This investment aimed to locally validate previous R&D investment relating to spring sown crops (albeit include newer crop types and varieties where suitable), building local grower and adviser knowledge to inform decisions when managing excess soil moisture. It aimed to provide production and economic information from both farm-scale demonstrations and a small plot trial to inform good business decisions in regard to spring/summer sown crops.

The trials evaluated the crop performance on a range of metrics to provide a thorough assessment of summer crops, and the role they can play in agronomic systems, and the potential they have to reduce the waterlogging risk.

In 2021/22, six successful field trials were spread across the medium to high rainfall zones of the Central Wheatbelt, Great Southern and Southern Coastal regions of WA. Excessive winter waterlogging occurred in the 2021 season across all trial locations.

The results showed that:

• Extremely late (October) sown cereals can be profitable on the South Coast of WA when sown into a full soil moisture profile.
• Growing a summer crop may conserve more soil moisture than a chemical (bare) fallow.
• There was no negative impact in any of the trials/demonstrations of the summer crop on the productivity of the following winter crop.
• Summer forage crops can be profitable, or at least pay for themselves, if more than one grazing can be achieved.