DAMIEN Stewart, Gnowangerup, was halfway through his 550ha canola program when the Farm Weekly visited last week.
Plenty of subsoil moisture had allowed Damien – who farms with parents Greg and Shirley and wife Neah – to get an early start on the 2017 season.
Half of the farm's 400 millimetre average annual rainfall had already fallen as of last week, and 15mm over the previous weekend had allowed an ideal start to seeding.
"It's nearly perfect after that rain at the weekend.
“If the conditions stay good, I might have a week off between canola and wheat."
Bonito was the canola variety of choice on the Stewarts’ property after performing well last year.
No major changes have been made to the rest of the 2000ha program, which will be made up of 1200ha of wheat – predominantly Mace – and the remainder planted to barley, lupins and clover.
"We've got a pretty standard rotation down here,’’ he said.
“We've upped canola, obviously the price is pretty handy and it worked out with the rotation as well.
“Hopefully the wheat prices go up."
