Top crop a natural

A TASMANIAN-based global leader in the production of pyrethrins has proven it can also excel at growing poppies.

Botanical Resources Australia made its name over the past 30 years as the world’s largest producer of the natural insecticide pyrethrum, but this season it was time for its poppy crop to shine, taking out the Top Crop Award at the Extractas Bioscience annual Growers’ Awards at the Westbury Community Function Centre in June.

More than 100 growers, contractors and staff enjoyed lunch before the awards for the past season’s crop were announced.

Company CEO Ross Murdoch spoke on the company’s success and improved place in the world market while field officer Crick Warner and chief scientist Greg Symmons presented information from a crop production perspective.

Awards were made for the various crop types in each of the two zones. Botanical Resources Australia was the zone 1 and overall winner, growing the highest yielding crop of thebaine, producing 104 kg/ha on its Penguin property.

Runner up was John McKenna of Gawler with 83 kg/ha. It’s the fourth time in four years that a grower has been able to top the magic 100kg mark – an achievement that Extractas Bioscience field officer Brent McNaughton said was a credit to those growers.

“Working together and being fortunate with the climate is a recipe for success – BRA has been among the top 10 growers for a while now.”

Competition was close for the top Eve crop with George and Linda Griffin from Moorleah producing 49.61 kg/ha of oripavrine slightly ahead of James Addison of Moriarty with 46.41 kg/ha.

The top Ted crop in Zone 2 was grown by Richard Burbury at Woodbury while Richard Hallett at Hollow Tree was runner up.

The Mills family at Pan shanger Estate, Longford had the best Eve crop with Lowes Park Estate at Woodbury closely behind.

Very few crops of the Noscapine and Tasman varieties were produced this year with former field officer Josh Cables taking the prize for the best Noscapine crop at Nook.

Burbury Pastoral at Pawtella took the zone 2 prize.

Dean Edwards at Boat Harbour and Andrew Von Stieglitz had the best Tasman crops.

Botanical Resources Australia, which owns and leases land across the North and North West of the state, includes poppies in its rotation program along with potatoes, carrots, onions, grain and its core product, pyrethrum.

Group farm manager Aiden Porter, based at Forth, said there was 200ha of poppies grown last season and a similar amount will be going in again this year.

“It was the five-hectare plot at Penguin that topped our production, it went in when weather conditions were good and the seed bed preparation was one of the key factors in our success – it drilled very, very well and establishment was really good right from the start,” he said.

“Backed up by good growing conditions on the coast, where we didn’t get any of the heavy rain that threatened crops in other areas, and then a smooth harvest in good dry conditions, it couldn’t have gone any smoother."

The BRA poppy crop is managed by farm supervisors Clay Connelly and Gene Woore.

Sowing of this years’ poppy crop has already begun with the expectation to be grow ing around 8000ha statewide following significant price increases and a return to 30-day payment terms.