Some of the attendees at the Dookie Campus Field Day on October 4.
Diversified farming, silicon fertiliser and native vegetation were among the topics discussed at the Dookie Campus Field Day earlier this month.
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The field day was part of the Future Drought Fund led by University of Melbourne senior lecturer Dorin Gupta.
Farmers, consultants, researchers and students gathered at the university’s Dookie campus on October 4 to hear from Dr Gupta, her research team and project partners about redesigning broadacre farming systems to improve risk management under drought and other stresses.
Dr Gupta — assisted by research staff Razlin Azman, Jamal Khan and Waseem Ashfaq — explained that diverse farming options could make farms more efficient and resilient.
University of Melbourne senior lecturer (sustainable agriculture) and Future Drought Fund project leader Dorin Gupta with PhD student Navya Beera and research assistants Waseem Ashfaq and Jamal Khan.
She spoke about the importance of growing legumes — such as faba bean, lentil, chickpea and lupin — in and around the region, while Mr Ashfaq detailed findings around silicon fertiliser for cropping.
Tariq Gerardi, from project partner Birchip Cropping Group, spoke about silicon and micronutrient fertiliser, grazing and grain wheat varieties, along with “risky” legumes to reduce yield penalties.
Sara Hely, from project partner Riverine Plains, talked about how farming systems groups drove innovation with farmers and helped take the risk out of farming by looking at what was on the horizon and trialling it.
A Q&A session included discussion about whether silicon could be “overdone”, the applicability of commercial products in Australian broadacre, the benefits of soil versus foliar application and practicality of tank mixing.
The group then looked at trials in new and current cereal varieties, delivered by Ed Harrod of Baker Seedco.
University of Melbourne’s Professor James Hunt rounded out the field day, presenting early results of his work in the nitrogen bank and in-field management of nitrogen fertiliser in canola.
Dr Gupta said the take-home messages from the field day were:
Diversified farming was less risky than specialised farming systems and ensured multiple sources of income.
Silicon fertiliser could help crops cope with stresses such as drought, and sustain crop yields of otherwise-risky crops.
Including native vegetation on the farm could enhance overall farm biodiversity, soil carbon, soil health and resilience over time.
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