Gearing up for Anzac Day

TOMORROW is Anzac Day which marks the traditional start to seeding season 2014/15 right throughout WA.

As of tomorrow, hundreds of tractors with airseeders in tow will take to the paddocks in an attempt to sow early canola before the break of the season.

Despite the lack of rain on the horizon, April 25 is still the day pegged by many to produce optimal crop growing conditions.

And the significant boost of confidence given by last year's good season (for most) meant a number of growers in the Kwinana port zone had even taken the opportunity to get going before that date.

While historically, growers in the Albany Zone were some of the last to take to their tractor seats, it also seemed the record 2013/14 season had given some the confidence to get a bit of a head start this time around as well.

A number of growers, including Scott Winspear at Gnowangerup, took the chance to scratch in some early sheep feed before planning to get stuck into the bulk of their canola and cereal seeding programs within the coming weeks.

In Corrigin, Des Hickey had already witnessed the germination of some of his canola crops thanks to some stormy weather and heavy rains which fell a couple of weeks ago.

But there is still a long way to go before this year's crops would be delivered to CBH sites right throughout the southern half of the State.

Katanning Farmanco agronomist Frank Boetel said the majority of his clients and farmers in his area would wait for Anzac Day to get stuck into their seeding programs.

He said as of tomorrow, they'd jump into the substantially-sized dry-sown canola and lupin rotations despite each program being assessed on an individual basis and risk management profile.

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Gearing up for Anzac Day