The 2024 season challenged farmers due to the lack of rainfall and the consequences that typically follow low or no-rainfall cropping years. Effective soil management is key to maximising crop performance. A deeper understanding of the soil-plant continuum has shaped the development of dry sowing techniques, including their risks, challenges, and potential benefits. Every farmer approaches dry sowing differently, and knowledge in this area has grown rapidly through collaboration and transparency. Ideally, crops would always be sown into soil with sufficient moisture, but that isn’t a reality every season. To progress forward and learn from the dry season, we need to reflect on the decisions, and areas of success and failure throughout 2024.
Photo: ABC News “(Supplied: Andre Eylward)”