R.U.M. helps boost canola and export cattle

Less than a year after relocating to 'Wallah Wallah' in the Forbes, NSW district from Texas, QLD, manager Brad Rigney had every reason to look to the future with confidence. However, as an important part of a large company specialising in breeding Wagyu cattle exclusively for Japanese export, Brad had to overcome a cropping problem.

An early season canola crop was under stress. "It was about 4 inches high and was a nasty purpley-yellow colour. It looked terrible", recalled Brad. "I had been advised to hit it with 200kg/ha of urea but, after spreading costs, our budget told us to look elsewhere."

That's when Geoff Doberer of Mid State Soil Improvers entered the picture and suggested an application of 7L/ha of Beaulieu R.U.M.

"We had our own boomspray so the costs worked out OK", Brad said. "And after about 10 days the crop started to green up nicely. The crop had only one irrigation and ended up yielding 2.4 tonnes/ha with oil at 44%. Not a bad result."

Then, to support the growing Wagyu herd, Brad sowed a 50 ha paddock of millet. Nutrients were 5L/ha of R.U.M. and some MAP at planting. No urea, no gas. After New Years Day, Brad turned 300 cows with 255 calves onto half the paddock and locked up the remaining 25 ha. Ten weeks later the stock was still there. Brad then proceeded to cut 180 tonnes of baled millet from the other half which has since grown back to waist height.

Welcome to R.U.M., Brad!

Phone rings. It's Max Hall, onion grower from South Australia.
"My dopey mate got a job as a Landrover up in the territory. I'd never heard of that job , so I asked him what he did."
"Oh, I work on a cattle station mustering cattle, fixing fences and cattle yards, you know, stuff like that."
"Don't you mean you're a Jackeroo", I said. "Yeah, that's right. I knew it was one of those new four wheel drive names."
Well, that's Max for you. Always good for a laugh... or two. And these days, on his property at Parilla in the South Australian Mallee, Max has plenty to laugh about.
Water.
Y'see about 20 years ago someone discovered that a huge sub-artisian basin, with its origins in The Grampians in Victoria, was sitting directly underneath this traditionally low rainfall district.
Today irrigation, in the form of 30-40 centre-pivots, has turned this region into the 'potato capital' of South Australia. In fact, it's reputed to supply 70-80% of the state's fresh market potatoes.
But the well-turned soil is also suited to growing onions. And that's the crop under discussion here. In the 2001 season Max decided to grow his onion crop with Beaulieu R.U.M. and a fish oil nutrient. Nothing else.
However he was forced to delay planting due to crop rotations ad the late access to the round also meant he faced a major wire weed problem.

Nevertheless, in the second week of September, Max planted his onions and applied R.U.M. at about 12L/ha every two weeks over a 10 week period.

"Despite a continual bombardment f weedicide, my onions never looked back", Max said."And that's unusual because onions usually take a bit of a knock from the chemicals."

The onion harvest finished in early April and came in at around 50 tonnes/ha.. "Given our late start and weed problem that's not bad", according to Max. "In fact, we're laughing".