11 IREC Farmers' Newsletter No. 199 — Autumn 2018 April 2016: Reiziqp grown on beds in bays in a newly lasered layout yielded 12 t/ha. June 2016: Oats established well after an April sowing directly into burnt rice stubble. Opportunistic returns Double cropping allows the Hardys to improve their returns when water becomes available and land is limited. “This system arguably gives us the best return on our available asset base,” said Chris. In many years, cereal as the first crop in the rotation gives the Hardys the best return per ML possible. However if enough water becomes available in the irrigation season, they will plant rice, giving them a combination of the best possible gross margin/ML for the entire crop and the best potential to maximise the return from later-announced allocations. “YRM70 as a standalone crop will give us a good chance at the much targeted one tonne per ML.” Advantages of beds Improving gross margin results is reliant on good organisation and a well-managed layout to get a quick turnaround to the next crop. With beds in bays, Chris has found that the timing of herbicide application on rice can be more precise, allowing the most effective and cheapest products to be used. In some years other rice crops, grown ‘on the flat’ on the Hardys’ farm, were un-trafficable due to wet conditions and so late applications of more expensive ‘rescue’ herbicides were required. Crops grown on beds in bays are not subject to waterlogging in a wet winter. Oats planted on the flat in the wet winter of 2016 failed due to waterlogging but oats planted on beds in bays in the same season ‘loved’ the wet conditions and yielded 4.5 t/ha. *Gross margins calculated using Rice$cenario, assuming contract rates for all operations and no water purchases. **The Hardys grow specialty barley varieties. Reiziqp 2015–16 Oats 2016 YRM70 2016–17 Barley 2017 YRM70 2017–18 Yield 12 t/ha 4.5 t/ha 11.0 t/ha 2.5 t/ha Harvest not completed at time of publication Price $415/t $290/t $320/t $550/t** Gross income $4980/ha $1305/ha $3520/ha $1375/ha Variable costs $1185/ha $646/ha $1382/ha $624/ha Gross margin* $3795/ha $659/ha $2138/ha $751/ha Total gross margin* $94,875 $16,475 $53,450 $18,775 Table 1. Crop results for 25 ha of double cropping