Summer Cropping
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Property Location, Profit & Sustainability Objectives
For the purposes of this assignment the property will be located at Boggabilla NSW on the Macintyre River. Located in this area are large areas of furrow irrigation and dry land farming conducted on predominantly self mulching black alluvial soils well suited to both irrigated and dry land crop production. In terms of annual rainfall it is currently located in a 600 mm (24 inch) annual precipitation area however in past years this has been significantly lower due to drought conditions.
In terms of expected profitable and sustainable objectives the following returns are required from the investment in order for it to be considered financially viable.
Like any other investment this agricultural venture will be analysed through comparison with other possible investments. Therefore at current most investments will return at approximately 10% pa so this venture will need to return the same to be deemed viable. Therefore the following is required.
Irrigation –
Current price per ha – $11,000 including water, therefore the GM/ha required will be $1100
Dry Land –
Current price per ha – $1200, therefore the GM/ha required will be $120
With profit objectives set in terms of sustainability goals the property will have to achieve these returns in a sustainable manner both in terms of financial and environmental sustainability.
Crop Rotation
Dry land (500 Ha)
For the dry land cropping area the following 3 year Crop rotation has been chosen.
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Summer
Winter
Summer
Winter
Summer
Winter
Wheat
Mung Beans
Break
Sorghum
FOC – Fallow or Opportunity Crop
Irrigated (500 Ha)
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Summer
Winter
Summer
Winter
Summer
Winter
Sorghum
Break
Wheat
Mung beans
Break
FOC – Fallow or Opportunity Crop
Crop Rotation Explanation
In the development of the cropping rotation several key issues and philosophies influenced crop decisions. These include.
Market Options
An essential factor in crop choice is available markets for product and associated transport costs with delivery. For winter cereals such as wheat and summer crops such as sorghum Boggabilla is located just 15 kilometres from the field also several large feedlots (20 000 plus head) are located within 100 kilometres radius opening up a large capacity market for feed quality grains. Also with these feedlot markets there is an opportunity to back load feedlot waste (manure) which offers a vastly reduced transport cost associated with spreading manure.
As for summer legumes such as mung beans and opportunity crops such as lab lab Toowoomba a major agricultural centre is located 250 kilometres also with the option of back loading lime and Gypsum again offering significant financial savings. Also in past years nearby feedlots have taken shot and sprung mung beans and gradings offering a fallback market for poor quality grain.
Also another key feature of this rotation is how the rotation of both enterprises complements the business cash flow. Except for the year 3 winter there is never a season where there should not be some type of cash flow through the business which in turn promotes high business health.
Disease Breaks
With both summer and winter crops not being grown more than two years in a row in either enterprise this should break disease cycles as well as the possibility for a fallow period in year 3 should offer an opportunity to control any disease outbreaks.
Moisture Budgeting
Obviously in a dry land enterprise available soil moisture is crucial. With this in mind the crop rotation has developed with no double cropping other than opportunity crops which may operate to utilise any out of the ordinary rainfall. Also in terms of selected crops it is high risk in the Boggabilla area to plant crops without a soil moisture profile of 50 – 60cm so this will remain as a management tool in the operation.
As for the irrigation area the crop rotation the following moisture budgets are expected.
Estimated Yield Ton/Ha
Estimated Water use Meg/Ha
Sorghum
Wheat
Mung Beans
Calender of Operations
The following calendars of operations have been estimated for the 2 enterprises. A key feature is the limited overlapping of operations between the 2 enterprises in order to minimise labour inputs and ease management.
Dry Land
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Summer
Winter
Summer
Winter
Summer
Winter
Operation
Wheat
Mung Beans
Break
Sorghum
Planting
January
September
Harvest
October
Irrigation
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Summer
Winter
Summer
Winter
Summer
Winter
Operation
Sorghum
Break
Wheat
Mung beans
Break
Planting
September previous year
January
Harvest
February
October
Detailed Agronomic Description – Mung Beans
Mung Beans are a summer annual pulse crop generally grown as an opportunity crop however offers significant financial returns and soil health benefits. Mung beans main advantages are.
Being a legume they require no Nitrogen fertiliser application.
Short growing cycle (75 – 90 days) fits well into crop rotations
Short