2025, Volume 22, Paper 3
ISSN: 1449-7875
Western Australian and South Australian Grain Enterprise Emission Intensities and Gross Margins: A Review
Christophe d’Abbadie – Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia
Ross Kingwell – Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia; School of Agriculture and Environment, University of Western Australia
Abstract
Drawing on various datasets, crop enterprise emission intensities and gross margins are reported for the main broadacre crops grown in Western Australia and South Australia. Values are reported for various rainfall regions and across time, and for different farm performance groupings. As a generalisation, in each region, wheat and canola production display marked increases in emissions intensity across the study period whilst legume crops’ emission intensities increase far less. Wheat crops display upward emission intensity trajectories across time whilst displaying different rates of increase in emissions intensity according to regional rainfall. Canola demonstrates higher emissions intensities per tonne compared to cereal crops, with distinct emission intensity patterns across the different types of canola (e.g. Roundup Ready ® canola versus conventional canola). Canola emissions per tonne when compared to those of cereals show a stronger positive relationship with gross margins across all rainfall regions. Lupins generate substantially lower emissions per tonne compared to cereals and canola, whilst other pulses display a wide range of emission intensities. Regional differences in emission intensity trajectories are observed for several principal crop types, with farms in high rainfall regions often displaying the lowest emissions per tonne. Within the farm business population in each State some farms simultaneously achieve high economic returns at far lesser emissions intensity. These farms may exemplify feasible desirable pathways that other farms could follow. Improved gross margin and environmental objectives might be feasibly achieved for more farms via improved farm management, complemented with the development of cost-effective, emission-reducing technologies that deliver sustainable intensification without compromising economic returns.
Key words: emissions, cropping, emissions intensity, enterprise gross margins
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