UWA Best Practice Farming Systems Project

16/09/2026

What a perfect spring day out at UWA Farm Ridgefield! Our 2026 Open Day on Friday was a huge success, with more than 250 people joining us at the farm - by far our biggest Open Day crowd yet! 🎉

A special thank you to UWA Chancellor Dr Diane Smith-Gander AO and the Hon. Jackie Jarvis MLC for taking time from their busy schedules to officially open the day and get out into the field with The UWA Institute of Agriculture Director Professor Kadambot Siddique, Farm Manager Tim Watts, Business Manager Diana Boykett and The University of Western Australia research leaders. It was quite a coup to welcome the first Agriculture Minister to Ridgefield since the farm was established in 2009!

We still have hundreds of photos and videos coming our way, so will be posting more footage over the coming weeks. But we couldn't help sharing a few highlights from Minister Jarvis and the Chancellor's visit now 📸

Visitors got an up-close look at research including:
🌱 The Avon Critical Zone Observatory: Western Node of the CZO Network, with Dr Konrad Miotliński and Andrew Van de Ven
🪱 Emerita Professor Lyn Abbott and Dr Bede Mickan dug into the future of soil health through carbon sequestration, pasture biodiversity management and drought-resilient pastures
🐑 Enhanced productivity and methane mitigation in grazing sheep, led by Dr Zoey Durmic (Zorica Jurisic)’s team Angad Singh and Janet Kok
🌾 The WA node of the Australian Plant Phenomics Network were helping WA farmers and growers build more resilient crops, thanks to Associate Professor Nicolas Taylor Taylor and Lydia Brazzale
🌏 The TERN Flux Observatory: Ecosystem Monitoring Station, presented by Dr Caitlin Moore
⚙️ The Centre for Engineering Innovation: Agriculture & Ecological Restoration led by Associate Professor Andrew Guzzomi showed off their latest on-farm innovations
🐑 Dr Kelsey Pool and Professor Dominique Blache took visitors on a journey ‘Before birth and beyond’ to explore resilient sheep under a changing climate

Congratulations and thank you to everyone involved 👏 It was a brilliant day of UWA research, education, collaboration and outreach. We’re already looking forward to welcoming everyone back for the next Farm Open Day in two years!

03/07/2026

Have you ever seen an ultrasound performed on a ewe? 🐑🤔 Well, more than 20 special guests to UWA Farm Ridgefield can now say they have! Yesterday, The UWA Institute of Agriculture welcomed members of The University of Western Australiaustralia Winthrop Society and our Emeritus Professors for a behind-the-scenes look at the incredible agricultural research and teaching taking place at the farm in Pingelly.

One of the highlights was hearing from Dr Kelsey Pool and Professor Jane Pillow, who shared how their collaborative research is helping to improve outcomes for pretermbirth and reduce potential complications. Seeing this work brought to life through ultrasound scanning of pregnant ewes was a wonderful demonstration of how agricultural research is contributing to advances in both animal and human health.

Institute Director Professor Kadambot Siddique said it was pleasure to share our facilities, our research, and the passionate people behind it. Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make the day such a success.

16/12/2024

There's plenty of UWA Farm Ridgefield updates in The UWA Institute of Agriculture's December 2024 newsletter! 📰 Find all our recent achievements, research outcomes, event updates and more online here:https://www.uwa.edu.au/institutes/institute-of-agriculture/-/media/uwa-institute-of-agriculture/documents/newsletters/ioa-newsletter-2024-december.pdf or contact us at [email protected] for a hard copy!

IN THIS ISSUE
🌟 Stalwart of soil science Emerita Professor Lyn Abbott celebrates 50 years at The University of Western Australia
👏 WA Governor Christopher Dawson AC APM explores fields of opportunity at Ridgefield
👣 Professor Phil Vercoe follows in his father’s footsteps with AAAS Fellowship
🌊 OzFlux Conference draws attention to Ridgefield flux tower
And much, much more!

05/12/2024

Harvest is well and truly underway at UWA Farm Ridgefield! 🚜🌾 Watch below and 'hop on board' with Farm Manager Tim Watts for a quick video insight into the gigantic job of harvesting crops at our farm in West Pingelly, WA. Learn more about the Best Practice Farming Systems Project at Ridgefield here: https://www.uwa.edu.au/institutes/institute-of-agriculture/uwa-farm-ridgefield

05/11/2024

The University of Western Australia researchers, led by Dr Zoey Durmic, have been successful in the bid for a final stage of the Methane Emissions Reduction in Livestock (MERiL) Program based at UWA Farm Ridgefield 🥳 They attracted a total $3.2 million in Federal Government funding to find feed additives that can reduce methane emissions from livestock and assist in finding tools to combat climate change.

UWA researchers have been successful in the bid for a final stage of the Methane Emissions Reduction in Livestock (MERiL) Program.

22/10/2024

The first two annual pasture legumes developed by Annual Legume Breeding Australia (ALBA) researchers at The University of Western Australia were officially launched last month by WA Agriculture Minister the Hon Jackie Jarvis MLC ☘️ You may recognise this research from the 2023 UWA Farm Ridgefield Open Day - field trials at the Farm have been essential to the research team's development of these new varieties! ALBA is a joint venture between UWA and the world’s largest forage breeding company DLF Seeds, which aims to breed more productive and persistent annual pasture legumes for farmers of southern Australia and international markets. Read more below.

It is no coincidence that the first two annual pasture legumes developed by Annual Legume Breeding Australia (ALBA) researchers at The University of Western Australia share their names with legendary scientists.

04/10/2024

There's plenty of updates on the UWA Best Practice Farming Systems Project at UWA Farm Ridgefield featured in The UWA Institute of Agriculture's latest newsletter! 🤩 Check it out online here:https://www.uwa.edu.au/institutes/institute-of-agriculture/-/media/uwa-institute-of-agriculture/documents/newsletters/ioa-newsletter-2024-september.pdf

03/10/2024

We had a very special visit to UWA Farm Ridgefield on Monday! 👨‍🌾☀🌾 The UWA Institute of Agriculture Director Hackett Professor Kadambot Siddique and The University of Western Australia Vice Chancellor Professor Amit Chakma welcomed His Excellency the Honourable Christopher Dawson AC APM and his wife Darrilyn Dawson to UWA Farm Ridgefield in Pingelly.

While being led on a comprehensive tour on the farm by Farm Manager Dr Tim Watts, it was clear that the Governor was both knowledgeable and extremely passionate about farming systems, regional communities, and the pressing and important issues of food security and production and climate change – all of which researchers within the Institute and those actively involved in the UWA Best Practice Farming Systems Project at Ridgefield are working hard to improve and overcome. It was wonderful that Mrs Dawson, who comes from a long line of farming families in the southwest of WA, was available to attend the visit and provide her valuable perspectives.

After our tour, we were joined by the Shire of Pingelly President Cr Jackie McBurney and CEO Andrew Dover for a delicious lunch at the Old Farmhouse – where our conversations about ways to engage Government with higher education and the agriculture industry to improve the future of farming, food, and the planet continued well into the afternoon 🌏 We are most thankful to the Governor, his wife, and their special guests for taking the time out of their extremely busy schedules to join us for this special day.

06/09/2024

JUST ONE WEEK TO GO! 🌟 Click below to register for the Shenton Park Field Station 2024 Open Day on 13 September! 🎉👏 The UWA Institute of Agriculture, the UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, School of Engineering, UWA School of Biological Sciences and UWA School of Molecular Sciences invite all members of the public to attend this free, informative, engaging and fun research open day. WA Minister for Agriculture and Food the Hon. Jackie Jarvis MLC will officially open this event, along with The University of Western Australiaralia Vice Chancellor Professor Amit Chakma, IOA Director Professor Kadambot Siddique and SAgE Head Professor Matthias Leopold. To keep energy levels up, SNAGS UWA will be running a fundraiser sausage sizzle 🌭

Research on show
🌾 Gene edited wheat breeding: Inari and InterGrain Cereal Breeding have developed a strategic partnership to dramatically improve the yield potential of wheat, bringing together InterGrain’s well-adapted Australian genetics with Inari’s predictive design and multiplex gene editing capabilities.
🦞 Aquaculture Facility: Tour latest projects at the Aquaculture Facility and learn about how aquaculture is a rapidly growing industry that offers a potential alternative to meet global protein requirements.
🌊 UWA Coastal and Offshore Research Lab: Learn about a range of ocean research applications from coastal protection to marine renewable energy generation and aquaculture. The Lab’s facilities are used in collaboration with industry to mimic the ocean environment from the seabed to the surface, enabling the development of innovative ocean infrastructure.
💛 Canola breeding: IOA Associate Director Professor Wallace Cowling and Dr Sheng Chen will introduce the research progress of canola breeding at UWA, particularly in improving canola tolerance to heat stress.
⚙️ The UWA Centre for Engineering Innovation: Agriculture & Ecological Restoration: This Centre provides engineering solutions and methodologies for agricultural prosperity and ecological restoration.
☘️ Annual Legume Breeding: ALBA is a joint venture between UWA and DLF Seeds Australia led by Associate Professor Phillip Nichols that aims to breed more productive and persistent annual pasture legumes for farmers.

Information stalls
🌐 Centre for Water and Spatial Science: Find out how the CWSS is providing evidence-based solutions to complex water and spatial challenges at UWA.
🚀 UWA node of Plants for Space: The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space aims to create on-demand, zero-waste, high-efficiency plants and plant products to address grand challenges in sustainability for Space and on Earth.
🌏 Zero Net Emissions Agriculture CRC: Hosted by the UWA Centre for Agricultural Economics and Development, learn more about UWA involvement in the ZNE-Ag CRC.
🔬 Animal Care Services: Supports biological and biomedical UWA research projects in a range of contained housing environments and research facilities.

All members of the public are invited to come learn about the innovative research projects underway at the UWA Shenton Park Field Station!

14/08/2024

We couldn't have picked a more picturesque day to introduce CGIAR Executive Managing Director Dr Ismahane Elouafi to UWA Farm Ridgefield! 🌞👩‍🌾 After a very busy previous day touring the UWA glasshouses and presenting the 30th Hector and Andrew Stewart Lecture (watch here: https://youtu.be/OUnQRuvDWRI), it was a welcome change of pace to visit the beautiful wheatbelt countryside. The University of Western Australia's Institute of Agriculture Director Hackett Professor Kadambot Siddique, Business Manager Diana Boykett, and Associate Director Professor Wallace Cowling joined Dr Elouafi for the special visit. They were fortunate to see canola fields in bloom, enjoy a delicious local pub lunch, and also receive a personal tour from Farm Manager Dr Tim Watts. The group visited multiple research sites, including the Methane Emissions Reduction in Livestock (MERiL) project, where they spoke with Dr Suyog Subedi and Angad Singh about this important and collaborative research. As you can see in the photo, Dr Elouafi was particularly impressed by the size and scope of the large grasstrees!