay.

The production process of oaten hay in this area usually involves cutting from October to November to produce new season’s hay. Lucerne hay on the other hand is normally cut over a longer period from October to February.

Generally, the hay cutting season lasts from May to September, and during this period, you can cut hay multiple times.