World record pyrethrum crop

Tasmanian pyrethrum growers have once again proved they are some of the best in the world with a third consecutive year of record-breaking yields.

Botanical Resources Australia pyrethrum production manager Mark Raspin said it has been an excellent season with field tonnes exceeding the five- year average, and the crop assays averages reaching an all-time high.

As a result, pyrethrum growers achieved a record average of 74kg of active ingredient per hectare for first-year crops and 63 kg per hectare for post-harvest crops.

This year also produced another milestone when long time growers the McKenna family from North Motton were also able to produce a world record crop.

The family started growing pyrethrum 28 years ago when well-known farmer Max McKenna planted the first pyrethrum on the family’s property.

Mr McKenna passed away two years ago, but the family’s pyrethrum farming tradition is being carried on by his son John and grandson Sean.

The family’s top crop produced a yield of more than 120kg a hectare beating the previous record of 109kg.

Mr McKenna said they were surprised, but very happy with the results. “It’s a good result for the company and us,” he said.
“Things are improving and there’s a fair bit of luck involved, and I don’t think there’s any secret recipe.”

Mr McKenna said growing the record crop had been a team effort, which started with the right ground preparation.

“It went in in good conditions and all the agronomy on it seemed to work well to keep as many plants growing as we could, so it was a team effort really,” he said.

The crop which had not been irrigated received about 200mm of rain in late November.

“Luckily it’s a very free draining paddock that one because we had nearly 200mm of rain up here right on full flowering,” he said.

“We hadn’t irrigated it, so it was like a dryland crop which is pretty unreal considering the result we got but getting 200mm of rain at the right time set the crop up. 

We didn’t actually pick it as our best crop, we thought our other one might be better and there were some other very good crops around the district too.”

The family’s previous best performing crop had produced 86kg a hectare, so the new record is a significant increase.

“In all fairness there are a lot of good growers around here so it’s a bit luck of the draw,” Mr McKenna said.