SCEPTER wheat yielding almost four tonnes a hectare, contrasting with Ninja noodle wheat in the next paddock yielding half that amount, sums up the season so far on the Haeusler family farm at Carnamah.
While only about 40 hectares of wheat had been harvested when Farm Weekly called in recently, it was already clear a dry spell through June and July had taken a toll on some varieties such as the early-sown Ninja, which had struggled from lack of water at the time.
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"From the middle of June to the middle of July six millimetres (of rain) was all we had - lucky it was a wet August," said Trevor Haeusler, who farms with son Brendon just east of the town.
The 91.5mm received in August was a saviour following 44mm in July and only 24.25mm in June, but most of September's 41.75mm fell in the first seven days and 3.5mm last month barely wet the bottom of the rain gauge.
Thankfully, Brendon Haeusler pointed out, temperatures had been cool, helping to preserve what little moisture there was and, surprisingly, some of the wheat had begun to sprout in the head for a second time despite the lack of rain last month.
"We started (harvesting) about two and a half weeks ago on lupins (130 hectares) and (Rosalind and Spartacus) barley (225ha) and they both averaged about three tonnes to the hectare," he said.
"We only started on the (Scepter) wheat yesterday and so far it's coming in at up to 4t/ha for an average of 3.8t/ha.
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"But it's going to be our best paddock, that (yield rate) won't last long - it was sown into last season's lupins stubble.
"Ninja sown into wheat stubble next to it is only averaging 1.8t/ha."
The Haeuslers have another 810ha of wheat still to harvest.
"It's not a huge program and probably won't be again next year, the way it's going (because of rising costs of inputs)," Brendon said.
They run a mixed sheep flock of 1000 ewes - roughly half Merino and half either Poll Dorset or White Suffolk-Merino crossbreds - and include winter vetch crops for sheep feed in their rotation.
Sowing cereals into vetch and lupin stubbles helps to limit the impact of rising fertiliser costs on their farming operation which has become particularly significant this season.
"We've got plenty of vetch stubbles so we won't need any urea on them - we haven't used any urea this season, anything with lupins or vetch the year before gets no additional nitrogen," Brendon said.
"I've just used a bit of low-rate Troforte liquid nitrogen fertiliser (this season), but I'll probably have to use a bit more next year.
"There's also been no insecticides or fungicides used here," he said.
"I use molasses liquid for killing redlegged earth mite, lucerne flea and all little grubs - they can't process the sugars and end up carking it.
"I spray it out at half a litre per hectare - it doesn't kill the good spiders and bugs, or the bees.
"It mixes with water fine - once you get it in the tank it's alright, but it's not too good trying to get it out first thing in the morning (when it is cold and the molasses liquid is thick).
"There's a couple of blokes around here using it."
