IF you’ve never heard of Jil Jil, or have absolutely no idea where it is, you’re not the only one.
Birchip Cropping Group chairman John Ferrier has got used to saying he farms about 25 kilometres north of Birchip itself, where his family farms 5000 hectares of the usual suspects like wheat, barley, canola, lentils and vetch for hay.
“We also run sheep, and although we have recently gone out of breeding them we have turned to trading, and buy them in to help us control summer and volunteer weeds,” he added.
“We also have a small feedlot setup, or can sell them out of the paddock.”
But Mr Ferrier admitted he was still on something of a high after the success of BCG’s annual trials review day held late last month.
He said it pulled about 150 people in the room, with about the same number joining the day online.
“Our chief executive Fiona Best opened the day, and the theme very much was to reflect on the previous season and research feedback and use that as a benchmark on what we can do to make 2025 our best year ever,” Mr Ferrier said.
“It was a very proactive approach and the rundown of the 2024 trials – ours and the ones we manage for the NVT – with results and findings was very well received.
“Then the pretty special lineup of speakers kept things moving right along, giving both an agronomic and a business perspective on the work we do.
“That input enabled all of us to think about taking on new challenges on our own farms.”
Dale Boyd’s discussions on soil moisture and how to make the most of it proved seriously relevant with all the subsoil moisture throughout the Mallee after the heavy harvest rains late in 2024.
Mr Ferrier said their farm was in the same boat when they got 150mm, which downgraded some of their crops, but has given them a head start for sowing this year.
“That weather pattern was not the same for everyone, people 20km or 30km from us, for example, didn’t get anywhere near those numbers,” he said.
“Dale’s talk about what to do with that moisture, and how to understand it, was impressive because he stressed it all depended on when you use it – paddocks for example, where your lentils went in early, would not have used all the available moisture, so some of that is still there.
“But in our case, where the canola went in later, well it would pretty well have used up everything available.
“You use that awareness to know what you can, and will, do with those paddocks next rotation.”
A lot of the producers present also homed in on the NVT results, particularly with an emphasis on variety selection.
Mr Ferrier said everyone wanted to hear what the new best varieties might be, and how they performed and in what conditions.
He said people were always looking for the extra one per cent or two per cent in yield, in disease resistance, in moisture potential and knowing how they are rating gives you the opportunity to decided you are happy with what you have, or you choose something else.
“Kenton Porker’s talk on how to maximise water use efficiency got everyone’s attention and he explained how what happens 20 to 30 days before you sow, and after harvest, is crucial,” Mr Ferrier said.
“A lot of people are constantly pushing to go earlier with their sowing, even though it might increase your frost risk, but get it right and the rewards are in yield.
“It does depend on your sowing dates. I would say conditions right now to sow dry are ideal so the pre-emergent crop would be there good to go if rain does come in that 20 to 23 day window before traditional sowing dates.
“That’s why it is so valuable that BCG has the information and puts it out there so producers can assess it for themselves and decided what they want to do with it.”
Mr Ferrier felt a highlight for the day was the online Peter Noonan financial management/business resilience presentation.
He said it is always good, regardless of the size of your enterprise, having these key benchmark figures apply across the board.
“Of course there were also the big toys, and the SwarmFarm robotics really pulled a crowd – the autonomous unit on display created plenty of interest as we got a look at where technology is taking us,” Mr Ferrier said.
“There’s probably still a bit of work to be done in the farm mapping as part of that progress but there is no doubt people are going to adopt that kind of technology.
“So overall, I think we had a great mixture of key trial results from the previous year and the speakers and all the feedback I have received from the event, sponsored by the Future Drought Fund, has been super positive.
“I think everybody who took part will have had something to take home and think about.”
