MacKillop Farm Management Group is hosting its annual Trial Results Days in Millicent and Bordertown this month.
The two events, held today in Millicent and on Thursday in Bordertown, will present the latest cutting-edge research and innovation from researchers and experts in the Limestone Coast.
Featuring at Millicent are the 2021 trial results from
Grains Research and Development Corporation’s (GRDC) Hyper Yielding Crops and Optimising Irrigated Grains projects, with experts Dr Kenton Porker and Max Bloomfield of Field Applied Research (FAR) Australia presenting the results.
Their focus at Bordertown will be how this research can be translated to the medium rainfall zone.
At Bordertown, special guest speaker Good Country Hemp managing director Mick Andersen will outline the company’s role in developing a South Australian hemp industry.
Beginning from scratch three years ago, following the passing of the Industrial Hemp Act in 2017, a 240% improvement on crop yields has been achieved.
At both Millicent and Bordertown, Dr Melissa Fraser will outline the success and failures when incorporating summer active cover crops into cropping and grazing systems and Amanda Pearce will present highlights and results of interest from the 2021 MFMG funded trials conducted at Keith, Sherwood, Wolseley, Frances, Bool Lagoon and Conmurra.
MFMG chief executive Meg Bell said at each event there would be additional speakers on topics customised to the farming conditions for Millicent and Bordertown.
“MFMG is thrilled to present a great line-up of speakers for our Trial Results Days” she said.
“We have some excellent research happening in our region, overseen by expert researchers who are focused on ensuring our region remains highly productive, profitable and sustainable into the future.”
The Millicent event will feature Dr Nigel Wilhelm presenting results on trials conducted at Lake Hawdon on calcareous soils.
Calcareous soils have been the focus of research efforts over many years, and Dr Wilhelm’s work expands upon existing knowledge and aims to provide growers with a suite of tactics to help overcome the constraints and contrasts of the behaviour of a calcareous soil in a higher-rainfall environment.
Dr Fraser will present results on trials conducted with a Reefinator, a rock crushing machine, and how the use of the Reefinator has improved plant growth at Bool Lagoon.
Jen Lillecrapp will outline the results and learnings from the HYC Focus Paddock Trial conducted by local growers in 2021, including a hybrid winter canola seeding rate trial, phosphorus and nitrogen trials, plant growth regulator trial and others.
In Bordertown, Dr Fraser will discuss unlocking the yield potential of sandy soils, and the results from local trials that will provide guidance on which tillage implement is right for the job when it comes to treating sandy soil constraints.
