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Building drought resilience on Mallee Farms

Assisting Mallee farmers tackle wind erosion.

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

There were 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 was also given in three case studies:
– Early sowing pays dividends in the northern Mallee
– Using EM38 mapping to guide variable rate fertiliser strategies at Meringur in NW Victoria
– Setting up for variable rate technology (VRT) – mapping soil variability in the Millewa.

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 were run to promote forage shrub plantings and different confinement feeding set-ups.
Fact sheets were developed addressing the feed value and costs/benefit of forage shrub plantings:
– Key findings from the diverse shrubs and pasture demonstration sites in the Vic Mallee, 2023-2024
– Establishing a diverse forage shrub/pasture mix at Wargan in the Victorian Mallee
– Monitoring the long-term performance of a diverse forage shrub/pasture mix at Murrayville
– Establishing a diverse forage shrub/pasture mix at Patchewollock in the Vic Mallee.
A forage shrubs decision tree was developed to guide livestock producers towards shrub designs that best suit their circumstances.

Building drought resilience on Mallee Farm project acknowledgements

The Aim of Building drought resilience on Mallee Farms

Enhance Crop Performance

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

Diversify Livestock Feedbase

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

Protect Vulnerable Soils

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

Fodder shrubs decision tree

Interested in learning more about forage shrubs? Our Shrubs Decision Tree can help guide you

View the Mallee Seeps Decision Tree here

Gallery

Podcast Episodes

Videos

Resources

Cropping

Forage Shrubs

Acknowledgments

Building drought resilience on Mallee Farm project acknowledgements

This project is supported by the Mallee Catchment Management Authority, through funding from the Australia Government’s Future Drought Fund.

Working together with farmers

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