Network to bring benefits
Rainbow district farmers will VRRQ EH WKH EHQH¿FLDULHV RI a new soil-moisture probe network in the region.
Rainbow and District Landcare Group, with advice from Agriculture Victoria, has created the network.
Agriculture Victoria HopetounEDVHG H[WHQVLRQ RI¿FHU +HDWKHU Drendel said the network, made SRVVLEOH ZLWK ¿QDQFLDO VXSSRUW IURP Wimmera and Mallee catchment management authorities, would be a valuable tool for farmers.
She said farmers could hear how to use data from the network to PDQDJH ULVNV DQG LQFUHDVH SUR¿W ability at a free Agriculture Victoria information forum at Rainbow on December 17.
Ms Drendel said the forum would provide district producers with an opportunity to meet over breakfast and gain an understanding of the EHQH¿WV RI WKH GHYHORSPHQW
During the forum, Agriculture Victoria’s seasonal risk agronomist Dale Boyd will present an example of the data generated by the network and translate the information so it is relevant to farmers and can be used as a risk-management tool.
Birchip Cropping Group technical RI¿FHU &KULV &RRN ZLOO H[SODLQ KRZ farmers can receive the soil-moisture data through the ‘blue node’, and how the information can be used.
Ms Drendel said soil-moisture data could help grain growers manage inputs, particularly nitrogen, and could also be used to make crop-rotation decisions. “Knowing soil-moisture levels helps to better assess the production risk of different crop types and improve estimations of potential yield during the season,” she said.
The free forum will be at The Oasis, the former Rainbow Primary School site. The event will start at 7.30am with a breakfast, with the forum starting at 8.30am.
People seeking more information can call Ms Drendel on 0427 868 705.