Funding available for EP farmers to trial multi-species crops

Eyre Peninsula farmers are encouraged to apply for a mixed species cropping grant with the purpose of undertaking mixed species summer and winter crops for 2019-20.

Mixed species pastures and summer cover cropping improves soil health, plant diversity, increasing organic matter, controlling weeds, improved grazing and seed harvesting.

Natural Resources Eyre Peninsula Regenerative Agriculture Project Officer Mary Crawford advises that expressions of interest for grant funding of up to $10,000 are now open to participate in these demonstrations.

“Funding made available through the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program provides Eyre Peninsula farmers the opportunity to undertake paddock demonstrations this spring to obtain a better understanding of which pasture and cropping species work in their soil and climatic conditions,” Ms Crawford said.

“This mixed species cropping project, which is funded for the next 4 years, involves farmers setting up a long term demonstration of mixed species winter and summer cover crops and monitoring the results.

“Landholders choose a paddock to demonstrate the success of a variety of plants and measure them against a control paddock.

“Designing a multi-species annual cover crop means incorporating a mix of cereals, brassica and legumes according to winter or summer sowing opportunities.”

Farmers, and groups interested in exploring the value of mixed species cropping this spring, are invited to apply now. The guidelines and applications forms are available on the Natural Resources Eyre Peninsula website.

A field day will be held at Ungarra on Friday 21 June 2019 for farmers who would like to know more about the Mixed Species program.

Guest speaker Jess Gunn from PIRSA’s South Australian Research and Development Institute will provide an update on the dryland legume system program and local farmers will share their mixed species summer and winter cropping experiences.

For further information and to book for the workshop please contact Mary Crawford on 0407 187 878 or email mary.crawford@sa.gov.au