Projects: Farming Systems
GRDC Seeder Systems Case Studies
Summary Josh Telfer interviewed Mark Modra for a seeding systems publication being produced by BCG, funded by GRDC. Published in GroundCover Online, 30 January 2022. Check out the story here: Read Marks story here
SA Drought Hub Activities 2022: Soil cover to retain water
Summary Demonstration sites to be established in low rainfall farming systems to determine: 1. Can we measure increased stored soil water in strip/disc vs conventional no-till knife point systems? 2. Are there other measurable benefits to the farming system such as soil cover, nutrition, weeds, disease, yield, soil health measures? 3. Are there impacts on…
SA Drought Hub Activities 2022: Best Practice Early Sowing Opportunities
Summary This project aimed to demonstrate and extend the findings of a SAGIT research project conducted in 2019-2021, which found ways to improve plant establishment and crop production by adopting specific early sowing techniques. Separating seed and fertiliser, sowing earlier than district practice, and using longer coleoptile wheat varieties to sow deeper into soil moisture,…
Soil extension support for extreme weather recovery areas of Eastern Eyre Peninsula
Summary Farmers affected by the extreme weather events were invited to express their interest in accessing technical support, soil testing and extension activities with a focus on production outcomes. Support was provided on a ‘first in first served’ basis, until the funds were fully allocated. The funding allows for approximately farm soil tests, technical support…
Building drought resilience with landscape scale remediation of saline land
Summary This project aimed to demonstrate farmer ready management practices that break the cycle of saline land degradation exacerbated by very dry or drought conditions. Two key drivers of soil salinity were addressed – dry saline land and Mallee seeps that cause lost production in low rainfall broad acre mixed farming landscapes. Dry saline…
RiskWi$e: National Risk Management Initiative – Action Research Groups Eyre Peninsula
RiskWi$e: the National Risk Management Initiative (NRMI) is a GRDC initiative extending over five years that aims to understand and improve risk-reward outcomes for Australian grain growers through participatory action research (PAR). Explicitly the NRMI aims to: 1. Develop an improved understanding of the risk-reward relationships for important on-farm management practices and decisions 2. Inform…
Enterprise choice and sequence strategies that drive sustainable and profitable southern Australian farming systems
Southern Farming Systems Project Edillilie Site – Lower Eyre Peninsula Farm profitability can be improved by identifying the factors that drive profit and adopting management that optimises returns and mitigates risks. Growers are under mounting pressure to maintain profitability due to constraints such as input costs, herbicide resistance, declining soil fertility, increasing soil-borne pathogens and…
GRDC Hands-on Precision Agriculture Training (HOPAT) project
Summary Assist Pinion Advisory to deliver 2 Precision Ag workshops. Initial PA workshop held at Cleve on 16 Feb 2021, 18 attended. Sent follow-up survey to participants to inform next workshop content. Final workshop held in Cleve 7 September 2021. 4 farmers attended. Dan Adams from Cockaleechie presented on his experiences with PA.
Building drought resilience by scaling out farming practices that will enhance the productive capacity of sandy soil landscapes
Summary This project will enhance the drought resilience of farmers who manage 3 million hectares of sandy soils in the low-medium rainfall landscape of southeast Australia. This will be achieved through the adoption of practices that enhance the productive capacity of sandy soils by overcoming constraints including water repellence & compacted layers that prevent root growth &…
Tactics to minimise frost damage on the Eyre Peninsula
Aim of Project Project Outcome: By July 2024 70% of all growers in the frost prone areas of Eyre Peninsula with have increased knowledge, confidence to adopt and ability to implement practices to minimise the impact of frost on their profitability. Project Summary Aiming to identify and demonstrate the most valuable and relevant frost mitigation…