Key objectives

Implement cropping practices that boost crop yield while increasing ground cover to protect soil

Promote the use of forage shrubs and innovative livestock containment designs to expand and improve the livestock feedbase

Strengthen soil protection by maintaining ground cover on erosion-prone lands through sustainable farming practices.

About the project

This project has been funded to help Mallee farmers tackle wind erosion with practical ways of improving and maintaining groundcover on erosion-prone soils.

There are two main themes in the project:

1. Promoting cropping practices that improve crop performance and leave more ground cover.

During 2023, three on-farm demonstration sites were set up to demonstrate the impact of variable rate technology and early sowing on crop performance and ground cover.
For an overview of two of the demonstration sites and agronomic insights to date, see ‘Vari-rate demonstrations, disease and keeping cover at Carwarp’ and ‘A talk from and MSF crop walk – sowing time demonstrations in the Millewa’ in Podcast episodes below.
An overview of findings from the demonstration sites will be presented in fact sheets, podcasts and a project workshop in early 2024.

2. Promoting forage shrubs and livestock containment designs to broaden the livestock feedbase and protect groundcover on vulnerable soils.

During 2022, forage shrub demonstration sites were established at three sites across the Victorian Mallee, in the Millewa, at Patchewollock and at Murrayville.
Workshops have been run to promote forage shrub plantings and different confinement feeding set-ups.
Further fact sheets are being developed to show the feed value and benefit costs of forage shrub plantings and typical confinement feeds.
A forage shrubs decision tree has been developed to guide livestock producers towards shrub designs that best suit their circumstances.