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To sustain the demand for good milling oats Condobolin Milling is asking local producers to consider growing good quality milling oats this year.They are offering seed oats of the Yarran and Kowari variety to growers who will enter into a contract to deliver to Condobolin Milling.While we are all familiar with Yarran, Kowari is a new variety from the National Oat Breeding Program and offers a new benchmark for B-glucan with low screenings. Dwarf in stature, slightly taller than Makita it has excellent grain quality and will suit most oat growing areas.Another variety that has been used by Condobolin Milling is Koala. Last year it proved itself with high yields and one local grower won the top crop competition.“Growing clean bright milling oats is not as simple as most people think. Banging in a paddock of oats and hoping the best just doesn’t cut it anymore.” Tony Slade principal of Condo Milling said. “Careful planning, paddock selection, fallow preparation, seed variety selection, moisture retention and good rain at the right time, timing of harvest are all playing factors to produce a quality milling oat ideal for a milling operation.”“Our Oat Dehulling Mill has been here for some time now dehulling oats of all varieties and we are supplying dehulled oats (Oat Groats) to the Bird Seed Mixers, Horse Feeders and the Pet Food Manufacturers.” Mr. Slade continued. “The demand for the Oat Groats in all categories have increased steadily over time with the branded dog food product Black Hawk, growing strongly which has given us the opportunity to expand our Mill over the last few years.” He went on to say, “I have been talking to farmers about their concerns regarding growing oats, and there are many, and we are working behind the scenes to solve these issues. We have set up a loyalty program that will assist in management of cash flow and milling seed availability have been planning this for years and it’s a real positive for our districts.”“The pet food industry has a real demand for locally grown clean products that have farm gate traceability with the increase in the oat seed demand going from 3000 tons to 9000 tons per year.We estimate that we need at least 15,000 hectares this year as the demand for oat products for protein drinks, health bars and animal products is growing.If you are interested in talking to Tony about growing oats to supply the mill, and want an alternative market for your oats, give him a ring on 0428 975 236.“Condobolin Milling will be competitive with the pricing for your oats.” He said.“We are supplying the pet food factory, Pet Care Kitchen, which has a wholistic goal to source its ingredients from local growers within a 200 kilometre radius of its factory. This will benefit towns like Condobolin, Forbes, Parkes and surrounding areas” he said.