INCREASING THE BENEFITS OF IRRIGATION ON CROPPING LAND IN THE SOUTHERN MURRAY DARLING BASIN

S. Lolicato¹, H.G. Beecher², A. Varley³, J. Lacy³, D. Ugalde¹and K. Russell⁴

¹Agriculture Victoria, Institute of Sustainable Irrigated Agriculture, Tatura, Vic. 3616 ²NSW Agriculture, Yanco Agricultural Institute, Yanco, NSW, 2703 ³NSW Agriculture, Finley, NSW, 2713 ⁴CFM Ltd, Woodlands, Darlington Point, NSW, 2706

Abstract

Much of the irrigation water used in the irrigation areas of the southern Murray Darling Basin supports enterprises which are only marginally viable. Some of these enterprises are producing low-value commodities, better suited to low-input more extensively managed situations and others are producing crop yields well below what is achievable. A two stage procedure was put in place to redress these problems. Firstly, agronomic and management best practices and benchmarks were established for each of the main irrigated crops and pastures by agricultural consultants and agency staff using farmer surveys, published literature and experience from Australia and overseas. Secondly, this information was validated and, where necessary modified, by technical working groups for use in the development of extension packages to increase adoption of the best management practices for each of the crops.

Key words: Irrigated cropping, best management practices, benchmarks, pasture.

A high proportion of the irrigation water in the southern Murray Darling Basin (SMDB) is used on crops or pastures which fail to reach their full potential for economic yield. On farms with a mixed range of cropping and non-dairy livestock enterprises, irrigation water is often used on pasture for relatively low financial gain.

Following recommendations from an industry development plan published by the Southern Murray Darling Basin Irrigated Cropping Forum (7), the Murray Darling Basin Commission funded a project aimed at increasing the value of returns from irrigation water and to therefore increase farm viability. The procedure adopted to achieve these aims is described in this paper.

Method

The initial work to identify benchmarks and best management practices was undertaken in four stages:

• Benchmarks and best management practices for wheat, maize, soybeans, rice, tomatoes and lucerne. Undertaken by private consultants and government agency staff.

• Benchmarks and best management practices for barley, canola, faba beans, oaten hay for export, sunflowers and cotton. Undertaken by private consultants and government agency staff.

• Benchmarks and best management practices for irrigated pastures. Undertaken by government agency staff.

• Benchmarks and best management practices for cropping systems. Undertaken by private consultants and government agency staff.

The first three studies looked at individual crops and irrigated pastures as separate entities, while the fourth study looked at the farming system, including crops and pastures, and how they interrelate with each other, the environment and people.

Results of the first two studies were used by interstate technical working groups, usually made up of twelve expert research and extension staff and farmer representatives for each of the main crops. Each group worked to validate and where necessary modify, the benchmarks and best management practices to draft and print grower guides and field crop-checking proformers to form the basis of educational and decision support materials for use by the existing networks of State and private extension agronomists in their farmer groups. A steering committee and two project officers, one based with Agriculture Victoria (Tatura) and the other with NSW Agriculture (Finley), facilitated the process.

The two project officers assisted district extension agronomists with resource materials and with collection, collation, analysis and reporting of field data provided by farmers on the crop-checking forms. Reporting of results included potential modifications to current recommendations according to the outcomes of the previous season.

Results

The benchmarks and best management practices of wheat, maize, soybeans, rice, tomatoes, lucerne, barley, canola, faba beans, oaten hay for export, sunflowers and cotton were documented for irrigation areas in the SMDB in June 1995 and January 1997 (2, 3). The bench- marks and best management practices for irrigated pastures and cropping systems in the SMDB are due for final publication before July 1998.

More than 5,000 growers guides and field crop-checking proformers were used in State and private extension programs for wheat, canola, maize, soybeans and lucerne (1, 4, 5, 1, 6, 8). During 1998 similar pack- ages will be produced for faba beans, barley and sunflowers. Most of these packages went through at least one cycle of farmer-use and review by a technical working group.

The numbers of farmers who participated fully in crop-checking by providing accurate field information for the central data-base depended greatly on the level of support and the amount of promotion by district extension officers and the level of expectation from both the extension officers and farmers that timely feed-back would result before the onset of the next growing season. The numbers of farmers contributing paddock information varied from approximately 30 to over 100 for each of the crops.

Conclusion

The outlined procedure allows a system of farmer education and continual improvement. Average economic yields can be increased with experienced and inexperienced farmers learning from each other and by relating past and current practices to performance. However, suitable levels of farmer participation in group crop-checking relies heavily on promotion by district extension officers and a guarantee of accurate and timely feedback on the results of crop comparisons.

Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the Natural Resources Management Strategy of the Murray Darling Basin Commission and supported by NSW and Victorian State agencies. Farmers and extension agronomists supported the work through the Southern Murray Darling Basin Irrigated Cropping Forum and through involvement with surveys, technical working groups and crop-checking programs.

References

1. Canola check - irrigation and dryland. 1997. Edited by S. Lolicato. Agriculture Victoria/NSW Agriculture. 4 pp.

2. Inland Agricultural. 1995. Benchmarks and best management practices for irrigated cropping industries in the southern Murray Darling Basin. Phase 1. Report to the Murray Darling Basin Commission. 183 pp.

3. Inland Agricultural 1997. Benchmarks and best management practices for irrigated cropping industries in the southern Murray Darling Basin. Phase 2. Report to the Murray Darling Basin Commission. 234 pp.

4. Irrigated lucerne 1997. Edited by S. Lolicato. Agriculture Victoria/NSW Agriculture. 38 pp.

5. Irrigated wheat check recommendations. 1997. Edited by A. Varley. NSW Agriculture/Agriculture Victoria. 50 pp.

6. Maizecheck recommendations. 1997. Edited by S. Lolicato. Agriculture Victoria/NSW Agriculture. 19 pp.

7. Southern Murray Darling Basin Irrigated Cropping Forum. 1994. "A New Era for Irrigated Cropping - An industry Development Plan". 36 pp.

8. Soycheck 1997/98. 1997. Edited by A. Varley. NSW Agriculture/Agriculture Victoria. 52 pp.