That sweep of white looking crop on the top of the paddock there is a crop of poppies.
Tasmania produces 50% of the worlds' concentrated poppy straw for morphine and related opiates.
At least 20,000 acres are under poppy crop.
This is what it looks like in the spring.
Beautiful fields of flowers. They are currently trialling some new types and the odd paddock of a purple hued crop may be seen. Sometimes the odd brilliant red one will pop up in the middle of a white crop.
The poppy grown for opiates is a different strain to your normal garden variety of course.
This what the poppy crop looks like now. The seed heads are forming and soon they will be harvested.
Yesterday our bus trip took us all round the farming area of the central north where flash flooding last week has destroyed a lot of crops. There will be quite a financial impact to the surrounding communities.
If the farmers don't make any money, they can't spend any money. Just like a food chain, there is a fiscal chain that keeps communities alive.
Some gardeners buy the poppy waste straw for mulch on the garden.
i can vouch for the poppy mulch - and smells amazing - sort of pipe tobacco crossed with hop waste from a brewery(that sounds aweful).
ReplyDeleteWe get it by the truck load (literally). But you can buy it in bags from Jason at Longford.
I have not seen white poppies but nearly every other colour of the rainbow :0)
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