If you have any questions or need clarification on any of the following, information please contact Emma Russell, Southern Dirt Project Officer on 0429220239 or @

Trial Design

• Each team will have 2 replicates within a randomised complete block design trial.
• Plots are 12 m by 7 rows (row spacing is 240mm)
• Plots can be individually soil sampled for topsoil (0-10 cm) and deep N and S (to 60 cm). The cost of the soil test will be taken off the gross margin.
• Sowing times will be managed within the general trial design which will limit agronomy teams to one sowing time only. The sowing date will likely be last week in April, this may vary depending on rainfall.
• All plots will be harvested at maturity.
• Paddock history will be made available for participants.
• Each plot will be labelled with the team’s nominated name.

Team Tasks

• Choose a current, commercial crop variety.
• Select a sowing rate. If possible seed companies will provide 1000 seeds grain weight or seeds per kg analysis if teams wish to calculate a target plant establishment.
• Have option of being provided with complete soil test analysis, top soil and deep soil.
• Design a fertiliser program: Pre, post, deep banded, liquid, top dressed etc.
• Liming will be an option for teams to improve soil health for 2017.
• Most types of fertiliser will be provided, but if there are particular products, these may need to be provided by the group.
• Nominate a herbicide spray program, both pre-emergent and post-emergent.
• Each team is responsible for making their own decisions about grain marketing.

Team Decisions

The nominated Team Captain will need to submit seeding agronomy decisions to Southern Dirt by the 1st week in April of each year. Once the plots have been sown regular updates and reminders with cut off dates will be sent out to the teams in regards to post emergence, fertiliser, herbicide and fungicide programs. If we receive no communication from the teams after reminder cut off dates no applications will be applied.
The main agronomy decisions the teams will make for post emergent will be the timing and rate of herbicide sprays. The teams will also need to decide on the amount and type of fertiliser, and whether or not to use a fungicide spray and if so what rate. Please see timeline for more information.
The teams can make decisions on what products to use, however if they are a new technology or hard to find product, the teams will be responsible for sourcing and providing Southern Dirt with the product. All products that will be applied must be registered for that particular crop. I.e. no illegal sprays.

Grain Marketing

Making smart marketing decisions can be as important as making smart agronomy choices. As part of the DIRT to $ Cropping Challenge, competitors are able to forward sell all or part of their crop at any time during the season and/or take a harvest price. There will be options to be part of pools or swaps. Information to be advised. The yield data will be provided to all teams within a week of the trial being harvested.
All prices will be delivered to port. All grain must be sold by the 31st of December if not the grain will be sold for the best price for the Kojonup region on that day. Freight from the paddock to the delivery point will be deducted to get the net farm-gate price.
The amount of crop that can be forward sold is based on the production expected from a 50 ha paddock. If the group is unable to deliver the contracted amount of grain, then any short will need to be purchased at harvest to make up to the difference. If teams want to forward sell, they need to print a copy of the cash price for the day, nominate a tonnage to sell, sign it and fax or email to Southern DIRT.

Awards

There are two categories to win, each year of the competition. The first category is the Most Profitable Crop or Best Nett Profit, and the second is the Highest Yielding crop. All yield and profits will be calculated on a basis of a 50Ha paddock.

There will be a winner for the overall cumulative Total Gross Margin after the second and in the third years of the competition

General Site Management

Kaylx have been contracted to manage the site, they will do a blanket knock down a few weeks prior to seeding and at the time of seeding, and will manage the site for insects over the growing season. Kaylx will harvest trial standing therefore no decisions on desiccation is needed.