No going back now – liquids here to stay.

A South Australian cropping family has improved fertiliser application efficiencies since adopting liquid in-furrow equipment from Liquid Systems

When South Australian grower Jake (Jason) Challinger was looking to fine-tune his cropping system and find productivity and profitability improvements, he turned to direct injection equipment and liquid fertilisers.  Now four years in, he says there’s no going back.

Continuous cropping for over 20 years at Brooker, South Australia, Jake grows wheat, canola, faba beans, and lentils on his 1500 hectare property.

ABOUT

• WHO: Jake Challinger
• LOCATION: Brooker, South Australia
• INPUTS: 20 L/ha of UAN, 8 L/ha of a humate-based custom blend that includes Molybdenum, Zinc, Magnesium, Copper and Manganese and 3-3.5ml/ha of fungicide flutriafol for early disease control.
• PROPERTY: 1500 ha Continuous cropping operation
• EQUIPMENT: Liquid Systems (SA) LQS120 Module & 3 Manifold Stacker Kit mounted on the trailing cart. Stacker Distribution is set on 2 different implements.

KEY OUTCOMES

• Better germination of canola crops
• Simplified seeding operation
• Efficiencies of sowing operation
• Better Nitrogen application and flexibility

He was encouraged to try liquid in-furrow applications by his brother-in-law who had been using Liquid Systems equipment for a few years.

“Like many farmers, I’m always looking for those one percenters- those small changes we can make that gain us an improvement. My brother-in-law had been using a Liquid Systems module for trace elements for a few years and he recommended we give it a go,” Jake said.

Jake purchased a LQS120 module in 2020, together with the 3 Manifold Stacker kit, which he mounted on AUS DBS plough along with a 2500 L tank. His sowing rig, which is set up for controlled traffic on 12-metre spacings, now consists of a John Deere 1910 air seeder with 3 bin box and a John Deere 8XR tractor.  A John Deere 2000 liquid rate controller and John Deere 4640 monitors complete the setup.

Having access to trace elements straight away makes a difference, and it gives every seed the chance to jump out the gate and go

After seeing the Liquid Systems factory firsthand, Jake felt confident to invest in the new equipment. “When we were researching, I was able to look through the factory and meet the Liquid Systems team- they were very friendly and I like that they are based in South Australia,” Jake said.

Jake says switching to liquid fertilisers has delivered many advantages including helping to take the pressure off during the cropping season and more timely and efficient nutrient applications. In the past, he applied liquid trace elements in conjunction with broadleaf weed sprays to save on operational passes but this meant the timing was often less than ideal for crop nutrition needs. Now with micronutrients applied upfront, Jake has more time and greater flexibility around spraying and topping up fertiliser. “Having access to trace elements straight away makes a difference, and it gives every seed the chance to jump out the gate and go,” he said.

Jake’s fertiliser program includes 20 L/ha of UAN, 8 L/ha of a humate-based custom blend that includes Molybdenum, Zinc, Magnesium, Copper and Manganese and 3-3.5ml/ha of fungicide flutriafol for early disease control. Follow-up urea is top-dressed in two or three applications and additional fungicide applications are made during the season.

We can apply more nitrogen at sowing by using liquid UAN than with granular fertilisers and it means crops get better access to nitrogen earlier. UAN is also in a more available form so the plants get a nitrogen hit at the start and we don’t need to wait for rain to spread it. We’ve noticed our canola crops seem to jump away quicker than in the past and our yields have gone up, which may be due in some part to quicker and earlier establishment.

Utilising an old hardy boom spray tank with agitation, Jake can readily mix liquid products and fill the liquid tank on the airseeder. Applying liquid rates of 40 L/ ha, with two fills per day he can get 80-100 ha sown in a day.

Jake says that liquid injection is a just another tool in the toolbox, providing flexibility to adapt to variables like fertiliser prices. “When UAN prices went up we didn’t use the UAN for a couple of years, just using granular fertiliser,” he said.

Jake found the process of setting up the Liquid Systems unit straightforward. “I treated it like another engineering project, it was a couple of week’s work in the shed and we just got stuck in and got it done. Running the tubing was simple and it all came together well.”

Pleased with the performance of his Liquid Systems equipment Jake says, “It’s been excellent, we have had very few teething problems. The main issue we had was at the start,  the product choice led to settling out, which blocked a few tubes. Since we have switched products and gained more knowledge and we haven’t had any further problems. You just need to make sure you check and clean the filters once a day,” he said.

Impressed by the simplicity of the system and the service from Liquid Systems, Jake says that the best feature of his system is that it is trouble-free. “It’s all easy to work on and very user-friendly. The Liquid Systems team offers great service- for any problems I make a phone call and they are more than happy to help. No question is too silly. I wouldn’t recommend anyone else- they know their stuff, so it doesn’t get much better,” Jake said.