MIA growers have been battling some brutally dry conditions, but there are some who have still managed to beat the odds and maintain high yields.
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Brett and Louise Turner from Yenda were two such growers who were recognised for their resilience at the SunRice Grower of the Year Awards on August 1.
The Turners won the Rice Extension Highest Yield for C19 award for their farm, which managed to churn out 15.4 tonnes per hectare, the highest rice grain yield for the season.
It's an impressive result - 31 per cent above the industry average for the Murrumbidgee - but the ever-modest Mr Turner attributes it to beginner's luck.
"It was unexpected," Mr Turner said. "We were lucky."
They're quite new to the rice game; seven years ago they moved from their dryland farm in Tullibigeal to make a new start for themselves in Yenda.
Mr and Mrs Turner have been a dream team ever since, and the yield results speak for themselves.
Rice Extension Coordinator Troy Mauger said the Turners had achieved an "astounding" yield given the tough conditions.
"Brett and Louise had an exceptional year," Mr Mauger said.
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He also gave special props to two Coleambally brothers, who also took the spotlight during the awards night.
Shane and Damian Mannes were applauded for managing to maintain high yields despite the relentlessly dry conditions.
Their farm yielded 12.6 per hectare, which was the highest medium grain yield in the entire Coleambally Irrigation Area.
"There's some pretty good growers around here; we were lucky this year," Shane said.
The brothers have been in the business for the last thirty years, and over the last ten years or so they say they've been continually improving their setup.
They have been ramping up the efficiency at their family farm, tightening their nitrogen management and planting schedules to get as much yield as possible from scarce resources.
"The whole industry is trying to produce more rice with less water," Damian said.
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Kenji Sato
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
Kenji Sato is a handsome journalist at The Daily Advertiser who enjoys writing flattering bios about himself in the third person. He can be contacted by email at kenji.sato@dailyadvertiser.com.au or by mobile on 0448 927 612.
