Farming Systems
This unit conducts research in five areas:
- Northern farming systems: Includes the development and adoption of more sustainable dryland crop rotations and tillage practices: overcoming subsoil constraints; monitoring distribution and diseases; management packages to reduce crop losses from diseases; crop pasture systems to prevent deep drainage; identifying constraints to adoption of sustainable practices; on-farm research and demonstrations; education and training packages.
- Central farming systems: includes research into the profitability and sustainability of dryland farming systems in central NSW. Research concentrates on optimising the management of alternative crops to rotate with wheat (barley, pulses and canola) in these systems and the management of soils in these systems, particularly issues such as sodicity and dryland salinity. Research also covers the role and benefits of precision agriculture in central western NSW cropping systems.
- Southern farming systems: includes research into the profitability and sustainability of dryland farming systems in southern NSW, particularly the management of soils – nutrition, sodic and acid soils; also on filling feed gaps in mixed-farming enterprises with grazing cereals, pastures and alternative crops.
- Organic farming systems: provides management packages for organic farmers across a range of agricultural industries in NSW
- Economic benefits and costs of achieving sustainable cropping, grazing and irrigated farming systems: economic benefits and costs of implementing changed practices; economic analysis and whole farm models; economic impacts of DPI R&D in conservation farming and reduced tillage.
Key research collaborations
R&D (research and development) fund providers: Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, Grains Research & Development Corporation (GRDC), Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation (RIRDC), Land and Water Australia (L&WA), Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), and the Weeds, and Beef Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs), Farming Systems groups (FarmLink, Central West Farming Systems, Riverine Plains, Northern Growers Alliance).
Government agencies from NSW, Queensland, South Australia Research and the federal government, plus Catchment Management Authorities and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).
Universities: Charles Sturt, La Trobe, Sydney, Western Sydney, Southern Cross, New England and Queensland.
Key research infrastructure
NSW DPI facilities are located at Wagga Wagga, Condobolin, Trangie, Cowra, Tamworth and Breeza plus on-farm research and demonstration sites.
Current projects
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Current project summaries - Farming Systems - 15 July 2008 | 361.5 kb |
Scientific outputs
The Farming Systems unit has undertaken research to better understand and improve the productivity of primary industries. View the results of their research in summaries of their scientific outputs. These are organised by year of publication.
Scientists
Find a list of Farming Systems scientists.
Contact
Dr Alison Bowman
Research Leader, Farming Systems
Phone 02 6938 1628
Email: alison.bowman@dpi.nsw.gov.au