Farm Talk August 2020

FARMtalk AUGUST 2020

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Advertising & Editorial Deadlines September Edition: August 31, 2020 October Edition: September 30, 2020 November Edition: October 30, 2020 December/January Edition: November 30, 2020 February Edition: January 29, 2021 March Edition: February 26, 2021 April Edition: March 31, 2021 May Edition: April 30, 2021 June Edition: May 31, 2021

Contributing to the community: Cotton has been a successful crop at the Coleambally Demo Farm in previous seasons.

A bit from the boss W

July Edition: June 30, 2021 August Edition: July 31, 2021

On the cover

ith rain comes positivity, and how glorious has the recent drop been?

And as I write this, more is predicted.

Speaking about positivity, I personally want to thank each and every one of you for your feedback since the re-launch of our new look FARMtalk magazine.

This edition brings you traditional reads from our trusted columnists, as well as great insights into our local growers with difference - native Australian plants and flowers, aloe vera and Australian garlic among them.

Don’t forget to check out our new FARMlife page on page 23. I’m looking forward to seeing some fantastic images coming through for our photo of the month.

Grab a cuppa and enjoy your FARMtalk, and remember if digital is more your thing you can catch all your favourites online. Visit our website at www.denipt.com.au/farm-talk or our socials Facebook @farmtalkmagazine and Instagram @farm.talk

Peter and Erin Draper converted the paddocks at their Leeton property ‘Willow Bank’ to a rollover bankless irrigation system, which earned them a nomination for the 2020 SunRice Grower of the Year Award.

Leesa Muir

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Kylie Davis

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SEE PAGE 10 FOR ADVERTISING & EDITORIAL CONTACT DETAILS Information contained in this magazine is presented only after being carefully researched. However, there are differences in state and regional regulations and conditions. Farmers are asked to check with their own advisors. FARMtalk can assume no responsibility for the contents.

COLEAMBALLY, NSW

AUGUST 2020

FARMtalk • 3

Share farm profits invested in the community More than $2 million has been injected in to Coleambally region community projects, purely using the proceeds from a local share farm.

T

he Coleambally Demo Farm was established in 1997, and since then many local organisations have partnered in shared crops to reinvest in the community.

Volunteers from community groups share the responsibility of sowing, maintaining and harvesting winter and summer crops each year.

In 2020, the partner groups include Coleambally football and rugby clubs, Coleambally Lions, Coleambally Community Club, Sweatbox Community Gym, Coleambally Central School, Coleambally Apex Club and Cypress View lodge.

Coleambally Lions president Chris Hardy said being involved in the project is a great way to raise additional revenue to support local organisations and their community projects.

The Lions club has several on-going projects which have benefited from farm proceeds.

“All the groups involved source their own machinery for the cropping process, but the contribution we get from the community is incredible,”Mr Hardy said.

“We have businesses and private contractors who don’t necessarily benefit from the share farm who offer labour or machinery because they know the good that comes out of the farm.

“Murrumbidgee Council also helps out with goods and services, often supplying their tanker for user groups.

“The water is owned and controlled by the Demo Farm committee, which allocates it to individual groups if they want to plant anything.

“The Demo Farm does cover some costs, including the seed for crops. It means individual groups don’t have to, and they take a percentage out of the proceeds to cover that cost.

“Profits remaining after that are distributed to user groups.’’

The farm spans more than 350 hectares, and is split in to four large paddocks.

The broadacre farm has been set up to sow a range of commercial crops such as cereals, corn, cotton and rice.

“Not all groups can afford the water to put in a crop, and because of low availability this year there are only a few dryland crops in at the moment,”Mr Hardy said.

“All the groups involved source their own machinery, but the contribution we get is incredible.’’

CHRIS HARDY

“The total area sown at the share farm each year is decided on a season-by-season basis, and not all paddocks are utilised each year.

“All user groups are hopeful we get more water by the time the summer cropping sowing window arrives.’’

Putting in the hard work: Coleambally farmers donate their time and heavy machinery during harvest.

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NUMURKAH, VICTORIA

AUGUST 2020

FARMtalk • 5

Say

aloe Aloe vera is a versatile plant that has many uses in a modern world. It is mostly known for its health benefits and use in cosmetics and skincare, but the plant is also growing in popularity for its juice and how it can be used to make new and interesting food products. A new bread variety created by Moama Bakery for example.

A

loe Vera of Australia (AVA) was established in the 1970s, and its founder Jennifer McDougall soon expanded her business in to the Riverina and Northern Victoria.

In the 1990s the company established crops at both Barooga and Numurkah.

While the Barooga farm was closed 10 years ago, the now Melbourne-based company still produces most of its product in the Moira Shire for various uses.

“It is used in our product categories that include Aloe Juice, other beverages, skin care, cosmetics and health care,”Mrs McDougall said.

“We also supply many major companies with raw aloe vera extract for inclusion in their product manufacturing.

“Aloe Juice is 92 per cent of my business and the bottle with the yellow cap has been in Coles and Woolworths for 43 years.’’

Mrs McDougall and her late husband were the first to import Aloe Barbadensis plants into Australia, and are therefore credited with launching the aloe vera industry in the country.

“When I brought the plants to Australia no one had heard of them, so it was a hard slog,”she said.

“I could only bring 12 plants into Victoria, 12 into New South Wales and 12 into Queensland.

“I first started to grow them in Robinvale where they were growing beautifully in the summers but in the winter they all died due to the weather being so cold.

“It is used in our product categories that include Aloe Vera Juices, beverages, skin care, cosmetics and health care,”

They are known as an excellent nutrient, containing more than 200 different constituents — most proteins, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, lipids, and 20 of the 22 amino acids — all essential to the release of energy and the building of the body.

There are currently 17 plants at the Numurkah property, with more to be added in coming months.

JENNIFER McDOUGALL

“Then I shifted to Barooga, and Numurkah, and grew mostly under hot house conditions, and they were beautiful.’’

Aloe plants are a renewable source. Only the outer leaves are removed as the plant continues to grow.

“In the harvesting process we hand fillet the leaves and finely filter the alloin extract, which is known to have a negative laxative effect if induced,”Mrs McDougall said.

“The alloin is removed to give the juice maximum efficacy and a smoother, more palatable flavour, whilst keeping maximum nutrients intact.

“We then test each batch for quality and purity, and an independent accredited analytical laboratory is used to ensure a sterile stable product.’’

All of AVA’s plants are grown without chemicals, phosphates or pesticides.

Versatile plant: Aloe Vera Australia’s variety of juices.

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KYABRAM, VICTORIA

AUGUST 2020

FARMtalk • 7

Kyabram farmers the best in their field Above: Sam (right) and Jake Thompson on their Kyabram farm. Photo courtesy of Sarah Thompson Photography.

Left: The award winning crop under pivot irrigation.

Kyabram farmers Sam and Jake Thompson are officially making the best-looking lucerne hay in Australia.

T

he fourth-generation farmers won both the Victorian and Australian titles in Feed Central’s 2019-20 National Hay Quality Awards — the only Victorians to win a national title this year.

The results were announced during a Feed Central hay market outlook webinar in July.

Sam said while the win was not exactly expected, it was most certainly welcomed.

“We do like to produce good-quality stuff and I guess this year it all came together for us.

We were delighted to be recognised for all our efforts,”he said.

“We’ve been in lucerne production for 15 years as a family. And the lucerne we won the award with has been established for three years.

“It’s in its prime at the moment.”

Sam said the win was especially rewarding considering the problematic year.

“It’s been a difficult year as well. We had extreme heat to deal with and our water allocation was quite low, so we had to juggle that.

“It was a fine balance of how much lucerne we were going to produce this year. And then later in the season we had quite a bit of rainfall.

“We do like to produce good-quality stuff and I guess this year it all came together for us.

We were delighted to be recognised for all our efforts,” SAM THOMPSON

“To get the best quality you need the good soil, the right climate, the water and then you have to have the best practice. We meticulously look after the lucerne all the way through.

“It’s taken a team effort to get there.’’

Across the NSW–Victoria border, Mulwala’s Lochie Donald was successful in the national best lucerne feed test category; Scott Collins, of

Corowa, was awarded the best cereal visual test award; and Jerome Shirley, of Bunnaloo, won the best vetch visual test category.

Previous national and Victorian winner Josh Lanyon, from Boort, won two state awards for the best visual cereal (barley) and vetch hay, while Picola’s Russell Byrnes took out the best vetch feed test award at the Victorian level.

Feed Central managing director Tim Ford said the winners had gone above and beyond to produce excellent hay during a period of extreme drought across much of the country.

“Despite gigantic demand, these producers still focused on making a quality product, even though the market was willing to buy any quality at the time,”he said.

“It was very tough in many areas and while yields were down, quality was up, and these growers deserve to be commended for that.’’

The awards cover July 2019 to June 2020, including the peak hay production period of September and October 2019.

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WAKOOL, NSW

AUGUST 2020

FARMtalk • 9

Grown from humble beginnings It was a love of gardening that prompted Stacey Waylen and Marc Brooke to establish Tulla Natives at their Wakool property.

T

he first of their natives went in to the ground about five years ago.

It did not take long for the couple to realise they could be on to a winner, and within two years they established a nursery too.

On the property is a wholesale nursery where you can get farm trees and saltbush, and gardening and landscaping is covered through the retail nursery.

A third side of the business is the cut flowers and foliage plantation, from which Tulla Natives supplies bulk foliage and a small amount of flowers to event stylists and organisers, to companies and organisations for corporate events and functions, other local businesses and individuals for celebrations.

“Stacey and I have always had a love for gardening, and buying our own plants was becoming expensive,”Mr Brooke said.

“We have made a lot of good connections, and we have a lot of local support,”Ms Waylen added.

“There is a growing demand for natives, and we found we have picked up some new clients who, because of COVID-19, can’t get product from their usual suppliers,”she continued.

Popular varieties grown by Tulla Natives include eucalyptus, banksia, acacia, callistemon (bottlebrush), hakea grasses and kangaroo paw, and casuarina and pine.

But a specialty at the Wakool property is the AnamekaTM fodder shrub.

“We have the rights to grow Anameka for the eastern states of Australia under Chatfields Nursery National Grower Licence,”Mr Brooke said.

“It has been developed by the CSIRO and partners, and has the capacity to supply a living hay stack therefore giving producers a huge advantage by adding more feed options during changing seasons.

“We have expanded so dramatically recently we expect to put on some casual workers for this coming season,’’ STACEY WAYLEN

“It is an elite form of old man saltbush offering high energy, high protein and high establishment.

“It offers great protection for sheep in lamb. It does not get up as large as old man saltbush, which makes it more manageable,”Ms Waylen added.

The couple planted 3500 AnamekaTM plants this year, and intend to have 120,000 to 150,000 plants this season.

Each plant is grown from a cutting from an established plant at Pental Island, outside Swan Hill.

“We start that cutting process in spring and into summer, and we would sell them bare root from the end of autumn and into winter,”Mr Brooke said.

“The better the soil the more plants you can grow, but the average is about 900 to 1100 stems per hectare.

“There is a special way of splitting the cuttings, which then go into the hot house to strike,”Ms Waylen added.

“From there they go to an outside shade house, and then into the open air so they harden,”she continued.

“It is a highly sought after variety, and only now getting a bit of uptake in our area.’’

Other saltbush varieties are also grown at Tulla Natives, and this year the number of trees and other saltbush numbered 200,000.

Ms Waylen said capacity at the farm is 500,000 trees and shrubs.

“We tend to grow any variety that is endemic to this region,”she said.

“Eucalyptus and acacias are popular, and there are smaller varieties for wind break and shelter stands. But we can also sow to order.

“We also do revegetation varieties and recently facilitated an order for a local landcare group.

“Our cut flowers and foliage is on 30 acres (12 hectares), and there are still some areas being established. Different types of banksias, for example, can take five to seven years to become fully established.’’

Mr Brooke said the demand for wind break and shelter trees has increased this season, with farmers taking full advantage of the recent rains.

“Wind break and shelter stands help with protection and erosion control,”he said.

“And in irrigation communities like ours, it can also help keep the water table low and help control salinity.’’

The Tulla Natives team so far consists of just Ms Waylen and Mr Brooke, and two children who offer a bit of “free labour’’, but Ms Waylen said an expansion and employment opportunities are in the near future.

“We have expanded so dramatically recently we expect to put on some casual workers for this coming season,”she said.

“And we want to be able to expand further to offer more stable part-time employment and support our community more.’’

For more information about Tulla Natives, go to www.tullanatives.com.au.

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AUGUST 2020

FARMtalk • 11

Keep an eye out for avian influenza Do you keep birds at home? Did you know that avian influenza (AI), sometimes known as ‘bird flu’, can infect different species of birds including chickens, ducks, guinea fowl, aviary and wild birds?

T

here is currently an outbreak of the H7N7 strain of avian influenza (AI) near Lethbridge in Victoria. This has led to movement restrictions around birds, equipment and products in the Golden Plains Shire.

AI is a highly contagious viral disease of birds.

The clinical signs in affected birds vary greatly depending on the type of bird, the strain of the virus and other diseases present.

Symptoms of AI in birds can include: • sudden death • difficulty breathing • coughing/sneezing • swollen head • dark comb and wattle • drops in feed intake, water intake and egg production • decreased vocalisations.

Typical ‘sick bird’ signs such as ruffled feathers, depression, closed eyes and diarrhoea can also occur.

Sometimes you can see nervous signs such as tremors of the head, unsteady gait, twisted neck or unusual body/head positions.

These symptoms are not specific to AI and can also be seen with other illnesses in birds.

AI is a notifiable disease in NSW. This means that if you think your bird might be infected, you

Early detection and good biosecurity are the best way to keep our backyard and commercial birds healthy.

LINDA SEARLE

should report it either to your local district vet, DPI or the Emergency Animal Disease hotline — 1800 675 888. The NSW DPI will pay the laboratory fee for testing to confirm or exclude AI. Risk of disease in humans While some strains of AI can cause disease in humans, this is rare.

Infected humans usually develop mild flu-like symptoms.

The main risk to humans is direct close contact with sick birds. Properly cooked chicken meat and eggs are safe to eat.

For further information on human health, contact NSW Health, and for food safety concerns, contact the NSW Food Authority.

Reduce the risk of AI infection Good biosecurity is the best way of decreasing the risk of AI and other diseases in birds.

Diseases and pests can be transferred by the movement of birds, eggs, people, vehicles and equipment. Control what comes into contact with your birds.

Buy your birds, feed and equipment from reputable sources.

Keep an eye on your birds for symptoms such as deaths, respiratory issues or reduced egg production. If possible, minimise contact between domestic and wild birds.

Control rodents and protect feed and water sources from contamination.

Keep new birds separate for two to three weeks after arrival and monitor for signs of disease.

Early detection and good biosecurity are the best way to keep our backyard and commercial birds healthy.

If you have any questions on avian influenza, notifiable diseases in birds or other animals, or biosecurity, contact your nearest Local Land Services animal health team 1300 795 299.

Linda Searle (pictured) is district veterinarian with Murray Local Land Services.

AUGUST 2020

12 • FARMtalk

The sweet smell of success

HAY, NSW

AUGUST 2020

FARMtalk • 13

Good clean paddocks, clean crops and minimal herbicide use are the keys to a healthy garlic crop, and the reason why Lamezia’s produce is popular with wholesalers in some of Australia’s most populated cities.

F

rank Ruberto and Belinda Headon favour hard neck varieties at their Hay property ‘Lang’s Crossing’ — particularly the Australian purple and the white.

The garlic is Lamezia’s core product, and this year they have 15 hectares sown in an 80:20 split of purple and white respectively.

Supplementary crops this year include 15 hectares of onions and 150ha of barley “to help keep the farm clean’’.

In years where water is more obtainable — in terms of availability and price — up to 150ha of cotton would be grown on the farm.

“The purple is what the markets favour, mainly because of its appearance with the purple flecking,”Mr Ruberto said.

“We like to grow the white because of its longevity — it lasts longer in to the season and in storage.

“The flavours are very similar between the two, but the white is slightly more pungent.

“We have a good relationship with wholesale merchants in Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne markets, but we would be happy to supply anyone interested.

“We would also love to, one day, offer a farm gate product.’’

The most promising bulbs of garlic are saved from each crop gown at ‘Lang’s Crossing’, to be turned to seed for the next year.

Dry sowing takes place in April and the crop is watered up as required before harvesting in October or November.

Mr Ruberto said the purple usually comes out of the ground two to three weeks before the white.

Investment in technology has aided in this process, but Mr Ruberto said there is a lot of work that goes in to the product before it reaches the market.

“We use cow manure and gypsum to prepare the paddocks, and then a fertiliser blend. We seed into the fertiliser for nutrient input.

“We then ensure there are good clean paddocks throughout using a chipper and manually removing weeds.

“While you can use FRANK RUBERTO herbicides on garlic, it can affect the growth so we try to avoid it.’’

Lamezia has been producing wholesale quantities for the last eight years, but Mr Ruberto’s experience in garlic and vegetables dates back much further having grown up on a vegetable farm in Hay. He said he took a 10 year hiatus from garlic when the Chinese product entered the Australian market, placing significant pressure on domestic producers.

He said varieties from Argentina, California and Mexico are also flooding the Australian market, and there needs to be further education on how the imported varieties are inferior to Australian grown garlic.

“Some of the overseas product in bleached before exporting, in some cases because they are reportedly grown using human waste as fertiliser,”he said.

“And some of the overseas producers are using chemicals that were banned in Australia many years ago.

“But when these products are in the shops, Australian producers cannot compete because of the (lower) price.

“We really have to educate people on overseas processes, and encourage them to choose the slightly more expensive but far superior Australian produce.’’

“We really have to educate people on overseas processes, and encourage them to choose the slightly more expensive but far superior Australian produce.’’

“The planting is all mechanised now, but first we have to select the bulbs with the best qualities (from the previous crop) to turn in to seed, which is then crushed and graded before being planted in April.

“Once the garlic is harvested, curing will take place for three to four weeks to get the moisture out. If it is too wet when it goes to market it can spoil.

“The garlic is stored in bins for curing. On mild days I like to leave the bins in the open air, but otherwise they are in a shed. On humid days we have to ensure there is proper ventilation using a fan.

“Once this curing has taken place our employees will clean the garlic, grade them according to size and place them in boxes of 5kg or 10kg.’’

Mr Ruberto says the garlic is very water efficient, and said the amount of irrigation required will depend on the season’s conditions.

Because of the rain so far this year, the only water he had to put on the crop so far was at establishment phase.

He anticipates the crops will then need two or three irrigations in spring to “finish them off’’.

“The garlic is dry sown into beds measuring 1.5m, with two lines of garlic in each bed.

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HAY, NSW

Soil Conservation Service: James Hunt (left), Associate Professor in Soil Science Stephen Cattle and Stacey Lugsdin at ‘Warrendale’ where soil testing has taken place.

AUGUST 2020

FARMtalk • 15

Hay sites tested again after 60 years Soil erosion trial sites in the Hay region are again the focus of a fundamental research study.

T

he Soil Conservation Service sites established in the 1950s are being used for sampling again by Agricultural Science honours student James Hunt as part of his research in aeolian dust — dust-derived or dust-affected soil profiles and wind erosion.

He was accompanied by University of Sydney Associate Professor in Soil Science Stephen Cattle on a trip to Hay in April this year, to take samples at ‘One Tree’ and ‘Warrendale’.

The trip was coordinated in conjunction with Local Land Services senior land services officer Sally Ware.

Assoc Prof Cattle said the idea of the study is to determine when, or if, land can recover from erosion.

“The first 50 years of last century there was bad soil erosion — particularly during the Federation drought and the war time drought.

“Top soil was blown away leaving a clay sub-soil.

“In the 1950s the Soil Conservation Service set up four sites at Hay to look at ways to reclaim the land.

“We went to one of the Soil Con sites at ‘One Tree’ near Hay, and other reclamation sites where they looked at regeneration by flushing it with salt water.

“How long it will take for topsoils to reform is an important question. Does the soil lose condition for years, decades or centuries?”

JAMES HUNT

“We wanted to go back to the areas treated in the ‘50s and ‘60s and see if the land has repaired or recovered. These results will be compared with non-eroded sites.

“James and I created some shallow pits and sampled the soils, and the chemistry and structural stability is being tested.

“The ultimate aim is to determine when the land does recover, if ever; when it returns to its preerosion condition.’’

Mr Hunt said the research would be based on the reddened clay soils, rather than the grey.

“The detailed work done by the Soil Conservation Service means we know when the experimental sites experienced severe wind erosion and when the scald reclamation works were carried out,”he said.

“Reviewing how these sites have changed over 60 years will provide us with an unprecedented opportunity to investigate how these soils have evolved over a such a long period of time.

“Topsoils reforming is an essential component of soil condition recovering.

“How long it will take for topsoils to reform is an important question. Does the soil lose condition for years, decades or centuries?

“Knowing the long-term effects of scalding on soils is essential for understanding the resilience of the aeolian landscapes of western New South Wales.

“Also developing an improved understanding of the scald recovery process and the influence of different reclamation treatments could improve future scald reclamation work.’’

Mr Hunt said he and his professor left Hay with some really good samples, which are still being analysed.

“They were not exactly what we expected, which was good,”he said of the interim findings.

“They sites we visited delivered a lot of promising information.’’

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In conjunction with

Keep an eye on soil moisture At the time of writing this article, there were the prospects of good rain in the immediate outlook – hopefully this has happened!

T

hat said, the cold and frosty conditions, coupled with the lack of rain through June and July and actively growing crops and pastures, was seeing many producers either looking to the heavens, or irrigating following a period of supplementary water.

Whilst a period of supplementary water can often ‘force your hand’ into irrigating, are there better ways to help decide if and when?

There are a number of things impacting soil moisture conditions: • Rainfall.

• Soil(s) and moisture holding capacity.

• Increasing day length and temperature will see an increase in plant evapotranspiration (plant water use). As we move further into late winter and early spring, daily water use will increase significantly.

• Crops and pasture with large biomass – requiring higher water demand (and use).

• Irrigation history – particularly pre-irrigated or fully irrigated in the autumn (probably not an issue for most this autumn).

As an irrigator, you should be keeping a close eye on your soil moisture levels within the active root zone of your crops and pastures.

You can do this by pulling out some plants, by digging up some soil and feeling and observing moisture levels.

A more objective method is to undertake some form of soil moisture monitoring and irrigation scheduling. There are four methods you could consider.

1. Soil moisture monitoring – probes installed in your paddocks to measure either actual or inferred soil moisture levels.

2. Weather-based scheduling – using actual evaporatranspiration values, coupled with crop factors, to determine crop use, how fast soil moisture is being deleted, and coupled with forecast data to determine when next to irrigate.

3. Remote sensing – using satellite or remote sensing information to inform decisions around plant water use and when next to irrigate.

4. Plant-based sensors – directly measuring things like sap flow, canopy temperature, and fruit and stem growth.

There are various pros and cons of the various methods – cost, installation, ease of interpretation, calibration of results, crop and pasture type all come into play.

No matter what system you use, the key is to understand what the data is telling you, and making it of value to you and your business. Information for

AUGUST 2020

FARMtalk • 17

the sake of information is time, effort and money wasted.

As we head quickly into what is shaping to be a season when we will actually have some irrigation water in the NSW Murray Valley, a couple of points to consider are: • Be ready to order water. It means not only putting the water order in the system, but ensuring you have the ability to apply your water efficiently (keeping channels and outlets weed free, ensuring your drainage systems are capable of getting water off your paddocks quickly etc).

• Irrigating – particularly flood irrigating – can be risky at this time of the year. However, it could also put a lot of money in your pocket come harvest! Minimise the risks of waterlogging by looking at forecasts and implement good irrigation practices.

• Have a plan in place – prioritise which paddocks/crops you should be irrigating first (lighter soils, crops with good potential and agronomy, crops under overhead irrigators, paddocks which water and drain quickly and well).

• Part of this planning is having an understanding of the relative returns you are going to get from applying an irrigation - do your sums on the value of applying an irrigation.

• Recent history suggests many are often too late in making the decision to start irrigating in the spring. Delaying this first irrigation, particularly when chasing high yields, can often lead to disappointing results and poor wateruse efficiency. The key is to monitor soil moisture levels, and irrigate on time.

• Determine whether you are going to fully irrigate a crop (maximise yield) or maximise the return from an irrigation (strategic irrigation). Know what the critical stages are for your crops in terms of impacts on yield. For example, in canola, adequate soil moisture is critical through flowering and into pod filling,

whilst in cereals, it is at head emergence and around 10-20 days before and after flowering.

• If you are an irrigator with a more precise irrigation system (such as a centre pivot or drip system), you should probably have already been applying small amounts of irrigation.

The value of these systems really comes to the fore in seasons like this, when relatively small amounts of water can be applied without the risk of waterlogging. Having some form of on-farm storage to allow you to irrigate now is also a wise investment in years like this!

The important thing is to keep a close eye on how moisture levels are travelling. If you are not confident in doing this yourself, engage someone who is.

To further help, NSW DPIE in conjunction with some of the local farming groups have established a number of ‘representative sites’ where soil moisture monitoring equipment has been installed.

The information is freely available by visiting this webpage - http://murrayvalleysoilmoisture.site/ What is really useful about the information provided is that it is very simple to interpret. Years of local research, headed by Research Hydrologist Sam North, has shown that when using probes which measure matric potential (how hard plants must work to extract moisture from the soil),

‘Whilst a period of supplementary water can often ‘force your hand’ into irrigating, are there better ways to help decide if and when?’

ADRIAN SMITH

regardless of soil type, a value of -60 kPa at a 30cm depth is a trigger to start irrigating.

I strongly recommend and encourage irrigators to look at this website to help in making their spring irrigation decisions.

If we do happen to strike good rain – great, and you may not have to devote much (if any) irrigation water to finishing off winter crops and pastures.

However, if the ‘tap’ stays fairly closed, keep a close eye on your crops and soil moisture levels as the boy scout’s motto suggests… ‘be prepared’!

Adrian Smith is senior lands services officer – mixed farming with Murray Local Land Services.

When to irrigate: Using some form of irrigation scheduling will help maximise yield and help you determine when next to irrigate.

Murray Local Land Services INVASIVE SPECIES

LOCUSTS in FOCUS As spring approaches, don’t be caught on the hop when it comes to locusts. It’s been a good season in many parts of the region and, unfortunately, good seasons are often good for locust egg and nymphal survival as well.

If locust eggs were laid in autumn, egg survival will be high due to favourable moisture levels, and hatchlings are likely to emerge in September / October. Plague locusts are a serious agricultural pest and can explode in numbers over a short period.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR Adult plague locusts usually like to lay eggs in harder loamy red soils, especially on compact roads next to crops, tree lines and farm buildings, especially those built on higher ground such as ridges.

Locust egg beds can be identified by a series of small holes in the earth, but they can be difficult to find. However, a reliable indicator of new hatchlings emerging is the presence of flocks of ibis, wood swallows, crows and other large birds, which like to feed on them.

If you see any indication of locusts hatching near you this September and October, please report it to us as soon as possible. Timing is critical.

Call our Invasive Species team report locust activity 03 5881 9900 (Deniliquin) 03 5886 2100 (Jerilderie)

For further information: Murray Local Land Services P: 03 5881 9900 (Deniliquin) 03 5886 2100 (Jerilderie) 02 6051 2200 (Albury)

www.lls.nsw.gov.au/regions/murray

AUGUST 2020

FARMtalk • 19

Value of irrigating wheat in the spring ‘Should I spring water my wheat – and if so, when is the best time to do it?’

T

he decision on where to use the small amount of irrigation water currently available is not necessarily easy to make.

Basically, the question is what will give the best return per megalitre of water?

To answer that, several assumptions are required, and the conclusion will only be accurate if the assumptions are accurate.

The main assumption is predicting the amount of extra production generated from a megalitre of irrigation water applied to a crop.

Spring irrigating wheat What extra production is it reasonable to expect from each megalitre of water used to irrigate wheat in the spring?

There is data that indicates yield will increase by at least one tonne for every megalitre of irrigation applied in the spring.

However, yields of far less than 1T/ML have often been recorded and, in the worst cases, there have been no positive impacts on yield from spring irrigations.

Budgeting on a one tonne per megalitre yield response is only reasonable in crops with good agronomy. Basically, this means: 1. Sown early in the window – for lower frost risk areas west of Berrigan, this means: • Winter wheats (e.g. Wedgetail, Longsword) before Anzac Day. • Mid-maturity wheats (e.g. Scepter, Beckom, Suntop) before mid-May (expect about 1.0 t/ ha less yield for crops sown at the end of May than those sown in early May).

• Quick maturing wheat (e.g. Condo, Vixen) before June 10.

2. Good plant establishment – At least 120 plant/m2.

3. Good weed control.

4. Adequate nutrition – Crop received at least 4kg/ha phosphorus per tonne of target yield; Sufficient nitrogen to allow for at least four tillers per plant (extra N probably required).

5. No root or foliar disease.

6. Soil in good condition – Chemistry: nonacidic (i.e. pH CaCl2 > 5.0), low sodicity (i.e.

ESP < 10); Structure: soil not hard setting.

7. Quick draining layout.

Expected returns If a spring irrigation gives a yield increase of about 1T/ML, the gross margin is the value of the extra grain minus the costs associated with it.

The extra costs (apart from the water costs) are mainly any extra harvest and cartage costs plus any additional nitrogen costs.

The extra harvest and cartage costs are likely to be about $25/T, the extra nitrogen required is probably about 30kg/ha N, which could cost about $35/ha spread.

If wheat is valued at $260/T delivered locally, this means the gross margin is about $200/ML (less cost of water).

What water cost to use?

The above gross margin does not include a water cost. It does however allow you to know what price you can afford to pay for water or to compare

the expected return from using your allocation on wheat without using it on other crops (e.g. rice) or even selling it on the temporary market.

When to irrigate The most important time to avoid moisture stress is at flowering.

This means that if only one irrigation is planned, watering just prior to heading (booting or growth stage DC47) will usually give the best result.

Irrigating earlier than this may cause excessive foliar growth which uses more soil moisture and leads to greater moisture stress at flowering.

Keeping water for summer crop The gross margin for water used on rice is probably substantially more than $200/ML, however this is dependent on several factors such as rice price, water use and yield.

The best guide is to use your own costings, yield expectations, water use in the ‘Rice $cenario’ budget available online from Rice Extension.

Acknowledgements Some of the technical information for this article was provided by Sam North and Alex Schultz, from the NSW Department of Primary Industries in Deniliquin.

John Fowler is senior lands services officer – extension agronomist with Murray Local Land Services.

The main assumption is predicting the amount of extra production generated from a megalitre of irrigation water applied to a crop.

JOHN FOWLER

AUGUST 2020

20 • FARMtalk

Four shortlisted for top rice award Rice Extension, in conjunction with AgriFutures Australia, has announced four finalists who will contest the 2020 SunRice Grower of The Year Award.

The award, part of the 2020 Rice Industry Awards, is designed to showcase the best in the rice growing business and highlight innovation in production and irrigation methods as well as in water efficiency.

The award was introduced in 2019, and Jerilderie farmers Renee and Peter Burke were the inaugural winners.

The 2020 winner will be announced later this year. Meet this year’s finalists.

Scott Williams, Murrami Murrami farmer Scott Williams was one of the first in the Riverina to adopt a bittern-friendly environment to aid in the conservation of the rare bird. He signed up through Riverina Local Land Services’ incentive program last year, because “I have a soft spot for the natural environment and the treatment and sustainability of the farm.’’

“My farming technique allows for healthy production of the Earth,”Mr Williams said.

“I converted to a bittern friendly rice farm to encourage healthy and protected breeding areas for the animal.

“It was a shame we didn’t get any breeding in my first year, but I am hoping it will have more success this year.

“Getting the birds nesting as early as possible and maximising breeding success is important to keep the species alive.’’

To encourage bitterns to the crop, small patches of crop are spread with additional urea fertiliser to promote taller, thicker rice stalks and encourage earlier nesting.

Adjacent wetland refuges, such as vegetated channels and storage dams, are also managed appropriately to provide habitat beyond the rice season.

Mr Williams was originally apprenticed to his farmer father Ken on the family farm in the 1980s.

His own son Carl has now joined the family enterprise as an apprentice farmer.

As part of a three year rice rotation, the Williams’ traditionally sow 200ha each year and use the

previous season’s rice ground for oats or fallow, followed by a sub clover pasture.

They also run lambs on the 1100 hectare property.

“I am old fashioned in that I am a rice grower in the summer months, and have my lamb enterprise throughout the winter.

“During the winter my crops naturally sprout up a clover which has a by-product that fixes nitrogen in the soil.

“It naturally comes up in a rice rotation and doesn’t impact the rice paddocks during the summer season.

“When I get the paddock ready for aerial rice sowing, the by-product stays in the soil and creates a natural fertiliser.

“This has a measurable saving in cost when it comes to laying fertiliser throughout the season. I save about 100kg of urea per hectare.

“The sheep I run during the winter are the key to grazing and keeping the clover controlled.’’

Peter and Erin Draper, Leeton It was their efforts to completely overhaul their farm to improve rice efficiency that earned Peter and Erin Draper the nomination for SunRice Grower of the Year.

They converted the paddocks at their Leeton property to a rollover bankless irrigation system, helping them save about 10 per cent in water usage each season.

“We are pretty excited about our irrigation system. We have recently divided our 343 hectares of rice bays into larger rice bays and converted them into a rollover bankless irrigation system,”Mr Draper said.

“We reduced our rice bays by 75 per cent. We previously had rice bays of up to eight hectares and now some of them are up to 24 hectares per bay.

“It allows us to use a high flow irrigation technique that saves us about 10 per cent in water per season.

“We also have all our rice bays sitting on beds, which helps us save whatever run-off we get.

“In having the runover bays we can also irrigate on a 1km line rather than turning multiple times; you can just drive over the banks unlike our previous bays.’’

The bankless system not only improves water efficiency but also helps the Drapers utilise yearlong double cropping and helps with recycling water.

“We have a good recirculation system which also helps with saving water. With the increased flow rate we can catch a lot of run off and reuse our drainage water and access supplementary water channels.

“We flood our beds about two to three times after its sown, and when it reaches about 15cm height we flood the paddock.

“Doing this gets the rice going quickly which means we can double crop. We get about one megalitre per hectare of moisture that the rice paddocks leave in the ground, which we can utilise right away to crop again.’’

The Drapers have been growing rice since 1974, and have only missed two crop years in that time.

In a “normal”allocation year, the Drapers sow about 240ha of rice. Due to low water availability, they managed only 24ha in 2019.

AUGUST 2020

FARMtalk • 21 Peter and Erin Draper, Leeton

Darrell Fiddler, Bilbul

Lachlan Bull, Conargo The Drapers also farm seed and milling oats, wheat, barley, cotton and sheep. They have also invested heavily in new technology, and have planted more than 5000 trees on their property in the last 15 years.

Darrell Fiddler, Bilbul Darrell Fiddler uses a delayed permanent growing technique with rice that “blows the industry standard for yield per water use out of the paddock”.

His innovative ideas at Bilbul, where he is operations manager for DeBortoli Wines, have caught the eye of Rice Extension when finalising the 2020 SunRice Grower of the Year finalists.

He grows rice as a part of a rotation with other irrigated summer crops and winter cereals.

“I’ve been doing it for 12 years for DeBortoli Wines, and I currently manage a sub-division of the company which specialises in broadacre farming,”Mr Fiddler said.

“Of that division we have 25,000 hectares where we do a mix of summer crops, wheat and cereals. The delayed permanent growing technique he utilises is a version of drill sowing rice, which doesn’t apply permanent rice until about December 22.

“As the process develops after sowing, you do a water flush every three to four weeks,”Mr Fiddler said.

“It gives a higher yield of water use which comes out at 1.4 tonnes per megalitre. The Australian

Scott Williams, Murrami industry average for water use of rice crops is around 0.8 tonnes per megalitre.

“I’ve been doing it for six years now. The first couple of years was a learning curve with a few mistakes made, but it’s more like clockwork now.’’

Mr Fiddler said the farm has suffered some difficult seasons due to water availability issues, but said the 10 year average is 350ha of rice per season.

“I’m hoping to reach that average again this year, water allocation dependant,”he added.

“At the moment our water usage is roughly 8.8 megalitres per hectare, as opposed to the valley average which is roughly 14 megalitres per hectare.

“It’s a technique that isn’t hard to commit to, but there is a lot more manual work for the operator or farmer compared to aerial farming.

“You have to do the majority of jobs yourself from sowing, spreading and fertilising.

“It doesn’t have a higher yield compared to aerial sowing crops of rice but the total gross return on a grand scale is higher.’’

Lachlan Bull, Conargo Lachlan Bull traded in a job in the fabrication industry to return to his farming roots in 2008, and he’s never looked back.

He’s grown rice at his Conargo property every year since then, and is now one of four nominees for the 2020 SunRice Grower of The Year Award.

Rice is just one part of his farming enterprise, with other irrigated and non-irrigated crops like

cotton, seed sorghum, canola, wheat, barley and clover-based pasture for grazing also grown at the property.

“I really enjoy having rice in my rotation,” Mr Bull said.

“It’s something slightly different than nonirrigated crops, and gives us the great ability to expand the business in a small area with rice generally showing a high value return in the right season.

“I think I was nominated for my use of technology on the farm, including satellite imagery.

“Ultimately it means I can better utilise fertiliser and minimise the risk from cold weather damage.’’

Mr Bull’s aim is to have 1000 hectares of winter cropping each season, and traditionally sows around 400ha of summer crops.

Depending on the season, Mr Bull said those summer crops will include between 80ha and 300ha of rice.

He said his key to success in the rice industry is the method he uses prior to panicle initiation (PI).

“We drill sow rice and use satellite imagery to create maps for the prescription application of fertiliser for our crops,”Mr Bull said.

“While this method isn’t new, we are employing it earlier in the growing process than it is normally done.

“We tend to do this before the permanent water process starts.

“The aim is to even out paddock variability prior to PI.’’

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Ending water secrecy On 30 July, NSW Parliament debated my bill to create a public water register – a searchable online database of all individuals and corporations (foreign and domestic) who own our water.

The NSW Government spoke out strongly against my bill, saying it would violate the privacy of mum-and-dad farmers.

This is rubbish. I’m a mother and an irrigator. Anyone who walks past my farm already knows I own water.

My bill will expose the politicians, Sydney traders and foreign corporates who trade water and exploit our mum-and-dad farmers.

Personal information like phone numbers will NOT be included on the public water register.

Some 11,000 mostly mum-and-dad farmers recently signed a petition for a public register. I will keep fighting for all of you.

Helen Dalton MP for Murray Authorised by Helen Dalton MP, Funded using Parliamentary Entitlements.

www.helendalton.com.au

HelenDaltonMP

helendalton22

P 03 5881 7034 • E murray@parliment.nsw.gov.au • 228 Cressy Street, Deniliquin NSW 2710

AUGUST 2020

CURL UP WITH THESE GREAT TITLES THIS AUGUST WOOLSHEDS VOLUME 2

By Andrew Chapman and Tim Lee

Of all Australian buildings, the woolshed is among the most important. For decades it was the engine room that powered our nation’s economic prosperity.

From the grandest and largest to the humblest and smallest, every woolshed has helped write our nation’s story. This book tells that story.

FARMtalk • 23

ERC RURAL TREE SCHEME 2021 The 2021 Rural Tree Planting Scheme is opening soon. If your property is one hectare or larger you will be able to take advantage of this annual initiative with tube seedlings available at 65cents each.

Seedlings are grown to order and delivery takes place at the end of May or early June 2021.

Further Information and the order form will be on the Edward River Council website, www.edwardriver. nsw.gov.au, from August 10, 2020.

$45

ON THE SHEEP’S BACK

Australia’s evolution from a penal colony to a nation was made on the back of sheep.

No other industry provided the ongoing potential for wealth and expansion like the wool industry.

This publication’s greatest strength comes from the entertaining and insightful stories as told by men and women who undertook these challenging roles. Their entertaining and moving anecdotes honour those who went before them. Historic and personal pictures throughout the text add to the pleasure of exploring this significant part of Australia’s past.

Future Drought Fund Drought is an enduring feature of the Australian landscape. It has significant economic, social and environmental impacts.

The $5 billion Future Drought Fund intends to provide secure, continuous funding for drought resilience initiatives.

Eight foundational programs for the Future Drought Fund were announced on July 1, 2020.

Further details on each program, and eligibility and application details, is available at http://www. agriculture.gov.au/ag-farm-food/ drought/future-drought-fund

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Submit your photo and caption for the September FARMlife Photo of the Month via Facebook (@farmtalkmagazine), Instagram (@farm.talk) or email farmtalk@denipt.com.au.

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