Sesame and peanuts are not only tempting options in the snack bar aisle of the supermarket, they are becoming increasingly tempting options for croppers in Australia's most northerly broadacre cropping region in Central Queensland.
The diversification of the northern cropping industry will be on full display at a field day at Emerald on April 18, looking at the potential of high value crops, including new non-shattering varieties of both black and white sesame and a new peanut variety.
The high value crop field day, hosted by CQUniversity, will feature research into grain and graze management systems in Central Queensland.
Along with the work on peanuts and sesame, which is becoming an increasingly popular low yield, high return broadacre crop rotation choice, there will be presentations on mung and adzuki beans.
The event will be held at Deneliza Downs, 5km east of Emerald and will also feature a showcase of the latest research into grain and graze farming systems, with Andrew McDonald from AgriVentis Technologies available to discuss the latest in forage beans.
The annual field day, which focuses on new crop options to maximise returns in broadacre rotations, is hosted by the Northern Australia Crop Research Centre of Excellence, a partnership that brings together researchers from CQUniversity with farm machinery leaders RDO Equipment Australia, farmers from the Central Highlands Cotton Growers & Irrigators Association, Grain Producers Australia / AgForce, and agribusiness expertise from the Central Highlands Development Corporation.
The Centre was formed in 2020 with its participants now playing key roles in several large-scale research projects including Grain and Graze North, a dual-purpose peanut project funded by the CRC for Developing Northern Australia (CRCNA) and Bega Peanuts, and the Sesame Central national program of research funded by AgriFutures Australia and the CRCNA to develop the enabling agronomy required to support the expansion of sesame production.
The day will commence at 9am with a special dual-purpose peanut masterclass for agronomists delving into the technical aspects of planting and harvesting times, biomass cutting techniques and timing, and crop nutrition.
There will also be a field walk to inspect new sesame and mungbean varietal lines, as well as peanuts that have been cut for forage for improved livestock nutritional value.
