IT’S usually referred to as ‘the PVI’ but its proper title nowadays is “Hamilton Smartfarm” and there is a lot going on there.

While the site has been operating for well over 60 years, as an agricultural research station, the Victorian SmartFarm programme was instigated in 2021 across five locations.

Besides Hamilton other smartfarms are at Horsham, Mildura, Tatura (near Shepparton) and Ellinbank (South Gippsland).

The SmartFarms are focussed on research into crop, pasture and livestock challenges thrown up by the ever-changing agricultural landscape.

They also assist farmers with the multi-faceted problems associated with emissions reduction; there is some highly relevant work going on which will favourably impact district farmers in the years to come.

The Hamilton SmartFarm extends to about one thousand hectares and is focussed on grazing and grain-growing in high rainfall areas.

Lower rainfall grain growing is based at the Horsham establishment with horticulture situated at Mildura and Tatura and dairying being catered for at Ellinbank.

The SmartFarms partner with industry, agribusiness, tertiary institutions and local farming communities to advance research and innovation in a range of disciplines relevant to the advancement of agriculture.

The Spectator recently met with two lead researchers as well as the head of a scheme actively assisting farmers in their carbon emission reductions.

Penny Riffkin and Industrial Hemp

SENIOR research scientist, Penny Riffkin has been running the Industrial Hemp Variety Trials (IHVT) since 2021.

The research has the objective of assessing the best strains of industrial hemp for growing in high rainfall areas.

The IHVT is a three-way partnership between the Hamilton SmartFarm, Agriculture Victoria and AgriFutures Australia.

AgriFutures Australia is one of 15 Research and Development Corporations (RDCs). 

It services the research needs of diverse non-grain rural industries including; chicken meat, honey bees, tea tree oil, pasture seeds, export fodder, thoroughbred horses, kangaroos, buffalo, deer, goat fibre, ratites (emus and ostriches) and, in this case, hemp.

Industrial hemp is a variety of the Cannabis sativa plant species that is grown specifically for industrial purposes.

It has very low levels of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the psychoactive compound found in marijuana, typically less than 0.3 per cent.

Ms Riffkin told The Spectator, “Hemp is the oldest cultivated crop and is now experiencing something of a renaissance.”

Indeed, hemp growing dates back to 8000 BC (i.e. 10,000 years ago) where it was grown in China before being carried westwards along trade routes.

By 1200 BC it was being grown in Europe and was cultivated by the Ancient Greeks and Romans.

In the Middle Ages, it was an important part of European agriculture, being used for making sails, ropes, and clothing.

It was a vital resource for seafaring nations, especially during the Age of Exploration.

“It has potential in many areas; as a food grain, in cosmetics, and as fibre for textiles and paper,” Ms Riffkin said.

The Industrial Hemp varieties being trialled at Hamilton are different from those used for medicinal cannabis oil, cannabidiol.

Ms Riffkin went on to explain that her research focussed, amongst other things, on establishing the best sowing time for hemp.

Hemp is a fast growing, spring-sown crop with a 90 to 180-day rotation length with the quicker maturation being found in the grain bearing varieties as opposed to the slower maturing fibre focussed strains.

“There are also some dual-purpose varieties,” she said.

Part of the research is establishing the optimum sowing times, from October to December, for various strains of hemp.

She went on to say, “It’s an emerging crop.  The hemp industry is still young in Australia and there is work to be done in the areas of infrastructure and supply chains.”

With the research going on at the SmartFarm contributing to a growing knowledge base, industrial hemp has a bright future.

Professor Kevin Smith: DairyBio and Resilient Foragers

KEVIN Smith is professor of Pasture Science at the University of Melbourne where he studied for his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees.

His research area is genetics, particularly those of pastures.

At the SmartFarm, he is involved with the DairyBio and Resilient Foragers research programmes.

DairyBio is a large research project funded by Agriculture Victoria, Dairy Australia and the Gardiner Dairy Foundation.

The latter is named after Sir Edward Weary Dunlop’s uncle, William Gardiner, a pioneer of the Australian dairy industry.

In essence, DairyBio is focussed on developing new pasture genetics which are adapted to cope with ongoing climate change.

Professor Smith uses genomic selection which he said, “has revolutionised animal breeding and is now being extended into plant breeding.”

This process allows the researcher to test progeny genetically, in the laboratory, before field trials.

“This has tripled the rate of genetic gain,” he said.

“We must have techniques like this.”

While the DairyBio programme’s title suggests that it is industry specific, its benefits will be felt in beef and prime lamb production with standard pasture species such as perennial ryegrass and cocksfoot being targeted.

Resilient Foragers (RF) is part of Dairy FeedBase which, in turn, is a sister programme to DairyBio.

The RF programme evolved from the development of Pasture Smarts, a commercially available, satellite-based mobile ‘app’ which enables farmers to see how much standing feed is available paddock by paddock.

While Pasture Smarts is based on the overall measurement of standing dry matter, the RF programme is asking whether the app can be improved to measure multi-species swards.

Professor Smith is investigating pasture mixes with permutations of four grasses, four legumes and four herbs.

The herbs include Chicory, Plantain, Yarrow and Sheep’s Burnet.

These herbs are of interest because besides their deep taproots and concomitant drought tolerance, they may have a beneficial impact on methane generation by sheep and cattle.

Indeed, Professor Smith is right at the cutting edge of pasture research.

Dr Ralph Behrendt and the On-Farm Emissions Action Plan Pilot

LEAVING the research side of activities at the Hamilton SmartFarm, Dr Ralph Behrendt heads up the On-Farm Emissions Action Plan Pilot (OFEAPP).

This programme started in 2022 and is running to mid-2025.

Its aim is to help farmers in Australia reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their agricultural practices.

It seeks to achieve this by helping farmers introduce sustainable practices as well as providing support and guidance.

Dr Behrendt told The Spectator, “Farmers are looking for one to one guidance.  They ask; what are my (greenhouse gas) emission numbers and what are the remedies?”

He went on to say, “Usually high emissions are a sign of an inefficiency.”

The main areas where improvements can be made are fertiliser management, methane reduction, soil carbon sequestration and renewable energy.

There are four members of Ralph’s team which covers the whole state.

To date, they have made some 140 visits and completed about 100 Action plans.

A new plan will be considered in 2025 when the current scheme expires.

Dr Behrendt told The Spectator that there is government funding available to implement emissions reduction measures arising from the OFEAPP.

Ralph Behrendt and his team are giving great assistance in an area of farm management which is vital but complex.

All in all, one can see that the old “PVI” in its revamped SmartFarm format is well abreast of the times.