ROD Birch of Catalina Farms, Marchagee talks with new Pioneer seeds area manager for Central WA, Erinn McCartney, about canola hybrids 43Y23 RR and new 43Y29 RR.
Q: What is it about the genetics that makes you choose Pioneer as a preferred planting option? ?
A: I think the genetic background, the germplasm that is being used suggests that Pioneer varieties have the adaptation for this area, and together with a lot of the tolerances that have come with those varieties, they’ve offered us something that has given us good security in our program.
That’s what we are needing.
I think our whole farming process is really based on risk mitigation.
We are looking for things that will carry us through a wide range of environments, in our case being a wide range of seasons, and the Pioneer varieties have tended to stand up well.
I think a lot of varieties probably do well in good years but it’s the tough years that really test out the tough ones and Pioneer canola hybrid 43Y23 RR particularly has proven to us it’s pretty tough.
And when those margins do get narrower in those particular years, that’s when they are actually critically important.
It’s probably been the uniformity in those seed lines that have been really important to us as well.
Q: So on top of its adaptability to the seasons and the uniform quality of the seed what are some of the attributes of 43Y23 RR that you’ve most enjoyed?
A: We’re always playing the season – that’s our game in dryland agricultural systems and I think Y23 has just given us that consistency – it’s been a tough performer when it’s had to be tough.
And then the top end has still been good in the good seasons and that’s been important to us as well because that’s when we’ve really got to capture those margins.
It’s given us the confidence to plant and that’s what we want we don’t want to be on edge.
We can put it in the ground and know that in a range of seasons it’s going to give us the best performance.
To read the full Q&A visit pioneerseeds.com.au and go to the canola tab.