Adaptation on the Eyre Peninsula: Amanda Cook at the Master Class

Amanda Cook joined the Master Class as a participant, representing low-rainfall farming and research in her role as Research Scientist with SARDI at the Minnipa Agricultural Centre. She provided the following outline of her experience in the Master Class and adaptation more broadly in the Eyre Peninsula, SA.

As a participant in the Climate Change Master Class I am looking forward to learning how different agricultural industries around Australia plan to adapt and meet the challenges to maintain production and have more efficient systems for the future.

As a SARDI researcher, based at the Minnipa Agricultural Centre on Upper Eyre Peninsula (240 mm growing season rainfall) and part of a farm business, I believe low rainfall agricultural systems are adapting, and the challenges of farming in the future will require more flexible farming systems and targeted inputs.

Low rainfall farming systems on Eyre Peninsula are already adapting with ‘Grain and Graze’ or dual purpose paddocks. This involves sowing a low input cereal which can either be used to feed stock in poor seasons, or harvested for grain if the season is good and extra stock feed is not required. Other management strategies, such as minimum tillage and dry sowing a proportion of seeding programs, are part of current farming systems.

Ultra short season varieties, such as Axe, are already an important risk management tool to allow quick plant maturity in late seasons and to minimise the damage by extreme events such as high temperatures and drying winds in spring. Plant breeding will be essential for low rainfall systems for the future with new drought and heat tolerant varieties.

Maintaining livestock within low rainfall farming systems is essential as a business risk management tool. Water management is an important issue on Eyre Peninsula to maintain stock, which was highlighted on the visit to Mark and Andrea Hanneman’s water catchment.

I look forward to the rest of the Master Class program to learn from other industries and possibly adapt other techniques to low rainfall farming systems.