A farmer making one of the best of difficult circumstances has discovered he has inadvertently created a vacationer attraction.
Key factors:
- Riverina farmer takes a punt on dryland sunflowers following a failed canola crop.
- After near 300mm of rain, the sunflowers are predicted to yield 1.5 tonnes a hectare and will entice as much as $2000t/ha.
- Commonplace to see half a dozen automobiles stopped to take photos of the sunflowers, a uncommon sight within the Riverina.
Collingullie farmer Doug Bruckner was a failed canola crop and the prediction of a La Niña summer time when he determined to take a punt on rising dryland sunflowers.
Sunflowers are not often grown on this a part of the Riverina close to Wagga Wagga, however with near 300 millimetres of rain within the rising season anticipated and as much as $2000 a tonne on provide, it was a big gamble price taking for the Gnadbro Pastoral Firm farmer.
The crowds which have gathered to take photos of the crop agree, with the paddock of sunflowers stopping loads of vacation visitors.
After spraying out the failed canola crop, Mr Bruckner stated he researched alternate options for his farm’s sub-surface soil moisture profile.
“It was a possibility actually … with the mice round earlier within the yr and a wetter winter, sadly the canola failed,” Mr Bruckner stated.
“Speak of a La Niña gave us the arrogance to develop sunflowers.
A La Niña summer time
Mr Bruckner hopes the sunflowers will yield as much as 1.5 tonnes a hectare.
“To have a few falls over a 100mm over the previous six to eight weeks is phenomenal,” he stated.
“It is unlucky [the rain’s] affected our most important winter crop and harvest operations.
The sunflowers are a mono selection, not the extra frequent stripped sunflowers utilized in birdseed.
Mono sunflower seeds are crushed for oil or go into high-value stockfeed, comparable to horse rations.
“I have never bought them, however I anticipate they might go north due to the cyclones up there,” Mr Bruckner stated.
“We’ve not heard … how a lot crop injury will likely be up in that neck of the woods however that is usually the place a lot of the sunflowers are grown, alongside the shoreline.”
An surprising vacationer attraction
Mr Bruckner stated it was common to see as much as six automobiles parked beside his paddocks through the vacation interval when the crop was flowering.
“Our workers have been kidding about placing an honesty field down the entrance and having a marshal down right here to handle the visitors.
Extra threat however extra reward
Mr Bruckner’s agronomist Ben Mathews stated dryland sorghum was an alternative choice for farmers trying to reap the benefits of a moist summer time.
However with a lot feed at the moment available in the market, for Mr Bruckner the numbers didn’t examine to rising sunflowers.
“The sunflowers are price much more cash, in all probability a bit of bit extra threat concerned, however this yr it has labored out rather well,” Mr Mathews stated.
And it’s not solely vacationers drawn to the sunflowers, Mr Mathews stated the crop has not wanted an insecticide as ladybugs and different useful bugs have been doing the job for them.
