About the project
Mixed farming systems are the most common type of farm system in southern Australia and make up around 70% of farms in NSW. They have separate grazing, cropping and livestock systems which require careful integration to optimise productivity, especially during times of drought.
By testing and analysing different mixed farming treatments that balance flexibility with stability, the Southern NSW Drought Resilient Mixed Farming System Trials project is identifying which system, when viewed as a whole, result in the highest productivity, economic value and environmental sustainability of each individual component in the system. The project commenced in 2023/24 and will run until 2027/28.
Listen to project lead Dr Shawn McGrath on the Gulbali Report podcast, explaining how the project compares four common farming systems that use crops, livestock and pastures perform in variable seasonal conditions and how different treatments and systems can help farmers in southern NSW maintain their businesses in a changing climate.
Cross-Hub connections
This project is also closely coordinated with one led by the Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption & Innovation Hub based at The University of Melbourne's Dookie College campus, covering practices to improve drought resilience in mixed-farming, grazing and broadacre-grain systems.
