Sharing research and ideas at the CCC Dairy Nitrogen and Irrigation Field Day

About 20 field day participants inspect a large pivot irrigation machine in a lush grassy paddock.

An enthusiastic crowd gathered at a dairy farm at Jellat Jellat near Bega on the 20th of February 2024, to talk about nutrient management in dairy pastures at a Clean Coastal Catchments (CCC) Dairy Nitrogen & Irrigation Field Day.

Staff from Local Land Service (LLS) and NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI), as well as Agronomists from Southern Farm Supplies, AgWarehouse, Agrimilk, and Incitec Pivot, came along to the event to share their knowledge and swap ideas with local dairy farmers.

Group of people seated in rows in a farm shed, with one person at the front of the crowd checking notes on a table, between info on a stand and a white board, with a Local Land Services banner on the right.

A highlight of the day was a site tour of a spring-summer nutrient management trial where a range of nitrogen fertiliser treatments have been compared.

DPI Soils Researcher, Dr Simon Clarendon, presented soil test results from the nutrient management trial, while agronomists Tim Williams and Dave Croxford discussed nitrogen use efficiency in diary pastures.

There was also a demonstration of irrigation scheduling with G-Dot soil moisture sensors, and farmer Whil Russell and Irrigation Consultant Dave O’Donnell presented a case study on the challenges and benefits of upgrading the Russell family's pivot irrigation system.

Previously the pivot system had irrigated unevenly, leading to water and nutrient loss from the paddock. However the upgrade made water distribution more uniform, reducing the risk of nutrient losses.

Aerial view of a group of about 20 people in a section of a grassy paddock divided into oblong patches of grass, with cnetre pivot machine and white vehicle in the background.

"Better management of nutrients and water on farm assists industry to be more productive, profitable and environmentally sustainable, while reducing negative impacts on coastal creeks and rivers and sensitive marine areas," explained Leanna Moerkerken from South East LLS.

Getting the right amount of water in the right place, at the right depth, allows nutrients to be watered into the soil, while avoiding the loss of nutrients through ground water leaching and surface runoff.

The irrigation efficiency upgrade at 'Jelgowry' was funded by LLS through the CCC On-ground project.

The spring-summer pasture nutrient management trial will be followed by an autumn-winter trial at the same site, with a winter field day planned for late 2024.

The Dairy Nitrogen and Irrigation field day was delivered by South East LLS in collaboration with NSW DPI.

The establishment of the nutrient management trial site and the completion of the spring-summer trial were funded by the NSW Government through the CCC On-Ground and CCC Research projects, under the Marine Estate Management Strategy (MEMS).

The ten-year MEMS Strategy was developed by the NSW Marine Estate Management Authority to coordinate the management of the marine estate.