Birchip Cropping Group | Improving the prosperity of farmers and rural communities

Demonstrating Sustainable Land Management Practices

Seven demonstration sites have been selected at Hopetoun, Manangatang, Waitchie, Walpeup, Sea Lake, Carwarp and Murrayville to represent a range of land and farming systems, to measure and report the potential impact of best management practices for dryland agriculture in the Mallee.

Objectives

• To provide Mallee Landcare groups with the capacity to lead paddock based BMP investigation within their region.
• To improve soil water-use and reduce soil erosion through the validation and demonstration of best management practices (BMP) suitable to the Mallee environment.
• To develop partnership projects which complement and support current landcare investment.
• To assist landholders in implementing BMP’s applicable to their region and circumstances.

In 2005, funded by National Landcare Program, these sites underwent extensive preliminary studies through EM38 mapping, soil sampling and analysis. Best management land use practise options will be implemented with on-going scientific support based on the performance and sustainability of the land use strategies.

Measurements of the following factors will be taken; comparative productivity, water use efficiency, and ground cover, water use and balance, soil nutrition, soil biota, crop biomass and yields.

BCG is responsible for monitoring and helping to implement best management practices for the Hopetoun, Waitchie and Sea Lake sites.

Monitoring and maintenance at each of the sites includes:

• Collect rainfall and temperature data for growing season and annual
• Soil sample at a commercial scale for N, P and Bioassay
• Measure soil water content through neutron tubes already established four times throughout the year
• EM38 map – spatial distribution of soil water, salt and boron concentrations
• Collect data from landholder including sowing, fertiliser and chemical information
• Collect data on soil erosion risk
• Collect data on crop, soil and management throughout growing season
• Collect yield data and grain quality
• Bulk Density

Planned extension for the project at each site includes:

• Progress Report detailing maintenance and monitoring and preliminary outcomes of site
• Present preliminary outcomes at designated Field Day
• Media releases detailing outcomes in Mallee Farmer and Landcare Newsletters
• Presentation to Landcare groups and Final Report specific to site, to include results and further recommendations for following year.

The table below summarises the main activity at each of the sites in 2006 as well as new and established research and extension.

Main activity	Established research & extension	New research & extension
Hopetoun
Past (Southern paddock) 2002 – Fallow 2003 – Barley 2004 – Lucerne 2005 – Lucerne (Northern paddock) 2004 – Chemical Fallow 2005 – Barley and Wheat   Present 2006 (Southern paddock) Lucerne (Northern paddock) Vetch   *Provide management support to the landholder regarding weed, pasture, over grazing and erosion issues *Target areas by increasing inputs and decreasing inputs in the appropriate areas	Lucerne variety trials APSIM model	Contractor employed to do yield mapping Alternative salt tolerant species trials Fence off saline area (lower part of the lucerne paddock) Yield prophet model Brome and Rye grass trials Herbicide resistant trials Site for BCG NLP project ‘Perennial profit Pasture grazing project’ Work on discharge and recharge sites within the paddock and adjacent.
Sea Lake
*Variable rate demonstration with GPS agriculture *Controlled traffic *Paired paddock setup with Precision Ag technology *link with Vic No-till with weed management and cultivation techniques *Link with GRDC work, conventional vs minimum till project *Severely eroding wind erosion paddock and demonstrate effectiveness of CMA incentives.	Initial establishment of site	Soil health trials
Waitchie
Past (Northern paddock) 2002 – wheat 2003 – lucerne 2004 – lucerne 2005 – lucerne (Southern paddock) 2002 – wheat 2003 – fallow 2004 – wheat 2005 – barley   Present 2006 (Northern paddock) Lucerne (Southern paddock) Wheat or triticale	APSIM model Farm-based EMAPp	Alternative salt tolerant pasture species planted on hills Nitrogen rate application work Alternate strips across the paddock demonstrating comparisons in production costs Direct drill demonstrations Link in with BCG NLP grazing project Insect and weed control trials Subtropical perennials as a non-productive aspect other than lucerne Target inputs Analysis on sub-soil constraints including soil pits

Paddock walks at the sites during 2005 (you may click on either of the images to enlarge)

 

You may click on any of the following links for further information:

• Project update (Sep 2005)
• Media release (June 2006)
• Final report for Hopetoun site (2005)
• Final report for Waitchie site (2005) Please note these Final Reports are large documents that may take some time to open

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