Mallee farmers have been spending Wimmera inputs, after two hard years, according to Woomelang farmer and agronomist, Kate Wilson.
Ms Wilson operates a 6800 cropping property, half way between Woomelang and Hopetoun, with her husband, Grant, and three full time, part time and casual harvest workers.
“There were a lot of growers went into 2016 with a negative cash flow, so it was a make or break year, for many people,” Ms Wilson said.
“Mallee growers have had to spend Wimmera inputs, this year, and they are getting Wimmera yields too.
“But to come off what was probably one of the worst seasons last year, then having to change their mindset - let alone find the money and to accept all that risk - generally Mallee farmers did a really good job.”
She said Mallee farmers found they had to apply higher rates of nitrogen and fungicides, than they normally would.
“We were spraying Mallee crops for scald and powdery mildew, things we haven’t done for 20 years.”
After two dry years, phosphorous inputs had halved, with about 30kilograms of MAP being broadcast, per hectare.
“All our cereals would have 80-100kg, per hectare of urea.”
Ms Wilson, who is also an agronomist with AGRIVision Consultants, said some Mallee croppers had to put on two applications of fungicide, across barley.
She said it was the fourth generation the family had been farming in the Mallee.
They had been using no-till practices, to two centimetre accuracy, for up to 20 years.
“Grant made his first no-till points himself, you couldn’t buy them, so he made them out of truck springs,” Ms Wilson said.
She said there was a practical reason behind the introduction of no-till farming.
“Grant also just saw there was a different way to try and build up the soil, with more natural fertility.
“Environmentally, it was far more sustainable, but it also allowed us to use herbicides in a different and safer way, and allowed more diverse rotations.”
Eventually, the Wilsons moved to custom points, coupled with sub spraying and effective night coverage, in summer.
“The no-till system gives us a return, in years which would otherwise have been a complete wipe out.”
Pre-emergents used on the farm included Trifluralin, Boxer Gold and Secura, which were rotated to ensure maximum efficacy.
The farm was currently planted to red and green lentils, Yitpi, durum and spelt wheat, lupins and blue peas.
“There’s no canola this year, it’s been too dry, but we are normally 50 per cent legumes and fallow and 50pc wheat.”
“Our rotation is essential; we try and get a two year break, to alleviate crown rot.
“Rotation is king; it gives us flexibility to adapt to the season, and cropping opportunities.”
In conjunction with the no-till system, all yield mapping was collected and analysed, but Ms Wilson said the farm had not gone down the variable rate route yet.
“We will go variable rate application, next time we change seed.”
The rain, which fell in spring, had brought great yields, but also challenges.
“September was massive,” Ms Wilson said.
“We had 110mm, in September - last year our growing season, from April to October was 103mm.
“But it’s been a nightmare year for blowouts of weeds, ryegrass, particularly, milk thistle, there is going to be ongoing issues, for a number of years, from weed seed blowouts.”
The lentils also had to be sprayed four times, with fungicides.
“That was a logistical nightmare, physically getting across it, and access to fungicide made it a really tight season.”
One of the greatest challenges facing Mallee croppers was weed resistance.
“It’s been a nightmare year for blowouts of weeds, ryegrass, particularly, milk thistle, there is going to be ongoing issues, for a number of years, from weed seed blowouts.
Some of the lentils had gone to receival depots in Dooen, Rupanyup, Beulah and Donald.
“We have a lot of lentils, still on farm, there’s 1500 tonnes of lentils on farm, in sheds and silos, and we can store another 5000-6000 tonnes of cereal on farm; the rest will go, some of it has already been contracted.
“We are about to put a bunker pad down, and put wheat in the bunker.”
Ms Wilson said she expected the wheat price to follow barley down.
“The big yields are great to grow, but logistically they are challenging and as far as marketing, it is challenging as well.”
She said she was hoping for Australian Premium Wheat (APW) or better.
The weather pattern was not too surprising.
“It’s a pretty normal Mallee pattern, we normally get a bounce back - if we didn’t get these bounce back years, we wouldn’t be here.
“Nothing surprises us about the weather, in the Mallee.”