Collaboration: Two farmers with shared cropping goals
Two Victorian croppers have targeted efficiency across their 6000ha venture, using controlled traffic farming to great success. See their story.
Combining a collaborative approach with controlled traffic farming allows an enterprise at Walpeup to reap the rewards.
Mick Pole and Jim Wakefield run the exclusively cropping operation and use an accountable and transparent business model across the farm.
Spanning across 6000ha, the crop rotation consists of wheat, barley, lentils and occasionally canola, depending on rotational needs.
There is also vetch, lupins and peas in the mix for brown manure, which is supported by an average annual rainfall of 314mm.
The property received 210mm of in-crop rainfall this season, and a total of 285mm so far for the year.
On a percentage basis, barley is the largest crop at 40 per cent, followed by wheat at 30 per cent and lentils at 15 per cent, with the remainder sown down for brown manure.
A typical rotation consists of lentils followed by wheat and then barley. Two consecutive seasons of barley and then a brown manure crop is used too.
Neighbours Jim and Mick began working together in 2015 and have implemented a 15-metre controlled traffic system.
Deep ripping became integral to the program in 2017, and camera spraying with a shield in the crop was adopted in 2022 at the experimental level only at this stage.
Deep ripping at 300mm to 350mm is used to alleviate compaction.
EFFICIENT MACHINERY USE
The operation uses a 45-metre self-propelled boom spray and a 30-metre weed seeker, and there are two 15-metre header fronts and one 15-metre seeder.
“I have farmed all of my life here in Walpeup. I’m a generational farmer, and my great-grandfather arrived in the Mallee region more than 100 years ago,” Mick said.
The transition to collaborative farming made economic sense and enabled neighbours with similar goals to work together for economies of scale benefits.
“At around that time, in 2015, my father needed to hook on to the caravan, and it left a gap with labour and a business,” Mick said.
“Fortunately, my father was very receptive to change, but I am sure it wouldn’t be easy watching some days.”
“Jim was looking over the fence at me, and I was looking back at him, and we started discussing how to make one strong, sustainable, efficient business model,” he said.
The plan took about 18 months to get in place.
Mick said there were benefits right from the start in theory. The investment into machinery to fit the operation’s size meant they could run cost-effective machinery across the farm.
“It’s enabled us to invest in technology and equipment that I once couldn’t do, or chose not to because of the confidence of not understanding or putting time into business decisions.”
Decisions are based on data and results and making sure financial risks are analysed.
“It’s important machinery is being used to capacity, matched with labour so we can successfully go about our jobs safely and timely,” he said.
SHARED GOALS
The two farmers, aged in their 40s, share a common goal to become the most efficient producers of crops they can and rather than seeing it as farming, they treat the collaboration as a business.
Looking after the environment is crucial, and when land is not put into crops, it is given a “spell” and may grow peas, lupins or vetch to help with nitrogen fixation, water storage and weed control.
The property has been exclusively cropping for six years, and no-till was adopted in 2002. And that also means no hay or fodder is cut either. All trucking logistics are outsourced, other than on-farm movements.
Mick said having a business partner and neighbour meant they were able to implement more drive, and there was always someone else there to push the enterprise and oversee where they could improve next.
“It has been great having a business partner like Jim on such a journey. We both bring different strengths to the business,” he said.
In addition to working together, there is also an independent chairman who meets with the farmers quarterly, plus advice is garnered from an agronomist/business adviser and an accountant.
“I am happy to employ someone that’s better than me, as all our weaknesses need to be covered by someone to find success.”
Mick described the property as having it all. Pine and Beulah undulating ground, through east/west dunes having heavy soil on the flat parts and deep sandy hills.
“Our farm covers the full range of soil types the Mallee has to offer, which can be extremely rewarding and responsive to just hard work with minimal returns,” he said.
PREDICTABLE RESULTS
Quantifying the profit gains from using a controlled-traffic system was considered difficult, but “controlling the controllable” is our business consultant’s/agronomists’ favourite line.
“For us, it is about being in control and repeatable and predictable,” Mick said.
“If you can have that in a workplace, it is worth it,” he said.
Mick jokingly said controlled-traffic farming could be likened to fitting in with obsessive-compulsive tendencies.
In sticking with deadlines, sowing occurs by the calendar rather than waiting for a seasonal break.
It’s a matter of logistics and getting planting done on time to a plan.
Sowing usually starts with brown manure crops in late March or early April, then in mid-April, planting crops for harvest.
This year, crops were sown into a complete profile of moisture after plenty of rain last season.
“If it is dry, we will sow our whole farm dry without hesitation; we are working on the premise that the crop goes in the ground on time,” Mick said.
From previous results over time, it had been shown that crops were better off in the ground rather than waiting for a rain event.
“If we look back on this season now, even with the forecast of El Nino, the season was supposed to quit on us, and it’s produced some outstanding results again,” Mick said.
“A combination of excellent external advice, plant varieties, technology-adopting research, and the ability to execute within our business plan, still each year surprises us with what our Mallee soils can achieve. With further improvements always required and new challenges constantly evolving, while the rain keeps coming, we strive to make the most of every drop of rain.”
A big part of the farming philosophy has been managing inputs and ensuring they were on hand when required.
As a result, the urea shortage earlier this year didn’t affect the operation because there were already stocks on the farm.
“For us, there were no real chemical supply issues; we had what we needed,” he said.
A large part of the purchasing of inputs occurs before the cropping season starts, and top dressing application happens in front of the seeder at sowing.
Seed rates are based on targeted plant numbers for soil type with the use of variable rate application. Fertiliser rates are based on zone soil testing, and then nutrients are applied accordingly to target yields with VRA at seeding and with post-June-July top-dressing VRA application maps.
“As a farming community, we are evolving with time, and it’s great to see parts of the Mallee doing so well. It hasn’t just happened; farmers are getting better all the time in what they do, which is pleasing to see. As a former director on the Mallee Sustainable board, I have accountability towards our community to prosper through farm improvements.”
EARLY HARVEST
Harvest has been underway at Walpeup since October 11, and the barley has yielded around three tonnes a hectare. Some isolated areas have dropped in yield to about 2 tonnes/ha, as a few frost events and prolonged dry spell damage.
The long-term average yield goal is around 3 tonnes/ha for barley and 2.5 tonnes/ha for wheat.
“I’m not saying we are there yet but we are getting closer,” Mick said.
The previous goal was for 2 tonnes/ha of barley and 1.5 tonnes/ha of wheat.
Meanwhile, hot weather has also impacted crops, and three days of temperatures climbed above 36C.
“We always had some confidence in the season with moisture probes full; it was just if we could access and use it efficiently.”
Windy conditions also took a toll on the crops and damaged some lentils.
The header was in the paddock recently harvesting lentils, and Mick said the results looked promising at around 1.5 tonnes/ha. This boded well with a decent lentil price of about $870 a tonne.
The barley harvest had also achieved a record for being early on the calendar.
Mick said paddock records and anecdotal feedback from neighbours in the district showed that this year had been the earliest harvest in the district for barley for quite some time.
The header entered the paddock for the first barley harvest on October 11.
The crop is marketed directly before and during harvest, and there is very little grain stored on the farm. Lentils and seeds mainly make up the use of 2500-tonne storage on the farm. They use silo bags if required, but avoided if at all possible.
Canola yields expected to be halved at Westmere
Western District farmer Graeme McCrow usually cuts about 400 bales of hay. But this year he is cutting 2000.
Storms whip through cropping zones
A series of hit-and-miss storms have whipped through farming districts with some farmers stopping the header. While others have completely missed the rain.