With the nightmare wet finish of the 2010 winter cropping season still fresh in their minds, Roma farmers Peter and Liz Dearden say they have done all they can to protect their chickpea crop from disease this year.
With forecasts of a wet winter and spring, the Deardens took every precaution to give their 1100ha Kyabra chickpea crop and 1400ha wheat crop the best chance to make it through to harvest.
The chickpeas were planted on sloping country on meter wide row spacings to allow air flow between plants and help prevent the spread of diseases such as Ascochyta blight.
So far the crop has received five in-crop sprays and one pre-emergent spray. The five in-crop sprays have also included two insecticides and a grass herbicide spray, tank mixed.
After being unable to source chemical to fight the spread of disease in 2010 when they lost their entire crop, the Deardens have also stockpiled and have at least another two sprays ready to go in the shed.
Still, they are nervous.
“We have learned everything we can from 2010 and while there is no sign of disease at this stage it is still nerve wracking,” Mr Dearden said. “It’s just a lot of money to throw at a crop.”
The Deardens resisted the urge to plant a larger area to chickpeas, despite record prices at the time of planting.
“We just stuck to the plan. The chickpeas were planted into country that hadn’t had chickpeas in it for at least two years. The wheat was planted into long fallow chickpea and faba bean country,” he said. “We also planted a bit later than we did in 2010.”
The Deardens started planting on April 28 when they deep planted their Suntime wheat.
From there they progressed through their wheat varieties before deep sowing the chickpeas into good moisture at 150mm on May 22.
“Because they were planted so deep they took about two weeks to come up,” 24-year-old Jack Dearden said.
“Since then we’ve had 262mm of incrop rain including 125mm so far for September. That’s the second wettest September on record behind 2010.”
The Dearden family run a diversified operation from their home property, Beverley, 24km north east of Roma, and Camp Creek and Waringa, south of Roma. The business includes contract farming and grain haulage.
