Improving farming systems efficiency
Improving farming systems efficiency in southern NSW
Project Partners: CSIRO, NSW DPI
Project Funder: GRDC
Project Code: CSP2110-004RMX
Project Duration: 2021-2024
Project Location: Southern New South Wales
See the related Improved Drought Resilience demonstration project
Background
This project aims to improve whole farm profitability by identifying the agronomic factors that drive profit, and adopting management practices that optimise returns. By employing a farming systems approach, the implications of strategic options (crop choice, time of sowing, fertiliser requirements) and tactical decisions (grazing, N topdressing) that a grower might make on farm will be evaluated across the crop sequence.
FarmLink has been engaged to co-ordinate the grower communications efforts for the GRDC Farming Systems project in southern NSW, with sites at Urana, Wagga, Condobolin and Greenethorpe. FarmLink will develop and execute a grower group communications strategy to ensure growers are aware of project activities and key outcomes via their existing communication channels and networks.
Communications will include articles in FarmLink’s quarterly magazine and fortnightly e-newsletter, promotion of project resources through our Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts, presentation of project results in FarmLink’s annual Research Report, with results also housed on a dedicated page on the FarmLink website. The project will also be promoted to mainstream and specialist agricultural media.
An annual survey will be conducted of members’ awareness of water limited production potential across their system and intention to adopt practices to achieve the potential.
In addition, there will be invitations for key personnel to present at FarmLink's Annual Open Day in September each year to facilitate peer-to-peer discussions on implementation of research outcomes, as well as bus tours to project site/s for in-depth discussions on project developments.
Central West Farming Systems have been subcontracted by FarmLink to undertake a subset of activities consistent with FarmLink's plan. This further expands the impact and penetration to their 330 members across an additional 14 million hectares.
