MILDURA-based Omnia Sunraysia agronomist Ken Reed says sowing season is going flat out in much of north west Victoria after a “bit of a start”.
Which most recently was “bitty” in the extreme with regional rainfall two weeks ago showing amazing variations.
Mr Reed said some of that widespread rain delivered as little as 5mm in some areas – but one tight band got an incredible 130mm.
“There’s still water lying in some of those paddocks, you don’t see that at this time of the year on a regular basis,” he said.
“A lot of pulses, peas and lentils have all gone in and I suspect a fair few will be moving onto their barley and wheat from this weekend.
“There is some subsoil moisture across the region and a strong belief if you don’t go early you don’t get it in.
“Some have been going for two weeks or more and right now the weather is typical for the time of year, cooler nights with warm days, but no rain.
“But no-one wants to get caught out by a wet and not be able to get their machinery onto the paddocks.”
However, Mr Reed said he knows one “conventional” producer who never panics about the weather, and is prepared to go as late as June.
He said “this guy is simply always prepared to wait, and rarely sows before what most people would call the end of the season”.
“But he does it year in and year out and always seems to get a crop off no matter what people around him thought at the time.”
However, Mr Reed said the biggest change he has noticed of late has been the number of farmers turning to deep ripping as part of their cropping strategy.
He said these farmers are experimenting with the process, going down about 450mm to break up the soil, using coated seed with soil wetting properties.
“Our Omnia root hydration regulator is proving popular to also improve germination in non-wetting soils with its root growth stimulation from multiple biostimulants, better root hydration and moisture retention in the seed bed and improved nutrient availability and retention in the root zone,” he said.
“At the same time more people have returned to working the soil up, instead of spraying, and they are all trying to get as many things done in the fewest number of passes because fuel is now so expensive.
“So if you can jam it all into one pass you have saved a lot of money.
“The price of inputs has really come down this year – fertilisers are down and the other day I saw temporary water was around $35 a meg but fuel is over the top.
“From an average 60 litres an hour in the paddock, that consumption can climb to between 80 and 120 litres when deep ripping.”
Mr Reed said what initially might surprise some people with current deep ripping trends makes sense when thought through.
He said some people may think the pans would be target areas.
“But most people are ripping the top of their ridges, because when the water hits there it has previously run straight off, leaching out the sides of the hills,” he said.
“Now they are looking to create waves of troughs across the higher land to slow the water down, so it can sink in before it runs away.”
