The Land • 13th January 2022

Confidence booster at Rand

The aerial photos showing large areas of windrowed canola under muddy brown floodwater on Roy Hamilton’s farm in the southern Riverina were enough to make anyone cry.

The Farmer Magazine • 1st January 2022

Between wood and a hard place

A two-year shortfall in timber supply caused by bushfire and flood damage has left the NSW timber industry struggling to meet demand from infrastructure projects and record levels of housing construction.

The Land • 30th December 2021

Notching up a good season

After surviving three of his worst years on the land, Nyngan farmer Michael Dutschke is happy to have notched up consecutive good ones.

The Land • 23rd December 2021

Input punt pays at Glenalla

Even with low test weights in his canola and a rain-interrupted harvest, Greenethorpe mixed farmer Rob Taylor said 2021 would be remembered as an exceptionally good year thanks to the long cool finish to spring that allowed canola yields to reach full potential.

Groundcover • 22nd December 2021

Grower came for high prices, stayed for rotational benefits

After harvesting grain crops in Canada for four years, Tarren Minhard vowed he would never grow lentils. Back at the family farm he has just finished applying the first fungicide to his fourth crop of PBA Hurricane XT lentils.

The Land • 16th December 2021

Soil type worth the research

When your farming system is based on moisture conservation, wet years like 2021 can deliver too much of a good thing, as mixed farmer Ed Gebhardt has found.

The Land • 9th December 2021

Holding out hope at Gilgandra for best ever lupin crop

The big wet across much of the state has taken a toll on quality in cereal and oilseed crops, but Gilgandra mixed farmer Kevin Kilby is hopeful his Luxor albus lupins will go the distance.

The Land • 2nd December 2021

Nuffield scholar still probing for sensor answers

Five years after he was awarded a Nuffield scholarship to study the topic of plant available water, John Stevenson is still searching for answers. "I learned it probably matters in Australia more than anywhere in the world, because we're so reliant on rainfed agriculture," he said.

The Land • 25th November 2021

Parkes farmers expand crop types to match variable rainfall

It pays to be flexible when you're farming in the central west where rainfall in the past dozen years has amounted to as little as 230mm or as much as 1087mm, and peak rainfall can come at any time of the year.

The Land • 18th November 2021

Getting back in the game

After four years without it, Narromine farmer Scott Vincent is looking forward to getting back into cotton. “When there’s water available, it’s my biggest gross margin crop,” he said. “This will be my first cotton crop since 2016-17. There hasn't been much grown anywhere in the last few years and prices are looking very, very strong."

The Land • 11th November 2021

No 'monster' yields for the western Riverina

Grain growers in the western Riverina could be forgiven for experiencing a touch of envy right now. “The crops have been okay, considering,” said Gavin Howley, of Kyalite. “Although you get a bit tired of saying that. And it’s hard for people in our area to look on social media and see these monster crops not far away from us."

TurfBreed • 5th November 2021

Irresistible combination of youthful energy and flower power

You might say it’s been a baptism of fire for Lorn Turf co-owners Andrew Coombe and Anna Fraser who opened their Hunter Valley farm for business in November 2020.

The Farmer Magazine • 3rd November 2021

R&D and the bright future of agriculture

Agriculture and the many sectors linked to it have come on in leaps and bounds over the past 10 years due to technological advances and clever thinking – but the future is even more astounding.

The Land • 2nd November 2021

Better allocations boost confidence in the Riverina

Riverina farmer Nic Morona has always been an optimist, but there's an extra spring in his step this year thanks to a wetter winter and healthy irrigation allocations. "This could be one of the better seasons that we've had in a long time," he said.

The Land • 28th October 2021

For the love of the spud

Fourth generation seed potato grower James Weir is gearing up for one of the busiest times of the year. Not only does he have ground to prepare for the next crop of seed potatoes, but the annual ram sale is just over a week away.

The Land • 21st October 2021

Pulses prove a perfect fit at Quandialla

Don't ask Lyndon McNab what yields he expects from this year's winter crops - harvest is still more than a month away and he's not one for counting the proverbial chickens before they hatch. Softer seasonal conditions mean the crops are "still pretty green here".

Groundcover • 27th September 2021

Inoculant development a key to growing pulses on acidic soils

Growers in north-eastern Victoria have a long history of growing pulse crops, but they have not always been successful. Pulses prefer well-drained soils with a pH greater than 6.0, which is almost the opposite of many of the region’s soils.

The Farmer Magazine • 27th August 2021

Lifting the GM ban

Choice, competitiveness and confidence have been identified as the primary benefits from the NSW Government’s decision to allow the commercial production of genetically modified food crops.

Groundcover • 7th August 2021

Risk management means weed management for SA grower

Some risks – changing rainfall patterns, variable soil types and extreme weather events such as frost and heat – cannot be controlled, so South Australian grower Andrew Hansen focuses on those that he can.

The Farmer Magazine • 18th July 2021

Winding back the war on wind energy in Australia

Proposed wind developments often meet a barrage of opposition, from concerns about disruption, noise and health to poor compensation for landholders. But education and experience have seen a new harmony blossom between the turbines and their neighbours.