ALFORD cropper John Kennet said while mice numbers were not of major concern on-farm, they were prepared, with the purchase of a new bait spreader last year.
"We had always planned to buy one - so it was good timing," he said, as they were victims of a mouse outbreak at seeding.
The SA-made Vermeeren Bros 12-volt electric spreader disperses bait about 12 metres - the width of the Kennett's airseeder bar.
It is mounted on the back of the Kennett's airseeder box and is linked to a Topcon auto-steer system.
"It's good that we can spread bait at the same time as seeding, reducing our time out in the paddock," Mr Kennett said.
"And we like to spread at seeding, when feed source levels are high - it's good to have the bait sitting there waiting for them.
"Sometimes we will bait prior to seeding as well, depending on numbers. But they don't appear to be there at moment, so we may only need the one light bait at seeding."
Mr Kennett crops 1463 hectares of wheat, barley and lentils with son Chad and a part-time farmhand.
They have reserved some of their own sterilised wheat in the event it needs to be turned into bait.
- ALISHA FOGDEN