Winter Crop Sowing Feature – March 2022
Eastern Australia’s wet summer is setting the platform for a big planting this year, following a record large Australian 2021 winter grain harvest.
La Niña continues to dominate weather patterns along the east coast, which may see double the normal rainfall over the coming months. Ample rain, along with the abundance of summer pasture is boosting farmer optimism over next year’s winter crop.
In NSW, winter crops commonly include cereals such as wheat, barley, oats and triticale, oilseeds such as canola, mustard and safflower and pulses such as lupins, chickpeas, fababeans and fieldpeas.
Sowing in moisture is great for pasture, fodder and cereal crop establishment, says Ag & Earth Machinery Hire’s managing director, Gary Dunlop.
“It’s one of the simplest principals of pasture establishment. Sow your crops in moisture, and your crop will be up and out of the ground better than it will be with dry sowing.”
With over 40 years of experience in the agricultural industry, Ag & Earth specialises in hiring out seeding and tillage equipment on a daily, weekly or long-term basis.
Currently available for wet or dry hire, the Agrowplow AD230 and AD100 Seed Drills that can sow a wide variety of cereals, grasses and even large seeds and beans with ease thanks to the double-fluted rollers, easily adjusted gates, roller restrictors and an infinitely variable gearbox.
“Our Duncan MK3 Renovator Seed Drill is also a great option to configure a wide range of jobs. Quality European-type peg roller seeder systems handles all seeds from turnips, and rape through to peas and maize,” Mr Dunlop said.
As soils are prepared in the lead-up to planting season it’s important to improve your seed-beds and control weeds, therefore Ag & Earth have Speedtillers ranging in widths from 2.5 – 4 metres available for hire.
“Our K-Line Speedtiller is designed to operate under extreme conditions, minimise downtime and increase productivity on your farm. With the ability to efficiently cut, size and incorporate high levels of crop residue, ultimately increasing the carbon content in the soil,” Mr Dunlop said.
“Another option is our Pottinger Speedtiller, which is specifically designed for stubble cultivation and seedbed preparation. The compact design, and aggressive wheel position ensures good soil penetration and a thorough mixing of crop residues.”
Need a tractor to pull your seeding and tillage equipment? Ag & Earth offer a variety of John Deere GPS compatible tractors ranging from 75 – 250 hp to help you get the job done.
With first-hand knowledge of the difficulties facing today’s farmers and contractors, you can rely on Ag & Earth Machinery Hire to provide you with the highest quality machinery and reliable services to get the job done.
Ag & Earth acknowledge that not everyone’s job is the same, by taking the time to assess their customers’ needs and provide them with practical, workable solutions that are cost-effective and suitable for their application.
Get ahead of your winter sowing today.