Miniup, in the heart of the Victorian Wimmera district, has once again proved that it can raise more than just top-class footballers, but growing crops without conventional fertiliser.
After last year's lack of rain, local farmer Damian Drum was looking for a low cost input to grow his Northfield lentils and Bluey peas.
Beaulieu R.U.M. Liquid Plant Food at around $4/L seemed to fit the bill.
Applied at 7L/ha, R.U.M. and rain were the only inputs Damian used. With lentils fetching over $400/tonne, the resulting yield of 1 tonne/acre meant a very tidy return!
Meanwhile, a few hundred kms over the SA border, in another footy-mad region, Barry Lutze, 'Gwendon' Ardrossan, YP was hitting over 1 tonne/acre with his lentils.
This year Barry trialled a mix of R.U.M. and Alroc, resulting in an excellent yield.

Another feature of the season was Barry's 20-bag R.U.M.-treated Franklin barley which achieved an FM1 pre-spread and 70kgs/ha of Super (24:16) went 'down the tube'.

P.S. Barry's Silver Star wheat only had 2.2% screenings. Is this a record?

At Violet Town, near Euroa, the Ellis brothers, Gavin and Neville, have been cropping triticale in the same 460 acres of sandy loam, all treated with %l/ha R.U.M., for the past three years.
Gavin's schedule called for 3L/ha R.U.M. to be applied with his knockdown glyphosate herbicide... and another 2L/ha of R.U.M. at tillering. He also added a tonne of lime with 40kgs/acre of DAP. But no urea.
"My yield went 20 bags last year", Gavin said, "and this year's crop looks pretty handy as well."
>Gavin and Nevlle have struck with 'trit' because it yields better than wheat and is easily marketed.
"We've got some big diarires nearby in the Goulburn Valley so the farmers just drop in and pick it up. Makes a difference selling it direct with no freight or handling costs", smiled Gavin.

Average rainfall for the area is 26 inches. The season started wetter than normal with a big 6" rain in June.

But then... nothing.

Most paddocks were direct-drilled.

Neville is of the opinion that paddocks do better in the second year after R.U.M. has been applied.