The AIMI survey of New Zealand cereal growers, as at October 10, 2026 is now available online.
Key points as at 10 October 2026: (figures have been rounded to nearest 100):
- For the 2025/2026 season, cereal grain production (wheat, barley and oats) in NZ totalled an estimated 850,000 tonnes (up 2,200 t on last season), from a near identical harvest area of 98,000 hectares.
- Unsold stocks of cereal grain, summed over all six crops (112,000 t), are estimated to be 8% lower than October last year. The largest movement is feed wheat (down 15,800 t), although this is partially offset by increases in milling wheat (up 6,700 t) and feed barley (up 2,800 t).
- Unsold stocks of cereal grain, summed over all six crops, are estimated to have reduced by 43% between 1 July 2026 and 10 October 2026.
- On-farm storage of sold grain is similar to this time last year (up 3,000 t). Total on-farm storage, including both sold and unsold grain, summed over all six crops at 322,100 tonnes, is down 2% compared to the same time last year.
- The total area sown or intended to be sown in cereals, for harvest in 2027, is estimated to be down 10% on the area harvested this year (from 98,000 to 88,300 hectares). An estimated 84% of the 2027 crops has been sown, which is slightly lower than the ten-season average (86%), mainly due to wet conditions delaying spring sowings of oats and feed barely in Southland.
- Forward sales of hectares sown, or intended to be sown, in 2026 are estimated to be 35% of the area for harvest in 2027, the same as the previous October.