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Case Studies

The Future Farm Industries CRC is well on the way to providing new productivity gains and environmental benefits for Australia through its research outcomes to help farmers with the challenges facing broadacre agriculture today.

This page features eight case studies that highlight the dividends already being experienced by farmers who are working with researchers to incorporate Future Farm Industries CRC developed technologies into their land-use systems. They show how the research outcomes are effective and highly relevant in reducing the effects of salinity, improving the productive of existing enterprises and helping farmers adapt to frequent droughts and variable rainfall.

Future Farm Industries CRC has an extensive collection of other case studies that profile the use of perennials on the farm in its Future Farm magazine and the former CRC Salinity’s SALT Magazine.


Case Study 1: Enrich helps boost fodder during summer


Don Nairn (left) grows wheat, lupins and oats and runs about 4000 sheep on the northern end of Western Australia’s wheatbelt. Reduction in annual rainfall and its impact on grazing and cropping have left the topsoil of his farm exposed and vulnerable. With the help of the FFI CRC Enrich program, Don has been able to establish perennial fodder shrubs, increase feed levels during summer, stop wind erosion and double the marginal land’s carrying capacity.

Watch Don explain how strip grazing has made life a lot easier on his farm.


  

Case Study 2: Perennial pasture runs more livestock while reducing salinity

 
  The EverGraze® trial in Hamilton, Victoria, has shown that farmers can combine different perennial pastures to grow more feed year round , run more livestock, and not be forced into offloading stock before summer, all while reducing the salinity risk. Dr Ralph Behrendt (far left in red hat), from the Victorian Department of Primary Industries is Trial Site Leader and Coleraine farmer, David Robertson (left), heads an advisory group overseeing the trials which have been going since 2004.

Watch Ralph and David explain how summer-active perennials have improved productivity and reduced recharge on David's property.


  


Case Study 3: Perennial pastures boost farmer’s productivity


David Strong (left) is hosting the EverGraze® trial on his 1000 ha grazing and wool, sheep meat and cropping farm near Wagga Wagga, NSW. He says the research on perennial pastures is boosting his farm’s productivity and providing better environmental protection.

“It’s simulating four farming systems on site and that’s extremely rare. This could change the way farms are operated in a way that benefits the environment and boosts productivity,” Mr Strong said.

Case Study 4: Native pastures reduce input cost and maintain productivity

Matt and his son Lachlan surrounded by their productive native pastures
Matt and Melanie Carter from Gunnedah in NSW have made native pastures a productive part of their farm through the introduction of a new rotational grazing strategy that has allowed them to flourish and regenerate. In return, the native pastures have increased their carrying capacity and the amount of groundcover while improving soil health at a time when inputs cost are increasing.

“I’m happy to do without fertiliser - I still have got so much. I can improve with water and wire, which is so much cheaper than annual top dressing,” Matt said.

Matt and Melanie’s farm is a Supporting Site for the EverGraze® research project developing and testing new farming systems in different environments across the high rainfall zone of southern Australia. EverGraze is a FFI CRC, MLA and AWI research partnership.
 

Case Study 5: Perennial pastures enable higher stocking rates


Bob Wilson’s (left) farm located near Lancelin north of Perth is using perennial grasses such as panic, rhodes and signal, along with fodder tress such as tagasaste to provide valuable summer feed.

“We ran the stock on a mixture of tagasaste and other perennials and the whole experience has emphasised the benefits of having such a system. For example, some of the out-of-season rain fired up the perennials and which allowed us to sustain our stock numbers,” Bob said.

“Originally, we aimed to graze up to 9 Dry Sheep Equivalents (DSE) with the perennials and tagasaste. During the last summer, we carried more than 10 DSE. Without the summer rain, this high rate of stocking may not have been possible.”
 

Case Study 6: Farmer works with researchers to find local solutions

Scott Williams and Enrich researcher Neil Ackland check the progress of a recently planted fodder shrubs on Scott’s farm		 Continuous drier than normal growing seasons have forced farmer Scott Williams, located on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, to investigate the potential of perennial shrubs as an alternative source of livestock feed. Working with the CRC’s Enrich project, his is now trialing native species on his property that have the potential to supply fodder on his marginal soils.

“It has been great to work with the research team. Not only have I benefited from all their accumulated knowledge, they have really valued the local knowledge I can provide,” Scott said.

So far out of all the perennials trialed on Scott’s farm Oldman saltbush has been the star performer.
 

Case Study 7: Subtropical grasses complement lucerne pastures

Brett and Bernadette Holz (left) are using sub-tropical grasses to complement lucerne on their property located near Quirindi in New South Wales with the support of the Namoi CMA and EverGraze®. They have found that establishment requires patience, rainfall and careful grazing management.

“This is our first experience with sub-tropicals. They have tiny seeds and establishment is well known to be the hardest part of the process,” Brett said.

The Holz’s next step in managing their pastures is to establish a legume component. EverGraze is a FFI CRC, MLA and AWI research partnership.

 

Case Study 8: Family mallee investment reduces on-farm salinity

Mallees have proven themselves useful in managing salinity on the Quicke family’s (above) property near Kulin in Western Australia		 “If we hadn’t put in the trees, we would have lost more land to the salt than the land we lost to the tress. During the first six years the trees reduced the scalds – now we only have one left in the paddock,” Norm Quicke said.

The extensive mallee plantings done by the Quicke family has generated invaluable experience and increased the confidence in the commercial potential of the mallee industry, in particular, the ability of farmers to supply biomass to processing entrepreneurs.



 

More information

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  • Ever Graze
  • Saltland Genie
  • Ever Train
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