Long-term trials of drought resilient farming practices in NSW

WHY THIS PROJECT IS IMPORTANT

Drought is an inescapable part of the Australian landscape, and it is important farming business are well prepared for its impacts.

This project aims to investigate the inter-dependence (connectedness) and whole-of-system effects of cropping and livestock components in mixed farming systems. The project also aims to support farmers in managing the environmental and social impacts of seasonal variation and drought in NSW.

This project will use a combination of field trials and modelling to identify mixed farming systems and practices that improve drought resilience and associated risk management.

Project focus

As part of the project, a central replicated trial site has been established at Charles Sturt University’s Wagga Wagga Campus. The central hub sites consist of replicated ‘mini farms’ which represent different farming systems. Over four years, these “mini farms” will be sown to crop and pasture species according to the farm system they represent, with soil, plant and livestock measurements collected as the rotations progress. Data collected will be used to validate biophysical models that generate agronomic and economic comparisons of the systems.

Results from this central site will be complemented by data collected from six individual partner (consortium) sites across NSW. The six partner sites are each testing a single treatment from the central hub trial, using best practice guidelines for their location and preferred farming practices. Riverine Plains is delivering two of these demonstration sites in NSW, along with activities that extend findings from the central hub trial at Wagga Wagga.

For the duration of the project (2024-2027), Riverine Plains will use findings from the central hub trials, as well as input from members and advisors, to shape the paddock-scale demonstrations using practices that could benefit farmers in the Riverine Plains.

Riverine Plains is also supporting the delivery of a similar project in Victoria and Tasmania, which coordinates linked treatments across multiple sites, through which we are establishing a demonstration site in Victoria and extending findings from the central hub trial at Dookie.

Both the NSW and Victorian/Tasmanian projects aim to determine suitable farming system adaptations for specific regions, to enhance economic and environmental resilience in farming businesses. Further, the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture will conduct data evaluation and analysis of results of the two projects, assisting the Victoria and NSW Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hubs in creating a set of potential adaptations which can be adopted by farmers across Australia.

Wagga Wagga, NSW, Central Hub Long-Term Trial

In 2024, Charles Sturt University established a replicated farmlet trial at their Wagga Wagga Campus (Ashmont Farm), comparing the four farm systems outlined in Table 1. These systems are based on four different farming practices that are commonly found on mixed farms. Systems 1-3 are stocked with self-contained flocks of composite ewes, lambing in June/July, and containment feeding will also be used as part of the livestock production system. Cutting-edge technologies are also being used in the trial to measure treatment impacts on soils, crops, pastures and livestock.

Table 1: NSW Long-term trials systems and descriptions

Farm system	Crop v pasture %	Description	System focus
1) Traditional mixed farming	60:40	Incorporating faba beans and dual-purpose crops in the cropping phase, with five-year lucerne/sub clover phase	Predominantly cropping
2) High intensity mixed farming	60:40	Increased focus on multiple dual-purpose crops and vetch in cropping phase, with five-year lucerne phase	Livestock production – carries a higher whole farm stocking rate
3) Ley farming	50:50	Inclusion of self-regenerating ley pasture phase with wheat and canola	Livestock production
4) Continuous cropping	100:0	Four-year rotation including grain crops and a pulse	Cropping

Results from these central trials and demonstrations will be extended at field days and events, as well as through our publications and online channels.

Project outcomes

2026

As part of this project, two demonstration sites were established on mixed farms near Corowa and Burrumbuttock to investigate the role of annual grazing legumes in crop rotations within mixed farming systems. Specifically, the trials are investigating the effect of brown manuring, hay and different annual pasture species on biomass production nodulation and nitrogen fixation, as well as moisture carryover to the next crop.

Results from the 2025 trials were published as a Case study in Research for the Riverine Plains, 2026, with the following key messages:

At Corowa, early vetch biomass production was relatively low, but the crop rebounded to produce a reasonable hay yield.
The combination of drier conditions and different species growth habits likely affected the amount of biomass measured at Burrumbuttock by mid September.
Acidic topsoils and dry conditions likely limited nitrogen fixation at both sites, limiting the potential for nitrogen accumulation.
Follow-up soil sampling in 2026 will highlight any differences in carry-over moisture and soil nitrogen between treatments.

Read the full Case study: Exploring the role of annual legumes in mixed farming