NOEL Cook reckons a big part of being a wheat grower is thinking positive.
With much of Queensland's grain growing areas battling extreme end-of-summer heat and in desperate need of rain before a winter crop could be planted, Noel says it is matter of having faith in the future.
Wheat continues as the main stay in the Cook's grain and cattle business.
This year Noel and Liz Cook and their sons Brodie and Kieren are gearing up to plant about 15,500-hectares of their 22,000ha of cultivation country on the western Darling Downs to wheat.
"We'll need rain before we can start but we're hoping to start planting from early May," Mr Cook said.
"You have to think positive in this game.
"Every farmer always has an order in for some rain. It would be very nice to a have guarantee of two or three consecutive good seasons."
The Cooks operate three properties: the 11,350ha Brushie at Meandarra, 4850ha Kilburnie at Moonie and the 48,500ha Kindon Station at Kindon east of Goondiwindi.
Central to the business is the family's Moruya Feedlot which has 3500-4000 cattle on feed. Located between Goondiwindi and Moonie, the feedlot has proven an excellent way of value adding grain crops.
"The three places are in a triangle with about a 150km spread," he said.
"The feedlot is in the centre of the three places, making it pretty convenient to move grain from the three properties."
A minimum of four B-doubles leave the feedlot each week: one to Coles, two to Kilcoy, and one to Bindaree Beef at Inverell.
In addition to grain crops, the Cooks run 3000 breeders as well as buy in cattle for the feedlot.
Mr Cook said the family had decided from last year to operate all of its own equipment rather than rely on contractors.
"The biggest advantage is that if you own it, the equipment is there when you need it," he said.
"We had a run in 2014 doing it all ourselves and we will continue that way."
The Cooks operate eight headers to bring in the massive crop.
"These new headers can cover 400 acres (160ha) a day.
"The growth in the capacity of these machines has been very impressive."
The Cook's use a variety of farming systems including zero till, minimum till and conventional on their farms.
"One challenge is the resistance that barnyard grass and feathertop Rhodes grass has developed to Round-up," Mr Cook said.
"A new chemical would be a huge advantage."
Mr Cook grew his first 485ha first wheat crop on Brushie at Westmar in 1966.
"That first 1200 acre crop probably took as much time to produce as what we are doing today."