The 2017 BCG Trials Review Day provided members the perfect opportunity to reflect on challenges and discuss opportunities for the coming season during the popular farmer-to-farmer learning session.
Facilitated by BCG board member and Lawloit farmer Alan Bennett, the panel consisted of Kaniva grower Sam Eastwood and Nandaly grower Terry Kiley.
The two farmers shared some of the issues they faced in 2017 and how they were going to turn these into learning opportunities and take-home messages to apply during the 2018 season.
For Terry, the extensive area they sowed to lentils provided a few challenges and not the desired outcome in places.
“We put in 3500 hectares of lentils last year and that was hard to manage with only one spray rig. They didn’t perform as well on the sands,” Terry explained.
On ‘Kiley’s Run’ last season they also had a “radish problem in a few paddocks and found that Brodal® was pretty much ineffective,”
“This year we intend to go in with Brodal® before the grass spray and try and get them (radish) when they are a bit smaller.”
For Sam, 2017 entailed working on the rotation to get back to a formula they were happy with.
“We have been moving our enterprise back towards a double break to get back to more of a 50% cereal rotation. Which meant we had to take on more canola, which was a bit of a risk and the other thing we had to do was increase our lentil program,” explained Sam.
“So, trying to find the happy medium between risk and return for these two commodities was something we had to work with last season.”
Looking into 2018 both growers agreed that you need to be prepared.
“Be organised and prepared. I suppose I haven’t seen two back-to-back big seasons,” Sam commented.
“We ended up having to do selective sprays in September due to conditions, because if you get one opportunity you might not get another one.”
Terry wanted to remind growers to be organised when came to mice management this year.
“We really need to be on the ball with the mouse situation.”
You can hear more from Sam Eastwood and Terry Kiley below.
https://soundcloud.com/bcg-birchip/2017-in-review-farmer-to-farmer-learning
