THERE are few men in the grains industry who have contributed more at a grass roots level than Phil O'Hare.
Still farming at 86, Phil has clocked up 55 years of hosting field variety trials on his Riverina farm for wheat, barley, canola, lupins, field peas and chick peas.
In his lifetime, Phil has gone from an eight-horse ground-driven header to a modern 9m-wide self-propelled machine.
He has seen the introduction of chemical fertilisers, herbicides, chemical fallowing, minimum tillage, stubble retention and satellite-guided machinery.
Since 1953 Phil has worked beside leading researchers, agronomists and geneticists, all striving for improved yield and quality, frost and drought tolerance and disease resistance.
Across the decades he has experienced the highs of a 5.9t/ha crop of janz wheat in 1992 and complete crop failures in 2002 and last year.
Each October he opens his farm to up to 75 growers from around the Riverina, all keen to inspect the latest varieties.
Phil and his wife Terry farm the 2267ha property Greendale, at Beckom, NSW, in the northern Riverina, with their son Michael.
An avid statistician, Phil has maintained the rainfall data for Beckom back to 1884, and tallied crop yields with rainfall on Greendale since 1963.
The years 2001-07 were 174mm below the average of 488mm and made up the driest period since 1884.
The next driest period was 1895-1909 when rainfall was 163mm below the average, followed by 1940-46 (151mm below).
Wheat grown on Greendale from 1983 to 2007 has averaged 2.8t/ha while canola has yielded an average of 1.4t/ha.
"The canola returns have been $75/ha gross above wheat despite drought failures," Phil said.
"Each canola crop has enhanced the yield of the following wheat crop."
Phil farmed with his father, Phil senior, during World War II, only going into town on show day or Christmas eve.
"I have seen great changes from the horse to the tractor. The introduction of 2,4-D (herbicide) in the 1950s was a mini revolution in controlling skeleton weed.
"(It) was a scourge in the 1930s-1950s . . .
most saw the benefit of using sub clover to turn low fertility country around."
Phil married Terri, a Queenslander, in 1951 and bought Greendale in 1962.
He had started hosting NSW Department of Agriculture crop field trials in 1953 when his main wheat variety, bencubbin, had problems with lodging.
"My objective was to try other varieties to increase the stem strength and insignia, which had shorter, stronger stem," Phil said.
"It became my leading variety for the next 20 years until the advancement of semi dwarf varieties.
"The spread of septoria and stripe rust in 1973 resulted in condor becoming an important variety."
Phil worked closely with wheat breeders on trialling imported Canadian, French and English wheat varieties.
"The scientists were always conscious of the farmer's view point and did listen to what we wanted," he said.
"The critical issue at the moment in breeding is stripe rust. It has had a devastating effect.
"We are now getting stripe rust in dry seasons so what awaits in wet seasons?"
Phil's three passions in life are Terri, farming and football.
He is a VCFL medallion holder for services to football including 26 years goal umpiring for 525 games, 22 grand finals and 20 years as a delegate.
A keen Swans supporter, Phil started goal umpiring at age 25 in 1948, retiring after the 1973 season.
Always interested in grain industry politics, Phil was a NSW Farmers Association conference delegate from 1962 to 1993.
During an eight-year stint on the association's general council, he served for six years on the wheat committee and 18 years as a grower representative.
Phil said the focus had always been on yield, quality, and disease resistance.
For his contribution He was awarded the NSW Farmers Association certificate of honour in 1993.
One of the most far-reaching changes Phil has observed was the introduction of canola to rotations in 1983.
Wheat yields following canola lifted 0.4t/ha to give an average of 2.8t/ha on his own farm.
His ideal rotation is canola followed by wheat, field peas and lupins or fallow, a second wheat crop, followed by barley undersown with lucerne and sub clover for two years of pasture.
This year's main variety has been ventura which will be replaced with livingston and lincoln after performing well in trials.
"Continuous cropping lessens fertility and reduces yields, with chemical weed resistance emerging so sheep have been important for controlling chemical-resistant weeds," Phil said.
"The years 2003-06 were the best sheep years I've known with 125 per cent lambing and clearing $87.50 a head.
"This year we marked 137 per cent from 1250 first cross ewes and last year 1945 lambs from 1440 ewes.
"With crossbred wool worth little, we are gradually building up a flock of Dorper-Wiltipoll cross ewes for wool shedding and ease of management.
"Our first Wiltipoll consignment yielded 2.5 per cent more red meat than the crossbreds so we see potential."
Phil and Terri are retiring this year to Coolamon on a high: their competition show crop of gregory wheat yielded 3.5t/ha in a serious drought.
"I have a lot to be thankful for living in the country. It's a wonderful life," Phil said.
"I say to people if they are a bit down about farming, why would you sit behind an office desk from 8am to 5.30pm each day when you can have this.
"It's important to be able to adjust to change and be ready for it.
"I have learnt a lot from watching good farmers and I feel it is important to pass that knowledge on."
