Bilbul irrigator, Darrell Fiddler, aims for the most profitable crop, which is not always the highest yielding. In the high water price years since 2013/14, the rice, cotton and winter cereal grower has been drill sowing rice and delaying the permanent water for up to nine weeks after the first flush.
In low water availability/high water price years Darrell can use the water savings to grow extra rice for higher returns overall, despite a slight yield penalty. In low water price years, where water is not limiting, Darrell has found that a conventional drill sown irrigation program with two flushes prior to filling is more profitable than delaying permanent water.
Leah Garnett, Rice Extension, August 2018