Jondaryan's peas in a pod

Damien Cooke is managing the 800-hectare property alongside his father Graham.

This season they have planted about 400ha of wheat, barley and oats, and about 60ha of chickpeas.

"The amount of chickpeas we plant varies every year, depending on our crop rotation," Mr Cooke said.

"This year we did about 55 kilograms per hectare of Hatrick seed, and we're looking to get about 2 tonnes per hectare or a bit better in the harvest."

Mr Cooke said the crop received a helping hand at the end of March after 125mm of rain swept over the property.

"They've done extremely well due to the rain and since then we've had 10mm to 15mm falls, and the moisture was still there when we planted in the second week of May," he said.

"The chickpeas look well ahead of the wheat, which was only planted on subsoil moisture.

"If we get a really good, decent rain to finish, we could get upwards of 2.5t/ha, which would be outstanding."

Just 6km north of Jondaryan, the dryland crop sits on undulating country with variable soil, with the Cookes employing a Landmark agronomist to keep an eye on their chickpeas to ensure a good harvest.

"The agronomist will come out every week and send us recommendations. It's better to get someone to keep an eye on them, and I'd recommend that to other farmers because you don't want to plant a crop and get nothing in return."

Mr Cooke said his father had previously planted chickpeas many years ago but had only recently returned to the idea.

"It's a break from the normal winter crops like wheat and barley, and they fit in better with the rotation to help with disease issues like crown rot where the wheat crown develops a fungal infection and kills it.

"We planted chickpeas instead of leaving it fallow, and we've really found that helps," he said.

Mr Cooke said faba beans were also a popular choice for farmers in the area who had taken on rotational cropping.

"They're trying to get away from the more traditional wheat and barley and it's good for the soil.

"We often follow up with wheat and find it ends up doing a lot better."

Selling chickpeas to local suppliers including Associated Grains Dalby and Mt Tyson Seeds, Mr Cooke said the increased interest in chickpeas meant stagnant prices.

"There's more of it around now - bigger crops - so the price hasn't moved much in the past 12 months, but there really isn't very much option out here for winter crops.

"Some people try canola or faba beans, but we really find chickpeas are the best choice for us."

Already looking ahead to his summer crops, Mr Cooke is hoping to plant sorghum, millet and mung beans.

"Of course, it all depends on the weather. They're starting to talk about another dry summer, but if we can get a shower, we'll be putting mung beans in around late December or early January."