By Melissa Blewitt

Farmers, researchers and agricultural industry representatives gathered in Condobolin for a Spring Field Day showcasing a range of farming trials, research and practical strategies.
Hosted by Central West Farming Systems (CWFS) on Tuesday, 8 September the event featured field walks, demonstrations and discussions covering drought resilience, plant diversity, lucerne, soil health, carbon projects, sheep production and on-farm experimentation.
Research agronomist and Southern Cross University Centre for Organics Research Director Professor Terry Rose was among the presenters, leading the Plant Diversity Trial.
With a career spanning on-farm agronomy with DPI NSW, field trials work in the United Kingdom and national soil and crop nutrition research, Professor Rose brought a focus on broadacre crop nutrition and sustainable farming systems.
His presentation on the plant diversity trial provided participants with an opportunity to examine the research and hear from an experienced agronomist about the role of diversity in building more resilient farming systems.
The Long Term Lucerne Project was presented by Wendy Gill of Achieve Ag Consultancy, with discussion focusing on lucerne variety performance and plant persistence data.
Ms Gill is a mixed farming and sheep production consultant and the founder of Achieve Ag Consultancy in Forbes. With a Bachelor of Agricultural Science and extensive experience across rural and regional NSW, she works with producers on sheep genetics, fodder systems and business benchmarking.
Soil health and nutrient management were also examined, with Dr Yunying Fang, a senior soil scientist at Griffith University, visiting the demonstration site for the two-year Soil CRC project.
The project is trialling new organic-based nitrogen fertilisers developed by Griffith University.
Dr Fang holds a PhD from the University of Sydney and has a research background with NSW DPI, with her work focusing on soil health, nutrient cycling and organic-based nitrogen fertilisers.
The CWFS Climate Smart Flock Management Project also attracted interest, with a portable weighing system allowing producers to access liveweight data directly from the paddock.
The field day included an update on the On-Farm Experimentation project, with presenters taking participants through the trial site near Condobolin.
The project is designed to help local growers test and assess farming practices under real paddock conditions.
RiskWi$e was another focus of the day, with discussion around the Carbon Theme and the considerations involved in assessing potential soil carbon projects.
Growers were taken through issues including what is measured, the carbon market and the broader decision-making process involved in determining whether a carbon project is suitable for an individual farming operation.
The event provided producers with an opportunity to see current trials firsthand, hear from researchers and consultants, and discuss how different practices could be applied to their own farming operations.