CROPPING is playing an increasing role on Andrew Bennett’s mixed farm at Mundulla.
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Mr Bennett operates the 2200-hectare property with wife Tiffany and father Ross, and runs 250 stud and commercial Poll Herefords and 1800 Merino and crossbred sheep for wool and prime lamb markets.
Mr Bennett said livestock made up 70 per cent of the business, but the expansion in the cropping enterprise helped to “spread the risk”.
“If stock prices are off pace a bit, we’ve still got the grain,” he said.
The cropping program takes up about 900ha, mainly cereals, vetch, lupins and beans, and 95ha of canola.
“Fifteen years ago canola was a sideline crop to feed the animals,” Mr Bennett said. “Today it’s a strategic tool to control weeds, in particular ryegrass.
“We get the root disease break and grass control in cereals like milling oats and barley.”
Last year the Bennetts trialled 5ha of hybrid Hyola 559TT alongside their conventional Crusher TT seed.
Mr Bennett described the 2015 season as the second worst on record, with no subsoil moisture and a 35pc drop in rainfall, but he was still impressed with how the hybrids performed.
“It performed probably 10-15pc better than the conventional variety,” he said.
“In the year we had, it was exceptionally good.”
The farm’s average annual rainfall is about 464 millimetres, with only 200mm falling during last year’s growing season, and 250mm for the year.
“Looking at flowering length alone, the hybrid flowered for 10 days longer than the open pollinated variety,” he said.
“In a normal season I would have no doubt it would have an even larger yield advantage. It also dealt well with massive moisture stress.”
Mr Bennett said this had encouraged him to consider another paddock of hybrid canola this year.
Last year the canola was planted on May 20, with the hybrid sown at 2.5 kilograms/ha, and the OP at 3.5kg/ha. To cut harvest costs in mid-November, they direct-headed the canola.
“In a good year we windrow the canola, but we’ve direct-headed the past few years,” Mr Bennett said.
In the next week the Bennetts will begin putting in about 100ha of feed crops, such as barley and ryecorn, in preparation for the opening break.
Mr Bennett said the season was off to an ordinary start, with little preseeding rain.
He said one of the most important challenges facing the family operation was adjusting to the changing climate.
“We have been slowly changing from a medium-high rainfall zone to more of a medium-low, Mallee climate,” he said.
“This means looking at shorter-season varieties and anything that offers the option for hay and grain.”
