Better year ahead for farmers predicted

Thursday, February 07, 2008

The Department of Agriculture is cautiously predicting a better year in 2008 for Western Australian farmers than the previous two years.

It has released its seasonal outlook for 2008, with some positive predictions for the year ahead.

Ian Foster from the department says the La Nina pattern that was due last year developed quite late and the benefits should still be felt in WA's wheatbelt and great southern agricultural regions.

Mr Foster says if those patterns continue into winter, farmers should expect a more productive year.

But he says farmers should not get too excited yet.

"It's a classic thing of swings and roundabouts. The way things are developing for 2008 it's looking positive for a reasonable season," he said.

"On the other hand the scale for trends, things that have been happening over the past three decades, are starting to tell us that our breaks to the season are starting to arrive a little bit later, so we win some and we lose some."

Sourced from ABC.