With a need to start watering his cotton before Christmas, Steve Little will only consider a high yielding mid-season corn variety to fit into his rotation.
Mr Little, who runs the family property, Wynola, with his son Jacob at Brookstead in southern Queensland, irrigates around 180 hectares every year, rotating mainly between corn and cotton.
He started growing Pioneer brand P1756 hybrid corn four years ago as it met the characteristics he was looking for to fit into his farming system.
“I don’t like extremely long season corn, whereas P1756 is more a mid-season length, which means I can get my water finished on the corn by just before Christmas and then start watering the cotton,” he said.
2016/17 was one of the first summers Mr Little says they’ve been able to plant their corn into moisture, putting the crop in the ground in September 2016.
The February harvest went well with no lodging, and a 15.4 t/ha average yield with good quality meant the corn made gritting grade, going to Smiths for chips.