Sourcing new crop varieties and up-to-date technology have become a part of the long-term picture for the Krieg family at Roseworthy, as the family-run business continues to reach new heights in its productivity progression.
Josh Krieg, his wife Caitlin and parents Robin and Robyn, farm 3000 hectares of cereal and pulse crops.
A rotation of wheat, barely, then canola or a legume has proved successful but Josh said changing varieties of wheat and barley in particular is to become a key factor in crop productivity.
About 1000ha of wheat will be sown this season as well as 200ha of durum.
Scepter wheat has remained the variety choice for many years because of its high yielding capabilities, but last year Trojan wheat was experimented with to suit early-sown paddocks near Angle Vale.
“A lot of growers got into Trojan last year and it was our first year dabbling in it. It was positive to see the varieties yield about the same at 5 tonnes a hectare, so this season we will grow more of it,” Josh said.
“Trojan is a great early sowing variety for the paddocks we sow in April, so even though it can only reach APW grade it will be about a quarter of the entire wheat program,” he said.
The Kriegs’ barley program, the second largest in their operation, will also feature new varieties in the coming seasons.
Spartacus barley was sown for the first time last season because of its ability to help control brome grass and give options for alternative herbicide chemicals.
“We found it yielded pretty well so we will keep adding more to the rotation,” Mr Krieg said.
“We grow Commander because it performed well for us and in a good year we can snag malt grade, plus we had a lot of interest from the Japanese market. But if Spartacus or Compass changed to malting, we would swap over eventually,” he said.
As buoyant chickpea returns continue, Mr Krieg said the pulse has taken the place of previous bean crops.
“Bean prices have plummeted so we will focus on chickpeas and lentils from now on,” he said.
Although chickpeas are not a new crop for the Kriegs to grow, the spraying program has been tweaked in past seasons to continually adapt to the crop’s demands.
“It can be hit and miss, in 2016 it was too wet and we were constantly spraying them to keep them clean but last year was a bit easier but they can become a pretty big disaster very quickly,” Mr Krieg said.
“We have a pretty rigorous chickpea management plan and this season we will double our usual production to about 200ha,” he said.
“We have a solid fungicide program, once crops start canopy closure we spray every two weeks regardless of rain, and two seasons ago we sprayed eight times.”
ON-FARM COSTS TO DECREASE WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY
THE latest and most innovative farming systems to help boost production, stop pests in their tracks and decrease chemical usage have become the focus for the Krieg family as they endeavour to keep up with the ever-changing demands of the industry.
Josh Krieg, Roseworthy, said the family’s new motto was “to always think the next step ahead as each season arrives.”
“We try to give a new tool a try each season and then by doing that each year we can stay ahead with what we want achieve,” he said.
Last year the Kriegs introduced variable rate mapping on the air seeder and urea spreader.
The mapping tool uses data collected from the header for a specific paddock and translates it into a map of each paddock to show its history, including crop yields.
“Once we can see where the yields were different and we can begin to ask questions as to why it is higher or lower, then we do soil tests to see what the particular paddock is lacking,” Mr Krieg said.
“If it is lacking nitrogen then using the technology we are able to write a map for the spreader, so when it arrives to the part of the paddock we found was lacking or not lacking, the spreader will automatically up or lower its urea rate,” he said.
All on-farm machinery is fitted with a modem to deliver data straight to Mr Krieg’s computer so the paddock’s history can be analysed.
