Keeping your options open is often not a luxury afforded to grain growers in Western Australia. However, Devil growers have done just that when they made their wheat variety choice this season.
Along with its competitive yield and agronomic traits, Devil wheat opens up potential delivery and marketing options for growers through its dual classification – Australian Hard (AH) and Australian Premium White Noodle (APWN).
For Yathroo grower, Mark Drake choosing to plant Devil wheat this season made sense.
“In the past, we’ve struggled to reach the protein required to get our wheat into the AH stack at harvest. The reason we chose Devil is that it gives us the flexibility to be able to deliver it into an APWN stack if the protein levels aren’t high enough.”
Mark grew Devil for the first-time last year and bulked it up on the Lawson Grains property, Walyoo which he manages.
“This year we have 485 hectares planted to Devil. Our plan is to continue to increase the area that Devil is sown to and eventually it will take over some of the paddocks sown to noodles.”
“In the past we have grown Zen wheat which was superseded by Ninja wheat. Noodles have been useful on this property as protein is often difficult to achieve in our sandier soils. The plan is that Devil will take the place of Ninja but will provide us with the AH option in the paddocks which have better soils.”
The 2020 season has been more favourable so far at Walyoo compared to last year.
“We’ve had 65mm since the start of the growing season which is four times as much as what we had at the same time last year. All of our crops especially the canola is doing a lot better than last year.”
“Our Devil was sown in the last week of May and is at the 3-4 leaf stage across the property. It’s had its nitrogen top up recently as well”.
With the later break to the season in WA, Devil’s quick-mid maturity provides a good wheat option for the likes of later sowing in a shorter growing season.
Devil is farmer to farmer trade approved.
For more information contact Georgia Trainor (Territory Manager), gtrainor@intergrain.com or 0439 093 166.
