The weekend’s well-timed rain across the growing districts of northern NSW fed a growing optimism for summer cropping, particularly in light of the long winter fallow.
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Now all the talk on the black soil plains around Moree, along the Macintyre near inverell and up on Queensland’s Darling Downs, is about the potential for a summer sorghum surprise.
The rain that fell this weekend will help marry surface and subsoil moisture with as little as 50mm required in places to join the pair.
“Moisture equals dollars and there has been a lot of talk about summer crops,” said Dale Foster, from NDF Disc Planters at Narromine.
In anticipation the family enterprise configured a 12m planter fit for the purpose and brought it to AgQuip, where it received tremendous interest.
“This is not a new invention. We just put together all the options dedicated to dryland planting and configured them on one bar.
The company’s signature single disc opener, incorporating Precision Planting equipment mounted on factory designed and built units that deliver seed to incremental depth from 15mm to 165mm deep while retaining moisture, is also known for its robust reputation in tough, dryland soils.
NDF trashwhippers, and airbag suspension to follow soil countours, complete the package.
“We didn’t have to invent anything new,” said Mr Foster. “We’re just reconfiguring what we’ve already got to fit market demand."
A 12m winter planting bar, carrying 36 modules, has been recorded as costing just 65 cents a hectare in maintenance, so Mr Foster expects the summer planter, with far fewer modules, to cost even less.
“Expect wall to wall sorghum,” predicted Marshall Rasmussen, Rasmussen Brothers Engineering at Dalby, Qld. “The opportunity is there if we can get the seed.”
Mr Rasmussen, along with Simon Christensen from Precision Seeding Solutions, was busy fielding enquiries during the three days of AgQuip last week signalling a strong confidence from croppers keen on a summer plant.
“Our field days were better than expected,” he said. “More and more producers are embracing precision planting technology where every seed has the same room to grow. Electrics and hydraulics have come a long way and we now have variable rate seeding, good diagnostics and reliability.“
Retro-fitting of precision equipment to double disc openers and older-style planters is now a reality
Inverell’s Boss Ag has grown from strength to strength over its past 10 years in business and the promotion of their slimline planter at AgQuip was a success with their stall just as busy as in previous years.
“Everyone recognises that while it may still be dry, they’ve got to get a crop in the ground,” said Boss Ag director Dan Ryan. “When wheat is at $500 a tonne that can make your planter shine.”
With producers willing to take a punt this winter season has seen some remarkable attempts at cropping, with chickpeas and faba beans planted up to 200mm deep, barley up to 125mm and wheat to 100mm in areas from Wee Waa north.
“Anyone with grain up and out of the ground has potential, even if it’s just one tonne to the acre,” he said.
Last weekend’s rain and this coming weekend’s predicted follow-up will hold those croppers in good stead and will fire the enthusiasm for a summer plant of sorghum and cotton.
Meanwhile Boss Ag’s reputation grows and extends, with a first export order to Africa. Last week during AgQuip 35 touring producers from Western Australia, part of a Rabobank grower group, paid the Inverell factory a visit, despite Boss Ag being booked out 18 months in advance.
“A lot of our customers are not seasonally driven,” noted Mr Ryan. “If they’re upgrade plan is in their budget, if machinery replacement is in the program, then they will commission an upgrade. But we have been surprised by the good encounter here at AgQuip.
“Our best feedback comes from our local customers. Keeping stock on hand is a critical element of business so when a customer finally makes a decision row units already in stock can be configured on a bar quickly.
“Such an approach gives us a better chance to supply and service,” he said.
“We find customers will buy Australia-made if you build something good.”
