High Performing Soils CRC
High Performing Soils CRC
Project Partners: Soil CRC
Project Funder: Soil CRC
Project Duration: 2026
Project Location: Southern New South Wales
With the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for High Performing Soils concluding in June 2027, FarmLink is supporting the extension and roll-out of key research findings and practical outcomes generated through the program.
FarmLink will produce two videos discussing Soil CRC research knowledge, featuring real stories, soil themes, case studies, farmer champions, and with a clear “what to do next’ message. The videos will be published to the FarmLink website and Soil CRC website once approved by the Soil CRC. The target audience for the videos will be farmers, researchers and advisors.
FarmLink will also host Soil CRC presentations and discussions at key FarmLink events, including the annual FarmLink Field Day in September. Topics for presentations and discussions will be determined in consultation with the CRC. The target audience will be local growers, researchers, and industry representatives.
These activities aim to strengthen the connection between research and practice, ensuring growers and industry stakeholders can access relevant, practical and locally applicable soil management information.
Visit the Soil CRC website here: https://soilcrc.com.au/
From research to practice: Managing constrained soils and improving access to soil water
Integrated solutions for soil constraints and soil water management
Join FarmLink and the Cooperative Research Centre for High-Performance Soils (Soil CRC) near Lockhart for a practical field day exploring solutions for improving soil function, water availability and long-term cropping system performance.
The morning will bring researchers, growers and industry together at a Soil CRC research site, with the opportunity to get into the paddock, inspect soil pits and hear directly from researchers about current research and practical approaches to managing soil constraints and soil water.
📅 Tuesday 22 September 2026
⏰ Time: 8:00am – 11:00am
📍 Location: Brookong Lane, off Western Road, Lockhart NSW. https://maps.app.goo.gl/5iSWsEBtRZLa2yaM6
🎟️ Free Event
🥓 Free BBQ Breakfast
What will you see and hear?
Hear from Soil CRC researchers and industry specialists about three areas of current research:
💧 Integrated solutions for accessing soil moisture
Dr Shihab Uddin
Research Scientist (Crop Nutrition), NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
Dr Shihab Uddin will discuss how soil constraints, nutrition and management practices interact to influence crop access to stored soil water and overall productivity.
The research highlights the importance of understanding the physical and chemical constraints within the soil profile and how these factors can affect root growth, water access and crop performance.
💦 Assessing soil water storage
Sam North
Hydrologist, formerly NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
Sam North will demonstrate practical approaches to assessing soil water storage through a guided soil pit inspection.
Participants will have the opportunity to look below the soil surface and explore how soil characteristics influence water movement, storage and availability to crops.
🌱 Plant-based solutions to improve soil performance
Hayden Thompson
Soil CRC PhD student, Southern Cross University
Hayden will share findings from research investigating how increasing plant diversity can influence soil function and the long-term performance and resilience of farming systems.
The research has investigated approaches including temporary cereal-legume intercropping and cover cropping, looking at their potential to increase plant diversity while maintaining productivity.
🗣️ Facilitated Discussion: Turning Research into Practice
The morning will conclude with an interactive panel discussion featuring the presenters.
This will provide an opportunity to explore the research findings, discuss their relevance to local farming systems and share experiences and questions around:
Soil water management
Soil constraints
Soil health and function
Plant diversity
Crop productivity
Farming system resilience
Come along with your questions and take the opportunity to speak directly with the researchers.
🕳️ Get into the soil
A feature of the morning will be a guided inspection of soil pits at the trial site.
Seeing the soil profile firsthand will provide a practical opportunity to understand what is happening beneath the crop and how soil structure, constraints and water storage can influence crop performance.
🥓 Free BBQ Breakfast
FarmLink will be firing up the FarmLink BBQ breakfast trailer for the morning.
Come along for breakfast, meet other growers and industry representatives, and join the discussion about the latest soil research.
Who should attend?
This field day is for:
Growers
Agronomists
Advisers and consultants
Researchers
Industry professionals
Anyone interested in the connections between soil water, soil health and farming system performance
Whether you're dealing with known soil constraints or simply want to better understand how soil water and soil function influence crop performance, this is an opportunity to see the research in the field and talk directly with the people doing the research.
Register for the Field Day
Date: Tuesday 22 September 2026
Location: Brookong Lane, off Western Road, Lockhart NSW
Research resources
Take a deeper look at the research behind the field day.
Integrated Solutions for Underperforming Constrained Soils: Accessing Soil Moisture
Soil CRC Research Findings Fact Sheet – Project 4.2.004
Plant-Based Solutions to Improve Soil Performance
Soil CRC Research Findings Fact Sheet – Project 4.1.002
These resources provide further information on soil constraints, soil water availability, subsoil amelioration, plant diversity, intercropping and soil performance.
About the High Performing Soils CRC
With the Cooperative Research Centre for High-Performance Soils concluding in June 2027, FarmLink is supporting the extension and roll-out of key Soil CRC research findings and practical outcomes to growers and industry across southern NSW.
FarmLink is working with the Soil CRC to bring research into the paddock through field events, presentations, discussions and video content.
The aim is to strengthen the connection between research and practice and ensure growers and industry stakeholders can access relevant, practical and locally applicable soil management information.
Acknowledgement
This work has been supported by the Cooperative Research Centre for High-Performance Soils, whose activities are funded by the Australian Government’s Cooperative Research Centres Program.
