With growers and researchers, the GRDC is embarking on a project that aims to lift water use efficiency by 10 per cent in five years. Researchers and grower groups from around Australia gathered in Canberra recently to kick-start one of the GRDC’s most ambitious national projects to date – that of increasing the water use efficiency (WUE) of Australia’s grain growers by 10 per cent in the next five years.
Increasing WUE in Australian Crops’ is a $17.6 million GRDC project involving 19 four-year research projects, 17 of which will be managed by regional grower groups and state agriculture departments in dryland and irrigated cropping systems dotted around the country. The remaining two projects will be managed by CSIRO and the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI).

Building Resilient Farming System in the SE through improved knowledge and innovative management of soil constraints (in conjunction with Ag Bureaus)

This project is aimed at assisting land managers to build healthier, more robust soils by innovative management of soil constraints and increasing organic carbon and soil microbial activity.

This will enable land managers to better manage risk and withstand the challenges of the future such as adapting to climate change and realise the full potential of soil, land and water use efficiency. It will result in increased productivity, profitability and sustainability, and improve landholder knowledge through a combination of trials, demonstrations and workshops. The project will provide contractors and landholders opportunities to improve current practice through involvement in demonstrations and trials. Decision support tools will be used to improve decision making and reduce the risk of farming, with the gatherin of relevant additional information where required.

Project running from 1st July 2008 until June 30th 2010.

For further information please contact Jock McFarlane via email jock.mcfarlane@sa.gov.au or phone 0418 842 254

Project Management and Site Establishment

Monitoring and Evaluation as at December 09

Beef Producers Climate Change Adjustment Workshop Series (in conjunction with USE Beef Group)

The short term goal of the project aims to provide individual beef producers with an increased awareness of options and strategies for dealing with climate change through participation in a series of workshops. It will provide management strategies for issues currently faced by farmers due to three years of ongoing drought. Each participant will complete an action plan to assist in the implementation of strategies relative to their own beef production business.

The long term goal is that the implementation of these workshops will increase capability to adapt to climate change and therefore result in a more viable beef production industry in the South East of South Australia. Knowledge and skills gained will enable us and fellow producers to become leaders within the state and an example to other communities dealing with these issues.

Project commenced in July 2009 and will be completed in October 2010

For further information please go to the Rural Solutions website or contact Tiffany Munro on Munro.Tiffany@saugov.sa.gov.au or phone 8755 3166

Increasing Precision Agricultural Awareness and Adoption in South East South Australia

This project that will aim to increase the awareness and adoption of Precision Agriculture (PA) techniques in the South-East (SE) of South Australia by demonstrating how PA can be best utilised in this area to increase long term farm sustainability. Although the adoption of guidance in the SE area has been quite widespread, the use of spatial measurement tools to identify differences in land capability & vary inputs accordingly hasn't been embraced. The project aims to address the "Innovative Practices" theme - by demonstrating the use of spatial measurement techniques to identify variations in land capabilities & then implementing changes to farm management decisions based on these results.
Key outcomes will involve establishing farmer focus groups and on-farm demonstration sites to show how this developing technology can assist farmers in identifying and understanding their land capabilities better and then adopt these practices to achieve more productive and sustainable land management.

Key areas of PA that will be demonstrated include;

Introduction to and applications of variable rate technology
Utilising yield and soil data to identify variability & create different input zones within a paddock.
Demonstrating and exploring the use of sensors to apply targeted inputs based on "real-time" crop potential. (Increasing Nutrient use efficiency & minimising environmental impact due to run-off and leaching of fertilizers).
Identification of soil variability using EM38 soil mapping and using the variability to develop & implement site-specific strategies to alleviate soil sodicity effects (Restoring productive capacity)

Project commenced in December 2008 and ran until December 2009 - Project is now completed

For further information please contact Felicity Turner mf.turner@bigpond.com or Telephone 0400 299 087

Final report as at 30th March 2010

Broad Beans and Bees

Increasing the awareness and role of Precision Ag in Soil Carbon Management in the South-East of SA

The Project has been developed to expand on the current Precision Ag project being run by the MacKillop Farm Management Group (MFMG).
The project looks to utilise the information that has been established on existing demonstration sites to try and achieve a greater understanding of how sustainable changes in farm management across areas with differing land capabilities affects the accumulation of carbon within the soil.
It will look to link Precision Agriculture and Sustainable Farm Management Practices with the overall landscape of soils and management of soil carbon levels and aims to increase farmer awareness of the benefits of utilising new technologies in developing a more sustainable landscape.

Project commences November 2009 (to be completed in March 2013)

For further information please contact Felicity Turner mf.turner@bigpond.com or Telephone 0400 299 087

Progress report as provided at MFMG Field Days in October 2009

Evaluating Drop Tube and Sprinkler Irrigation for White Clover Seed Production

The project aims to compare white clover seed yield irrigated with drop tubes and sprinkler irrigation. With the sprinklers being new IWOB sprinklers and old,unregulated sprinklers.

Apart from comparing three different irrigation application methods, the project will compare the seed yield obtained from variable rates of applied irrigation via the drop tube and the IWOBs.

For further information contact Lou Koch 0429 65 1114 or James DeBarro 0417 946 053.

Various NVT and Agronomic Trials throughout the South East

MacKillop Group 2010 season trials

MacKillop Group 2009 season trials - Yeld Data results available below, Trial Results Books being published shortly

2009 Yield Data Results - First release to members and sponsors

Main sites are Sherwood, Frances, Conmurra and Millicent.

Trials are conducted and maintained by SARDI

Planttech Trials

PlantTech is focused on proprietary species that increase productivity and profitability for the grower. We have a commitment to R&D and service to our product with over 40 trials in Southern Australia. This means credible data and advice to growers of our product, with replicated trials and measured dry matter yields.. As part of this commitment PlantTech is pleased to be part of the MFMG trial program this year, with cereals, legumes and forages tested in local conditions for local farming systems.

Planttech Overview

Links to websites

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Planttech / Seedmark

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Trials and Projects

2009 Evaluation of Forage Varieties in a Cropping system

2009 Evaluation of Sub Clover Varieties in a Cropping System

Link to all final Reports

GOLD SPONSORS