How are lupins being managed across the south-eastern Wheatbelt? This project is building a clearer picture of local lupin production systems, exploring herbicide programs, inoculation, nodulation, nitrogen fixation and crop rotations to identify practical lessons and priorities for future R&D.
Continue reading "Understanding Local Lupin Systems"
Faba beans can provide valuable nitrogen benefits beyond the year they are grown – but how does that legacy vary across different soil types? This project is investigating the carryover benefits of faba beans and their influence on nitrogen availability, oat performance and hay quality in the following season.
Continue reading "Faba Beans Legacy in Oaten-Hay"
Facey Group is partnering in a national project investigating innovative soil technologies to improve soil health, crop productivity and farming system resilience. A demonstration trial near Wickepin is comparing lime and gypsum products and application methods to determine their effectiveness in managing soil acidity and improving crop performance under local farming conditions.
Continue reading "Innovative Technologies for Acidic Soils"
This GRDC-supported project is investigating how Variable Rate Technology (VRT) can improve nutrient use efficiency and farm profitability by matching fertiliser applications to the productivity and nutrient requirements of different areas within a paddock. Working with growers across Australia, the project will generate practical, regionally relevant insights to support the adoption of variable rate fertiliser strategies in broadacre farming systems.
Continue reading "Fostering the Adoption of Variable Rate Fertiliser Application for Improved Nutrient Use Efficiency"
This project tracks a Wickepin grower to evaluate the cost of removing tagasaste and returning land to cropping. It compares removal costs with local land values to assess whether this is a viable pathway for expanding arable area.
Continue reading "Reclaiming Tagasaste Land"
Increasing summer rainfall and later autumn breaks in the WA wheatbelt are shifting sowing conditions. Accessing deeper stored soil moisture can boost yields and reduce risk, with oats better suited to deep sowing than wheat and barley due to their emergence traits.
Continue reading "Deep Sowing Oats"
Facey Group, Murdoch University and the Soil CRC are investigating how perennial legumes, companion cropping and soil amelioration can improve soil function, nutrient cycling and crop productivity on low fertility sandy soils in the WA Wheatbelt. The project explores practical farming systems that can build resilience, increase groundcover and support long-term soil health.
Continue reading "Alternative Strategies for Sandy Soils"