CHICKPEAS are being planted left, right and centre on the Central Highlands, and Matt, Lotte, Milton and Monique Anning, Denlo Park, Springsure, have been in on the action over the past few weeks.
The Anning family are managing two properties for Nigel and Beth Burnett, Colorado, Emerald, with a total of 4200 hectares of cultivation.
Mr Anning said between May 5 and May 21, he planted 2000ha of chickpea.
This is in addition to 1900ha of dryland cotton and 300ha of mungbeans already in the ground.
They’re probably one of the most resilient crops to produce under dry conditions.
- Matt Anning, Denlo Park, Springsure.
Like a lot of Central Highlands farmers, most of the crop is Kyabra, with about 200ha of new variety PBA Seamer also added into the mix.
Mr Anning said the Seamer would be grown for seed production for their own use next season.
The 2000ha planted is dryland, and a further 250ha of irrigated chickpeas will be planted in June.
Mr Anning said so far the crop was looking great with no insect pressure.
“The strike was great, so there’s no concern for replanting,” he said.
“We’re happy with it and just looking forward to future rain to help us out.”
The crop was planted between 10cm and 12cm deep, with between 50kg and 60kg of seed per hectare.
The wait is now on for rain.
”They’re probably one of the most resilient crops to produce under dry conditions,” Mr Anning said.
“Rain is a good sign, sometimes it can get a bit unbearable if it’s too much but I always think it’s a good thing to get rain.
“If there’s a rainfall event coming I always work towards getting ready for it.”
With some concern in the region about planting chickpea on chickpea, Mr Anning said he was glad to be in a position where that was not an issue.
He said most of the country had been fallow for a long time.
“At Denlo (Park) we can’t see any evident cropping history really,” he said.
“The other property was fallow country from sorghum from 2015-2016.”
The Burnett family purchased the properties in September, and Mr Anning and his family moved from Theodore to take over the management role.