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Australian Wheat Industry History

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Wheat is the major winter crop produced by the Australian agriculture industry and the most important and valuable crop produced by the Australian agriculture industry.
There are many different types of wheat produced in Australia, some of these include Prime Hard, Premium White, Standard and Durum. These types of wheat are classified based upon factors like size, protein and moisture content.
Wheat produced in Australia is used for the production of flour, whole grain products, beer, etc. The main producing states are Western Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland.

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A group of Australian scientists have accidentally made a major breakthrough that could improve Australia's food security during drought. …show more content…

However, initial harvests were poor as the land was too sandy to support crops. Some problems that farmers faced was the lack of equipment and agricultural knowledge, poor rainfall, infertile soil and plant diseases.
In the mid-19th century wheat became Australia's most important crop and new colonies opened up in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia. Wheat exports in Australia began in 1845, but did not occur regularly until the 1870s.
By the early 20th century, William Farrer experimentation with new varieties of wheat, including the introduction of crop rotation, mixed farming, application of fertilisers, improvements in agricultural techniques and the use of tractors, which resulted in hardier, pest and rust resistant crops.

Page 2 – Journey so far
Australia only produces 3% of the world’s total wheat, but represents 10-15% of the world’s 650 million tonnes produced annually of the global wheat trade.
The east coast (Victoria, NSW and QLD) produces around 15 million tonnes of grains, where 66% of this wheat is consumed for the domestic use, while the remaining amount is exported. The domestic consumption of wheat is used for human consumption, food for livestock and industrial …show more content…

Investment are intended to increase the efficiency, sustainability and profitability of farmers across Australia. The levies are controlled by the grains industry’s top body and is then matched by government to an agreed price. They receive levies from the production of over 25 crops which generates amounts over $7 billion annually.

Australian Grain Technologies (AGT)
AGT is Australia's biggest plant breeding company, and the market leader in wheat varieties. They help farmers all across Australia by developing new wheat varieties that are more productive, better quality and cost less. They are now using new mechanical solutions, robotics, computer science, tissue culture and biological and genetic theories to improve the quality of wheat. Planning to use their scientific concepts to transform into real solutions that add value to Australian grain

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