Funding Body: Australian Government Future Drought Fund & South Coast NRM

The Future Drought Fund (FDF) Scaling Success Program is a South Coast-wide initiative designed to build the drought and climate resilience of farmers and land managers through practical planning, on-farm demonstrations, peer-to-peer learning and access to regionally relevant information.

The project builds on the successful Farmers Helping Farmers to Maximise Soil Moisture and Production program delivered by South Coast NRM in partnership with Gillamii, RAIN and the Fitzgerald Biosphere Group from 2021–2023. The Scaling Success program will expand and strengthen this approach across the South Coast, recognising the diversity of farming systems, climates and local capacity across the region.

Gillamii’s Project Deliverables:

• Review and monitoring of 8 sub-surface drainage demonstration sites

• Installation of Farm Bots and weather monitoring equipment at selected sites

• Development of 8 farmer case studies

• Contribution to an additional 8 regional case studies

• Development of a Sub-surface Drainage Best-Practice Guide

• Regional drought preparedness professional development

• Gillamii Spring Field Day featuring sub-surface drainage and farm water security

Gillamii’s activities will focus on demonstrating how sub-surface drainage can capture and retain fresh water, improve water availability and support agricultural production during dry conditions. Four existing demonstration sites in the Frankland River region will be monitored over 12 months, including the use of Farm Bots to collect rainfall, water volume and flow-rate data. The project will also revisit four previous Gillamii demonstration sites in the Tambellup and East Cranbrook region to assess long-term system performance, durability, financial outcomes and productivity benefits.

The project will turn these on-ground experiences and results into practical resources for growers, including farmer case studies and a regionally relevant Sub-surface Drainage Best-Practice Guide covering planning, installation, maintenance and expected productivity outcomes. The guide will draw on input and technical review from experts including DPIRD and researchers working with sub-surface drainage and water conservation in comparable climates.

Through demonstration sites, field days, professional development and extension materials, the project will help farmers build their knowledge and confidence in drought planning, farm water management and practical resilience strategies. Farmer-to-farmer learning is a key component of the broader program, reflecting consultation findings that growers value practical experience and peer learning when considering new practices.

Gillamii will also contribute to regional Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning activities, helping capture farmer experiences and outcomes to strengthen future drought preparedness programs across the South Coast.

Funding Body: GGA & GRDC
Funds: $90,000

The Optimising Crop Establishment project aims to improve growers’ knowledge, skills and confidence in making crop establishment decisions that support stronger crop performance and yield outcomes.

Project Deliverables:

• Baseline surveys with local grain growers and advisors

• Regional seeder setup workshop

• Large-scale crop establishment demonstration trial

• On-farm data collection, monitoring and evaluation

• Communication and extension resources

Gillamii’s involvement in the project will focus on developing locally relevant knowledge around crop establishment across the diverse soil types and seeding constraints of the Kent–Frankland region. Local challenges include soil acidity, low fertility, poor water-holding capacity, non-wetting soils and susceptibility to wind erosion.

The project will include a regional seeder setup workshop designed to provide practical, manufacturer-independent guidance on seeding configurations, soil types, decision points, reseeding considerations, weed suppression and other agronomic factors that influence crop establishment.

Gillamii will also co-design and facilitate a large-scale farmer demonstration trial to benchmark and validate crop establishment strategies under local conditions. The trial will use standardised data collection and soil and environmental characterisation to generate robust, science-based evidence for growers and the wider grains industry.

Gillamii’s initial proposal identified potential areas of interest for the demonstration trial including the use of wetter and/or the amount of nitrogen applied at sowing, reflecting local grower interest and the region’s variable soil constraints.

Through on-farm demonstration, workshops, grower engagement and extension activities, the project will support producers to make more informed crop establishment decisions and improve access to practical, evidence-based agronomic knowledge. Gillamii will also contribute to ongoing Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) activities to capture grower experiences, barriers to adoption and lessons that can improve future extension.

The broader project aims to ensure that by 2030, at least 75% of grain growers have access to the knowledge and skills required to improve crop establishment, contributing to an average annual yield uplift of 1–3% across 25% of hectares nationally.

A full project report will be available upon completion.

Funding Body: GGA & Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, & Forestry
Funds: $276,000

The MUSTER initiative is designed to strengthen the capability and confidence of Western Australian sheep and wool producers by extending relevant, evidence-based best practice knowledge.

Project Deliverables:

2026-2028 Livestock Producer Upskilling Program (Ladies Group & Young Farmers)

3 Optiweigh Demonstration Sites (2x Optiweighs)

Extension Material Development

Gillamii’s MUSTER activities will improve the ability of local sheep and wool producers to use technology and data to make confident, timely grazing and feeding decisions, resulting in better flock nutrition, improved labour efficiency, and more resilient grazing systems. While Gillamii manages six MLA Producer Demonstration Sites across the region, MUSTER extension will focus on one site, where 2 OptiWeigh Sheep machines will be installed to showcase liveweight monitoring and data-driven decision-making. Through on-farm demonstrations, the AWI Lifetime Ewe Management ‘New to Sheep’ program (hosted by Ed Riggall/Principal Consultant at AgPro Management four times per year), case studies, and digital extension materials, we aim to directly engage 30–50 producers and 10–15 advisors, with additional indirect reach via webinars and other resources.

Producers will learn how to use liveweight data as a practical proxy for condition scoring, interpret trends to inform grazing, supplementation, and confinement feeding decisions, link feed-on-offer and pasture condition to animal performance, integrate OptiWeigh and EID technology into daily management, and reduce labour while improving decision-making confidence. Impact will be measured through attendance and participation records, demonstration site data including liveweight trends and management responses, pre- and post-activity surveys capturing changes in understanding and adoption intent, and follow-up feedback from producers on how the technology has influenced their management decisions.

A full project report will be available upon completion.

Funding Body: GGA & GRDC
Funds: $24,000

Pulses remain a relatively small component of Western Australia’s broadacre cropping systems, yet they offer well-recognised benefits including nitrogen fixation, disease breaks, and diversification of farm income. In the Great Southern region, legumes such as lupins are commonly used for grazing, soil improvement, and on-farm feed, but are less frequently grown for grain production due to market and management uncertainties.

Recent developments in export pathways, including successful shipments of faba beans through the Port of Albany, are creating new market opportunities for growers. As a result, interest in faba bean production is increasing across the Gillamii catchment and wider Albany Port Zone. However, adoption remains limited due to perceived risks associated with seasonal variability, establishment challenges, and uncertainty around optimal input management—particularly nitrogen application.

This trial aims to evaluate practical management strategies to improve the productivity and profitability of faba beans under medium to high rainfall conditions. A strip trial will compare standard grower practice with an optimised nitrogen strategy to assess impacts on crop establishment, nodulation, biomass, yield, and grain quality.

By generating locally relevant, real-farm data, this project will provide growers with greater confidence in faba bean production and clearer guidance on input decisions. Ultimately, the trial seeks to identify management approaches that close the economic yield gap for grain legumes while supporting more resilient and profitable farming systems in Western Australia.