Jerilderie's big yields potential for new corn variety
Fifth generation Riverina farmer Thomas Moloney looks forward to seeing how a new corn variety, Pioneer Seeds P0937, performs this summer. Pictures: Supplied
Attracted by the potential for even bigger yields, fifth generation Riverina farmer Thomas Moloney has just finished planting a new corn variety near Jerilderie, and is looking forward to seeing how it performs.
"Corn is an enjoyable crop to grow," he says.
"It grows so rapidly, it's actually very fun to watch. Every week it seems to be at a different growth stage. It happens very quickly compared to the winter crops."
In May, Pioneer Seeds announced Nathan Pate of Oakbank, Tocumwal, set a new national yield record of 23.27 tonnes per hectare with their P0937 hybrid corn.
"It's a newer variety and it has generated great feedback," Mr Moloney said.
"So, we've put that in this year and we'll see how it performs for us."
Headed by Mr Moloney's parents Michael and Michelle, the family operates Molanco Pty Ltd, with cropping aggregations in southern and central west NSW.
They produce a mix of dryland and irrigated crops, including wheat, barley and canola in winter, and irrigated corn in summer when water is available.
This season's crops include Scepter wheat, Maximus CL barley, HyTTec Trophy and Hyola Blazer TT canola, and vetch.
Harvest was due to kick off this week with canola at the family's central west aggregation, near Tullamore, where Thomas's twin brother Lachie manages dryland operations. Youngest brother Angus attends boarding school.
Conditions have been perfect for Pioneer Seeds P0937 hybrid corn, which germinated within a week of planting earlier this month near Jerilderie.
In the south, soil types vary across paddocks, ranging from heavy black dirt to red loam, and with average annual rainfall of about 425mm, irrigation is essential for growing summer crops such as corn, which can consume 8-10 megalitres of water per hectare and up to 800kg/ha of fertiliser.
The Jerilderie aggregation sources its water from the Murray Irrigation network, and uses a combination of lateral sprinklers and flood irrigation. Water use efficiency is a top priority and the system has been developed so excess water can be stored or recycled.
They've grown corn on and off for almost a decade. Last season's varieties were the established processing hybrids P1756 and P1837, which yielded an average of 19t/ha.
Apart from its exceptional yields, Mr Moloney said they had opted for P0937 because it was a shorter season variety, which dried down quickly and should be able to be harvested sooner.
"Given our region's further south, we can run into issues with high moisture corn at the time of harvest, if it's not planted early, or because of seasonal conditions," he said.
"We're proactive about getting our corn in early to avoid the logistical challenges of drying. It's much simpler and more cost-effective if we can store it directly from the paddock."
Preparation for the new crop began with winter fallow, followed by strip tilling with a 12 row Boss Strip Tiller unit equipped with a dual primary system to handle the higher rates of product, applying 400kg/ha of urea and 300kg/ha of MAP at a depth of 25cm, which created an ideal seed bed for planting.
The Moloney family has opted to test Pioneer Seeds P0937 hybrid corn, which was planted earlier this month near Jerilderie.
The paddocks were pre-irrigated and sown in early October using a Boss Precision Planting unit at 95,000 seeds per hectare on 30 inch (76cm) row spacings. Seeds were planted at a depth of 2.5 inches (6.35cm) with 40 litres per hectare of SLTEC Corn Popup, followed by pre-emergent herbicide to tackle any volunteers and other weeds.
Mr Moloney said conditions had been perfect and the crop germinated within a week of planting.
The corn will be fertigated during the season using Hayes Spraying N-buggies to dispense urea at set rates into the irrigation system.
It will be monitored for pests such as fall armyworm and mice; if necessary, a plane will be used to apply insecticide before the grubs can become established in the crop. Disease is not usually a problem.
All going well, the corn will be harvested in mid-March and stored on-farm in aerated silos for sale mostly to livestock operations and grain traders.
Mr Moloney said prices had risen recently to about $320 per tonne ex-farm and both the domestic and global outlooks were positive.
"Prices are steady," he said.
"They're not record-breaking, but overall the outlook is encouraging. Given our ability to store and transport our own grain, we aim to choose the right moments to sell when market conditions are favourable."
