This project will demonstrate farmer ready management practices that break the cycle of saline land degradation exacerbated by very dry or drought conditions. Two key drivers of soil salinity will be addressed – dry saline land and Mallee seeps that cause lost production in low rainfall broadacre mixed farming landscapes.

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

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

MSF with the support of Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) is on a mission to close the knowledge gap around feed and nutrition in low rainfall zones.

Trials at Walpeup (VIC Mallee) and Parrakie (SA Mallee) are putting a range of ripping tines, accessories and delving tines to the test on compacted deep sands. By quantifying draft force and soil loosening, researchers can calculate the efficiency of ripping tines and other soil amelioration tools. Roughly, the more soil loosened for every unit of draft force, the more efficient the equipment is.

ABOUT the project The cropping region in Southwestern NSW has evolved dramatically since the early 2000’s …

Legumes on Sands Improving the production of legume crops on sandy soils to improve ground cover …