Australian farmers lose faith in a $96 million forecast upgrade
Storms of up to 200mm in a day have trashed Queensland crops while southern growers enjoy drought-breaking rain.
|November 4, 2026Listen to the full interview:
Australian farmers have lost trust in the Bureau of Meteorology after a forecasting upgrade that cost $96 million.
Australian rural commentator Libby Price says the upgrade went live in October last year and a Senate inquiry found it cost $96 million, not the $5 million first reported. “It’s infuriated many in the agricultural sector,” she says.
She says the MetEye app no longer gives a forecast for the current day, and rainfall data is hard to find.
She says farmers who dry sowed in Victoria and South Australia have had drought-breaking spring rain, while storms of up to 200mm in one day have trashed crops on Queensland’s Darling Downs.
She says canola, the highest-value crop for Australian grain growers, has been hit.
“It’s really hitting farmers’ mental health.”
Watch the full interview:
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