More than one million hectares of broadacre farmland are estimated to be affected by dryland salinity in Western Australia, causing significant production losses.

In this episode, Dr Richard George from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) reflects on four decades of work tackling dryland salinity across Western Australia.

He unpacks the complexity of salinity in the Wheatbelt, tracing its historical roots and examining the pressures of land clearing, climate, and agricultural practices on salinity levels, and outlines practical management strategies that have emerged from years of research.

The conversation also looks ahead, highlighting the potential of water‑smart farming approaches to better manage water in a drying climate and support more resilient agricultural systems.

This episode is brought to you by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and is hosted by Dr Mary-Anne Glanzlowe.

• Sandy soils series: Re-engineering sandy soils into productive land - SW WA Hub
• Drought Resilience in Action webinar series: Making the most of salinity - Facey Group
• Managing soils - DPIRD
• WaterSmart Farms – water security and resilience in a drying climate - DPIRD
• Hub news - Drought Hub

Declining rainfall and reduced water availability since the 1970s have made efficient water use in food production more important than ever.

In this episode, Dr Julia Easton and Professor Mark Gibberd from the Centre for Crop Disease Management at Curtin University discuss the 'On Farm Water Demand' project, funded through the WA Node of Food Agility CRC.

On Farm Water Demand is a regional project that began with a community meeting and grew into a multi-farm trial using soil moisture sensors and irrigation monitoring to better understand water use in high-value crops like avocados, truffles, apples, wine grapes, and potatoes.

With 27 farms involved, data was collected year-round to track irrigation and soil moisture. Farmers used this to fine-tune decisions, whether daily or seasonally, and to back up choices with evidence rather than just instinct. The project highlights how structured data supports business planning, water efficiency, and even climate adaptation modelling at a catchment scale.

This episode is brought to you by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and is hosted by Shannon Beattie.

• Curtin 4 Agribusiness Profitability (C4AP) - CCDM
• Southern Forests Drought Node - Southern Forests Food Council
• On-Farm Water Demand - Food Agility CRC
• Hub news - Drought Hub

In this episode, we’re joined by Jethro Sercombe, Director of Innovation Practice at Third Story, and Tanya Kilminster, SW WA Hub Knowledge Broker, for a deep dive into co-design in agriculture.

Together, they unpack what co-design really means and explore how it can be applied to agriculture-related projects to achieve stronger outcomes. They highlight why intent matters: true co-design is about making decisions with stakeholders, not steering them toward a pre-determined solution. Done well, co-design strengthens projects, builds trust, and fosters lasting relationships rather than burning bridges.

Whether you’re working with a grower group, leading an on-farm team, or involved in broader agricultural projects, this episode offers practical insights into the essential elements of co-design, and how to make it work effectively.

This episode is brought to you by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and is hosted by Shannon Beattie.

• ThirdStory
• Co-design in agriculture takes centre stage at SW WA Hub Breakfast - SW WA Hub
• Hub news - Drought Hub

Neil Lantzke, Principal Research Scientist in DPIRD’s Intensive and Irrigated Plant Systems team, shares his expertise on growing horticultural crops on the sandy soils of Western Australia’s Swan Coastal Plain.

Neil explains why these soils struggle to retain nutrients and water, and highlights innovative agricultural practices that are being developed to address these issues. The conversation also touches on the broader impact of climate change on water resources and how these changes shape horticultural management. He shares practical insights and advice on various irrigation techniques, the potential of soil re-engineering, and the economic considerations that influence growers' decisions. This episode offers a detailed look at the strategies being used to sustain horticultural production in challenging environments.

This episode is brought to you by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and is hosted by Dr Mary-Anne Glanzlowe.

• Evaluating on farm water and nutrient recapture in Western Australia - Hort Innovation
• Modern Soil Moisture Monitoring for Improved Drought Resilience - SW WA Hub
• Irrigation calculator - Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
• Hub news - Drought Hub

Murdoch University’s Professor David Henry and recent PhD graduate Maria Pfeifle, now with DPIRD, explore the issue of non-wetting soils (also known as soil water repellency) in Western Australia.

They unpack what it is, why it occurs, and what remains unknown, delving into the complexities of managing this persistent challenge.

The conversation also examines how sandy soils, temperature, drought, organic matter, and microbial activity all influence the extent and impact of water repellency across the State.

This episode is brought to you by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and is hosted by Dr Mary-Anne Glanzlowe.

• Soil Water Repellence - Soil Quality Knowledge Base
• Hub news - Drought Hub

Dr Gaus Azam, a soils researcher at DPIRD leading the GRDC project “Re-engineering soils to improve the access of crop root systems to water and nutrients stored in the subsoil”, joins Esperance agronomist Quenten Knight from Agronomy Focus to discuss the soil re-engineering work underway across Western Australia.

Together, they explore how this innovative approach to soil management is improving water access for crops, increasing yields, and strengthening drought resilience. They share insights on the importance of understanding soil types, the practical applications of soil amelioration, and the benefits of enhancing soil health to improve crop yields and resilience during dry seasons.

This episode is brought to you by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and is hosted by Dr Mary-Anne Glanzlowe.

• Pre-emergent herbicides factsheet - GRDC
• Google Scholar: Dr Gaus Azam's publications
• Re-engineering soil profiles might happen sooner than expected (video) - GRDC
• Re-engineering soils to improve the access of crop root systems to water and nutrients stored in the subsoil - GRDC
• The resilience of re-engineered sandy soils in wet and dry seasons in Western Australia (PDF) - Gaus Azam, DPIRD
• Less rain, more wheat: How Australian farmers defied climate doom - Reuters
• ‘Moonshot’ investment tracks soil amelioration over time and space - GRDC Ground Cover
• Hub news - Drought Hub

We’re kicking off our Sandy Soils podcast series with Dr Stephen Davies (DPIRD) and Dr Therese McBeath (CSIRO), co-conveners of the 2025 Sandy Soils Conference in Perth.

Sandy soils cover more than half of Western Australia, including much of our cropping land. Their importance to food production and land use makes understanding and managing them vital to building climate resilience.

Stephen and Therese share highlights from the conference, where experts from agriculture, mining, and natural resource management came together to drive collaboration and innovation. They also dive into the key challenges shaping sandy soils management in agriculture, from water repellency and compaction to salinity and nutrient leaching, and set the scene for what’s to come in this series.

If you want to understand why sandy soils matter, and what’s being done to make them more productive, this is the perfect place to start.

This episode is brought to you by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and is hosted by Dr Mary-Anne Glanzlowe.

• Sustainable Solutions for Sandy Soils, West Midlands - SW WA Hub
• Building better soils from the ground up: insights from the global Sandy Soils Conference - SW WA Hub
• Sandy Soils Global Conference

What happens when wind turbines meet wheat fields?

Across Western Australia, more and more farmers are being approached by energy companies with big ideas - and big infrastructure. But what does it all mean for your farm?

Farmanco’s limited podcast series, "Diversifying Farm Income: Integrating Renewable Energy into Agriculture", unpacks the opportunities and challenges of the renewables rollout.

The three-part series shares insights from a grower survey funded through the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub, and examines what’s driving renewable energy interest in Western Australia’s ag sector - from financial benefits and long-term business resilience to the social, legal, and environmental realities on the ground.

Whether you’re curious, cautious, or already in talks, this series is your independent guide to navigating the future of on-farm energy.

The third and final episode of the series explores how regional communities can stay ahead of the renewable energy curve, featuring Vin Fordham-Lamont (CEO, Shire of West Arthur) and Karen Harrington (Shire of West Arthur, Deputy Shire President), hosted by Shannon Beattie.