De-risking the sowing program on EP in 2025

Project summary: This project will be delivered on Eyre Peninsula in 2025. It support will the SA Drought Hub’s priority themes of farm planning and decision-making to manage climate and operational risk, along with soil and land management strategies, technologies, and innovations. It will establish a demonstration site in a low rainfall farming system with three key objectives: to showcase practices that reduce herbicide toxicity and improve plant establishment in early sowing conditions; to evaluate whether dry sowing can increase seeding opportunities and establishment compared to waiting for the break on challenging soils; and to assess other potential benefits to the farming system such as increased biomass for livestock feed, improved weed control, and enhanced yield from early sowing.

 

Project description: This project builds on successful project focused on improving the outcomes of dry and early sown crops in the EP low rainfall environments. It continues the work of the Future Drought Funded project De-risking the seeding program: Adoption of key management practices for the success of dry early sown crops. 

To continue building grower knowledge and adoption, in 2025/26, this project will establish and monitor a demonstration site in the low rainfall zone of Eyre Peninsula, within 75 km of the Minnipa Agricultural Centre. The site will be located between Poochera and Wirrulla on grey calcareous soil.

 

December 2025 project update: In 2025, the trial site at Poochera (Upper Eyre Peninsula) progressed well, comparing a range of herbicide strategies across two different times of sowing to help better understand interactions between early sowing decisions and crop establishment outcomes. The site was harvested on 10 December 2025, with yield and biomass results currently being analysed. Biomass cuts were collected at GS31 and again at flowering to strengthen understanding of crop responses throughout the season.

Although the trial site was not visited by farmers during the growing season, discussions at Low Rainfall RD&E Committee meetings suggest these types of demonstrations are valuable for grower decision-making around sowing program risk. Project outcomes will be extended through further seasonal updates, including an upcoming Eyre Peninsula Farming Systems Summary article (anticipated April 2026), alongside planned social media and newsletter promotion once results are available.