Agricultural
22 September, 2025
Oakey Show Society Dryland Winter Crop Competition launches for 2025
As the Oakey Show Society facilitated a very successful winter crop competition in 2024, the Show Society President Mrs Judy Byers wishes to advise growers that the Dryland Winter Crop Competition will be held again in 2025.
Growers have experienced favourable falls of rain throughout the autumn and winter, although the heavy frosts have resulted in some damage to the growing crops. Additionally, the gentle rainfall events during the late summer and autumn ensured good soil moisture profiles for the growing of winter cereals and legumes.
Growers have taken the opportunity to conduct a widespread planting of winter cereals and legumes.
The crops have established well with some leaf disease issues. The majority of crops have the potential to provide above average yields, similar to what has been witnessed in recent years.
It will be interesting to see if the high yields achieved in previous years can again be reached. The longer spring days will result in a quickening of the maturing phase. Co-ordinator Graham Cooke advised that current conditions will lead to a late October harvest for many growers.
Commodity prices for white grains have experienced recent falls whilst very favourable prices for chick peas are expected to be available.
The Oakey Show Society now invites district growers to nominate their respective crops of prime hard wheat, durum wheat, barley and chickpeas in the annual competition to demonstrate the value of these crops to the community, the benefits of contemporary farming practices in a changing environment, along with the inherent natural fertility and productivity of the district soils.
Nominations for the Oakey Show Society dryland winter crop competition for prime hard and durum wheat, barley and chickpeas are now being accepted and will close on Friday 3rd October.
The winners of the last Oakey Show Society dryland winter crop competition, as announced at the 2025 Show earlier this year were the Kummerow family of Girraween farming at Bowenville, who won the barley section with the Fandaga variety, the prime hard wheat category with Sundancer, and the durum wheat category with Westcourt.
For further information, and a nomination form, contact Graham Cooke on 0429 328 681 or email homewardvale1@activ8.net.au
