GRAIN growers Tim and Julia Hausler have a simple reason for growing genetically modified canola - it saves them money.

"If the benefits were not there or if it was costing us money we would not be doing it," Tim said.

    AT A GLANCE
  • Who: Tim and Julia Hausler
  • What: crops
  • Why: GM canola saves costs
  • Where: Warracknabeal

This season the couple has sown 60ha of conventional canola and 200ha of Roundup Ready canola on their 2500ha property near Warracknabeal.

The Hauslers have been growing canola since the 1980s and constantly review the costs and benefits.

"So far the short-term benefits of growing Roundup Ready canola have outweighed the additional cost of buying the seed, the discount when selling the grain, the technology fee, and even any extra freight costs to get the grain to the nearest delivery point," Julia said.

The crop rotation starts with a chemical fallow to maximise soil-moisture storage for the canola crop the following year.

This helps clean the paddock of weeds, especially annual ryegrass, before sowing a cereal, a legume, another cereal and then back to fallow.

Julie said it also helped to control weeds in the cereal crop.

"Fewer sprays are required to control weeds, which is a cost saving but also minimises the risk of herbicide resistance," she said.

"And because the paddock has a clean start, soil moisture is as high as it can be and the cereal germinates and grows with minimal weed competition."

Tim said in the past they had sown GT 61 canola from Nuseed which had yielded as well as conventional canola under recent dry conditions.

"This season we thought we would try one of Nuseed's Next Generation releases called GT scorpion."

This early to mid-season variety is high yielding, high in oil content and suits lower-rainfall regions.

"Growing conditions are favourable and we are hoping for 1.5 tonnes to 2 tonnes/ha crop," Tim said.

Tim said they had found yields to be similar to conventional canola and often 20-30 per cent better than triazine-tolerant varieties.

"And you are not restricted with what you can plant the next year, as with Clearfield canola," he said.

The Hauslers acquired land that was showing a problem with herbicide-resistant annual ryegrass.

"We fallowed it last year and this season we have sown GT Scorpion," Tim said.

"We aim to control the ryegrass and other problem weeds by simply spraying one or two applications of glyphosate.

"This same simple strategy allows us to quickly and effectively control weeds in other paddocks that start showing problems with weed control."

Tim said they had had no problems marketing Roundup Ready canola.