Almost 65 people from across the region including Forbes, Tottenham, Orange and Cowra gathered in Trangie to hear about the latest cropping research results.
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The NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Trangie Agricultural Research Centre hosted a pasture and forage crop seminar last Thursday.
DPI researcher Greg Brooke presented findings from the Farming Systems Project, running since 2015, with particular emphasis on lucerne pasture leys in local farming systems.
"Data over the four-year period of the project clearly shows the contribution lucerne makes to all-important economic returns, use of stored soil water and the positive effects on the levels of soil pathogens and crop diseases," he said.
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"There is also some challenging new information that is highlighting key differences in the response of different systems on different soil types to the variations in the seasonal conditions over the last few years."
Questions and comments from the audience were wide ranging, including pasture establishment methods and timing, pasture mixtures including winter and summer species, nitrogen contribution from N-fixation, effects of sheep grazing and subsequent knock-on effects to following crops, ground cover, storing soil water, lucerne persistence and what was a productive lucerne population for the region.
As well as Mr Brooke, DPI research presenters included Kathi Hertel - farming systems research results, Leigh Jenkins - canola, chickpea, lentil phenology, Don McCaffery - new canola varieties, Rick Graham - canola windrow and harvest timing, Dr Kevin Moore - chickpea disease management, Peter Matthews - new dual-purpose wheat varieties and Dr Steven Simpfendorfer - cereal disease management.
