Online Grower Shedmeetings - Latest Comments

Mark Ellwood said...

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:45:01 +1000

Guys, just in relation to going back to single row in 1.8m centres. The need for a wide chute is not necessary and i have seen excellent results with a single row double disc opener (narrow point). Although plant quality needs to be quite good. But planting rates of around 5t/ha are quite acceptable with a single row disc opener and trial work done has shown no loss of yield with these lower planting rates. This trial shown on the hyperlink below was done with a wide chute, but the lower rates used (5.5 & 3.7t/ha) can be put through a single row double disc.

http://www.google.com.au/search?q=planting+rate+trial+homebush

Jeremy Cordingley said...

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 17:15:01 +1000

Thanks Chris, great video. Where do you get your Lysimeters from? Thanks, Jeremy (Kenya)

Chris said...

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 02:05:01 +1000

Can anyone tell me anything about growing soya bean hydroponically?

James Leigh said...

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 01:58:01 +1000

We are about to start the development of a 7,300 hectares of Sugar Cane plantation farm (Corporacion Miraflores C.A.) using ferti-irrigation (underground dripping hose), in Piura, Peru, South America., to produce 400,000 liters daily of ethanol directly from the stock, without going through sugar and molasses. The mechanical harvesting will be 100% green and we do not have any rain fall to help in the use of the organic matter; the harvesting will yield 1,600 Tons of green trash daily, year around. The green cane harvesting is new for us, and not so easy to handle specially in this kind of conditions with high yields. We would be very grateful if you contact us with somebody in the industry that would share their experience with us on how to handle the Green cane trash blanket (GCTB). If you have any questions please feel free to ask. Thank you, Sincerely yours,

James Leigh, Managing Director Servicios Agricolas S.A.C. somate2000@gmail.com

Joe Linton said...

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 02:05:01 +1000

Hi, The program (overlap croping) I have undertaken at the moment is as follows. I cut cane from this block first round in early June then zonal tilled the ground on GPS and reformed the beds at 1.83m rows. To provide some nutrient, I applied 2.8cu/ha of Bio-Dunder fan sprayed on each bed and sprayed the paddock with 2 lts/ha of Stomp Extra. I then planted Mung beans on the 15th June dry then watered up the paddock. I have since irrigated again and waiting for the right moisture level to Plant dual row cane between the triple rows of Mung. Probably next week. The Mung beans are about 200mm high at present with good nodulation. So far there is small areas of nutgrass and cane regrowth. (I will spray the regrowth cane with Verdict) I will be applying about 150kg/ha of planting mix when planting cane. After this is done I plan to grow the Mung to maturity and harvest the grain while the cane strikes. Does any one have any suggestions how I can maximise the outcome? - Joe

Cameron Steer (Stoller Australia) said...

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 02:04:01 +1000

I can email you some information on requirements etc and work on a program for you. It would be interesting to follow this through with you. Have a look at www.stoller.com.au and send an email to our office asking for my details. I can then follow it up and send you some extra information.

Joe Linton said...

Sat, 30 May 2009 02:04:01 +1000

Thanks Cameron. I am about to plant Mung beans straight after ploughing out my first round of cane. I plan to plant cane by Dual row double disc opener planter into the growing beans, mid way through the growing phase. I also plan to harvest the bean. I know this sounds strange but I have trialed this process before with reasonable results in a summer crop. In this case i think I am pushing the nutrient requirements for both crops. Do you or anyone else have any tips please?

Cameron Steer (Stoller Australia) said...

Sun, 24 May 2009 02:04:01 +1000

Cobalt can be effective in the higher pH soils but only if there is a deficiency. As far as trace elements go though, if your pH is above 7.8 Zinc should be applied either as a foliar (any crops) or as a chelated form in the soil. In the Incitec Soils handbook they state that in soils above 7.8 pH zinc should be applied as a foliar, yet they have been promoting the use of zinc starters on the Darling Downs and Maranoa for years.

Joe Linton said...

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:03:01 +1000

Thanks Cameron. What about high PH soils. Is there any tricks? Another Question for anybody. This year it was difficult to gain plant germination at certain times. There have been comments about heat, soil moisture, seed veriety, seed germination, depth of placement, crusting over seed to name a few as being the causes. This shows that Soy beans are not a simple crop to grow and a lot of people have reservations about doing it again. How do we regain trust in the crop and are there any ideas how more area can be planted in the future?

Cameron Steer (Stoller Australia) said...

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 02:03:01 +1000

Moly and preferably Cobalt need to be applied as a foliar as soon as you have a big enough target or with the first insecticide. In acid soils (pH less than 7), it is more important to get the Moly on early. later applications will tend to help with quality rather than quantity. If the crop looks like it needs some extra nutrition, especially if it was planted without a basal fertiliser, a foliar product such as Stoller's Foliar Plus will help the crop to push through. Stoller also have a range of flowering and pod set products that are currently being used to increase the yield potential. Yields of 4+ tonne/ha (raingrown) are expected in the Maryborough area this year.

Joe Linton said...

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 03:44:01 +1000

With high PH soils 7.5 to 9, what methods can be used to reduce this PH so nutrients are released to the plant? Take into account that I have high infiltration allievial soils.

Joe Linton said...

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 02:02:01 +1000

Alan or anyone else. Taken that all recommendations are carried out how can we do it better? Crops in the Burdekin as fallow break usually don't get any added nutrients. How do we produce more grain? What nutrients should be applied and when? Are there any other tricks of the trade? eg zinc at 3 weeks or Moly before flowering? What maximum potential tonnages can be produced?

Joe Linton said...

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 21:52:01 +1000

Thank You Palmina for your research and to provide a reason for trying to RPL the process. I have tried in the past with a poor result because I was trying at the start of this type of accreditation which I understand was not formulated properly. As identified record keeping is not a strenght of the industry and I fall directly into that area. How do I provide evidence for this process to happen? Also a previous down fall was finding a education group that was accreditated to perform this RPL system. How do I find a group that can do the job?

Joe Linton said...

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 01:42:01 +1000

Thank You all for your input. I will be talking to the harvester operator about better basecutter angle to suit dual rows and conversely how I can improve my row profile. After converting to a new farming system over 10 years ago, I can see soil health benefits, including an increase in soil carbon, and cost and labour benefits so I won't be going back but we need more work done to fine tune the systems. There are a number of things I want to improve.

reduce loss of stool in later ratoons.
Using double discs planter, I want to place the mother plant as deep as possible.
Ways to build soil carbon in the stool area.
Reduce water deep peneration in our high infiltration soils.
Try to improve nutrient uptake using soil microbes and such.
Change the mentality of resistance to change.
Better sharing of experences, good and bad, about farming practices.

I know answering these will be a tall order but we need to set the bar high to achieve more.

Neil Halpin said...

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 01:41:01 +1000

Cam, The billett planter had a 14 inch planting chute.

Palmina Bonaventura said...

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 21:50:01 +1000

Hi Joe,

I have done a RPL diploma in rural business management at the Burdekin Ag college with Trever Berryman in 2006/07, and it was excellent.

After seeing your query, I contacted a colleague at CANEGROWERS Mackay who has answered your valid questions below:

By gaining a Diploma a well established grower who has continually updated their skills and knowledge by attending industry training and field days can be recognised for Best Practice in a form which can be measured and is easily understood by governments.

The Diploma of Agriculture currently being offered is also mapped to the B level of the ABCD Framework set by the Sugar Industry which identifies current best management practice. The Diploma therefore is recognised as part of a nationally recognised standard as well as an industry standard which would give farmers some documentation to “calm down” governments and green groups.

It provides individuals with a more prestigious platform from which to make application for future funding opportunities and increased the credibility of industry training and individual growers .

The RPL processes being undertaken to date have also been instrumental in identifying skill gaps which have been addressed by targeted training so in this case ‘Yes it could make you more money” by providing you with a skill or some knowledge you previously did not have and that may have been affecting your farming practice.

One of the most prominent short comings being identified at the moment is the farmers lack of recording of all farming activities. This may become an issue in the future depending on when/if regulations are imposed.

The process itself does not require a lot of time from the individual. An application is made and the participant is asked to provide some evidence to support that application. The assessor then organises a time to visit the farm and will ask a number of questions and may ask to see further evidence.

For people who have good records of their farming activities, the process is not all that time consuming.

Cam Whiteing BSES Engineering said...

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 01:39:01 +1000

Hi all. This issue of stool damage/removal is something which I've discussed with a number of growers in the Burdekin recently. One issue impacting on basecutter damage is matching row profile to the basecutter setup. Achieving a row shape to suit the harvester can be more complicated in a dual row system, especially if beds are shaped to suit other activities such as harvesting beans. A discussion with your harvester operator about his basecutter angle and your row profile can help achieve a better match. The other issue of the harvester laying over due to elevator weight is a more complicated one. A grower/harvesting group I spoke to last week had initiated a discussion with EHS Manufacturing in Mackay (who produce BSES gathering fronts, wider basecutter boxes for dual row, etc)about the development of a 'self leveling' system using the harvester lift rams to ensure the basecutter box remains level, thus minimising stool removal. This would be a great benefit to growers moving into dual rows. Just a quick question for Neil, with your billet planted 1.8m single row, how wide was the planting chute? The reason I ask is there are a number of people trialing a 'wide swath' planting approach to 1.8m rows, I guess to boost stalk numbers and canopy development in the plant crop. At the end of the day, matching row spacing to machinery is the number one aim, whatever configuration works for individuals. In terms of automatic basecutter height control, we have a number of TechAgro systems working in the Herbert and Burdekin regions with promising results so far. I think that if this technology proves to be robust and effective it will be well accepted by the industry.

Neil Halpin said...

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 01:38:01 +1000

Joe, It sounds like you have got everything heading in the right direction. You are right Allan Garside's early work did show a reduction in plant cane yield on 1.8m singles however we didn't see that with our Bundy site. We had 4 varieties on 1.5m singles, 1.8m singles, 1.8m duals (500mm apart), 2.0m duals (800mm apart)- all whole stick planted and a 1.8m single billett planted and we couldn't demonstrate a row configuration effect on yield between the whole stick planted treatments. It would be worth talking to Barry Salter (Mackay BSES) for he leads this work currently. Also it might be worth chatting to Brian Robotham re: base cutter hight automation.

Joe Linton said...

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 01:36:01 +1000

Neil, I was afraid you might say that I should go back to single rows on 1.83m. I am concerned of less production in plant cane because I still use a full stick dual row planter with double discs. At present I constantly grow plant crops about 200t/ha using irrigation. My new farming system uses a wide bed for soy bean fallow, 3 rows on each bed. Plus I don't cultivate after soy has been harvested. I am also concerned about water lateral soak into these wide beds on some soils in the first watering. I have seen research that shows a drop of production in plant cane in single row but catches up in ratoon cycle. Are there any ideas on "having my cake and eating it too"? Henry, I am a small farmer which has no influence on the harvester or operator but I understand the idea. I await your video. Has anyone else got any ideas?

Joe Linton said...

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:16:01 +1000

Thank you Chris for going to the trouble to try this Lateral move system. How is it going so far? Any repairs? Have the cost comparassions been done Yet?. What other benefits have you found? Even though you have a good paddock layout, how do you think this system will go in the delta with smaller paddocks? I hear a lot of people say over head is too expensive to run compared to flood. What do others think?

Henry Thomas said...

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 01:35:01 +1000

Joe, I recently videotaped Paul Greeves 3M dual row harvester (I will post the video soon), he has independent hydraulic rams on each rear wheel, so can adjust the base cutter height on each row. It appears to work well.

Neil Halpin said...

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 01:34:01 +1000

Joe, On the family farm we noticed that our 1.8m duals were getting knocked around as you suggest. Part of the problem is that with a wheeled harvester as the elevator slews the base cutter on the elevator side is cutting deeper than the other side. Essentially one side was "mined" whilst the other was cut at the right height. Our solution was to go back to 1.8m singles. Not sure of what engineering solutions are out there - maybe talk to BSES engineering.

Joe Linton said...

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 21:48:01 +1000

As a older farmer how can a diploma help me? How much information is required to satisfy the trainer that we have prior learning experence? Can this Diploma make us more money? Can it provide a way of calming down the continual harassment from Green groups? Lastly, how much time will it take to find out?

Joe Linton said...

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 22:58:01 +1000

Just after some more info on 2 heights of fert placement? How? What percieved benefits? Also I am interested in the device that keeps the seed from bouncing in the slot on the planter. Is it a comercial device? How good does it work?

Joe Linton said...

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 01:32:01 +1000

Question to Farmers that have Dual rows. Has anyone noticed a loss of stool as ratoons get older? I have, and I call it "Harvester operator disease" I can't seem to get them to cut at ground level. Can anyone provide any info on this matter? If I can't change this problem, I may have to go back to single rows.