Tucked away 16 kilometres north of Murray Bridge, on the eastern side of the Murray River, sits a sprawling 2750 hectares known as Pompoota and Burdett.
This fertile stretch, ranging from razor-back sandhills to shallow red clay and loam over reef rock, is where Michelle Thiele and her husband, Kym, have crafted their farming legacy. The couple's agricultural expertise is evident in their thriving Merino sheep enterprise, with 1600 breeder ewes that they shear biannually.
Having been familiar with sorghum since 2004 as a way to transform summer weeds into something valuable, Michelle and Kym decided to trial the Chomper variety. They were looking for a sorghum type that provided good digestibility for their livestock, especially during the dry summer months.
In the 19 years of sorghum cultivation, Chomper proved to be the front-runner with its large seeds that ensured early seedling vigour. It's a crop that Michelle fondly terms as having a 'Goldilocks stem' – not too thick and not too thin.
The Thieles found that the Chomper variety had excellent early vigour, facilitated rapid regrowth after grazing and the wide, green leaves proved to be highly palatable for their sheep.
Within a year of trialling Chomper against two other varieties, the Thieles saw incredible results. Even in less-than-ideal rainfall conditions, Chomper showed incredible vigour. It even aided their ewes in achieving a condition score of 4+ by January, a feat that made shearing slightly challenging due to the ewes' increased weight!
Planting Chomper on their farm was not just a whim but a strategic decision to combat summer weeds and provide their sheep with fresh green fodder. Michelle is meticulous about the planting conditions. She won't plant sorghum until the soil temperature exceeds 18 degrees. Her specific sowing method involves using Chomper at 3 kilograms per hectare, with a mix of other fertilisers and herbicides.
Despite the numerous advantages of Chomper, like any agricultural endeavour, it wasn't without its challenges. One primary challenge was managing its rapid growth. At times, the crop grew so fast that it became a task to have enough livestock to graze on it. Yet, even in full growth, their sheep learned to walk along the stalk head, grazing it down.
From a financial perspective, using Chomper as feed proved to be cost-effective. The seed's size and viability ensured excellent germination, reducing the need for supplementary feeding from early March onward. Consequently, their ewes remained in top health, with lambing rates frequently exceeding 100 per cent.
On whether she would recommend Chomper to other farmers, Michelle said, "we recommend Chomper as a summer opportunity fodder crop to anyone with sandy soils looking to feed sheep or cattle instead of growing summer weeds."
Looking forward, Michelle envisions enhancing the effectiveness of Chomper on their farm. If they can get Chomper in early with a pre-November rain cycle, they plan on bringing all their stock onto the block for responsive grazing, ensuring the crop's height remains manageable.
In the realm of sorghum, the Thieles' experience with Chomper stands out as a testament to innovation, adaptability, and the relentless pursuit of excellence in farming.
This article was written by S&W Seed for Seasons magazine.
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