The brothers, have modified their airseeder to include a 4500 litre tank which spreads out zinc and fungicide at seeding.

The modification is simple, with a small pump sufficient to distribute flow out through to lines matching the seeder rows.

The zinc and fungicide are bought in dry form and cold tank mixed on the property, east of Minyip in the Wimmera.

Gerald Drum said the primary driver was cost.

"It's a good, cheap way of getting out the zinc and also ensuring the cereals get good protection through the start of the growing season with the fungicide," he said.

Chris Drum said it was all about getting the most out of their soil.

"We're looking not to just be doubling the rates of costly inputs, but to get the most out of what we are already putting out."

Although they said there had been no official trials, he believed the paddocks that had been treated with zinc had done better than others that hadn’t since they started the liquid applications two years ago.

"They look to have held on a bit better, we don't know for sure if it is the zinc, but something is working," Gerald Drum said.

The applications go out at a rate of 35 litres per hectare, which works out to two litres of zinc per hectare.

They have also done an experiment with putting out copper, but had found that applications are of more benefit in-crop.

"With things like potassium and copper, we’re finding they’re better off going out in-crop. With many of the trace elements, its just a learning curve to find what works best when," Chris Drum said.

There have been experiments with other elements such as calcium and manganese as the duo attempt to find a way to unlock nutrients tied up in the soil.

Although the brothers are happy with the application of trace elements in liquid form, there is no plan to switch to liquid applications of the major nutrients – phosphorus, potassium or nitrogen.