The Messy Middle and My Bad Broden

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By Dwain Duxson.

The article titled "The Messy Middle" was one I wrote after listening to a podcast featuring young Cropper Broden Holland. As you can read below, I made a few statements about how Broden uses variable rate (VR) Cropping. Broden sent me an email outlining how I got it wrong, not in a nasty way; he just wanted to set the record straight. Fair enough. So

See the original post below (The Messy Middle) and the right-of-reply follow-up below that. (My Bad Broden).

The Messy Middle -  I was listening to the Farms Advice podcast featuring Broden Holland, a young Cropping guru from the Young, NSW area. You can take a listen here.

Broden spoke about his Farming journey so far and how they are pushing the boundaries in what was a more traditional Grazing country. Broden has all the gear to make the job easier, and he is pushing the technology side pretty hard.

This is the problem with this variable rate tech; there might be a feeling of missing out on yield through inaccuracies or by putting fewer inputs on. These guys are playing the yield game, so any concern about missing out will mean they will resort to the old blanket application ways to chase maximum yield. It's just a natural reaction when you are not too sure about something; you will always go back to what you know. You don't want to risk the Crop. This messy middle of uncertainty is a place where none of us really want to go.

We will back tech and the latest techniques as long it is proven that they will work better. That's probably why variable rate tech hasn't taken off; it's not fully or even partially trusted to deliver maximum yield. It might save on inputs, yes, but that’s not the game. Have you tried something where you have felt out of control and feel you are risking the Crop, so to speak?

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My bad Broden -  Duxson, you got it wrong. That's me just giving myself a telling-off. They say you should never assume, I don't know whether I believe that, but I have in this case and got it wrong. I wrote about Broden Holland, a young Cropping Farmer from Young in NSW, yesterday on how he is going about his business. 

I said that Broden had given up on Variable Rate (VR) when, in fact, he hadn't. This is what he wrote: "I just read your newsletter, and I disagree with what you said. I think you may have taken me out of context or misheard what I said when you said. We haven't gone away from VR at all. We still use it very much, but we are back to blanket in the context of we are now pretty much even again. We are still using VR, but our Maps are very even. I just wanted to clarify this: yes, I totally agree VR is always very complicated, but our method of protein only is extremely simple and made us good money. We will continue to use it, but as our maps are really on two rates nowadays rather than 6, I say we are pretty much back to blanket". 

I took a listen again, and Broden's Header takes a protein sample every 10 metres, and when it comes time to spread Urea the following year, they use the variable rate to put on either more or less, depending on the need. Because they have been doing this for some time, it has got to a point where it's all pretty even. Hence, where I got confused.

I do want to say that not for one minute I think that what I write is right. I am more about throwing things out there to get people thinking, and you, the reader, will determine whether it's right or wrong. In this case, and because I have respect for Brodan, I thought a right of reply to set the record straight was appropriate. I think Broden does a great job innovating, but even a greater job educating. He is happy to relay what went right and equally what went wrong. My bad, apologies; I was wrong. Reply to dwaind@farmtender.com.au

End of message.