Australia
April 27, 2026
Brady Green has been experimenting with lentils in the Geraldton region of WA.
Photo: Melissa Marino
The northernmost commercial crop of lentils in Western Australia has been deemed a success as growers in the Geraldton zone search for higher-value legume alternatives to lupins.
Chapman Valley producer Brady Green grew 40 ha of GIA Thunder lentils in 2025 and says despite mistakes, he is optimistic about the crop’s future in the region.
Brady says lentils caught his attention over years of hosting trials for Yuna Farm Improvement Group and the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, yielding 1.5 t/ha even in a dry year like 2023.
Brady and his wife, Erin, along with daughters Madi and Holly, farm 10,000 ha at ‘Carrawingee’ and ‘Waterloo’, north-east of Geraldton, in Western Australia’s mid-west region, as well as ‘Rusty’s’, which they share farm with 2 workers.
The lentil crop was planted into wheat stubble on 25 May at 2 rates – 40 kg/ha and 50 kg/ha – on heavier soils with strong pH profiles and sandplain, which had been spaded in 2018 and deep-ripped in 2022.
The farm’s standard lupin fertiliser blend, supplying about 12 units of phosphorus and 15 units of potassium, was applied, followed by 60 L/ha of urea ammonium nitrate just before canopy closure.
Early lessons centred on nodulation, after a plan to apply a clay granule inoculant through the small seed box on the seeder compromised the result.
“I wish we’d used the peat option and seed-dressed it because I took aerial photos all year, and it just showed me how poor a job we’d done, and how important it is to get it right,” Brady says.
With little crop competition before canopy closure, Brady says robust chemistry – such as Reflex® (formesafen) and Intervix® (imazamox + imazapyr) – was needed to control wild radish, blue lupin volunteers and annual ryegrass.
Learning from mistakes
Disease management centred on Sclerotinia, which was already an issue in canola.
Brady says he made the mistake of using the cheaper fungicide Prosaro® (prothioconazole + tebuconazole) before canopy closure, followed by the more expensive Aviator® (bixafen + prothioconazole), which struggled to penetrate the canopy. Next time he will reverse the order.
Insecticide sprays were needed for redlegged earth mites and heliothis. The lentils were crop-topped with glyphosate 450 at 2.6 L/ha on 15 October and the paddock rolled to flatten the surface and prepare for harvest, when the low-growing lentils would otherwise be difficult to pick up.
Harvest started on 4 November 2025, with yields averaging about 1.2 t/ha on heavier soils and about 2.3 t/ha on sandplain. The seed has been stored on-farm and will be tested for germination and vigour before it is sold.
“We hosted a number of field days and we’re quite happy to share those failures so that other people don’t make them,” Brady says.
People were quite surprised as to how the crop looked and how it’s yielded. So we’re all quietly optimistic that we can take it up above those yields and make it viable.
“I think people will experiment with them in the next few years, [but] they need to prove their worth before they’re widely adopted.”
More information: Brady Green, green@greenfarms.com.au
Resources: GroundCover: Robots, ripping, revised rotations: a reset for the future (Issue 182)
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