Completed Projects

Why Soil Management Practices are Adopted Project 1.2.002 Associate Professor Vaughan Higgins – Project LeaderUniversity of Tasmania DURATION: Two years OVERVIEW: Farmer uptake of soil management programs and techniques is historically, relatively slow. This project sets out to understand why farmers do not adopt soil management improvement programs. It will investigate whether current strategies and techniques for adoption are working....Read More

Visualising Australasia’s Soils  Project 2.3.001 Associate Professor Peter Dahlhaus – Project LeaderFederation University DURATION: Two years OVERVIEW: Data is key to sustainable soil health and profitable agriculture. Following on from the scoping study, A review of indicators of soil health and function: farmers’ needs and data management, this project addresses the issue of large amounts of underutilised agricultural data. The aim of...Read More

Recovering Nutrients form Organic Waste Streams Project 3.1.003 Dr Dane Lamb – Project LeaderThe University of Newcastle DURATION: Three years OVERVIEW: Large scale agricultural systems rely on inputs of nitrogen and phosphorous which can be costly for farmers. Although phosphorous is significantly present in many agricultural soils, the majority exists in strongly adsorbed or insoluble inorganic forms and is not...Read More

Building Capacity Project Project 6.1.001 Felicity Harrop – Project LeaderNorth Central Catchment Management Authority DURATION: Two years OVERVIEW: As farmers better understand the importance of sustainable soil management for their productivity and profitability, they need advice, technical assistance and expertise from their local grower groups. This project is co-funded by the Australian Government through the Building Landcare Community and Capacity...Read More

Central West Farming Systems hosted five spring field days during September and October 2017; Mumbil Creek, Tottenham (with the Tottenham Top Woodlands Agricultural Bureau), LIRAC (with CSIRO), Northparkes Mine and Gunning Gap. Dr Neil Fettell also attended the AgGrow Agronomy and Research’s Rankins Springs field day in September, explaining the CWFS stubble management and nutrient trials there. Crops varied around...Read More

Early sowing is essential in order to maximise yield of wheat crops grown on long (18 month) fallow. Long fallowing and early sowing are complementary practices, as the fallow reduces weeds and diseases which can be difficult to control in early sown crops, and early sowing with slow-developing cultivars allows the crop to better use soil water that is stored...Read More