BROOMEHILL grower Scott Thompson will put in just over 3600 hectares across two properties – Nardlah and Malladup – for this year’s cropping program.
Scott said they received 7.5 millimetres over Sunday and Monday and this has proven timely, with all the canola and lupins in the ground and 60 per cent of those crops germinated.
The properties had received 31mm for March and 8.5mm for April, on the back of 112mm in February, which had set up some good sub-soil moisture and the rain on the weekend will provide a boost to crops and pastures.
Scott said they were now 40pc of the way through the total program and were feeling “comfortable” with where things are at.
“The crops that have germinated are going to benefit greatly from this rain and it will also fire the pastures back up and we are now looking at a good pasture year,” he said.
This year’s cropping program consists of 1300 hectares of wheat, 377ha of barley, 790ha of canola, 487ha of lupins, 122ha of lentils, 209ha of clover and 362ha of pasture.
Wheat varieties going in this year include Mace, Bremer and Scepter, while barley will be all Rosalind.
For the canola program, 20pc will be Roundup Ready (GT50 RR) and the remainder will be Bonito TT and 3000 RT.
Lupins will consist of 30pc Jurien and 70pc Jenerbillup, while Hurricane is the lentil variety being used.
It was hoped that the lentils and barley will be finished this week and the wheat all in before the end of May.
Scott uses a John Deere 8335RT tractor with a liquid system that consists of two tanks, one for liquid fertiliser and the other for Treflan.
These tanks sit in front of the 350 bushell John Deere 1910 air cart, with a John Deere 1830 air drill on 10 inch spacing used to seed.
“We are on full controlled traffic now on 12 metre tramlines and we are now, for the first time, inter-row seeding with an offset hitch for increased trash flow and disease reduction,” Scott said.
