‘Harvest’ shows value of partnership

WE CAN almost take a crop-centric approach to assessing the 2025 yield for the SoilsWest alliance between Murdoch University (MU) and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD).

How did we manage the required level of demand for soils knowledge? What inputs were retained? Did we harvest information at the right time? Did we seek quality or volume? How will things grow this year?

Questions and measures aside, the SoilsWest aim is clear: to help connect soil scientists, industry, growers and government and support capacity for soil science and agriculture in Western Australia.

SoilsWest has its greatest impact in knowledge exchange and adding value to the existing research, development and extension (RD&E) work of partners and where possible, meeting the knowledge gaps identified by key stakeholders.

This continues to be demonstrated through the SW WA Regional Soil Coordinator role, which is delivered by MU, led by the Grower Group Alliance‘s (GGA) South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub (SW WA Hub) and supported by the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry through funding from the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program under the Natural Heritage Trust.

SW WA Regional Soil Coordinator Bridget Watkins attended more than 30 regional events in 2025, linking growers with the strong soil RD&E capability of the alliance and sharing information aligned with best practice land management.

“In her role as the Regional Soil Coordinator, Bridget brings significant value to the SW WA region, as part of a knowledge sharing network,” GGA’s SW WA Hub Knowledge Broker Tanya Kilminster said.

“Not only does she share the most up-to-date, best practice soil management information, but she also engages with farmers, grower groups and consultants to understand drought resilience priorities in the context of Western Australian soils and farming systems.

“Sharing this information with researchers and government is contributing to better planning of future activities to address these priorities.”

Another perennial priority for SoilsWest is to preserve, enhance and deliver evidence-based soil information to growers – with that information needing to be discoverable, accessible and applicable. A strong focus for 2025 was determining what growers and industry required in terms of information on soil and plant nutrition.

Building on the launch of the Soil Quality Knowledge Base website in 2024 and Soil Quality ebook series, SoilsWest Director Associate Professor Fran Hoyle and Project Coordinator Dr Tamara O’Keeffe are developing learning modules in soil and plant nutrition with a co-investment between the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and MU.

Set for release this year, these modules will provide users of all levels with free online training in soil fundamentals, monitoring, sampling, analysis and management – with a focus on soil and plant nutrition in broadacre systems. A regional workshop program, also to be initiated in 2026, will support the practical application of the modules and look to identify value-add opportunities with DPIRD projects.

Integrating undergraduate and postgraduate students with RD&E work also benefits both university and partnering organisations in skills development and capacity building and helps students build their future work networks. Several postgraduate students are conducting research in collaboration with partnering organisations and there are increasing opportunities for MU undergraduate students to learn practical skills in the field.

Promoting the achievements of our researchers and scientists through the SoilsWest website and social media channels, Science Communications Coordinator Steven Lavell produced eight focus articles on current research. News stories on Emeritus Professor Richard Bell (MU), Alice Butler (DPIRD), Dr Wendy Vance (MU), David Hall (DPIRD), Dr Maria Pfeifle (DPIRD), Dr Luca De Prato (MU), Professor David Henry (MU) and Dr Gaus Azam (DPIRD) highlighted the strength of innovative soils research across the core partner organisations and benefit to the Western Australian and national grains industries.

From August to December 2025, around 9000 users viewed 14,000 pages on the SoilsWest website, while audiences on X and LinkedIn swelled, with news stories alone generating almost 15,000 impressions on the respective channels.

In a bumper year for major industry events in WA, SoilsWest was a sponsor of the Global Conference on Sandy Soils, while alliance members Emeritus Professor Bell and David Hall presented keynote addresses at the Soil CRC Participants Conference and Soil Science Australia‘s Annual Boodja Lecture respectively. SoilsWest also joined GRDC at the GRDC Grains Research Update and Dowerin Machinery Field Days with a focus on information needs for soil and plant nutrition. In December, SoilsWest co-hosted a successful World Soil Day forum with the GGA’s SW WA Hub (pictured).

The forum outcomes are intended to help inform strategic planning for the next five years for soil RD&E and the development of the workforce in WA – and ongoing alignment with the National Soil Strategy, National Soil Action Plan and WA Soil Health Strategy.

Pro Vice Chancellor Professor Peter Davies, who leads MU’s Food Futures Institute, recognised the impact of the SoilsWest alliance in delivering translational soil science knowledge across mediums to a diversity of stakeholders.

“SoilsWest is an excellent example of how, through strong collaboration, we can achieve much more than we could by any individual organisation alone. The University is justifiably proud of the achievements of SoilsWest and its important contribution to our translational research strategy,” he said.