Farmanco Facts - September 2026 Edition
This month, Farmanco welcomes Millie Brady to the Agronomy Team, based in Albany.
Millie’s first article for Farmanco Facts is Canola Naming. Know What You are Buying, Seeding and Spraying.
From Greg Easton we have, Oats. The Quiet Achiever; Millie Brady also contributes Loose Smut in Barley; Kate Witham, Rotational Research in High Rainfall Systems; and Samantha Hamilton of Key Choice Financial Solutions advises on, Death Benefits Tax. Protecting More of Your Super for the Next Generation.
Everybody is busy all the time, so many thanks to the Farmanco consultants and our external contributor, Samantha Hamilton, for sharing their professional knowledge and experience to the September edition of Farmanco Facts.
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Canola Naming. Know What you are Buying, Seeding and Spraying!
Millie Brady (Agronomist, Farmanco Albany)
Pioneer is updating its canola naming system.
Bayer is re-entering the Australian canola market with DEKALB® canola, introducing another naming convention to navigate.
Don't assume letters mean the same thing across canola companies. A "T" in one can mean something completely different in another.
Always check the variety's herbicide tolerance before spraying. Keep seeding records.
As we begin considering canola options for 2027, it has become increasingly important to understand different naming systems used across major seed companies. While the names may appear similar, the letters and numbers can represent different herbicide tolerance packages, maturity ratings and trait technologies depending on the company.
Oats. The Quiet Achiever
Greg Easton (Farm Management Consultant, Farmanco Perth)
Oats have been profitable across all rainfall zones in recent years.
They use less N for yield than barley and wheat.
Can be sown early and deep if moisture is available.
They have limited grass control options compared to other cereals.
Oats have some admirable qualities. They are the most nitrogen efficient cereal; have better frost and waterlogging tolerance; and provide a useful disease break for the take all strain that attacks wheat and barley. The perception that oats are a volatile commodity carrying higher risk no longer withstands scrutiny.
Loose Smut in Barley
Millie Brady (Agronomist, Farmanco Albany)
This season, barley loose smut has been significant in Neo and Maximus.
SDHI seed treatments are the most effective seed dressings.
Ensure you are getting the correct seed treatment coverage.
Late foliar fungicide sprays can reduce infection of seed.
Nothing in a barley crop draws the eye like loose smut. Black, sooty heads standing out of the canopy at flowering. It is a serious problem but often looks a lot worse than it is.
Death Benefits Tax. Protecting More of Your Super for the Next Generation
Samantha Hamilton, Key Choice Financial Solutions
Adult children may pay tax of up to 17% (including Medicare levy) on the taxable component of inherited superannuation death benefits.
Many farming families have built substantial superannuation balances over time, using tax-deductible contributions funded by farm business profits and long-term investment growth.
The taxable component of super is often overlooked in succession planning.
Contribution recycling and pension refresh strategies can increase the tax-free component of super.
The current non-concessional contribution cap of $130,000 per year (or up to $390,000 under bring-forward rules) creates valuable planning opportunities.
Early action can potentially save beneficiaries tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Review Binding Death Benefit Nominations regularly to ensure superannuation benefits are distributed as intended.
IS YOUR SUPER CREATING A FUTURE TAX PROBLEM?
Many farming families spend considerable time planning the transfer of farmland, business assets and family trusts. However, one of the largest assets outside the farm is often superannuation.
Rotational Research in High Rainfall Systems
Kate Witham (Project Consultant, Farmanco Esperance)
A four-year GRDC project, led by DPIRD, is testing how different crop rotations stack up for profit, risk and sustainability in WA’s high rainfall farming systems.
The HiRES project was initially driven by concerns about disease management in intensive canola and cereal rotations in the high rainfall zone.
EARLY FINDINGS
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN 2026?
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