Agricultural
18 March, 2025
Mengels host Summer Forage Field Day
The Mengel family property Kia-Ora, run by Melvin and son Josh Mengel, hosted another Pacific Seeds Summer Forage Field Day last Wednesday.
Melvin Mengel said there were 62 guests in attendance, slightly down on last year’s number.
He said the lower number was likely due many not wanting to travel far because of the incoming cyclone, but there were some new faces as well.
“There were people there I’d never seen before from the Downs,” he said.
Guests listened to a summer forage technical presentation which included the topics of grain sorghum, wheat variety updates, forage for beef or dairy and corn for grain or silage.
A tour of the Mengel property included a look at the high quality forage sorghum and oats being grown.
Pacific Seeds aims to be at the cutting edge of innovation and try out its new experimental varieties which were on show at the Mengel property.
Guest speakers included Dr Melina Miles from the Department of Primary Industries.
Dr Miles spoke about Fall armyworm and the Department’s efforts to eradicate it.
Despite very high numbers last year, Fall armyworm has been far less present as of late.
Instead, local growers have been battling with heliothis (helicoverpa).
Another guest speaker was Jen Taylor from the Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS).
Ms Taylor appeared at a Field Day at the Mengel property last year and since then some farmers have taken up the government-funded service.
Also in attendance were representatives from Rabobank, IOR and Barcoo Trading.
Kia-Ora, on Felton Clifton Road at Nobby, has hosted several Pacific Seeds Field Days over recent years.
The Mengel family, over six generations, has lived there for well over a century.
Guests ended the morning with a much-enjoyed barbecue lunch.
