The northern region encompasses Queensland and New South Wales and generally has high inherent soil fertility, with relatively high seasonal rainfall and production variability compared with the other regions. Both summer and winter crops are important for profit. The northern region is the largest source of Australia’s premium hard high-protein wheat for export and domestic use. Demand for feed grains from the region’s important livestock industries is a key driver of grain production.
Key characteristics
- high proportion of vertosol clay soils
- tropical, sub-tropical and temperate environments
- summer dominant cropping in Queensland, winter dominant cropping in NSW
- high proportion of mixed farming, including livestock, sugarcane, cotton and pastures
- large and diverse domestic and export markets.
Examples of grain crops
