2009 Barley Challenge


Objective:
  1. Produce the highest gross margin crop (not necessarily the highest yielding crop).
  2. Provide an opportunity to look at a range of management practices and trigger discussion based on the challenges presented at the site/s during the season.

Trial site: Inverleigh, Dunkeld.

Crop / Cultivar: Barley sown after Wheat. Either malting barley or a feed barley

Teams & Captains:

Teams will be selected for each site, with a designated Captain who will be the main point of contact for that team. All management decisions are to be made by each team, including timely recommendations for your crop and also a marketing strategy for your grain through a marketing organisation to be decided. It is suggested that regular site visits are planned by the team, especially during periods when the key decisions need to be made. Digital photos will be available to assist with crop progress.

Click here to view the list of 2009 teams and capitains.

Design and statistical analysis:

Randomised complete block design, 4 replicates. Each team has four replicates making up their ‘crop’.

Trial management:

Management requests will be collected by Jon Midwood (SFS) and applications/operations will be made by SFS staff at the respective sites. It will be the sole responsibility of the team to monitor their crop and to email requests, in advance of applications, so they can be made on time. All decisions made will require an identification of the problem, a justification for treatment including product, rates and timings. The trial will be harvested for yield and quality.

Assessment:

SQP - Grain Quality Assessments including Protein, Test Weight (kg/hl), Screenings % and Retention (Barley contracts reference)
Jon Midwood (SFS) - Calculate costing/margins. All inputs will be based on standard prices (Landmark).

Reporting:
  • SFS newsletter and website
  • Four articles from SFS in rural press from May to November introducing teams and strategies during the season.
  • Yield data to be analysed and reported to the teams after harvest. Winners to be announced at the Results meeting in March 2010.
Competition Rules:
  • Team Captains to come from existing SFS members and to submit team by April 24th 2009 to Jon Midwood (Competition coordinator)
  • Team captains will be responsible for organizing their team which includes:

    - Selection of team members and team name.

    - Communication and organization of team strategy meetings. These will be based around the‘KEY
       DECISIONS’ listed in the table below and will drive the team’s recommendations.

    - Emailing of team recommendations will be on a sheet which will be provided.

No sheet = no application!

  • Captains will be the main point of contact for SFS competition coordinator
  • Competition start date 1st May 2009
  • 2009 crop will be barley, grown after wheat.
  • The team’s herbicide management must be designed with the aim of having minimal weed seed return at harvest. The SFS competition coordinator reserves the right to overspray any team’s plots if it is decided that an unacceptable weed burden will remain. This charge will be included as a cost in the team’s gross margin.
  • The timing of applications will be timed as close to the team’s target dates as is reasonably possible. However teams must allow for the possibility of holdups due to weather, for example, and so early planning and timeliness of recommendations is essential.
  • ‘Mining’ of nutrients at the site will be deemed to be not in keeping with the spirit of the competition. In principal the site should be no more deficient in key elements at the end of the competition compared to the start.

Grain Marketing

  • From May 1st each team has opportunity to market their crop.
  • All grain marketing quantities and decisions will be based on a one hectare tonnage. In other words if your barley yields 5t/ha you have 5t to market.
  • There are two marketing mechanisms available for teams in 2009, prices courtesy of SQP:

    a) Spot price published on the day of harvest (quality related)

    b) Forward pricing based on 0.5t lots. If grain tonnages are oversold on the day of harvest teams
        will have to buy back the relevant tonnage at prices equivalent to (a).
  • Prices will be emailed to team captains every two weeks, on a Monday and these will give prices based on Malt quality grade M1 and Feed grade F1.
  • For any forward sold grain, deductions due to quality issues will be based on the difference between the actual quality and the grain quality standard chosen to sell against (i.e. M1 or F1). Conversely, if grain is forward sold as F1 and the quality is suitable for M1 then prices locked in will be adjusted by the difference between F1 and M1 at harvest.
  • To avoid any confusion Gairdner and Fairview are considered Malt Varieties and Hindmarsh and Capstan are Feed varieties!

  • All marketing decisions must be emailed to Jon Midwood by the Friday following the Barley price email, detailing team name, tonnage to be sold and which quality grade. No email – No Sale
Key Decisions
Option 1
Option 2

SEED MANAGEMENT

 

 

 

Variety

Gairdner, Fairview, Hindmarsh, Capstan

Gairdner, Fairview, Hindmarsh, Capstan

Seed Treatment

 

 

Sowing Date

May

June

Seedrate

 

 

 

 

 

HERBICIDE MANAGEMENT

 

 

 

Knockdown

SFS

 

 

Sowing IBS

Trifluralin or Boxer Gold

Trifluralin or Boxer Gold

PSPE

 

 

Post Emergence - Broadleaf

 

 

Post Emergence - Grass

 

 

 

 

 

FERTILISER MANAGEMENT

 

 

 

Seedbed MAP

MAP

MAP

Urea T1

As required

 

Urea T2

As required

 

Trace Elements T1

As required

 

Trace Elements T2

As required

 

 

 

 

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

 

 

 

Fungicide T1

As required

 

Fungicide T2

As required

 

Fungicide T3

As required

 

 

 

 

PEST MANAGEMENT

 

 

 

Insecticide T1

As required

 

Insecticide T2

As required

 
 
Grain Marketing summary charts

December (pdf 104kb)
November (pdf 177kb)
October (pdf 177kb)
September (pdf 131kb)
August (pdf 133kb)
July (pdf 132kb)
June (pdf 63kb)

 

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