{"id":433399,"date":"2026-03-23T09:31:46","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T08:31:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=433399"},"modified":"2026-03-23T10:41:54","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T09:41:54","slug":"aussie-growing-conditions-which-produced-record-harvests-are-now-climate-whiplash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=433399","title":{"rendered":"Aussie Growing Conditions which Produced Record Harvests are now \u201cClimate Whiplash\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
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From Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Essay by <\/strong>Eric Worrall<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A summer which kept soils moist and provided lots of sunshine is apparently a sign of climate breakdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Scientists say summer of weather whiplash points to driving force of climate change<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By weather reporter Tyne Logan<\/a>
Tue 17 Mar<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scientists are warning this summer\u2019s sharp swings from record heat to torrential rain illustrate how climate change is becoming a dominant driving force in our weather.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Over the past few months, multiple parts of the country have lurched from extreme heat to flooding \u2014 sometimes in a matter of weeks \u2014 in a summer that has been described as one of \u201cbreakneck climate whiplash\u201d by the Climate Council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making it more unusual, according to meteorologist and climate councillor Andrew Watkins, is that many of the extreme heat records have occurred despite the presence of a weak La Ni\u00f1a \u2014 which typically brings cooler, wetter conditions to large parts of Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said it points to a new reality where once reliable drivers of weather are now being overpowered by human influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cClimate change clearly is overtaking some of the other drivers at times,\u201d Dr Watkins, an adjunct professor at Monash University said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are seeing records occur when we wouldn\u2019t really expect to see them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026Read more: https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2026-03-17\/summer-weather-whiplash-points-to-driving-force-climate-change\/106459530<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Back in the real world, farmers are celebrating record harvests;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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WA growers set for massive 27 million tonne grain haul, breaking previous 2022 record<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Kate Forrester<\/a> and Mark Bennett<\/a>
Sun 25 Jan<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In short:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

West Australian grain growers are on track to break harvest receival records, with more than 27 million tonnes expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last record-breaking crop was a harvest of 25.4 million tonnes in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s next?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final Grain Industry Association of Western Australia crop report is due out in February, confirming total tonnages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Western Australia\u2019s grain industry is looking at breaking the harvest record by 2 million tonnes after favourable seasonal conditions and a shift away from livestock production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Grain Industry Association of WA (GIWA) is due to release its final report next month, but author Michael Lamond said the figures were expected to exceed 27 million tonnes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026Read more: https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/rural\/2026-01-25\/western-australia-harvest-wraps-up-with-record-breaking-year\/106253596<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Its not just Western Australia, the East Coast of Australia, the alleged center of the climate whiplash, is also having a big harvest season;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Record wheat yields in north as Australia begins huge 62m tonne harvest<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eleven per cent of Australia\u2019s winter crop is already harvested as farmers race toward a predicted 62.8-million-tonne haul despite challenging conditions in southern regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nikki Reynolds<\/a><\/strong> @nikki34158551<\/a>
November 11, 2025 \u2013 5:00AM<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eleven per cent of Australia\u2019s winter crop is already in the bin with harvest in Queensland and northern NSW well underway, while lighter crops are expected in southern NSW and Victoria after a dry season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is turning out to be a bumper season in northern NSW, where farmers have reported bin\u2011busting wheat yields of seven tonnes a hectare. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moree, NSW, farmer Rebecca Reardon said yields for wheat had climbed to 5.5 to 6 tonnes a hectare in what was an exceptional result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are seeing very good yields, but the crops are low in protein,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026Read more: https:\/\/www.weeklytimesnow.com.au\/cropping\/record-wheat-yields-in-north-as-australia-begins-huge-62m-tonne-harvest\/news-story\/9130d4443bb8fec1e896d2837cf01da4<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The low protein yield is a concern, but that may be because of a mismatch between how benign growing conditions were vs what farmers were expecting. Adding costly fertiliser can increase protein content<\/a>, but who can afford to do that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What can I say? If anthropogenic \u201cClimate Whiplash\u201d creates record or near record growing conditions, let\u2019s have more Climate Whiplash. And put some flood control in for regions which struggle to handle a bit of rainfall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2027 was also shaping up to be a blockbuster year, though with a heightened risk of a dry El Nino Summer, but right now there are terrible stories about farmers running out of fuel in the middle of Northern sowing season, or fuel being priced so high it is no longer possible to make a profit. If the Middle East crisis continues more than a few weeks longer, I expect the impact of the Australian federal government\u2019s incompetent mismanagement of Australia\u2019s energy security, the government\u2019s ill-considered neglect of fossil fuel infrastructure, and the constriction of farmer access to fuel and fertiliser, I expect this to show up in 2027 harvest statistics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Iran Oil Crisis + Australia’s Failed Green Energy Policies are Collapsing our Farming and Fishing Industries<\/a><\/blockquote>