![Planting contractor Andrew Morris with John and Sarah Thompson, “Lindale”, Mt Russell via Inverell, and their dog Socks in the canola crop. Planting contractor Andrew Morris with John and Sarah Thompson, “Lindale”, Mt Russell via Inverell, and their dog Socks in the canola crop.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-agfeed/2088038.jpg/r0_0_1500_1000_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
CANOLA won’t just be a grain crop at “Lindale”, Mt Russell, this year – it’s already been used to feed cattle.
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John and Sarah Thompson planted their 50 hectares of canola, a mixture of Pioneer Y86 and Pacific Seeds Hyola 575, in April.
They’ve just locked the gates to cattle after six weeks grazing the crop, giving it a four-month break before harvest in November.
While he hasn’t had to spray for weeds or pests yet, Mr Thompson was preparing to start on weeds in the next fortnight.
“It’s in a reasonably weed-free paddock, so there’s no need for broadleaf control but we will run a herbicide, Verdict, over it for grass control,” Mr Thompson said.
“I’ll probably give it two weeks for the weed plant to regroup after grazing.
“We’re expecting to spray for heliothis and aphids in the spring as well.”
It’s rare to see canola grazed in the New England, but dry conditions combined with low cattle prices led to the purchase of 200 head of cattle at the beginning of the year.
“The dry summer meant we had sorghum that was either going to give us sorghum stubble or grain so we knew we had something to feed them,” Mr Thompson said.
“We were loaded up with 200 head of cattle that needed to be fed.”
The Thompsons have grown canola in the past, but only for grain.
As a dual-purpose crop, canola is now also being used to feed cattle.
“We were able to buy some cheap cattle at the time and we needed feed for them but I also wanted a grain income, so we went with canola,” Mr Thompson said.
“It’s common down south to graze canola before harvesting it, but not too many people do it around here.
“What you need for it to really work is the wet spring, which we haven’t had for a few years, but it’s something I’ll look at doing again.”
Now they’re hoping the season turns around, with the Thompsons relying on late winter and early spring rain.
“If you’re doing the graze and
grain you need a good spring, that’s for sure,” Mr Thompson said.
“What you’re up against is that canola will stop setting viable pods once you reach three days at temperatures of more than 30 degrees, so you’re in a
bit of a race to set a viable yield.
“We are near Inverell. We’re counting on that cooler climate to work with us.”
The cattle have had access to a range of native grass pastures and forage crops.
“We had them on native grasses then sorghum stubble for a couple of months then onto wheat before canola and now they’ll go back onto winter wheat,” Mr Thompson said.
“I’ve been so impressed with the forage brassicas. It’s been such a good feed for a long time and this is just an extension of that.
“Canola is as nutritious, if not more, than oats, when you look at the energy values.
“We’ve run large numbers on it, 160 grown cattle on 50 hectares, so there’s plenty of feed.”