Craig Whiteley is a Farmer on his family’s 700-acre farm, "The Oaks", outside Geary. For almost a hundred years, the Whiteley family have raised sheep and experimented with crops including cherries, potatoes, and lucerne.

In this episode, Craig shares how his family's long history in ag allowed them to try different crops in response to market demand. He emphasises the importance of balancing market opportunities with simplicity in farming. He discusses lessons he learnt from various crops and the challenges he overcame growing everything from potatoes to cherries and even lucerne for hay and silage.

Local Land Services cropping advisor, Tim Bartimote, caught up with Craig for this chat while sitting on the lounge at “The Oaks”.

Resources and links:

• Silage and hay information from NSW DPI
• ‘Factors affecting the quality & quantity of forage harvested for silage’ report from NSW DPI
• ‘A deeper understanding of higher yields in irrigated crops’ report from GRDC

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The views contained in this podcast series are not necessarily endorsed by Central West Local Land Services. Listeners are advised to contact their local office to discuss their individual situation.