Australia has smashed a number of unwanted high temperature and low rainfall records this spring.

Domestic grain users in northern Australia are assessing where to get their supplies from this year - and closest isn't always cheapest.

There has been a welcome change in fortune for farmers in the southern Mallee district of Quambatook this season.

The trade is unwilling to own large volumes of grain and farmers are unwilling sellers at current values, leading to a stalemate.

A national wheat crop of under 14.5 million tonnes is looking highly probable.

CBOT wheat futures rallied at the end of last week, jumping nearly $A8/t.

There are some signs India may lower its pulse tariffs, but the flip side is tighter phytosanitary requirements.

A last minute disallowance motion has stopped the SA government passing regulations that wuld have allowed GM food crops to be grown.

The drought does not look set to let up this year, but a breakdown in the IOD positive event early next year means better hope next year.

In spite of the dry season there have not been any serious problems with crop quality across the major commodities this harvest.