Crop outlook

Summer and winter cropping forecasts for Queensland’s wheat and sorghum cropping industries are produced by QAAFI’s experts in the complex integration of spatial production modelling and climate forecasting. These crop outlooks are available for free to view and download by growers.

Wheat outlook (winter)

QAAFI’s OZ-Wheat regional wheat yield forecasts are developed from climate data and modelling, remote sensing and historical data showing likely yield outcomes. They cover Queensland and northern New South Wales. The Oz-Wheat model is run from 1 October the year before sowing in order to account for the influence of the summer fallow on starting soil moisture conditions.

Sorghum outlook (summer)

QAAFI’s regional sorghum crop outlooks cover Queensland and northern New South Wales and are based on cropping after winter fallow, sorghum modelling, actual climate data, up to the forecasting date and projected climate data.

Paddock watch

Paddock Watch allows producers to directly input crop locations on their properties each season, to be used inside an automated prediction framework. Computer simulation and satellite imagery is then used to map crop production estimates at a regional scale across the State.

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About the researcher

QAAFI’s Dr Andries Potgeiter produces regular seasonal outlooks for sorghum and wheat producers in Queensland. Dr Potgieter (left) obtained a Bachelor of Science (Hons, MSc) in Mathematical Statistics at the University of the Orange Free State in 1991 and completed his PhD in the use of remote-sensing technologies, discriminating between specific and total winter cropping areas across regions and seasons, at the University of Southern Queensland, Australia in 2009. Before coming to QAAFI in 2010, Dr Potgeiter worked for the Queensland Government for more than 11 years as a senior research scientist. His main research interest is in the complex integration of spatial production modelling, climate forecasting and remotely sensed systems at a regional scale. In particular, his interest targets agricultural research that enhances the protifability and sustainability of spatial production systems through a better understanding of the linkages and interactions of such systems across a range of spatial (e.g. field, farm, catchment and national), and temporal (i.e. seasons to decades) scales.