Winchendonvale’s Dermot McCormack: Harvesting subclover seed while sun shines

The harvest of subclover seed is underway, but this season has been a juggling act to find consecutive fine days.

In a cloud of dust and on a rare fine day, the harvest of subclover in southern NSW is taking shape.

Due to the relentless rain, January has been challenging for farmers trying to harvest clover for seed.

Harvesting subclover is entirely different from stripping winter crops as farmers must locate the seed from within the soil using a vacuum harvester. They also risk having the valuable seed germinate if it rains during harvest.

Winchendonvale farmer Dermot McCormack said he needed at least four fine days to harvest his Bindoon subterranean clover, a challenge given the recent weather patterns.

If he tried to get onto the paddock and there was any chance of wet weather, there was the risk the seed that had been uncovered could germinate.

“Finding a break in the weather is essential,” he said.

The 2023-24 season was the first year of growing the variety Bindoon. However, Dermot also grows other subclover varieties, including Urana.

Harvesting of subclover seed at Winchendonvale in southern NSW. Picture: Nikki Reynolds

Bindoon is a relatively new variety and boasts of being tolerant to red-legged earth mites. It is sown as part of a perennial pasture mix with other grasses.

Dermot said the conditions were only sometimes ideally suited to growing sub-clover seed, but he attempted it each year.

He said the dry weather in spring last year probably resulted in yields being down by 25 to 30 per cent at an early estimate.

“Compared to last year, it is pretty poor,” he said.

However, there were other benefits to growing subclover seed. He said the nitrogen-fixing ability was impressive.

Subclover seed harvested at Winchendonvale in southern NSW. Picture: Nikki Reynolds

Dermot said the clover harvester he was using was in fact two separate machines joined together to add to the capacity.

The Horwood Bagshaw harvesters were manufactured in 1966.

“By coupling two machines together and having the bags all around, we have more capacity,” he said.