New variety: New safflower variety performs well for Mallee grower

A Malle grower has planted a new variety of safflower in his rotation for the first time. Here’s how it went.

Crop impresses: It was the first Mallee grower John Ferrier grew the SHO safflower variety this year after wanting to plant it as another option for a break crop. Picture: Supplied

A MALLEE grain grower has finished harvesting his first crop of a new safflower variety, with pleasing yields.

Grower John Ferrier who produces grain north of Birchip, planted 70ha of the Super-High Oleic safflower variety at his property in late May, with yields reaching more than a tonne a hectare.

The new variety – released by GO Resources – was produced for the first time by growers across southern NSW and Victoria in 2019 and is hoped to open up opportunities for growers in the industrial oil market.

Levels of oleic acid in the plant can reach 92 per cent, compared with a normal ­safflower producing about 17-18 per cent.

“It was the first time growing the crop this season, and I considered doing it as another option for a break crop, where canola would usually fit,” Mr Ferrier said.

“We had stored moisture from summer rainfall and the Bureau of Meteorology had a reasonably positive summer outlook for the season, so we decided to give it a go.”

The season was mostly positive for the crop, but it wasn’t as wet as Mr Ferrier expected in the winter months.

“June and July was dry and September was below average, but in October we got some rain,” he said.

But another advantage of growing the crop was that it could make use of that later rain, Mr Ferrier said.

“We had a good average season overall, with yields reaching about 1.3 tonnes a hectare” he said.

“I’m happy with how it performed. We will sow some again this year if there is stored soil moisture.”

The grain’s quality is now being assessed by GO Resources. Trials were also set up by Birchip Cropping Group for the first time this season, which examined the best times for sowing, as well as herbicide tolerance.

“Preliminary results of the 2020 season are that the early sown crop outperformed the later sown crop,” BCG chief executive officer Fiona Best said. “The earlier sown crop got over 1 tonne a hectare,” she said.

Due to the pandemic this year, results could not be showcased at the group’s main site, but Ms Best said growers showed a lot of interest around the new variety, with 35 farmers tuning into a webinar.

“Growers are interested in alternative crop types that can be used in their rotations,” Ms Best said.

MORE: WESTERN DISTRICT RESUMES GRAIN HARVEST

WHEAT FLOWING INTO CHINA