Neilborough crops show promise in a tough year

Early harvest results look to have beaten the seasonal odds for Rob Mountjoy at Neilborough. See how his yields are tracking.

Headers raced against the weather early this week to try and get as much winter crop in the bin before the rain arrived.

At Neilborough, Rob Mountjoy is grateful for a lucrative season and good yields.

He had finished harvesting barley and was starting on wheat before the rain arrived early in the week. The Neilborough property supports 1350ha of winter crops, including canola, barley, wheat and oats for hay.

“Our canola was affected by frost and some dry weather, but we were able to get yields of 1.9 tonnes/ha,” he said.

L-R: Jared Wilkinson and Rob Mountjoy at Neilborough. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Typically, canola on his property would yield 2 tonnes/ha to 2.5 tonnes/ha, but even with the tonnage slightly down, he was still pleased with the outcome.

Rob said the canola windrows, after frost, could look deceiving.

Rob Mountjoy harvesting at Neilborough. Picture: Zoe Phillips

“They look like 3 tonne/ha windrows, but then we get the header in, and the result is different,” he said.

“They were magnificent bulky windrows, but then you would open them up, and the seed wasn’t there,” he said.

The property received 268mm of rain from January until the end of June. Another 75mm fell after June, and the total calendar was sitting at 343mm.

The average annual rainfall for the area is 420mm.

Barley yields came in at 5 tonnes/ha to more than 6 tonnes/ha and was considered good despite some earlier frost damage.

The wheat at Neilborough returned yields similar to barley with ranges of 5 tonnes/ha to 6 tonnes/ha and was graded APW.

“The wheat is looking really good. We had some late rain, and that has helped with the yields,” Rob said.

The wheat crop achieved protein levels of 11 to 11.5 per cent.