The FFI CRC’s end-users are 72,000 SMEs (small to medium enterprises) – broadacre primary producers who manage 60 million hectares of Australia’s landmass. It will seek to increase the adoption of innovative perennial plant-based farming systems on 7.4 mha of agricultural land, establish new regional industries on 100,000 hectares and under conservative estimates delay or prevent salinity impacts on 1.6 mha in the
crop-livestock and high rainfall zones. In addition, the CRC will provide decision support tools and technologies for catchment management organisations and regional groups to target and implement land use change at multi-enterprise scale.
The powerful collaboration of FFI CRC participants, particularly in agribusiness and agricultural innovation, has allowed identification and targeting of three business opportunities in which Profitable Perennials™ will add value to outcomes:
An Adoption and Commercialisation strategy for the FFI CRC is under development by John Powell Adoption Manager, advised by an Adoption and Commercialisation panel comprising Participant and client representatives.
The activities of the CRC are predominantly under project management, and contribute to products and outputs that are the responsibility of Programs. FFI CRC is a three-tiered structure:
The Annual Operating Plan 2007-08 comprises 48 projects; 30 continuing from CRC Salinity and 18 transitional projects covering new activities in 2007-08:
Project Number |
Project
Name |
Project Leader |
Continuing or Transitional |
Program 1 - Future Livestock Production |
P1 01 |
Using native perennial species in agriculture |
Megan Ryan |
C |
P1 02 |
Improving lucerne performance for acid soils |
Geoff Auricht |
C |
P1 03 |
Developing new and innovative perennial lotus species for grazing systems of southern Australia |
Graeme Sandral |
C |
P1 04 |
Developing innovative seed production technologies to ensure the commercial success of new perennial lotus species targeted at reducing recharge in the mid-catchment regions of Australia |
Graeme Sandral |
C |
P1 05 |
Perennial forage grass improvement for low-medium rainfall recharge environments to improve sustainability and profitability |
Zhongnan Nie |
C |
P1 06 |
Agronomic practices for new perennials – Northern NSW component |
Greg Lodge |
C |
P1 07 |
Reliable establishment of non-traditional perennial pasture species |
Phil Nichols |
C |
P1 08 |
EverGraze Phase III – more meat from perennial$ |
Angela Avery |
C |
P1 09 |
Enrich |
Dean Revell |
C |
P1 10 |
EverGraze - Phase IV |
Angela Avery |
C |
P1 31 |
Enrich germplasm coordination |
Steve Hughes |
T |
P1 32 |
Developing native perennial legumes for agriculture |
Megan Ryan |
T |
P1 33 |
Improving lucerne performance for acid soils |
Geoff Auricht |
T |
Program 2 - Future Cropping Systems |
P2 11 |
Development of birdsfoot trefoil cultivars for permanent pastures in the northern recharge zone |
John Ayres |
C |
P2 12 |
Development of perennial wheat for southern Australia |
TBC |
C |
P2 13 |
Increasing the effectiveness of lucerne extension |
Perry Dolling |
C |
P2 23 |
National field evaluation and selection of new pasture plants from CRC Salinity to improve hydrologic stability of farming systems |
Brian Dear |
C |
P2 34 |
Development of salt and waterlogging-tolerant wheat |
Tim Colmer |
T |
P2 35 |
Development phase – EverCrop and EverCrop Decide |
Alison Bowman & Mike Robertson |
T |
Program 3 - New Woody Crop Industries |
P3 14 |
Field performance testing of new woody germplasm |
Brendan George |
C |
P3 15 |
FloraSearch — selection and development of multipurpose species for large-scale revegetation in the wheat/sheep belt of southern Australia |
Mike Bennell |
C |
P3 16 |
New industry and marketing |
John Bartle |
C |
P3 17 |
Influence of site factors and stand management on growth and water-use of key woody and herbaceous perennials |
Don White |
C |
P3 18 |
Integrating forestry into salt-source catchments |
Nico Marcar |
C |
P3 20 |
Improved direct seeding establishment of commercial native plants through improved germination, moisture management and weed control |
Geoff Woodall |
C |
P3 36 |
FloraSearch - Innovative native plants |
Mike Bennell |
T |
P3 37 |
Business case for development of a woody crop harvest system |
Daniel Huxtable |
T |
Program 4 - Farming Saline Landscapes |
P4 19 |
Developing new forage options to stabilise and regenerate saline environments |
Mary-Jane Rogers |
C |
P4 21 |
Sustainable grazing on saline lands |
Nick Edwards |
C |
P4 22 |
Functional implications of high salt diets for grazing ruminants |
Phil Vercoe |
C |
P4 38 |
Delivery of ‘National Saltland Service’ |
Nick Edwards |
T |
P4 39 |
New salt-tolerant pasture legume and grass cultivars |
Andrew Craig |
T |
P4 40 |
HIGHPAK – Livestock production and pasture management on saltland: advancing methodology to predict in vivo digestibility of shrubs |
Hayley Norman |
T |
P4 41 |
Tools for assessing saltland options and forecasting impact (SALTCAP and SALTDECIDE) |
Richard George |
T |
Program 5 - Biodiversity and Water |
P5 24 |
Improved water management through understanding plant responses and adaptation in native vegetation to water availability, evaporative demand and climatic and soil physico-chemical constraints |
Hans Lambers |
C |
P5 25 |
Water use by plants in a landscape context |
Brendan Christie |
C |
P5 26 |
Managing weed risk in perennial land-use systems |
Margaret Byrne |
C |
P5 27 |
The biodiversity value of oil mallee farming systems |
Patrick Smith |
C |
P5 28 |
Understanding the interactions between biodiversity and the management of native pastures in the Murray Darling Basin |
Josh Dorrough |
C |
P5 42 |
Biorisk |
Ryan Vogwill |
T |
Program 6 - Economic, Social and Policy Analysis |
P6 29 |
Farm-level economic assessment of current and potential plant-based systems for salinity management |
David Pannell |
C |
P6 30 |
Economic analysis of alternative plant-based salinity management practices at catchment level |
Robyn Hean |
C |
P6 44 |
Farm-level economic modelling of future farming options |
David Pannell |
T |
Program 7 - Education and Training |
P7 45 |
Postgraduate student professional development program |
Daryll Richardson |
T |
P7 46 |
EverTrain |
Deb Slinger |
T |
P7 48 |
Salinity Training Project |
|
C |