Early Sowing, Legumes, and Long-Term Fertility
As we progress into the 2025 season, it’s clear that cropping systems are shifting and fast. In the latest MSF Farm Talk podcast, Dr. Nigel Wilhelm from SARDI joins host Nick Paltridge for a deep dive into the evolution of Mallee farming systems and where they’re heading next. With decades of experience in soil fertility, crop nutrition, and farming system research, Dr. Wilhelm discusses crop agronomy and nutrition going into 2025 and offers practical insights grounded in long-term trials and real-world farmer results.
More Than Just Marginal Gains
Early sowing and summer weed control have been game changers in the Mallee regions. “It’s that increase in growing season, from early sowing and strict summer weed control, that’s delivered massive gains,” Dr. Wilhelm explains. These management changes have improved yield potential even in the most marginal areas.
Legumes Taking the Lead
From field pea and vetch to lentil and chickpea, legumes have come a long way. Dr. Wilhelm shares findings from Mallee trials that surprised even the researchers. “We were staggered at how beneficial those legume options could be in areas once considered too risky,” he says. What started as break crops are now holding their own as profitable components of the rotation.
MSF continues to build on this with long-term trials backed by GRDC’s RiskWi$e project and the Mallee CMA examining how high legume intensity rotations perform in terms of profitability, nitrogen use efficiency, and ground cover.
2025 Fertiliser Strategy: Think Long-Term
The topic of fertiliser inputs for 2025 is also discussed in the podcast, with Nigel expressing the view that it’s probably best to use a long-term outlook when developing nutrient regimes—not trying to fine-tune fertiliser applications based on what the crop used last year.
“What’s evolving now in crop nutrition is trying to take a long-term view,” he explains. “We will have had some N carryover from N and P last year, but if you can afford to, try to keep inputs at where you have been and fertilise for a 10-year outlook.”
It’s timely advice for farmers planning their next moves after a tough season, especially when every input decision needs to strike a balance between cost and future productivity.
🎧 Listen: Want to hear more? Tune in to the full episode of MSF Farm Talk with Dr. Nigel Wilhelm
📘 Also explore: our new “101 Questions About SA Cropping Soils You Were Never Game to Ask” available on Soils Connect, packed with practical, research-backed knowledge to help farmers better understand and manage their soils and tips for improving soil function and productivity. A resource for farmers, advisors and soil enthusiasts.
🌱 Stay tuned for trial updates from our Millewa and Gol Gol long-term sites including field day info, trial summaries, and more as the season unfolds.
This blog and podcast episode are proudly supported by the South Australian Grain Industry Trust (SAGIT) through the project Enhancing Farmer Knowledge of Soil Function to Improve Management Outcomes, and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) through the RiskWi$e initiative with Mallee CMA for both their support in further long-term trials in 2025. Comparing a range of rotations with high legume intensities, assessing impacts on profitability, ground cover and the nitrogen balance.
Lastly a special thanks to Dr. Nigel Wilhelm from the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) for generously sharing his time, deep agronomic knowledge built over years of research into Mallee farming systems. We’re fortunate to have his ongoing support and contribution to the region.
