Well, what can we say.
On South Australia's Yorke Peninsula it looks like Bazz's done it again. In 2001, Bazz Lutze's Fiesta beans yielded 4.7 tonnes/ha, his lentils 3.5 tonnes/ha and on top of that he grew an award-winning malting barley crop. There might have been some bigger crops but few better. The accompanying pictures support all the above claims.
Including support from Dee, Barry's wife (right), cleverly disguised as a bean crop.
OK, it was a year when a lot of things went right... good rains at the right time... low disease etc.
But we also like to think that five years of R.U.M. applications has led to softer, more friable soil... improved moisture holding ability... increased bacterial activity and faster stubble breakdown.
And because Bazz is now actually spending less on inorganic fertiliser and chemical inputs you can see how profitability and sustainability can go hand in hand.

Dunedoo farmer Brian Bowman, 'Shingle Hut', and his family have planted an interestingly long-term, high value crop - pawlonia trees.

They have already covered 40 acres with around 4000 young trees.

In November 2000, after lime, blood and bone, some Nitrophoska and 8" of rain were applied, the first hand-planting of 2000 trees took wife Pam and young Luci and Andrew making up the cogs and wheels.

"It was the hottest part of the year", as Pam was quick to point out, "but if we were to avoid frosts, the young trees had to go in then." "At that stage we didn't know about R.U.M.", Brian admitted, "but at the second planting in 2001 we added about 10mls R.U.M. per tree as we watered them in. As small trees they had foliar sprays with R.U.M., then, as they grew taller, we just watered around the base. All up, each tree has probably had a total of around 50mls R.U.M. in the last 5 months.'

With R.U.M. now the only nutrient, Brian felt that the leaf colour was good, consistent dark green and the soil was now softer. By the way, if any reader knows of a legal method to prevent galahs stripping a young pawlonia tree of all its branches, the Bowman family would like to hear about it.

Andrew, Pam, Luci and Brian Bowman, the 'unique planting machine' with a 16-month-old pawlonia tree. Brian is also growing a sorghum crop using only 10L R.U.M./ha as a nutrient.