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Barley springs surprise
KAROLIN MACGREGOR
IT was a bit of a quiet achiever,
but one spring barley crop
could have earned a North-West
farmer a new world record.
Sisters Creek farmer Michael
Nichols was disappointed when
a wheat crop he was hoping
would produce top yields did
not fulfil his expectations.
However, a nearby barley
crop had a major surprise in
store.
“I started harvesting it and
after the first run I thought OK,
that had a lot more grain in it
than I thought. But maybe it
was just that part of the crop,”
he said.
However, the grain just kept
on coming and after harvesting
the full 8ha paddock Mr
Nichols was astounded with the
result.
After taking the crop moisture
level into account, it yielded
an incredible 12.3 tonnes per
hectare.
“I had no idea it would be that
high,” Mr Nichols said.
“You couldn’t tell just from
looking at the paddock. Barley
can be a bit deceiving like that.”
The crop is believed to be
an Australian record and Mr
Nichols said it could also be
an unofficial world record for a
spring barley crop.
Mr Nichols said the crop had
been sown a little bit later than
normal due to the wet spring
conditions.
Since then, it had been
irrigated once.
“We are aiming for highyielding crops here, but I was
more focused on the wheat,
which I had entered in a
competition, and that was a
bit disappointing,” Mr Nichols
said.
“I think the season has just
really suited the barley more
than the wheat. The grains in
the barley were a lot plumper,
that’s the main difference I
noticed.”
Mr Nichols runs the North
West Grain Pool, which
includes 12 local growers.
He has a grain facility on his
property which includes about
2000 tonnes of storage and a
grain dryer.
The grain pool supplies
cereals to three local dairy
farmers.
Mr Nichols said harvest this
year had been interrupted by
the constant rains, but they were
gradually getting the crops off.
“We’ve done about 1100
tonne of the 3000 tonnes so
we’re getting there,” he said.
DEER hunters who want the
opportunity to hunt on public
land now have the opportunity
to apply after the opening of
this year’s ballot.
The 2021 ballot for the
anterless deer season is open,
with a new booking system to
help simplify the process.
This system follows on from
the success of the streamlined
ballot for the stag season.
Access to public land will
be allocated through the
Eventbrite platform and opened
for registrations on Tuesday.
Recreational hunters will be
able to select dates between
April 7 and November 15 to
hunt antlerless deer. However,
some reserves are closed at
times during the season.
Hunting groups, with a
maximum of four hunters, must
nominate a party leader to book
on behalf of the group and the
party leader can book up to two
spots over the antlerless season.
During the 2021 season,
hunting is authorised in Great
Western Tiers Conservation
Area; Top Marshes Conservation Area; Five Mile Pinnacles
Conservation Area; Central Plateau Conservation Area: Brenton Rivulet block (PWS) and
Mother Lord Plains block
(HT); Great Western Tiers
Conservation Area: Parson &
Clerk Mountain Block (PWS);
Great Lake Conservation Area;
Tumbledown Creek block
(PWS) and land known as Gunns
Marsh surrounding Gunns
Lake and Little Lake (HT);
Tooms Lake Conservation Area;
Buxton River Conservation
Area; St Pauls Regional
Reserve and Castle Cary
Regional Reserve.
For details on using the
booking system or to apply
for an allocation, go to www.
dpipwe.tas.gov.au/booking.
State’s deer ballot opens
“So far, we haven’t had to
dry any grain. The aeration in
the silos has been enough to
get the moisture down but it’s
there if we need it later in the
season.”
He said the facility had
given growers the confidence
to include more cereals in their
annual cropping rotations.
“Instead of it being a highrisk crop, it makes it a low-risk
crop,” he said.
“Growers in the pool know
they’ll be able to get their crops
off and they’ll get a good return,
even if we have a wet harvest.”
Now in its third year, Mr
Nichols said there is potential
for the grain pool to grow.
BARLEY BELTER: Michael
Nichols grew a spring-sown
barley crop that produced
a record-breaking yield on
his Sisters Creek property.
Picture:
KAROLIN MACGREGOR
Senator Claire
CHANDLER
Senator for Tasmania
Your Liberal Senator working
for LYONS
03 6260 2018
Senator.Chandler@aph.gov.au
SenatorChandler
senatorchandler.com.au
senatorchandler.com.au
Authorised by Senator Claire Chandler, Liberal Party of Australia, 42 Bridge St, Richmond TAS 7025
TASMANIAN COUNTRY Friday, February 19, 2021 09