Soil sampling: why summer is the perfect time
Summer is an ideal season to run a soil sampling program. It provides valuable insights for planning the next season and helps track trends in soil results over time. Testing at the same time each year ensures results are comparable, building a clear picture of how soil parameters change over time.
Perennials versus annuals: new funding helps measure feed quality through the season
As part of their Drought Node role with the SW WA Hub, South West NRM has been awarded a small grant to perform feed tests on six farms over the next five months. The tests will compare feed quality (e.g. energy, protein) of perennial pasture versus annual pasture in late spring, mid-summer and early autumn.
Exploring the potential of agrisolar in Western Australia’s vineyards
A group of growers, researchers and industry representatives gathered at Plume Estate in Bickley on Tuesday 28 October to visit an agrisolar installation, where solar panels have been installed above grapevines in a commercial vineyard.
Know Your Southern Soils Project builds local knowledge and capacity
The Know Your Southern Soils project brings together three key components: soil assessment and data collection, local engagement and extension, and soil workforce training.
Resilient Futures: Western Australia’s Study Tour Across Victoria and Tasmania
In September 2025, participants from the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub (SW WA Hub) joined their counterparts in Victoria and Tasmania for a week-long study tour. The journey brought together Western Australian farmers, researchers, and consultants with peers, industry innovators, and extension professionals from across southern Australia.
Enhancing water use efficiency in wheat: SMART SPRAYS demos
Murdoch University and the Bioplastics Innovation Hub ran demonstrations at three spring field days for their Hub-supported project SMART SPRAYS – maximising the benefits from rainfall. The trials highlighted how these materials can capture and retain water, potentially reducing evaporation losses and redirecting rainfall to where crops need it most.
Soil questions front and centre at Dowerin
What’s top of mind for growers when it comes to soils? At this year’s Dowerin Field Days, the SoilsWest team put the question directly to farmers: “What do you need to know about plant and soil nutrition?”
Hub bursary student accepted into Drought Resilience Lab
UWA PhD student and SW WA Hub bursary recipient, Huyen Pham, has been selected for the fourth cohort of innovators in the Drought Resilience Lab, led by Beanstalk Agtech and funded by the Future Drought Fund.
Electrify Ag 2025: powering rural WA’s clean energy future
On 15 August, Electrify Ag 2025 brought farmers, researchers, industry leaders, and community voices together at The Hub in Technology Park, Bentley. Hosted by GGA member group AgZero, the event explored how rural Western Australia can embrace the opportunities of a clean energy economy.
Field Day showcases Aboriginal knowledge and innovation in the Wheatbelt
The Transformational Aboriginal Agricultural Methods (TAAM) project, co-led by Maaman Marra Boodjar and Edith Cowan University, hosted a Field Day at Gimlet Ridge and Weelhamby Farms near Perenjori on Friday 12 September. The event brought together Traditional Owners, farmers, researchers, industry representatives and local agricultural college students to share knowledge and explore regenerative ways of caring for Country.
New grants program to support women in agriculture
The Gather and Grow program will support small, locally led gatherings focused on planning for, managing, and recovering from climate challenges.
Thriving in agricultural business: reflections from the Women in Farming Seminar
What does it mean to truly thrive in agricultural business? For the women who gathered in Albany for the recent Women in Farming seminar, the answer stretched far beyond balance sheets and business plans.
