A Full Paddock and Packed Program Made The 2026 Spring Field Day One to Remember
By Amber Martin
More than 250 growers, researchers, industry representatives and students came together at the Nixon property in Kalannie for the Liebe Group’s 2026 Spring Field Day on Thursday 10 September.
Hosted by the Nixon family at this year’s Main Trial Site, the day provided an opportunity to see a wide range of local research in the paddock, hear from researchers and industry specialists, and catch up with growers from across the region.
The 2026 Main Trial Site featured 18 trials covering a broad range of research, including time of sowing, crop nutrition, herbicide options, soil amelioration, pulse research and National Variety Trials across cereals, canola and legumes.
The Nixon property provided a particularly diverse site for this year’s research, with soils ranging from medium duplex country through wodjil sand to conglomerate gravel.
This variability provided plenty to discuss around soil management, with the soil pit and soil re-engineering trial proving particularly popular on the day. DPIRD researchers Gaus Azam and Kanch Wickramarachchi presented a soil re-engineering trial, which investigated the deep placement of lime sand, Morrell lime and cattle manure, alongside deep ripping and spading, to address soil constraints and improve crop productivity.
Wayne Parker, also DPIRD, joined Gaus and Kanch for a soil pit demonstration, giving attendees the opportunity to see the soil profile firsthand and discuss some of the practical challenges of managing constrained soils.
Sowing time and crop choice were another strong focus, with the Liebe Group staff presenting on their Early Sown Crops Demonstration and Late Sown Crops trial.
Together, the trials provided an interesting comparison of crop and variety performance at opposite ends of the sowing window, with both featuring cereals, legumes and canola. The early sown demonstration was established in late March, while the late sown trial looked at delayed June sowing and incorporated deep ripping.
Crop nutrition featured strongly across the site, with trials looking at nitrogen and phosphorus rates in early sown canola, nitrogen application timing and losses in wheat, and strategies to improve nitrogen use efficiency.
Results from one of the Liebe Group key GRDC projects, RiskWi$e was covered by Liebe Group’s Grace Reynolds, CSIRO Farming Systems Scientist Dr Yvette Oliver and local grower Matt Hyde, discussing nitrogen banking, rotations and the risk and reward associated with different management strategies.
Variety selection and alternative crop options were discussed, with GRDC National Variety Trials across cereals, canola and legumes, alongside lentil weed control and pre-breeding work and research into acid-soil-tolerant chickpea and lentil germplasm.
Technology was another part of the conversation, with Buntine farmer Stuart McAlpine sharing his practical experience using virtual fencing in a mixed cropping and cattle system and Alec Wiles from Ironstone Ag discussing section control and its use in seeding operations.
A very popular bus tour with Bob Nixon and DPIRD’s Richard George took the discussion beyond the Main Trial Site, looking at whole-of-landscape water management and opportunities for incorporating pulses into valley floor areas.
GRDC Managing Director Nigel Hart rounded out the field day program by sharing his journey from rural New South Wales through more than 25 years working across the grains industry in Australia and internationally, before taking on his current role leading GRDC in 2022.
The day concluded with refreshments and curries by the fire, a great way to wrap up the event. With such a diverse range of trials and demonstrations, the interesting visual results should yield informative outcomes come harvest time.
All results will be available in the Liebe Group Annual Research & Development publication and on the Liebe Group website, along with GRDC investments available on the Farm Trials website.
The Liebe Group Spring Field Day continues its strong tradition of providing a wealth of information for farmers, as well as valuable networking opportunities for both farmers and the industry.
The Liebe Group thanks its long-term event partner, Elders Dalwallinu, as well as its Diamond Sponsors: Rabobank, CSBP, CBH Group, and RSM, and all Gold, Silver and Industry Partners who helped make the event possible.
The 2027 Main Trial Site will move to Maya and will be hosted by the Birch family.
For more information, contact: The Liebe Group admin@liebegroup.org.au
