Under instruction from Birchip Cropping Group field officer Kelly Angel, members hand weeded eight sustainable agriculture trial plots on Alan Bennett’s Lawloit highway frontage. 

A wet winter, combined with the past two dry years, has seen a seed bank of rye grass flourish at the trial site.

Members were not able to spray weed grass in particular plots for fear of hindering the trial results. The trial plots are testing the effect of east-west directional cropping on yield and weed growth in barley and wheat.

The group hopes to obtain some strong results to support the cropping methodology for west Wimmera soils.

“The hypothesis so well supported in other states, remains unproven in the Wimmera,” Landcare facilitator Kim Hawker said.

“Do you really grow higher yielding crops with reduced weed growth sowing east-west?”

Kaniva District Landcare received support under the Australian government Small Grants Scheme for Sustainable Agriculture to contract the services of Birchip Cropping Group.

On Thursday, October 20 at 4pm, interested community members are invited to join Kaniva District Landcare and Kelly Angel at the trial site. Kelly will conduct an on farm demonstration, examining growth and plant biomass in wheat, barley and weed varieties.

“This is a good chance to have a farming catch up and do some pre-harvest networking,” Kim Hawker said.

“We all continue to search for methods to ensure and safeguard resilience, competitiveness and productivity in our agricultural industry.

“These grants often focus on supporting landholder management practices that will increase production or improve product quality while maintaining or enhancing the natural resource base.”

A sausage sizzle and refreshments will follow at 5pm. The trial site fronts the Western Highway and is one kilometre west of Hicks Road.

There will be marked parking opposite. For further details, people can contact Kaniva District Landcare facilitator Kim Hawker on 0438 492 505 or president Ross McDonald on 0427 922 693.