It’s been a tough start for first time dryland cotton grower Tom Greentree of “Quisisana” at Mungindi situated on the NSW/Qld border.
After a challenging winter crop in 2018 Tom Greentree decided he would plant a summer crop to utilise the stored moisture on his fallow country. Tom purchased a new Boss 18 metre (60ft) planter fitted with DX50 units and Precision Seed Metering from Boss Agriculture to give his crop the best start possible.
Tom configured his planter on 2 metre (6.5ft) spacing’s with the ability to quickly convert his row spacing back to 1500mm (5ft) if he decided to plant sorghum in the future.
“The team at Boss were able to design my row units so we can easily slide them between 2 and 1.5 metre (6.5 and 5ft) spacings which will give us some different planting options if needed.”
Tom planted 780 hectares of Bollgard 3 after good rain in early November, “The ground conditions were a typical dryland scenario with uneven moisture in the top 51 to 76mm (2 to 3 inches) of soil. The Boss trash whippers gave us a more even seedbed and the hydraulic Delta Force by Precision Seeding we had fitted worked a treat keeping our planting depth spot on.”
Mr Greentree planted 10 seeds to the metre and was able to achieve an average of 8 seeds per metre establishment. “Our crop establishment was excellent, we had a very even germination which was great as we have only had a 14mm rain event post planting.” Mr Greentree’s 18 metre (60ft) Linkage Boss Planter was one of many built by the Inverell NSW manufacturer this year.
Warren Anderson from Boss Agriculture said many dryland growers are looking for more accuracy and longevity from their summer planting equipment, “Our DX50 row unit coupled with Precision Seeding’s Technology gives our customers a highly accurate robust precision planter.
This allows dryland growers to really improve their crop establishment without the ongoing high maintenance normally associated with this equipment.”
Although Mr Greentree has had a promising start to the season, it is now a waiting game to see how it finishes. In early February, the crop was tracking at 6 to 7 nodes above white flower with the hope that some rain will fall to finish off the crop.
Boss Agriculture has been manufacturing agricultural equipment in Inverell NSW for over a decade and much of the company’s success is down to its ability to customise planters with frame designs ranging from 8 to 24m (26 to 80ft).
Boss understand that many local growers want a build to suit the harsh Australian climate so they manufacture their equipment heavier and tougher, and also to be more flexible where it counts. This results in a planter with a longer lifespan when compared to a lighter built imported product.
For more details on the Boss planter range call direct to Dan Ryan 0488 512 677, Dave Herbert (QLD) 0439 286 277, Warren Anderson 0447 560 815.
Or the Boss Agriculture manufacturing plant on tel: 02 6721 2677, fax 02 6721 2760 or email: bossag@bosseng.com.au
