Small operation saves on big sum investments

For Tom Michael, Barunga Gap, he has limited machinery to farm the family owned 1000-hectare property, but wants to be as efficient as possible.

"I only started as a sole trader farmer in 2020," he said.

"We crop a bit less than half of the property to cash crops and retain some grain to feed the sheep.

"We grow wheat, canola, and lentils with about a third of the arable land to each variety."

He said as a farmer you are always working within a timeframe to meet the next event.

"I have mounted cameras inside the seeding tank so you can see the product because everything can look like it's happening perfectly," he said.

"The machines might look like it's making beautiful furrows, but nothing could be coming through those tubes and therefore nothing would be happening.

"You can't tell until either you go to fill up and you see that it's all still full, or after it rains and you have strips everywhere because nothing has grown.

"It's just a simple bit of technology that helps you monitor the situation, giving you extra peace of mind."

Mr Michael said it was only about $300 to set up and little things like that contributed to his success since he is not massively established, yet.

"It probably provides more of a timeliness for sowing because you can monitor the seed without stopping," he said.

He conducts deep nitrogen soil tests in preparation for sowing.

"I use this information with the rainfall received to determine the amount of extra nitrogen I will need to add to the crop to achieve my yield target," he said.

The seed and fertiliser is sown with a Bourgault 3320 at about 30 millimetres deep.

"I'm optimistic of the season," Mr Michael said.

"I'm just a little bit nervous, because there is a lot of money going into the ground."

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This year, Mr Michael has sown wheat into last year's canola stubble and has decided instead of running in the same direction as the hills and the previous crop growth, he would rotate his seeding by 20 to 30 degrees.

"When I hit those rows of canola residue, it will just spread it out rather than get all caught up in the tynes of the seeder," he said.

"It's a bit of a compromise, but it works. Next year, I'll probably go back onto that traditional straight up and down the hill, because I think it helps prevent erosion.

"If you have your furrows running parallel with the hill, the water will pool, then it will push through and next thing you know you have a trench, whereas if the furrows are going up and down the hill, it will just evenly run on the wall."

HAVING a limitation in land size is an issue Tom Michael of Barunga Gap has grown to work with.

He said he only has so many hectares available for use and while he runs a mixed enterprise with Merino sheep, he would like to crop some pasture.

"We have a big feed gap between February and now," he said.

"I want to build a containment set up to limit the erosion and damage the sheep cause to the hills, because there's no point having them there when there's nothing to eat.

"If I can keep them in a small area of that rocky unproductive land and have that grazing damage minimised and then take them out into the hills once the grass starts growing to have their lambs, it will have an all-round benefit."

Mr Michael said where he moved the sheep to depended on the feed available and growing pasture would help fill a feed gap.

"I have got some paddocks in the hills that are just horrendously steep," he said.

"I am planning more rock picking as I would like to sow pasture and then graze sheep on it.

"I have tried top dressing aerially with a crop duster, Monoammonium Phosphate at 50 kilograms, and 1.5kg/ha with Balansa clover, but did not get a great response.

"I have all this equipment, but not enough sheep.

"These patches will only be one or two hectares here and there, so it will be more suitable to grazing than harvesting for grain."