THE dairy industry in Gippsland is a strong attraction for local croppers looking to expand their operations.
This was the message heard by crop farmers that gathered near Bairnsdale last week for a Southern Farming System (SFS) field day.
Expansion of the cropping industry in Gippsland has seen involvement by a number of young farmers, as evidenced at the field day.
"I don't see why we can't make money out of growing crops," Ross Ingram said, on a tour through his barley crop at Lindenow.
"We reckon grain in Gippsland has a big future, particularly with the healthy dairy industry down the road," referring to expansion in the Macalister and Latrobe dairying districts.
The Ingram family of four brothers harvest 22,000 tonnes of vegetables per year from 700 hectares. They also grow out steers.
Last year they began sowing barley as part of their five year rotation of crops, yielding 7t/ha with a grain protein yield of 12.
This year they sowed barley at 70kg/ha in two paddocks, total 180ha.
"I won't be surprised, with the way the barley is ripening, very gradually and slowly, if we get a better yield. I'm hoping for 9t/ha," said Gerald Ingram.
For 2014, they have leased additional acreage to sow about 300ha of barley.
"Having invested significantly in the capitalisation of a cereal crop, we decided to make it part of our five-year rotation of vegetable crops across the property," Mr Ingram said.
At the Caithness' property at Bengworden, participants viewed 610ha of oilseed and cereal crops and 610ha of fodder crops.
In particular, they were impressed with a chest-high standing crop of 100ha of canola, which Trevor Caithness expected to windrow this week.
Canola was sown at 2.2kg/ha and Mr Caithness expects to harvest 2t/ha yield.
Estimates of yields across Gippsland from those crop farmers at the field day were 2.5-5t/ha wheat, 1.8-3t/ha canola, 6-7t/ha maize and 3-5t/ha barley.
Mr Caithness also planted winter red wheat at 80kg/ha with 100kg/ha MAP.
One paddock of canola is being used as part of a number of trials, including use of compost applications, nitrogen treatments and to trial a temperature and moisture probe installed in May last year by SFS.
"The probe assists timing of nitrogen application," said Jon Midwood, chief executive officer of SFS, explaining the probe goes to a depth of 1.5 metres into the soil.
Data is uploaded to a computer program and collated to forecast the best time to sow crops.
"It quantifies moisture and temperature and the data can help a farmer plan to put urea out when the plant can use it.
"The probe tells us what is happening at depth and visually you can see where the water is in the soil."
Mr Midwood showed how the current soil moisture profiles indicated the advantages of sowing a summer forage crop in early November.
Farmers also viewed an 8ha varietal trial site managed by SFS.
Of interest to Gippsland croppers were the initial results of early sowing barley and wheat varieties and a trace element trial.
