THE first field day for the state government’s New Horizon trial site at Cadgee will be held on Tuesday, October 28, from 10.30am.
The site, hosted by the Price family and located on Cadgee Road, has been trialling the application of new advances in soil science and management to increase crop production since January.
PIRSA’s group executive director Andrew Johnson said the field day provided a big opportunity for interested farmers in the South East to understand more about the New Horizons program, an initiative of the State Government’s Premium Food and Wine from a Clean Environment strategic policy.
“New Horizons program is undertaking significant research and trials into ways to boost agricultural production in SA,” he said.
“In the past, research has focused on the top 10 centimetres of soil where most roots grow and standard agricultural equipment can reach. New Horizons is focussed on increasing productivity by managing all of the top 50cm of soil.
“Across SA, up to 40 per cent of the area under dryland agriculture has soil constraints that could be overcome and in the South East region it is estimated that around 1.46 million hectares that could be modified.
“It is anticipated that this cutting-edge research could result in an additional $800,000 worth of food production per annum in SA and we believe the new methods of farming that emerge out of the program will provide an impetus to development of a new high-value manufacturing industry in agricultural machinery.”
The Cadgee site is one of three New Horizon trials sites in SA, with others at Karoonda in the Murray Mallee and Brimpton Lake on the Eyre Peninsula.
New Horizons is a PIRSA initiative being delivered in collaboration with farming systems groups, the University of SA, the University of Adelaide and DEWNR.
