AN experimental crop in northern Eyre Peninsula has taken on increasing prominence in the past few years.
Buckleboo farmers, the Vandeleur family – parents Peter and Wendy, and their sons Matthew, Josh and Andrew, along with Matthew’s wife Chelsea and Josh’s wife Michelle – were the first in the region to try lentils on a broadacre scale with the results encouraging enough for them to incorporate the new crop permanently.
Matthew said this was the third year they had grown lentils, with about 2000 hectares of the Bolt variety sown at the 6300ha property.
He said they tried them on advice from agronomists Mick Faulkner and Jeff Braun, Agrilink.
“We first dipped our toes in with 100ha,” Matthew said.
“The second year we had a bit more; then this year we put in 2000ha.”
Matthew said lentils had been trialled in the region years ago, but there was little broadacre use until they tried them for themselves in 2015.
“There are quite a few more hectares in the district as a few other farmers have taken them up,” he said.
Matthew said the main drivers in their decision to include lentils in their wheat, barley and oaten hay rotation were agronomic, but the economic returns of a good lentil price also played a part.
“It’s the combination of having a break crop that could be worth something,” he said.
Last year the Vandeleurs experienced some hail damage in-crop, but Matthew said they were still able to reap about 1.3 tonnes/ha.
He said the inclusion also had a good effect on their cereal yields.
“With the free nitrogen (it leaves behind) and the disease and weed break, you certainly notice it,” he said.
Matthew said farming in a lower rainfall area meant there was less fungal disease pressure. This year they have already sprayed for some insect pests such as heliothis moth, but otherwise he said the lentil crop was looking “pretty good”.
“They’ve hung on reasonably well during the dry season,” he said.
Matthew estimated the lentil harvest was about six weeks away.
Feed test a plus for hay exports
A HAY enterprise begun by the Vandeleur family at their former home in Clare has continued near Kimba for the past 14 years with great success.
In 2016 they founded Eyre Premium Hay for the purposes of marketing hay produced in the Kimba district, including building a shed on the outskirts of town, with 15 growers delivering hay last season.
The Vandeleurs grow 1300 hectares of Brusher oats to produce export quality hay, which is contracted to Mid North exporter Balco through EPH.
Matthew Vandeleur said the goal was to establish a regional brand that will hopefully produce an even quantity high specification hay.
“Generally the quality of hay in this area is very good,” Mr Vandeleur said.
He said there was less bulk in their hay, which lead to positive feed test results.
The Vandeleurs also sowed Scepter, Trojan and Cutlass wheat.
Mr Vandeluer said they had to spray some paddocks for Russian wheat aphid twice, with crops having a seed treatment coping best.
He said the region’s season got off to a reasonable start with some early rain but had dried off since then.
“We’ve missed out on some of the rain they’ve gotten down south,” he said. “We’ve been lucky that we haven’t had too many frosts.
“The main drama is hot, windy days – we’ve already had some at 29 degrees Celsius and windy.
“Hopefully the total crop will be about the average.”