Improving farming system efficiency in Southern New South Wales (GRDC 2017-2023)

This data collection includes experimental and modelling data collected from the Southern Farming Systems Project (SFS) in NSW. The aim of the project was to improve farming systems efficiency in Southern NSW by exploring strategies like increased diversity with legumes, different nitrogen (N) fertilisation strategies, and early sowing for dual-purpose crops versus grain-only systems. The data was collected over 6-years at each of four sites, Wagga Wagga, Greenethorpe, Urana, and Condobolin from 2018 to 2023. The different rotational strategies implemented at each site were fully phased and the data provided describes: the environment, crop management including herbicide, pesticide and fertiliser applications, yield, change in soil water and soil nitrogen, grain quality and system economics. \nThe experimental datasets include measurements of crop establishment, crop production (grain yield, yield components and grain quality), soil water and mineral nitrogen (measured down to 2 m depth at both pre-sowing and post-harvest each year), record of sowing and agrochemicals application (herbicide, pesticide, fungicide and synthetic fertiliser), biotic stress (weed and disease pressure), system economics (variable costs, grain prices and gross margin); grazing (for early-sowing grazed systems only); site characterisation and daily weather data.\nThe modelling datasets include two sets of modelling using APSIM at all four sites, one set was 66-years (1959-2023) long-term modelling of a range of alternative farming systems vs. a baseline at each site and the other set was annual modelling of the individual experimental plots during 2018-2023.\n\nLineage: Data was collected from field experiments as part of the Southern Farming Systems (SFS) project in NSW. Modelling data was simulated using the Agricultural production systems sIMulator APSIM-Classic version 7.10 Build r4221 build date 14-Feb-2024. https://www.apsim.info