Caring for our Country trials

To test the effect of very deep ripping to 500mm with shallow leading tines and incorporation of limesand on a very deeply compacted acid sand plain soil.

To showcase to growers different methods for deep incorporation of lime to ameliorate sub surface, below 10cm, acidity and improve soil health.

Using tillage to incorporate lime improves the rates of reaction and increases subsurface pH soomer than spreading lime on the surface alone.

To use whole farm soil mapping to rationalize the farm fertilizer programme.

This Demonstration forms part of the Grain & Graze II project looking at the relative merits of grazing canola and cereal crops. This demonstration looks to assess whether the effects of grazing wheat with sheep during the growing season. Factors being assessed are Yield & quality, dry matter production and grazing value.

To assess whether the effects of grazing wheat with sheep during the growing season. Factors being assessed are yield and quality, dry matter production and grazing value.

To identify the optimum sowing time for establishment of sub-tropical grasses to the east of Eneabba.

To assess whether the effects of grazing canola with sheep during the growing season: factors being assessed are yield and quality, dry matter production and grazing value.

To assess whether the effects of grazing wheat with sheep during the growing season. Factors being assessed are yield and quality, dry matter production and grazing value.

To ascertain the crop safety of pre-emergent (IBS) herbicides when used with differing seeding systems and sowing speeds.

To determine the effectiveness of biochar on increasing soil carbon and soil stability.

To deal with the issue of sustainable agriculture.

To demonstrate leadership and show industry-led practice change has the greatest capacity to change behaviours to reverse the trend of over-fertilising and tp promote best-practice fertiliser use, and more specifically soil testing and fertiliser application rates.

To find a way to improve the productivity and sustainability of the Darkan river flats.

To demonstrate the effect of seeder type and operation on the efficacy and safety of pre-emergent herbicides in barley.

To assess the growth and yield of barley and wheat growing in a range of different established perennial pasture species.

To compare commercial seeding machines that have specifically been set up to sow sub-tropical grasses.

To examine the pasture productivity and economic response to the application and incorporation of low rates of clay to pale deep sandplain over three years.

Determine the value of Wedgetail wheat for yearling steers. Determine the impact of grazing on the grain yeld of wedgetail wheat.

To evaluate a range of forage shrubs in the Victorian Mallee environment in terms of plant survival, canopy development, health, edible biomass, seedling recruitment and performance under grazing.

To determine the effect of grazing on grain yield of Naparoo wheat

To evaluate whether farmers can make use of the out-of-season rainfall.

• Test the “triple pack pasture program™”, against the usual pasture establishment system of one year’s weed control and sowing of a perennial pasture.
• Assess the result by comparing the two systems with approximately one fifth of the paddock sown in a conventional way and the rest of the paddock established with the “triple pack pasture program™”.
• Try to ascertain whether the claimed benefits of the “triple pack pasture program™”, outweigh the extra costs of a three year establishment system.

To assess the yield and grain quality effect of grazing on currently grown commercial cereal varieties via paddock scale demonstrations in the Rainbow district.

• To examine the potential for both grain and forage cereal crops to supply feed for grazing enterprises.
• To determine the effects of grazing on grain yield and quality to help build informed decisions about when to graze crops to ensure maximum profit

To evaluate the interaction between seeding systems and pre-emergence herbicides on the establishment of wheat, on two contrasting soil types.

Demonstrate best practice phalaris establishment and management at the PPS/EverGraze site at Mooneys Gap which should provide information to producers to give them confidence to increase phalaris use.

To test the viability of establishing lucerne pastures in areas where they have not been traditionally grown.

To test whether soil fertility and health could be improved under a higher input system compared with a lower input and more traditional system.

• To evaluate the fit of commonly used and non commercial (dual purpose) canola varieties in Southern Victoria under a range of sowing dates.
• To quantify the yield response of canola to a range of grazing conditions.
• To develop grazing principles for canola in the high rainfall zone.
   

To compare the yields of crops in southern Mallee farming systems in 2009.

To determine the impact of grazing on soil condition and weed populations.  This report is on findings after two years of grazing. 

To develop a regionally viable farming system which incroporates the establishment of native perennial pastures, cropping into native pasture adn rotational grazing of the pasture and stubble.

To address the following questions.

• Is the variable lime technique applicable/economic in a pasture system or is it more suited to cropping systems?
• Is it viable in the smaller size paddocks that are usual in pasture systems?
• Can you measure economic gains using the technique in pasture paddocks?

To compare the production of different winter pastures and their recovery from grazing.

To evaluate the suitability of different wheat and barley cultivars for both grazing and grain production, when sown as part of a the normal cropping program in low rainfall zones of western Victoria.

To determine:

• Which dual purpose varieties respond to Gippsland’s climatic conditions?
• Which new varieties may have commercialization potential?
• Which varieties are best suited to forage and feed grain production?
   

To build on previous crop sequencing projects, using farmer equipment and paddock lengthtrial strips to help assess both the profitability and practicality of various pulse options: to help farmers see these crops growing for themselves, discuss the various issues involved and then better decide what may best suit their farming systems

To investigate methods for successfully establishing crops in a single pass to reduce erosion potential and improve productivity.

To compare four locally grown wheat varieties at district practice and high seeding rates to assess their influence on reducing the impact of ryegrass in the whole farming system.

To improve our understanding of what is driving these responses and how soil modification techniques can be improved on sandy profiles.

To provide further understanding of what is driving responses to modification of sandy subsoils and how soil modification techniques can be improved.

To look at the effectiveness of placing lime at depth.

• To look at the effectiveness of placing lime at depth.

To monitor how quickly the lime would change the pH down the profile.

• To investigate the effect of different types of inoculant on nodulation and yield in field peas grown in KI conditions.

• To look at some agronomic solutions to waterlogging.

To use the increased concentration of fertiliser granules in low SBU systems to measure any advantage of fertiliser uptake

To investigate the effect of full stubble retention compared with other stubble management methods and seeding technologies