Most producers around the region have turned to the traditional wheat and canola this season, but with the run of dry weather one farm has pinned its hopes on barley.
“Woodville”, 20 kilometres north east of Narrabri off Bingara Road, was due to have 250 hectares of dryland barley sown from this morning.
“The property has been fallowed for 18 months and still only has about two feet of subsoil moisture due to the exceptionally dry summer,” said farm manager Jason Denniss.
“That’s why we’re putting in barley.
“Usually we have some wheat and canola but there’s just not enough moisture, it’s too risky to sow canola or wheat, particularly considering the rest of the season looks to be dry according to the weather forecasts.”
Jason believes barley could prove to be the answer to the dry weather.
“Barley is cheaper to grow and it will hang on better in a dryer finish,” he said.
Mr Hubbard’s other property, “Mayfield”, 13 kilometres west of Narrabri off Murrumbilla Lane, will also have barley sown.
There will be 450 hectares of dryland barley, 100 hectares of irrigated barley and 100 hectares of irrigated lucerne.
The barley, malting variety, should be harvested in November and will eventually head to a brewery if everything goes perfectly.
“If it goes to malt it will go to GrainCorp for malting barley, which will end up in a brewery,” said Jason.
“If it doesn’t malt it will end up as stock feed.
But Jason said they may have a battle on their hands to reach the desired outcome.
“We’d be surprised if it does malt, but it will be a bonus if it does because we’ll get an extra few dollars per tonne,” he said.
Yesterday Jason and farm hand Shannon Tucker finished fallow spraying and loaded the barley into the seed cart with fertiliser, ready for sowing this morning.
Across the region some farmers have already finished planting their early crops.
“Anyone who was planting canola will be finished now,” said Jason.
“There are some faba beans being planted and some early wheat, but everyone’s hoping for rain because the moisture isn’t that good.”
“Woodville”, 20 kilometres north east of Narrabri off Bingara Road, was due to have 250 hectares of dryland barley sown from this morning.
“The property has been fallowed for 18 months and still only has about two feet of subsoil moisture due to the exceptionally dry summer,” said farm manager Jason Denniss.
“That’s why we’re putting in barley.
“Usually we have some wheat and canola but there’s just not enough moisture, it’s too risky to sow canola or wheat, particularly considering the rest of the season looks to be dry according to the weather forecasts.”
Jason believes barley could prove to be the answer to the dry weather.
“Barley is cheaper to grow and it will hang on better in a dryer finish,” he said.
Mr Hubbard’s other property, “Mayfield”, 13 kilometres west of Narrabri off Murrumbilla Lane, will also have barley sown.
There will be 450 hectares of dryland barley, 100 hectares of irrigated barley and 100 hectares of irrigated lucerne.
The barley, malting variety, should be harvested in November and will eventually head to a brewery if everything goes perfectly.
“If it goes to malt it will go to GrainCorp for malting barley, which will end up in a brewery,” said Jason.
“If it doesn’t malt it will end up as stock feed.
But Jason said they may have a battle on their hands to reach the desired outcome.
“We’d be surprised if it does malt, but it will be a bonus if it does because we’ll get an extra few dollars per tonne,” he said.
Yesterday Jason and farm hand Shannon Tucker finished fallow spraying and loaded the barley into the seed cart with fertiliser, ready for sowing this morning.
Across the region some farmers have already finished planting their early crops.
“Anyone who was planting canola will be finished now,” said Jason.
“There are some faba beans being planted and some early wheat, but everyone’s hoping for rain because the moisture isn’t that good.”