Hi. My name is Kai de Lacy, and with my father Jono, my Uncle Ian and my cousin Seb, we have a farming operation covering some 12,000ha in and around Nungarin, South Trayning and North Doodlakine. It's a family operation, and when we are harvesting, it's all hands on deck, with my Mum Pippa on the header, my sister Milla on the chaser bin and some other workers helping out as well.
In addition to her header operating skills, Pippa is the Nungarin Shire president and does a great job balancing her shire responsibilities. She has been known to shut down the header to attend meetings, and it usually works out well.
This year we planted around 800ha of lupins, 2,000ha of canola, 100 hectares of barley and oats for the seed, with the rest of the land put to wheat as our main crop.
Regarding our varieties, we have planted Sceptre, Calibre and Vixen. While the rest of the state is having a great year, we are marginally above average. We had quite a dry start to the year, and we really didn't get any decent rain until August, when we got 80-90 mm, which did pick things up. September was also a bit light, with just 20ml at the start. As a result, while the weight has not been too bad, we are dealing with some screening issues, particularly in the Nungarin area of our operations.
Like everyone growing grain, the right moisture at the right time is crucial to success. Our home block has rain gauges, but we are fortunate that our blocks line up with our neighbours' home farms, so we monitor moisture by a buddy messaging system where our neighbours share weather data with us. The approach is different, but it actually works to keep track of what is happening around the various blocks.
We also run a few thousand merino ewes, which work well and support our pasture rotation. This year, we also cut a few hectares of hay just for sheep feed, and we have been fortunate that sheep prices have been solid, making it even more worthwhile.
In terms of our overall farming approach, we have been hesitant to implement any autonomy or camera tech as of yet. It's not as though we haven't been watching / trialling what is available, but we have found a difference between in what is promised and what can be delivered. So, our experience has made us cautious about relying too heavily on this technology. Next year, we will set aside some land to have another go at refining the approach and to upload some drone mapping into the sprayer as a trial for spot spraying to see if we can achieve a good result with lower capital outlay.
Despite some caution, I am very optimistic about the way that technology is heading. It is very exciting for the industry, and autonomous technology is likely to have a significant impact on broadacre agriculture over the long term. I like the idea that autonomy won't take away farming jobs but will increase productivity, allowing people to do higher-output, more valuable jobs. I am excited for that space.
I see weed resistance as an area that will place even more pressure on the industry in the future. It will be fascinating to see if chemical compounds keep up or whether there will be moves to different practices to address the issue. I am optimistic in one sense, but pessimistic about the fact that we are at the mercy of government policy. Sometimes, there isn't much consultation about what is happening on the ground.
Having just moved back home at the start of the year, I am continuing to explore a longer-term approach to the farm. At this stage, I am keen to get into ground truthing our property and start to properly understand soil structures and constraints.
I have also started to get involved with MADFIG (Merredin and Districts Farm Improvement Group). While we have many different groups in the West, the Eastern states have so many benchmarking groups. I don't know if it is a culture or mindset thing; however, I know it would be great to examine comparative information that is area-specific.
Like every grower I am looking forward to next season and the future for the agriculture industry as a whole.