To discuss six seasons of the Farming System Trial in the southern Mallee.

After six years of running the Systems Site comparing farming systems it has become clear that the critical issues are as follows.

1. Conserving soil water into dry seasons, which can be achieved using either mechanical in a conventional system or chemical means in a reduced till or no till system (assuming there is enough stubble to protect the soil surface from evaporation).
2. Since the introduction of Frame and Yitpi (CCN resistant wheats) CCN has not been a problem.
3. Take-all and Pratylenchus neglectus appear to more closely correlate to specific areas in a paddock rather than levels changing because of crop choice or the rotation (field peas did lower Pratylenchus levels). Certainly there did not appear to be any influence of farming system on these two soil borne diseases.
4. Weed levels have not changed markedly over the duration of the trial and there were no differences between systems after six years. Brome grass is now present at the site at very low levels whereas it was not recorded in 1999 and 2000.
5. Wind erosion susceptibility and risk is lowest in the No Till plots because of good stubble cover and aggregation of soil particles. The three other systems all had plots which were moderately susceptible to wind erosion, primarily as a result of low stubble cover.
6. Using current technology and sampling intensity it is not possible to pick up changes in soil available nitrogen levels between different farming systems.
7. Soil changes in soil biological characteristics are currently being assessed and will be reported by the BCG update in February 2006.