Hybrid sorghum A88 claims Premer Shield win

Seven districts including Quirindi/Willow Tree, Spring Ridge, Caroona, Tamarang, Premer, Coolah and Mullaley/Tambar Springs entered 27 crops to compete for the prestigious shield.

Mr Duddy said Hudson Farms had placed second in the shield about eight years ago, so he and his family were delighted with the result.

The 88-hectare crop of Pioneer A88 was sown between November 21 and 25, 2022, and planted on a complete moisture profile. In fact, the Blackville district was stricken by two flash floods; one on Melbourne Cup day, 2022 and another later that month on November 14.

Pre-planting, nitrogen gas was applied using a variable rate approach, which had been determined by soil testing and measurements by one of Hudson Farms' agronomists, Hayden Hollis of Agricore Group, Tamworth.

The other agronomist used on the properties that make up Hudson Farms is James Urquhart at Nurural Quirindi.

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In the area marked red (see above), the ground received 100 kilograms of N while the ground marked yellow received 120kg/N and 140kg/N was applied to the green-marked land.

The coloured country also determined seeding rates for the crop. The red ground received 61,200 seeds per ha, the yellow ground 64,800 seeds/ha and the green-marked land received 67,500 seeds/ha.

Mr Duddy said the information was fed into the tractor's computer, linked to a Boss double-disc precision planter with a seed sensor 20/20 electric drive, and then planted according to the plan. The crop was planted at 30-inch row spacings.

A pre-emergent weed control package of one litre of Dual/ha and 700 grams of Atrazine/ha was applied, followed by a post-plant application of Starane of one litre/ha. The crop also had one application of Vivus for insect control, however, there was no impact from Heliothis moth.

The competition's judge, NSW Department of Primary Industries research agronomist summer grains Loretta Serafin, noted the Duddy family's use of variable rate nitrogen and plant population across their paddock.

She said in the judged area, she estimated there were 142,310 heads per ha. The crop scored highly with 238 points and an estimated 7.6 tonnes/ha yield.

Ms Serafin said most of the shield's finalist crops showed signs of yields being limited by under-utilisation of nitrogen.

"Yield potential is still high in this variable season, and unfortunately, we are not applying enough nitrogen to support this.

"This is showing up in the protein contents with six of the eight crops judged this year having protein contents of less than nine per cent, which is the point when yield is said to be limited by nitrogen supply," she said.

This year's crop entries comprised three crops of Resolute, three of A14, one of A88 and one of Halifax.

The second place crop belongs to Andrew, Helen and James Strang, Balaranji, representing the Mullaley competition.

"This is a beautiful crop of A14, planted with a Boss double-disc planter with precision boxes on 100cm row spacing.

"This resulted in a very even plant stand and a healthy crop at inspection.

"The crop was planted on November 27 with 100 units of nitrogen, and 30 kg Granulock Z. The crop scored 237 points and an estimated yield of 7.5 t/ha," Ms Serafin said.

Third in this year's Premer Shield was Treen Simson's Moreduval Pty Ltd, representing the Tamarang competition with 233 points.

"The crop was sown on November 9, on 75cm row spacings using a Boss double disc planter.

"The crop had an even plant stand, high head numbers and good head weights."

Other finalists in this season's Premer Shield included John Nolan, Skeldon, Coolah, CLM Partnership Jake Murray, Weblands, Spring Ridge, Romani Pastoral Company, David Lee, Windy Station, Caroona, Plantation Trading, the Simson Family, Plantation, Premer.