Peeing on the N difficient crop would help it.
Legumes can be used to increase soil N levels. The best legume to do that in these parts would be lucerne. A 3 year lucerne pasture would pump in enough N to grow 3 years of grain crops.
See ya's.
TC's farm thread.
- Thread starter topcropper
- Start date
Peeing on the N difficient crop would help it.
Legumes can be used to increase soil N levels. The best legume to do that in these parts would be lucerne. A 3 year lucerne pasture would pump in enough N to grow 3 years of grain crops.
See ya's.
Spent this afternoon topdressing all our wheat with urea. Put on another 100 kilo's per hectare, or 46 k/h N. Photo of the Ag pilot getting loaded via his loader driver and truck. He is getting 1.1 tonnes dumped in, in 20 seconds. We put out nearly 40 tonnes today and it took about 4 hours.
Nitrogen fertilizer is now by far the biggest expense input for my farm. I have one neighbour who didn't plant a single acre of cereal this winter. He planted all chickpeas, which are a legume. Legume plants are noteworthy for their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, thanks to a symbiotic relationship with certain bacteria known as rhizobia found in root nodules of these plants. Chickpeas are easily the biggest acreage legume crop planted in northern NSW.
These chickpeas are just starting to flower. The flowers are white. They will be susceptible to frost from now on. Chickpeas are all exported, mainly to India, where they are used for human consumption.
I pulled a plant out of the ground. The pink globuals are the noduals of nitrogen. These nodules grow bigger and bigger until the plant starts to fill with seed. Then the nitrogen in these nodules gets transfered into the seed.
Chickpeas leave behind a lot of nitrogen if they are ploughed back into the soil without harvest. By harvesting the seed, most of the N leaves with the seed.
I'm off camping on Sunday for 10 days with the family and a heap of friends. The old man has instructions to check the wheat for stripe rust disease twice a day. It will probably have to be sprayed with fungicide while I'm away.
See ya's.
Nitrogen fertilizer is now by far the biggest expense input for my farm. I have one neighbour who didn't plant a single acre of cereal this winter. He planted all chickpeas, which are a legume. Legume plants are noteworthy for their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, thanks to a symbiotic relationship with certain bacteria known as rhizobia found in root nodules of these plants. Chickpeas are easily the biggest acreage legume crop planted in northern NSW.
These chickpeas are just starting to flower. The flowers are white. They will be susceptible to frost from now on. Chickpeas are all exported, mainly to India, where they are used for human consumption.
I pulled a plant out of the ground. The pink globuals are the noduals of nitrogen. These nodules grow bigger and bigger until the plant starts to fill with seed. Then the nitrogen in these nodules gets transfered into the seed.
Chickpeas leave behind a lot of nitrogen if they are ploughed back into the soil without harvest. By harvesting the seed, most of the N leaves with the seed.
I'm off camping on Sunday for 10 days with the family and a heap of friends. The old man has instructions to check the wheat for stripe rust disease twice a day. It will probably have to be sprayed with fungicide while I'm away.
See ya's.
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good stuff TC. Suppose you are better off not harvesting the chickpeas if you want to cut the fertilizer costs on grains.
What's the source of the urea you use? Is it a petro byproduct? All I know is it is made from ammonia and carbon dioxide.
Why does it keep going up in price?
What's the source of the urea you use? Is it a petro byproduct? All I know is it is made from ammonia and carbon dioxide.
Why does it keep going up in price?
Most of the urea we get comes from China, although Incitec produce it too. I don't think it's a petro byproduct, it's it's own industry. According to wikipedia,........
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urea
There is 100 million tonnes produced each year.
It has gone up in price with coal and natural gas, from which it is made, although this most recent price rise is mainly price gougeing I believe by urea producers getting their cut from the soft commodities boom, and also China whacking on tarriffs. Can't blame China really, as we are screwing them with our coal and iron ore exports, and they have a product that the world needs right now so they can charge what ever price they want. Urea has gone from $300 a tonne to $1000 a tonne.
See ya's.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urea
There is 100 million tonnes produced each year.
It has gone up in price with coal and natural gas, from which it is made, although this most recent price rise is mainly price gougeing I believe by urea producers getting their cut from the soft commodities boom, and also China whacking on tarriffs. Can't blame China really, as we are screwing them with our coal and iron ore exports, and they have a product that the world needs right now so they can charge what ever price they want. Urea has gone from $300 a tonne to $1000 a tonne.
See ya's.
Great photos, TC, beautiful pics.
Have fun camping, bit dry here still, little bit of rust hit some, (not us), and saw my first aphids in barley crop! this week. Not bad enough to spray apparently.
Onward and upward mate.
Have fun camping, bit dry here still
, little bit of rust hit some, (not us), and saw my first aphids in barley crop! this week. Not bad enough to spray apparently.Onward and upward mate.
Something very frightening is happening.
A bloke goes away camping for a week with no phone or TV on a beautifull river with some friends, and you get back to civilization and it's all turned to crap.
I'm looking like growing an above average wheat crop. 4 tonne, hopefully 5 tonne per hectare plus, and it's possible I won't make a profit if grain prices keep dropping. Input costs just keep on rising. It will cost me about $800 per hectare to grow this wheat crop. It was only $500 /h last year, and $250 /h a few years ago.
We are about to plant 900 hectares of summer crop. It will cost 700 K and a lot of that has already been stumped up, and most of the rest will have to be stumped up in the next few weeks. I will be able to do that, but many wont.
Should I just shut the place down for a few years and plant lucerne to grow me some free Nitrogen? Probably.
Feeling a bit sick in the stomach looking at what's happening to world markets. Not many farmers are debt free like myself, and I won't be debt free in a few weeks time with the summer crop planting. A lot of good hard working people are going to go under through no fault of their own. A lot of grain farmers have just had a good year snatched away at the last minute. A lot of grain farmers had the last throw of the dice this time, and lost.
I'm no different to the losers. I just was lucky last year to have a big win with big prices.
Everything is out of control.
See ya's.
A bloke goes away camping for a week with no phone or TV on a beautifull river with some friends, and you get back to civilization and it's all turned to crap.
I'm looking like growing an above average wheat crop. 4 tonne, hopefully 5 tonne per hectare plus, and it's possible I won't make a profit if grain prices keep dropping. Input costs just keep on rising. It will cost me about $800 per hectare to grow this wheat crop. It was only $500 /h last year, and $250 /h a few years ago.
We are about to plant 900 hectares of summer crop. It will cost 700 K and a lot of that has already been stumped up, and most of the rest will have to be stumped up in the next few weeks.
I will be able to do that, but many wont. Should I just shut the place down for a few years and plant lucerne to grow me some free Nitrogen? Probably.
Feeling a bit sick in the stomach looking at what's happening to world markets. Not many farmers are debt free like myself, and I won't be debt free in a few weeks time with the summer crop planting. A lot of good hard working people are going to go under through no fault of their own. A lot of grain farmers have just had a good year snatched away at the last minute. A lot of grain farmers had the last throw of the dice this time, and lost.
I'm no different to the losers. I just was lucky last year to have a big win with big prices.
Everything is out of control.
See ya's.
TC:
Consider that you have progressed and set yourself up, (thinking wonderful/amazing no till!), to take every advantage of whatever the season(s) dish up...
TC, all the no tillers up here have great crops, it has maximised every drop of moisture, their soil profiles are super healthy. These farmers have a positive, learning mindset, they are successful business people.
The folk that have not embraced other alternative means of farming their land are indeed feeling the pinch. They have assistance from various bodies, government, farming organisations etc.. they have food on the table. Children in school, physical and emotional/mental support help at their fingertips. It is their choice in life what they embrace and how they react to the universe and what she dishes up.
You set an amazing example for farmers that bother to read your thread and day to day operations. We had late rains here and the no till crops are good, not heavy but good. We have great compassion for anyone doing it tough, help is available anytime, day or night, but at the end of the day, no man/woman is an island.
Thankyou for being such an inspiration to the (few) farmers around here who bother to read about your progress. You are like a lighthouse mate!!
Consider that you have progressed and set yourself up, (thinking wonderful/amazing no till!), to take every advantage of whatever the season(s) dish up...
TC, all the no tillers up here have great crops, it has maximised every drop of moisture, their soil profiles are super healthy. These farmers have a positive, learning mindset, they are successful business people.
The folk that have not embraced other alternative means of farming their land are indeed feeling the pinch. They have assistance from various bodies, government, farming organisations etc.. they have food on the table. Children in school, physical and emotional/mental support help at their fingertips. It is their choice in life what they embrace and how they react to the universe and what she dishes up.
You set an amazing example for farmers that bother to read your thread and day to day operations. We had late rains here and the no till crops are good, not heavy but good. We have great compassion for anyone doing it tough, help is available anytime, day or night, but at the end of the day, no man/woman is an island.
Thankyou for being such an inspiration to the (few) farmers around here who bother to read about your progress. You are like a lighthouse mate!!
Just got in from checking the wheat. It's going to be the highest yielding wheat crop we have grown in years. We got another 40 mills of rain on Monday morning, and that should finish the crop off as it still has a full soil water profile and the rain has washed the extra Nitrogen in that we spread a few weeks ago. That extra N has boosted it no ends. Should go 5 tonnes per hectare, but possibly more if it don't get too hot.
The old man had to spray it for rust while I was away camping. It was also full of aphids, so they got some medicine too.
$300 per tonne is not looking likely now with global commodities tanking. This crop has cost $800 per hectare to grow.
Even if I only get $250 per tonne,
5 t/h times $250 /t equals $1250 gross per hectare.
$1250 minus $800 costs equals
$450 per hectare profit.
Last years crop only yielded 3 t/h, but I got $400 /t.
Equals $1200 gross per hectare.
At only $500 /h costs, so $1200 minus $500 costs equals
$700 per hectare profit last year.
Interestingly, last years yield, with this years costs and grain prices, and I'd have made a loss.
The 40 cm wide rows are fully closed in now. The wheat is showing the flag leaf. This is the final leaf that the head appears from, and the flag leaf provides 75% of the effective leaf area that contributes to grain fill. The wheat head will appear in a few days, and a few days later it will be flowering. We don't want a frost at flowering or the crop could be a total wipeout.
Sorry for parking the bike in the photo, but it would be hard to gather how high the crop is otherwise.
It's obvious now in hindsight that the high grain prices of last year were partly caused by all the financial guru dick%$#@ &*^%wipes hedge fund managers in New York and London who all decided to pile into soft commodities when they had no idea what they were doing. I was lucky to have sold grain into that bubble, and now it looks like things will correct too far the other way, so I suppose I can live with that.
Some farmers who didn't grow a crop due to drought last year got wiped out when grain prices went silly and they had to buy back their contracts. Grain futures are supposed to be for farmers and end uses to lock in prices, but everyones confidence in doing that now is zero.
We are getting prepared for sorghum planting. To the left of the wheat is fallow country that will all be going in with sorghum in a few weeks.
See ya's.
The old man had to spray it for rust while I was away camping. It was also full of aphids, so they got some medicine too.
$300 per tonne is not looking likely now with global commodities tanking. This crop has cost $800 per hectare to grow.
Even if I only get $250 per tonne,
5 t/h times $250 /t equals $1250 gross per hectare.
$1250 minus $800 costs equals
$450 per hectare profit.
Last years crop only yielded 3 t/h, but I got $400 /t.
Equals $1200 gross per hectare.
At only $500 /h costs, so $1200 minus $500 costs equals
$700 per hectare profit last year.
Interestingly, last years yield, with this years costs and grain prices, and I'd have made a loss.
The 40 cm wide rows are fully closed in now. The wheat is showing the flag leaf. This is the final leaf that the head appears from, and the flag leaf provides 75% of the effective leaf area that contributes to grain fill. The wheat head will appear in a few days, and a few days later it will be flowering. We don't want a frost at flowering or the crop could be a total wipeout.
Sorry for parking the bike in the photo, but it would be hard to gather how high the crop is otherwise.
It's obvious now in hindsight that the high grain prices of last year were partly caused by all the financial guru dick%$#@ &*^%wipes hedge fund managers in New York and London who all decided to pile into soft commodities when they had no idea what they were doing. I was lucky to have sold grain into that bubble, and now it looks like things will correct too far the other way, so I suppose I can live with that.
Some farmers who didn't grow a crop due to drought last year got wiped out when grain prices went silly and they had to buy back their contracts. Grain futures are supposed to be for farmers and end uses to lock in prices, but everyones confidence in doing that now is zero.
We are getting prepared for sorghum planting. To the left of the wheat is fallow country that will all be going in with sorghum in a few weeks.
See ya's.
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I'm no agri-economist but I think the current prices of almost all commodities are being set on Wall St. The de-leveraging of the hedge funds and investment banks has forced them to sell anything which can be sold, regardless of "value". You know better than to take advice from a city-slicker but it might pay to store what you can (within physical and financial constraints) for later sale. A lot of things, including our $, may rise nearly as fast as they fell.
Just a thought: The ban on short selling is lifted tomorrow in NY so these cash-strapped entities may be able to get some (much needed) money by selling stocks and not commodities. Let's see what next week brings.
Just a thought: The ban on short selling is lifted tomorrow in NY so these cash-strapped entities may be able to get some (much needed) money by selling stocks and not commodities. Let's see what next week brings.
A neighbour of mine exports grassfed wagyu to Japan and China. [but thinking again, I think he bungs them in a feedlot before export. Yep, grassfed raised, feedlot fattened.]
I'm thinking anyone who has worked out a plan and is doing well from it wouldn't want to share any secrets.
This bloke is always going over there doing something or other involved with the business.
See ya's.
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I agree completely with all that.
It's only the plunge in the Aussie$ that we can still make a profit, but on the other hand, that will push farm inputs even higher. I probably should lock some wheat in now, where I know I can still make a profit. Dunno.
We can store all the wheat, but only until the sorghum is ready for harvest which will be early March.
Urea is now $1100 per tonne. Went up again a few days ago.
See ya's.
The big fertilizer Rip off.
Apparently global fertilizer prices are in free fall, along with everything else. However, no sign of any price drop yet here. We are planting sorghum now, and unfortunately we have no choice but to pay $1100 per tonne for urea, and even more for phosphorus based fertilizer, when we know dam well that it will be much cheaper in a few months time when the new shipments arrive. With grain prices plunging, we are looking at having to grow an above average yield just to break even.
Not looking for sympathy from anyone here, cause last year the reverse happened, and I made a killing. Inputs were much cheaper when we planted, and grain prices rose into a bubble top. This year the opposite has happened. I'm paying bubble input prices to grow grain that is crashing in value.
Compared to last year, growing costs and input costs have risen 50%, and grain prices have almost halved.
I could have locked in grain prices at the highs. Didn't. Easy in hindsight.
I won big time last year. Not looking good this year. However I don't have to sell grain at current prices. I will store every tonne of wheat and hope for a return to a market based on fundamentals, and not panic.
The financial crisis will severely effect the ability of farmers to get credit to plant crops. Already there are reports that farmers in former Russian states can't plant a crop.
Wheat harvest is starting in a lot of areas. Queensland will harvest a bumper crop, along with northern NSW and northern WA.
Central NSW, and most of western Australia has average crops. A lot of WA crops were hit with frost damage.
Southern NSW, Victoria, and parts of SA has poor crops. Some of these areas have had 3 failed crops in a row.
Our wheat is past flowering and is filling with grain. Looking good. Was 35 degrees yesterday, but cooler today. Should be ready for harvest in 5 weeks. Still hoping it might yield 5 tonnes per hectare. Doesn't really need any more rain, but it wouldn't hurt.
See ya's.
Apparently global fertilizer prices are in free fall, along with everything else. However, no sign of any price drop yet here.
We are planting sorghum now, and unfortunately we have no choice but to pay $1100 per tonne for urea, and even more for phosphorus based fertilizer, when we know dam well that it will be much cheaper in a few months time when the new shipments arrive. With grain prices plunging, we are looking at having to grow an above average yield just to break even.Not looking for sympathy from anyone here, cause last year the reverse happened, and I made a killing. Inputs were much cheaper when we planted, and grain prices rose into a bubble top. This year the opposite has happened. I'm paying bubble input prices to grow grain that is crashing in value.
Compared to last year, growing costs and input costs have risen 50%, and grain prices have almost halved.
I could have locked in grain prices at the highs. Didn't. Easy in hindsight.
I won big time last year. Not looking good this year. However I don't have to sell grain at current prices. I will store every tonne of wheat and hope for a return to a market based on fundamentals, and not panic.
The financial crisis will severely effect the ability of farmers to get credit to plant crops. Already there are reports that farmers in former Russian states can't plant a crop.
Wheat harvest is starting in a lot of areas. Queensland will harvest a bumper crop, along with northern NSW and northern WA.
Central NSW, and most of western Australia has average crops. A lot of WA crops were hit with frost damage.
Southern NSW, Victoria, and parts of SA has poor crops. Some of these areas have had 3 failed crops in a row.
Our wheat is past flowering and is filling with grain. Looking good. Was 35 degrees yesterday, but cooler today. Should be ready for harvest in 5 weeks. Still hoping it might yield 5 tonnes per hectare. Doesn't really need any more rain, but it wouldn't hurt.
See ya's.
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Hi TC,
I feel for you and other grain farmers.
In this area crops are barely half fence high, because of dry in last 2 months. I'm not into crops, so have no idea what this means, but doesn't look good.
As we are in southern Vic, I suspect those North of here are in difficulty.
We are expecting good rain in the next day or two, don't know how that will help grain, or if too late.
A good mate of mine runs/owns the local co-op, all he keeps telling me is the increase in prices (fert etc), prices for ag produce has to keep up or else.
My suspicion TC, hedge against the low $AUS, I don't think it will last with what we produce.
bye.
I feel for you and other grain farmers.
In this area crops are barely half fence high, because of dry in last 2 months. I'm not into crops, so have no idea what this means, but doesn't look good.
As we are in southern Vic, I suspect those North of here are in difficulty.
We are expecting good rain in the next day or two, don't know how that will help grain, or if too late.
A good mate of mine runs/owns the local co-op, all he keeps telling me is the increase in prices (fert etc), prices for ag produce has to keep up or else.
My suspicion TC, hedge against the low $AUS, I don't think it will last with what we produce.
bye.
A US dollar crash, and all exporters would be in real big trouble.
However, wouldn't a crash in the $US lead to commodity price strength..?? They seem to be the inverse of one another.
See ya's.
We got on the phone this morning and got hold of some urea for $990 a tonne delivered on farm, from Geelong. There's a lot of freight there. Must be only about $900 down that way. Obviously we are getting screwed up here. They know we are all about to start summer crop planting.
We will tell our normal supplier, and Incitecpivot to go jump. Will save us 22 k.
See ya's.
We will tell our normal supplier, and Incitecpivot to go jump. Will save us 22 k.
See ya's.
Hmmm , 22k ... that's quite a bit of a saving . I'd be interested to hear what your normal supplier has to say when you tell him
I won't be using any more urea until about April next year and hopefully prices will be back about 50% . Another thing I read about in the weekly times is a manufacturing plant is currently being setup out in the Latrobe Valley . Hopefully that might bring some stability to prices . What do you think ?
I see on Sky business this morning predictions for the A dollar at 40c US !Over the years I've seen some forecasts to be pretty close and others to be way off . If only I knew which ones would be correct
I won't be using any more urea until about April next year and hopefully prices will be back about 50% . Another thing I read about in the weekly times is a manufacturing plant is currently being setup out in the Latrobe Valley . Hopefully that might bring some stability to prices . What do you think ?
I see on Sky business this morning predictions for the A dollar at 40c US !Over the years I've seen some forecasts to be pretty close and others to be way off . If only I knew which ones would be correct
Hmmm , 22k ... that's quite a bit of a saving . I'd be interested to hear what your normal supplier has to say when you tell him
Well, I made a mistake. The $1100 per tonne for urea was a Newcastle price, so that would be about $1140 on farm delivered. So I in fact will save 30k.
Only realised this just an hour ago when I told the normal supplier I wouldn't need his urea.
Roundup is also dropping. Down to $11 per litre for CT, from $13 per litre last week, and $4 per litre last year.
Had the day off planting today. There was 7 mills of rain overnight. Not enough to do anything good except stop us planting. We will start again tomorrow, but the soil is getting hard and dry. We may have to knock off in a few days and wait for 20 mills or more.
See ya's.
Should be great. Using brown coal isn't it? We send a heap of sorghum to Victoria every year by truck. The urea will be a back load for us back to here. Should be cheap freight as the trucks wont come back empty.
Australia should be a huge urea exporter. It's an embarrasment that we aren't.
See ya's.
