Yarnel Pastoral Co have won the 2022 Condobolin PAH and I Association Crop of the Year Competition.
The winners were announced at the Don Brown Memorial Merino Ewe Competition presentation evening at the Condobolin Sports Club on Tuesday, 21 February.
Yarnel’s gross margin was $1,143.00 per hectare for their Scepter Wheat entry. The crop yielded 6.2 tonnes per hectare with the wheat graded as APW. They scored 123.5 out of a possible 130 points in the competition. They received $363.25 per tonne (grain prices as of 19 November 2022 – Graincorp).
Carawatha Farming placed second, with his Illabo Wheat crop, which yielded 4.5 tonne per hectare. It was graded ASW and they received $337.25 per tonne. Their gross margin per hectare was $1179.00. Grazing profit (50 bulls over 56 days) was taken into account when calculating their gross margin. The total score for this entry was 114.4 points out of a possible 130.
HW Colless Partnership produced a Bonito Canola crop that resulted in a gross margin per hectare of $1214.98 to secure third place. The crop yielded 2.4 tonnes per hectare and had a 46 per cent oil content. The end score for HW Colless Partnership’s entry was 111.75 points out of 130 and they received $673.25 per tonne.
Jock and Trini Coupland took home fourth place, with a 2.1 tonne per hectare crop of Bonito Canola. Their gross margin per hectare was $959.44 and had a 48 per cent oil content. Jock and Trini’s total score was 100.25 out of a possible 130 points. They received received $673.25 per tonne.
McDonald Bros crop of Lancer Wheat yielded 3.2 tonnes per hectare and had a gross margin of $797.71 per hectare. They placed fifth in the competition. This entry scored 91.5 out of 130 points.
First prize for the Competition was $500, second $300, third $200 and fourth $100. The Crop Inspection Tour took place on Tuesday, 20 September 2022.
Condobolin PAH and I Association Crop of the Year Competition Committee members Olivia Dawson and Amy Smith set the grain prices. Prices set were the Graincorp daily cash price on Monday, 19 November 2022.
All costs for inputs and operations are standardised by the Committee and the final gross margin is calculated by the committee. Livestock prices were courtesy of Kevin Miller, Whitty and Lennon (KMWL) and insurance from AVS insurance.
Mrs Dawson offered the following comments to the entrants about the outcomes of their competition crops.
“Running the competition in 2022 due to the nature of the season was actually a really interesting representation of what we as Agronomists and also you as Growers were seeing in the paddocks,” she said.
“The high canola price meant that canola was once again a really profitable crop to grow, and due to rain and disease issues in the spring, many cereal crops did not perform as well as they were expected, with the high cost of inputs really taking away from some of the lower yielding crops.
“In 2022, we introduced a visual aspect to the competition.
“Lisa McFadyen judged each crop, and this made up 80 marks of the score. The end gross margin made up the other 50 marks.
“We felt that this worked really well this season because some of the crops which didn’t end up yielding as well as they perhaps should have, still performed well in the competition.
“Congratulations to the winners and we look forward to running the Competition again in 2023.”

Image credits: Lucy Kirk.