Projects: Soils

Retaining soil water in farming systems using strip & disc machinery 2024

This project would enable one demonstration site to be conducted in low rainfall farming systems at Buckleboo to enable extension of past EP demonstration site results and results from other regions, and to further investigate: What are the measurable differences in stripper stubble vs conventional draper stubble sown using a disc seeding system in lentils?…

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SA Young Farmer – Facilitated Peer to Peer Learning

To share innovative ways to build drought resilience and build local leadership, networks, and social support In Ceduna and Cleve locations AIR EP will offer four field events for young farmers focussing on young people aged 18-35 years. The Rudall young farmers group met in December to commence prioritisation of subjects they would like to…

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Building farming systems resilience and future proofing the impacts of drought through accelerating the adoption of proven cost-effective and yield responsive soil and fertiliser management practices by farmers across southern Australia

The project focuses on accelerating adoption of proven soil resource management practices offering significant opportunity to build farming systems drought resilience, reduce yield variability, increase sustainability and profitability. On Eyre Peninsula, the project is focussed on: Improving productivity of low rainfall problem sands with a reliable break crop (lentil) with soil amelioration on EP Farmers are…

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De-risking the seeding program

De-risking the seeding program. Adoption of key management practices for the success of dry early sown crops. Dry  and  early  sowing  of  cereal  crops  is  a  practice  commonly  employed  across southern Australian cropping regions to combat the increasingly erratic and delayed opening  season  rainfall. Whilst there has been a large amount of research and development…

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Matching soil performance indicators to farming systems

The Soil CRC Scoping Study on soil performance indicators (Project 2.1.01) concluded that there was no universal suite of indicators that could measure soil performance, but rather that indicators should be matched to their intended purpose (‘horses-for-courses’). This project will use social research, data analytics and soil indicator domain expertise to determine how commonly used…

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Retaining soil water in farming systems using strip/disc machinery 2023

SA Drought Hub – Minnipa Node: Retaining soil water in farming systems using strip/disc machinery DN1_23_02 AIR EP, Buckleboo Farm Improvement Group and SARDI Minnipa Agricultural Centre  Demonstration sites were established in low rainfall farming systems to determine:   Can we measure increased stored soil water in strip/disc vs conventional no-till knife point systems?  Are there…

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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…

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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,…

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Eastern Eyre Soil Management Opportunities

Summary Increase soil cover of bare soils over 20/21 summer. Gain increased understanding of summer crops/other activities to affect soil surface cover, erosion potential and plant growth. Overcome physical and chemical constraints to root growth. Measure impact on the following winter crop. Gain increased understanding of suitable cover crop species for Eastern EP. Gain increased…

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Robust ground cover to enable resilient low rainfall mixed farms

Summary This project will demonstrate, evaluate and communicate farming innovations that are not widely adopted by low rainfall farmers but have been proven in other regions or are close to market. Adoption will build resilient groundcover to protect the natural capital of the 10+ million hectare low rainfall mixed farming region of the Mallee and…

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