WANTFA conducts research trials and demonstrations at the WANTFA Technology Demonstration Site located 135km east of Perth on the Great Eastern Highway, just four kilometres west of the town of Meckering in the central wheatbelt of Western Australia.
The trials are featured at post seeding and pre harvest field walks, and at the largest agronomic field day in WA, the WANTFA Spring Field Day on 9 September 2008. The results of the trials will be launched at the WANTFA Conference on 13 March 2008 and are available for purchase from WANTFA.
The WANTFA Technology Demonstration Site was established to give a focal point for the no-till conservation farming system, where the practises and methodology of no-till can be researched and demonstrated to the wider agricultural community. This is a demonstration site that embraces and promotes leading and best practice agronomic methodology, and if a best practice needs challenging then this is carried out on the site in a scientific manner.
The Site is designed to generate discussion between farmers and the research sector and it tackles topical crop establishment, nutrition, disease and weed management issues that affect no-till systems. Many trials are done as collaborative efforts with agricultural companies, and research organisations including the Department of Agriculture and Food WA and the University of Western Australia play a vital role.
The highlight on the site is the WANTFA Spring Field Day where international, interstate and local speakers are invited to deliver presentations relevant to no-till farming systems. The Spring Field Day brings together many of the themes of no-till farming in an effort to demonstrate a systems approach to no-till and conservation farming.
WANTFA encourages visitors to the site and hosts visits throughout the year from industry groups, scientific groups, and interstate and international visitors. More than one thousand visitors pass through the site each year. If you would like to arrange a visit please contact Ken Flower at WANTFA on telephone +61 8 9622 5584 or email ken.flower@wantfa.com.au.
Back to topThe long term average rainfall for the site from January to September is 297 mm.The long-term average total annual rainfall for the site is 348mm per annum.
Site History
The 21 hectare Meckering site was leased from Colin and Natalie Pearse in 1999. The three years of paddock history pre-1999 were self-regenerating subclover-based pasture in 1996, canola in 1997 and wheat in 1998.
The 21 hectares were divided into three equal sections of 7 ha, and each of these sections has been divided into three smaller blocks, the year before trials are sown onto them. These smaller blocks are either lupin, wheat or sub-clover based pasture. Two years before the trials are sown the 7 ha large block is bulk sown with barley.
The trial site is on sand plain soil, typical of the Western Australia wheatbelt, and is located 4 km west of the town of Meckering , 135km east of Perth . The soil is duplex, being 15-30cm of sand over clay, and contains iron and aluminium oxide pebbles (gravel) that are sometimes at the surface or in a band at the sand and clay interface. Most of the site supported the native tamma tree, which indicates a good quality duplex soil - relative to WA agriculture.
Back to topThe WANTFA trial program is overseen by a Research and Development Management Committee. The Committee discusses the management issues of the site and decides on the season's trial work. All trials, including Department of Agriculture and Food WA, WANTFA, farmer-suggested and consultant-suggested, are collated and voted on by the committee to ensure trials are selected with farmer, consultant and WANTFA input.
The current committee is chaired by Beacon grower Ty Kirbyand includes: Dr Ken Flower, WANTFA site manager, Michael Lamond, Agrisearch site manager, James Eyres, Farm Focus site consultant, Geoffrey Marshall, farmer, a WANTFA Committee Member, WANTFA members Colin Pearse, grower and owner of the site, Merv Burges, Kit Leake, Owen Brownley and Ray Fulwood, Tom Sweeny from the Department of Agriculture and Food, Craig Ruchs from Syngenta, Erin Cahil from CSBP and Bill Crabtree of Crabtree Agricultural Consulting, a WANTFA Life Member.
The WANTFA Technology Demonstration Site is a collaborative effort funded by the GRDC and number of corporate and research sponsors. The GRDC have had a long term funding arrangement with WANTFA for the site, which ends in 2009. The Department of Agriculture and Food WA is a collaborator.
Our industry partners are an important part of the site and WANTFA would like to thank them for their support.
GRDC – Grains Research and Development Corporation
www.grdc.com.au
Department of Agriculture and Food WA
www.agric.wa.gov.au
Australian Primary Superannuation Fund
www.australianprimary.com.au
Agrisearch
www.agrisearch.com.au
