DARLING Downs farmers Trevor Rauchle and his son Tim are all set to go with a summer crop-planting program that this year will focus on sorghum and corn, but not include cotton.
Mr Rauchle said with prices for cotton so low, they would instead boost the area they sowed to corn this season on their Bongeen farm where they had a mix of dryland and irrigation country.
"We haven't grown much corn over the past few years but are starting to put it into our rotation," he said.
"Feedlots are looking for corn and there seems to be a stronger market for corn than there has been.
"It is another summer option. The varieties have improved dramatically. Corn is now yielding as well as, and in some cases better than, sorghum in dryland.
"So we are weighing that up for the future because things continually change and you have to change with it."
Mr Rauchle said soil moisture levels were drying out and they badly needed follow-up rain.
But it was still early in the season and there was plenty of time to get the crop in.
"We will put a bit in now and a bit later on to mix things up and manage the harvest.
"We are looking forward to getting some rain this summer. We didn't get much last year so it will be nice to have a change."
The Rauchles have crops of wheat and chickpeas nearing maturity that are looking okay, but could also do with a fall of rain before harvest at the end of October and November.
Neil Lyon
National machinery writer for Fairfax Agricultural Media.
National machinery writer for Fairfax Agricultural Media.
