Tas Cowboy's Blog

Hi all,

Has been a while since my last blog, just havent gotten around to it.

Summer is here, with a vengeance, 34 degrees C outside today. Will certainly help to finish ripening the cereals & vining peas around here.

We have had a struggle with our crops here in Tassie. Some of the linseed doesnt look too bad, the marrowfat peas look good, the maple peas are so so, some of our oats looks ok, some is a bit ordinary (didnt get the rains at the right time.....the story of 2007 here in Tassie). We lost some of our clover paddocks, the ones we have left are generally good.

Added up my 2007 rainfall this morning and was quite surprised; a fraction over 27 inches here where I am. 15 Inches in 2006, 42 inches in 2005 (our average here where I live is 30 inches). Has been very patchy, some places would have been lucky to have had 10-12 inches.

We really need a wet autumn, to fill the soil moisture profile back up & to get run off into our rivers & catchment (irrigation) dams.

Maybe then will farmer confidence return to the level it is usually at.

Regards to all,

TC



 

 Even though it is drizzling outside as I write this (have had about 3mm), it is getting too late for a decent spring break for many farmers here in Tasmania. Parts of the Midlands look like January (mid summer). Alot of crops are in desperate need of decent rains now, to ensure they give a reasonable yield. Alot of winter cereal crops are at the stage when they would greatly benefit from a good 25-50 mm rain as well.

Those who have irrigation have been watering poppies, cereals, lucerne, grass seeds & other crops. Those who havent have been hoping for some rain. The next few days seem promising for at least 5-10 mm, so fingers crossed.

Crop wise we are all but finsihed sowing, with our last paddock of marrowfats drilled this week. Elsewhere farmers are planting potatoes, processing peas & forage brassicas, as well as the odd bit of late spring barley & spring oats.

Most of our crops are at different stages of development. Autumn sown lucerne is at varying stages. Some is being grazed, some is being cut for silage. Clovers are the same. Some paddocks are really struggling while others are thriving 9al depending on where in the state they are situated.

Hopefully these clouds open & give us some good falls shortly.

Regards,

TC
 

 Need a rain this week here. Alot of crops have dried out over the past week due to wind & frosts. Newly emerging linseed is cracking the crust of some clay soils but a few good showers (& no follow up wind) would help them through nicely.

Newly sown peas, linseed, oats & mustard seed would also benefit.

Fingers crossed we get a few showers shortly.

Regards,

TC
 

Finished off the marrowfats today & shifted the drill to the next job, ready for the morning. We will be sowing open pollinated chinese mustard for seed production (18 Ha). 

Been involved in marrowfat pea drilling at Perth, Northern Tasmania today. About 1/2 way through a 22 Ha pivot circle when the drilling contractor had a break down. Hope to resume early in the morning, finish off the peas then onto another farm to sow Open Pollinated Chinese Mustard seed.

Part of the pea paddock has been direct drilled (into a light cereal stubble), the remainder sown into topworked pasture (chipped with a Kuhn power harrow after spraying off with Glyphosate CT & Surpass). Rolled in front of the triple disc drill.

Regards,

TC  

 Good rains here over the weekend. 46 mm at home, 20-35 mm in the surrounding districts. Very windy and some snow on the mountains. Trying to sow linseed today, direct drilling into an ex barley stubble but rain kept intervening (contractor got 2.5 ha done before rain stopped play). Fine day forecast for tomorrow, so fingers crossed we get the other 24 ha of the paddock finished then.

Regards,

TC
 

G'day all.

Still waiting for rain here although some has fallen in the midlands & central highlands areas.

Checked crops in the Bothwell region today, newly sown linseed is up but there has been some wind damage (sandy soil), persian clover crops beginning to grow away (although some herbicide damage from Jaguar applied to control thistles & amsinkia) & white clover also starting to grow away as well (still some thistles & other weeds in these 2 paddocks + some grass that appears to be resistant to Select). Rain o/night about 1/2 inch.

Tunbridge in the Midlands was next stop. Spray rec on 3 x oat paddocks (Agritone + Kamba), plenty of weeds, 2 x Saia crops looking good, Quamby not looking as good. Rain, 1/2 inch also.

Linseed drilling at Cressy. Going into well worked seedbed, moisture underneath but drying quickly. Roller behind drill which will help.

Some rain forecast for the next few days, lets keep our fingers crossed.

More linseed to go in Thur if fine then onto a paddock of Chinese Mustard for seed production next.

Forgot to mention, 9 ha of Maple peas drilled by one of my growers on Sun, rolled Mon. A nice shower on this & his newly sown linseed paddock would be most welcome,

Cheers,

TC
 

 Another paddock of linseed went in today. Has dried out alot, still plenty of moisture underneath but dry on top. Clay type soil. Farmer will roll tomorrow & hopefully a few showers over the weekend to marry the moisture up.

Did another gramoxone rec on a white clover seed crop, for cleaning up. Farmer has grazed again to reduce the amount of bulk (less scorch).

OP Chinese Mustard seed crop going in on another farm next week. More linseed going in early next week, weather permitted too.

Regards,

TC
 

Been busy today, delivering linseed to growers, in preparation for planting later in the week / early next week. Some that was direct drilled into a sprayed out ex ryegrass seed paddock about 10 -12 days ago has emerged well.

Growers have been preparing seedbeds for spring crops (poppies, process peas, barley, linseed & fodder crops) around the countryside here.

Could do with some rain (an inch would be good) to help with the seedbed preparation & to get crops out of bed early.

Regards,

TC
 

 Greetings all,

I thought I would talk a bit about how spring is shaping up here in Tasmania. We are now into our third week of the spring & the grass has begun to grow away, around the countryside. We have had some rain, albeit not as much as we would like. The major concern among both farmers & cropping companies is still the lack of irrigation water, due to another dry winter. 

The majority of cropping in the region is irrigated, comprising the following major crops; process potatoes, process peas, poppies, grass seed, clover seed, process beans, onions, vegetable seeds, lucerne, process and fresh market broccoli & cereals. Without irrigation, nearly all of this cropping wouldnt be possible. Our farmers would just graze sheep & maybe some cattle in the higher rainfall areas, instead of being diversified mixed farmers, growing crops and running cattle & sheep (for wool & meat). Farm incomes would be alot lower & so would the level of employment in the rural sector & the level of investment in machinery & infrastructure.

Without water we as humans cant exist; this could well be the same for many of the farmers in our area, if this season shapes up like the last. Below average rainfall last year (50-60% less in some areas) followed by similar figures this year could well spell the beginning of the end for some farmers.

Enthusiasm is down & pessimism is rife. I deal with farmers on a daily basis, as part of my role as an agronomist and I see it on an ever increasing basis. The average age of farmers here is rising & for many, they dont have a son or daughter who wants to take the farm over from them when they have had enough.

Many farmers are currently opting to plant fodder crops for their stock or cereals this spring in lieu of some cash crops. The added bonus of barley or oats is that they can be grazed or cut for hay / silage if required, or carried through for a harvest if the season shapes up better than is currently expected.

We shall have to wait & see what happens and just sit back and enjoy the lovely weather for now.

TC
 

G'day from Down Under

My name is Craig (aka TasCowboy) & welcome to my blog. After reading blogs by other FWI users I thought it would be a good idea to try one myself. Thanks Isabel for setting it up for me.

Ok, a bit about me. I'm 35, live in a small town in Northern Tasmania called Bracknell, am engaged to my lovely better half Maree & work as a production agronomist for a seed production company. Hows that for a snap shot?

During the course of this blog I hope to give you readers a snapshot of Tasmania & how we farm over here. I have posted quite a few photos in my gallery from farming in Tassie so check them out, if you like.

Saturday morning 7.39 am here so I best get off here & do my chores. I shall do another entry later on & tell you about where we are at with spring cropping in Tasmania,

Cheers,

TC