Mallee Sustainable Farming Research Officer Louise Brok shares insights from the Millewa long-term crop rotation trial established in 2025 in the Victorian Mallee. The trial is evaluating pulse-inclusive farming systems, featuring 50% legumes across five fully phased rotations over four years. The project is investigating profitability, nitrogen fixation and fertiliser requirements, and groundcover retention. Designed for the low-organic-carbon sandy soils of the region, the work aims to test and validate farming systems that improve both productivity and resilience in high-risk environments.

Despite an extremely dry 2025 season — with crops dry sown on 5 May and receiving only around 90 mm of growing-season rainfall — the trials still delivered valuable early insights.

This episode explores the first-year results from the crop rotation and legume integration trial, along with additional demonstrations including wheat–vetch intercropping with varying vetch termination timings and a MAP fertiliser rate demonstration.

📄 Year 1 Results Fact Sheet: Millewa Fact Sheet Year 1
📋 Legume based cropping systems project page: Legume Based Cropping Systems - Mallee Sustainable Farming

This project is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Natural Heritage Trust under the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program.

Mallee Sustainable Farming Research Officer Louise Brok shares insights from the Millewa long-term crop rotation trial established in 2025 in the Victorian Mallee. The trial is evaluating pulse-inclusive farming systems, featuring 50% legumes across five fully phased rotations over four years. The project is investigating profitability, nitrogen fixation and fertiliser requirements, and groundcover retention. Designed for the low-organic-carbon sandy soils of the region, the work aims to test and validate farming systems that improve both productivity and resilience in high-risk environments.
Despite an extremely dry 2025 season &mdash; with crops dry sown on 5 May and receiving only around 90 mm of growing-season rainfall &mdash; the trials still delivered valuable early insights.
This episode explores the first-year results from the crop rotation and legume integration trial, along with additional demonstrations including wheat&ndash;vetch intercropping with varying vetch termination timings and a MAP fertiliser rate demonstration.
📄 Year 1 Results Fact Sheet:&nbsp;<a href="https://msfp.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Millewa-Fact-Sheet-Year-1.pdf">Millewa Fact Sheet Year 1</a> 📋 Legume based cropping systems project page: <a href="https://msfp.org.au/projects/legume-based-cropping-systems/">Legume Based Cropping Systems - Mallee Sustainable Farming</a>
This project is supported by the Australian Government through funding from the Natural Heritage Trust under the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program.

MSF's Farm Talk Podcast proudly brings Farmers, Researchers and Ag Industry connections together to chat innovative farming practices to help build a sustainable farming future for our Mallee growers. Mallee Sustainable Farming is a farmer-driven organisation specialising in Research, Development and Extension for NSW, VIC & SA's low-rainfall Mallee region. For more information visit: www.msfp.org.au/podcast 

MSF's Farm Talk Podcast proudly brings Farmers, Researchers and Ag Industry connections together to chat innovative farming practices to help build a sustainable farming future for our Mallee growers. Mallee Sustainable Farming is a farmer-driven organisation specialising in Research, Development and Extension for NSW, VIC &amp; SA's low-rainfall Mallee region. For more information visit: <a href="http://www.msfp.org.au/podcast">www.msfp.org.au/podcast</a>&nbsp;

MSF Farm Talk Podcast

MSF's Farm Talk Podcast proudly brings Farmers, Researchers and Ag Industry connections together to chat innovative farming practices to help build a sustainable farming future for our Mallee growers. Mallee Sustainable Farming is a farmer-driven organisation specialising in Research, Development and Extension for NSW, VIC & SA's low-rainfall Mallee region.

MSF's Farm Talk Podcast proudly brings Farmers, Researchers and Ag Industry connections together to chat innovative farming practices to help build a sustainable farming future for our Mallee growers. Mallee Sustainable Farming is a farmer-driven organisation specialising in Research, Development and Extension for NSW, VIC &amp; SA's low-rainfall Mallee region.