Regardless of location or industry, 2022 has been a big year for Western Australian farmers.
In the state's grain belt, growers harvested a potentially record-breaking grain crop and were further buoyed by strong grain prices.
Increased commodity prices were tempered by a major jump in the cost of production, with disrupted supply chains and high input costs taking their toll.
Red meat prices were high, but biosecurity issues dominated the livestock sector following the spread of several diseases to Indonesia.
And although Western Australia did not receive the volumes of rain seen in the eastern states, wet weather conditions across the state were well-above average.
Rain makes for big, yet challenging grain season
Rain fell generously across the WA grain belt this year, setting farmers up for one of the best seasons on record.
More than 20 million tonnes of grain were delivered to WA's primary bulk grain handler before the end of the year, edging closer towards last year's historic 21.3-million-tonne record delivered to CBH Group.
But the rain has prolonged the harvest, with many growers interrupted by wet weather between October and December.
Robert Davies is a mixed farmer based in Wellstead, 100 kilometres north east of Albany.
He recorded more than 250 millimetres of rain in October, just as he was about to begin harvesting.
"It was long and hard … but we managed to salvage most of it and it was … very rewarding," he said.
Prices up, along with input costs
A major rise in the cost of production was a challenge few industries were able to escape in 2022.
While cattle, grain and fruit prices were high, freight, diesel, fertiliser and chemical costs were also, as global markets reacted to the war in Ukraine and Russia.
Brian Dell'Agostino is the chief operating officer for table grape producer Fruitico, which runs several vineyards across WA.
With little relief expected in the near-term, he said the company was focused on finding new efficiencies in 2023.
"It's going to be a challenging one because obviously the costs of everything have gone up quite substantially," he said.
"We've just got to … really look at it and try and get a bit better at what we do and how we manage things, to either absorb or manage these new costs."
Staffing struggles weigh on viticulture, horticulture
Staffing shortages were felt heavily across the agriculture sector, but the labour-intensive horticulture and viticulture industries felt it particularly hard.
Mount Barker winemaker Kim Tyrer said despite a successful year, staying on top of a busy workload had been hard.
Reduced worker availability increased the pressure, she said.
"It's been a relentless year," Ms Tyrer said.
"I don't want to be ungrateful because at the same time … we've done very well."
Similarly in the state's north, mango grower Steve Angel left some fruit unpicked in his orchard due to staffing challenges and a decrease in the price of the popular summer fruit.
Despite this, his outlook remained positive for the 2023 season.
"There'll be challenges that come along but you just overcome them and go forward," he said.
Live exports down as biosecurity threats linger
The spread of foot-and-mouth and lumpy skin disease to Indonesia in 2022 put biosecurity high on the agenda of the livestock sector.
The diseases had a particularly strong impact on WA's northern live cattle trade, as high Australian cattle prices and an increased risk of disease deterred Indonesian buyers.
Live exports out of the Port of Broome were down about 30 per cent on last year, at about 82,000 head.
Brooke Harwood works at Carlton Hill Station, north of Kununurra, where biosecurity measures have been ramped up this year.
"We've put a lot more protocols and things in place for our yards … we've got a lot of new measures in place to minimise the risk," she said.
While she was optimistic about what 2023 had in store for the cattle industry, she expected biosecurity to leave some uncertainty lingering for pastoralists.
Milked for what it's worth
Nicola Parker is a dairy councillor for WA Farmers.
She said dairy farmers had several wins this season.
"We saw some great milk price increases in the supermarkets, which did filter through to the farmers, which was fantastic for us to see," she said.
Compared to her counterparts in the flood-ravaged eastern states, she was acutely aware of how positive the season had been for WA's agriculture sector.
"[We will] continue to be grateful for what we have here … reflecting on ways that we can do things better … be kind, and appreciate the industry and the people that we have around us."
