AIMING for top quality, regardless of what is being produced, is a reflection on how the Walsh family run their southern NSW farming operation.

It's a formula that has seen them supply markets as diverse as green-chop silage to a major feedlot nearby.

    AT A GLANCE
  • Who: Bernie and Liz Walsh
  • What: irrigated crops
  • Why: supplying diverse markets
  • Where: Yanco, NSW
  • Report: FIONA MYERS

But producing quality, and being paid for it, is the only way they see they can make a profit from using irrigation water to grow crops.

Bernie and Liz Walsh farm at Yanco, near Leeton, and in a "normal" year, have access to 2234 megalitres of channel water and 400 megalitres from shallow bores.

However, the long dry has meant they have been forced to rely on the bore water, the quality of which is fortunately good enough to produce most crops.

This bore water has been a life saver in the tough years as the Walshes and hundreds of other farmers across southern NSW try to work with minimal water allocations.

Since the Walshes bought their first farm in 1981, change has been their constant companion.

But their willingness to adapt has seen them accumulate another 336ha farm in 2004 and then lease another 234ha.

Their first change was to convert their first block from what was a dairy farm into a sheep and rice enterprise.

But as the years went on, they realised much of their country was not suitable for growing rice.

EM31 surveys confirmed the Walshes had "leaky soils" in their rice paddocks, a fact that wasn't picked up by their initial core tests.

After studying the information from the survey, and compiling a whole farm plan, they moved to renovate their farm and set it up using raised beds.

The decision was not made lightly, as all new farming gear needed to be bought for the new system, but Bernie said he felt there was no other viable choice.

"The sheep went, and the money they made basically went towards the lasering of 80ha of the farm," he said.

"We had to borrow money from the Rural Assistance Authority and the bank to do the rest of it.

"The fences went next and we then looked at what we were going to grow."

As luck would have it, the Walshes were approached by the newly established Rockdale feedlot, a few kilometres away, to see if they were willing to grow green-chop silage for them.

Most of the farm's income for the next eight years, from 1998-2006, came from this enterprise.

They delivered about 15,000 tonnes of silage each year to the feedlot, producing barley silage in winter and corn silage in summer.

The Walshes preferred growing the corn silage and achieved yields of 60-70 tonnes/ha.

When irrigation water supplies became tight, the silage agreement ended and they needed to look for other crops to grow.

Bernie said choosing what to plant was one of the most difficult tasks on the farm.

"We need to look at higher-value crops and we can't just grow a commodity," he said.

"With the costs of irrigation, you just can't compete with dry areas unless you can get extraordinary yields, and even this can only be achieved if your inputs are high."

The fact the farm is laid out to beds is a help though, meaning most crops can be grown in the system. The beds are 1.8m wide.

"The beds are really good because they allow us to keep changing to crops which are worth something," he said.

"You have to be able to continually change to what the market wants and there are things you can do - it's just a matter of finding them.

"And the beauty of the beds is that you can just have finished watering and get a big downpour, and the crop is not affected (waterlogged) and you can harvest the water."

Last winter, the Walshes grew wheat and barley crops for seed, as well as Hibrid canola.

"We have a very good agronomist and he advised us which were the safer crops to grow for seed," he said.

"This summer we are growing a small area of sunflowers for seed but your management has to be just right to achieve the results they want, in terms of germination rates and quality."

The Walshes are also using their water this summer to grow soybeans, which they are targeting at the high-value human consumption market in Japan.

Whatever crop Bernie and Liz are growing, they try to lock in a forward price before they sow.

It helps them with the budgets they prepare and constantly refer to.

"We actually do three budgets each year, based on different water allocations," Bernie said.

"The best scenario is probably the one that goes to the bank.

"If you have no budget, though, there's no way to know where your financial pressure points will be and that is not good."

The Walshes will continue to look at new crops and new enterprises and are even contemplating again running sheep.

It's a reflection of just how open minded they are being when it comes to making the most of their irrigation water.

"I'm a strong advocate for raised beds and believe they will play a major role in irrigated agriculture in the future," Bernie said.