Rain turns dry paddocks into bumper crops after years of drought

SA farmers look forward to record-breaking harvest to rebuild after drought In short: Farmers struggling to keep cashflow coming a year ago are preparing to harvest the best crop in living memory. As long as locusts do not interfere, many say it will be the first time they make a profit in years. What's next? Grain Producers SA predicts a record-breaking 13 million tonnes of grain will be harvested in 2026. This time last year the cropping paddocks at the Fisher's farm were filled with mounds of red sand, as a pregnant Kiara worried about how her family would make ends meet. Almost 12 months on, the crops are so high her three-year-old daughter Aurora almost disappears when she runs through them. Above-average rainfall in parts of South Australia has brought relief to families like Ms Fisher's, at Bugle Hut in the Riverland, about 270 kilometres from Adelaide. Her property has received 330 millimetres of rain this year, well above their average of 250mm. "Where we sit now, this was entirely dirt and this year my husband's had to slash it three times already," she said. "There were crops out there last year, but they'd be lucky to be grazing the tops of your ankles … [but] this year my three-year-old daughter … you can barely see her in them." Ms Fisher was optimistic reaping this year's wheat and barley crop will allow them to rebuild. Off-farm work and the federal government's family household allowance have helped them stay afloat amid four years of drought. "It'll be really nice just to wipe our slates clean and know that for the first time in a few years we've farmed for something," she said. 'Chalk and cheese' Down the road at her farm at Maggea, Louise Smith has received 350mm so far this year, more than double last year's total of 115mm. "We were like kids in a lolly factory, just running around playing in the mud like wow we are three-year-olds,"she said. She hoped to turn a profit for the first time in about seven years, having sown her paddocks with rye, barley, wheat and oats. "You drive into town, there's actually people, they stop and chat. There's happy smiles and it's not everyone thinking, 'Where do we go next?'" she said. "You talk to your neighbours, everyone's just happy. It's a good feeling." The improved conditions have also seen her sheep and cattle, which were hand-fed during the drought, grow fat. Many of Louise Smith's sheep did not survive last year's harsh drought conditions. (ABC Riverland: Amelia Walters) Holding onto starving stock was a difficult decision, but one that has paid off, with other farmers who destocked now unable to afford to buy. "I think looking back now, 12 months on, we made all the right decisions we could have made back then to get us to the best position we could to get into this season," she said. Louise Smith has not had to hand-feed her Charolais cattle this year. (ABC Riverland: Amelia Walters) "We've got control over our own operation again. It's a very good feeling." Record-breaking harvest Headers have begun rolling across paddocks in the west of the state, but most farmers are still gearing up to bring in a bumper crop. Grain Producers South Australia chief executive Brad Perry said the 2026/27 harvest was expected to break records. Brad Perry says this year will be record-breaking as long as harvest goes to plan. (ABC News: Marco Catalano) "An average tonnage for harvest in South Australia in the grain sector is about 9 million tonnes," he said. "We're looking at eclipsing that from all reports to about 13 million tonnes." There were some difficulties for growers, with frost events and disease pressure also affecting crops in some regions. Louise Smith and Kiara Fisher say they will likely begin harvesting towards the end of November. (ABC Riverland: Amelia Walters) The logistics of harvesting a bumper crop will also prove a challenge. Back at Bugle Hut, Ms Fisher said while the drought had broken, farmers were not quite out of the woods yet. The looming challenges were numerous from low grain prices to locusts threatening crops and skyrocketing input costs, with diesel prices adding an extra $200,000 hit to their budget. "We're going to have to sell most of our saleable grain that we're not holding onto to for feed just to pay the bills from the last three years," she said. "When the universe provides in the ways that it has this year, as far as weather goes, then it's certainly hit you in other areas." Locust nymphs have already been spotted across the Riverland and Mallee ahead of harvest, spiking concern among farmers. (ABC Riverland: Amelia Walters)