in: blairtrewin; blairtrewin > 2007-07-29;
| # Posted 2007-07-29 18:18:18 | |
| TheInvisibleLog: | Two comments... the joke that maybe it is DPI testing its drought tolerant genetically engineered wheat.
Reality is probably the new world of opportunity cropping. The problem with cropping pre-Goyder was the assumption that regular yields justified a settlement pattern based upon regular rain. The crop you noticed was probably sown in a hurry on the basis of observations of good soil moisture capable of supporting a crop through towards harvest for this season. |
| # Posted 2007-07-30 04:40:53 | |
| Oxoman: | The Flinders Ranges is actually a relatively high rainfall area. It's been cropped before, but based on history I wouldn't expect the Willochra Plain to support a viable ongoing grain industry even with modern day techniques. Was it rice? |
| # Posted 2007-08-01 12:15:04 | |
| blairtrewin: | I'd guess it's opportunistic - the area suffered severe floods in January and then got more rain in March, so soil moisture would be high - although I would have thought the capital investment required for a one-off crop would be significant. Didn't see exactly what crop it was but it looked like grain of some kind.
Agreed that the rainfall in the higher parts of the Flinders could be enough to support some sort of grain farming, but most of the potential area is either too steep or National Park or both. It's wasn't really drought that did the Wilpena Pound farm in - it was having their access "road" regularly washed away by flash floods. |
| # Posted 2007-08-01 12:24:37 | |
| TheInvisibleLog: | Most opportunity cropping is undertaken using contractors who carry the capital cost. Those really big rigs travel round Australia following the harvest season. The constraint is whether the cropped area in this isolated location was large enough to justify a contractors transport costs. |
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