Drought hits Bongeen grain

Operating on just over 1600 hectares outside Toowoomba, the Ziesemer family property Amaroo is running at less than half cropping capacity after their cultivation failed to receive any pre-planting rain.

There are about 566 hectares of irrigated cultivation and the balance is dry land.

Mr Ziesemer said the family usually planted corn and sorghum over summer and wheat through winter.

"This year, due to dry weather, we've only managed to plant about 400 acres (162ha) of sorghum and 400 of corn.

"That's less than half our normal planting on our dry land and we've decreased planting on our irrigated land in order to manage our water better."

Mr Ziesemer said the rising cost of electricity for irrigation was one of the biggest struggles growers like him faced.

"It contributes a large chunk to our expenses but there's no way to combat it because we need to irrigate.

"We've had some decent rain since early 2013 which, at that stage, made things look promising for our September planting.

"There are little pockets of farms which are struggling but you've only got to go up the road four miles or so and they've

managed to get a decent crop because the rain has come past theirs and missed our place completely."

Mr Ziesemer said the harvest of sorghum and corn was usually sold either domestically or exported.

"The market is currently getting around $320 a tonne for sorghum and $340/t for corn due to a lack of production, but our input costs, combined with electricity, are also increasing so these numbers should really be the going price year in and year out.

"It needs to stay close to these figures to make the operation work successfully for us."

The Ziesemer family have deep historical roots in the area. Mr Ziesemer and his father both grew up on the property.

"I came back to the property when I was 16 to start work with dad," he said.

"I've lived here all my life and I love the lifestyle, but neither of us have ever seen an instance where we haven't planted all our summer crop - it's unheard of.

"What makes it worse is that we had a very good profile of moisture before September and all we needed was an average planting rain and it would have seen us get everything planted and the seed would have a full profile to grow on but we didn't get it."

The Ziesemers usually plant from the second last week of September to mid-January and under normal circumstances, would have been able to plant out during that window.

"We were still quite confident leading into December that we would still get rain and by the end of the month we were starting to really hope it would come in January and it came around and we were very disappointed - there was no control over it.

"My grandfather was one of the first in the area to develop Bongeen country with a horse and plough, so what we do is very special to us and as crazy as it sounds, we still enjoy it.

"They always tell us that agriculture in Australia will come good and we need to feed the world and I'm waiting for that day."

Mr Ziesemer said the coming harvest would "put the squeeze" on finances.

"I can only look to have a reasonable winter crop to try and get back in the groove and plan ahead for the next season and hope we get some winter crop rain."

With ongoing costs and a property

with machinery to maintain, Mr Ziesemer said the challenge would be to continue through winter "without spending a small fortune".

"We just need to try and put this behind us the best we can and make the best marketing decisions we can and make sure we're organised for the next season.

"It's tough but you've got to keep thinking positive.

"It's really hard and there's a lot of people worse off than us and the people out west with stock are doing it an awful lot tougher than we are."

With two young daughters aged seven and 10, Mr Ziesemer hopes to one day hand over the property.

"The girls have asked me if they can be farmers when they grow up and I tell them I hope they can be.

"I love to think that maybe they could continue the tradition because they really enjoy being on the land and I enjoy teaching them things, but I think for that to be a possibility the industry in itself needs to become more profitable and make it a desirable career for them to pursue.

Mr Ziesemer said he still hoped conditions would improve but it was out of his hands for now.

"We've done everything to the best of our ability and it's up to mother nature to turn around and be kind to us."