This project aims to focus on a grower-driven small plot trial to compare to cost-benefits, soil chemical and physiological characteristics between (i) continuous wheat, (ii) chemical fallow with stubble, (iii) legume crop and (iv) legume cover crop (worked into the soil as green manure). We hypothesis that the benefits of the fallow, legume break crop, and legume green manure will differ between the years.

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This project will be designed to highlight the optimum agronomy required to maximise yields of grain legumes across a range of environments and soil types, and to determine which grain legumes have the best economic fit in each sub-region, under grower conditions and situations. Best fit information produced from these projects will be used to guide the larger scale on-farm trials.

Establishment of rapid assessment networks (chew cards and active burrow counts from ~ 60 sites/farms across the WA grain-belt) with sufficient geographic spread between sites, monitored 4 times throughout the season (post-harvest/pre-sowing, post-sowing/early crop emergence, mid-season, late-season).

By March 2025, growers have the knowledge and understanding of how different stubble architectures contribute value to their farming system, understand the differing costs involved, can acknowledge the risk/reward profile and use this knowledge to apply the step changes required for profitability. 

The last few seasons have continued to provide early seeding opportunities, particularly in 2021 off the back of cyclone Seroja, and therefore growers want to better understand the risk and reward of going early.

The Liebe Group propose to undertake a locally relevant small plot demonstration that will investigate six different Round Up Ready canola varieties seeded at start of April. This will also be accompanied by three grower case studies to understand the decision-making process of time sowing and varietal choice.

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This project is designed to support land manager practice change that will deliver more sustainable, productive and profitable food, fibre and forestry business while protecting Australia's biodiversity; protecting and improving the condition of natural resources; and assisting Australia to meet its international obligations. 

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Dryland salinity is a major cause of land degradation in WA, with widespread implications on rural infrastructure, water resources, biodiversity and productive land. Focusing on the eastern fringe of the Moore River Catchment, this project will investigate the resurgence of dryland salinity and the opportunity for a new generation of landholders to employ regenerative agricultural management options on-farm. A landscape-scale review will be undertaken in 2022 to develop a regional management plan. 

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Farmers in the Northern Agricultural Region (NAR) of WA are managing increasing climatic risks and are seeking new tools that can improve in-season crop management and planning decisions. To address this, the Liebe Group proposes to implement an integrated network of soil moisture probes and weather stations in the region. This project will act as a ‘pilot’ to test the technology in our region and provide an extension platform to engage growers to increase their awareness and knowledge about how this technology could add value to their businesses.

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The objective of this project will be to critically assess the ability of modern data analytics to address farming system challenges and improve in-season decision making when faced with a variable climate. This will involve monitoring 14 paddocks that have been set up with modern soil moisture and weather monitoring technology and combining this with CSIRO technology and digital farm records to deliver decision making information to growers quickly and succinctly.

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The project will use a farming systems approach to investigate three potential new methodologies for C sequestration and nitrous oxide mitigation using crop sequencing (including summer crops, cover crops and pastures), soil C amendments and soil amelioration.  These will be trialled in small to medium size plots in fully randomised designed experiments. The project aims to trial, measure and demonstrate crop sequencing and new technologies that can sequester organic carbon, mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and improve soil fertility in crop production systems that have traditionally struggled to accumulate carbon.

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This project is into the second phase, where it will build on the VAS data portal and further co-develop the functionality of the portal. Ultimately the goal is to collaboratively create a self-sustaining and intrinsically valuable component of the Australasian soils knowledge system, intented to provide enduring benefit to research and education.