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The soil moisture monitoring (SMM) project, with the use of underground probes, provides real-time soil water content data to Victoria’s farmers.
Monitoring sites have been set up in cropping regions throughout the state by Agriculture Victoria.
The sites record soil water content at one source point from 30 centimetres (cm) down to 1 metre as a reference point for a paddock.
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| Locations of Agriculture Victoria soil moisture monitoring sites |
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To access information provided in the graphs, log onto the Agriculture Victoria soil moisture monitoring dashboard.
No login or passwords required, and speedos are automatically updated and will represent the most recent rainfall.
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| Weather and soil moisture monitoring observations |
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Figure 1: October rainfall deciles for Victoria
The Victorian rainfall decile map for October showed the significance of the 18 October weather event that generated average to above average rainfall decile in the Mallee and North Central, in what was largely a month with limited rain events.
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Figure 2. November rainfall totals and rainfall
Harvest rain was problematic for harvest logistics and grain quality in some circumstances.
The rain at the end of November in volumes above 50mm started to fill the top horizon of the soil profile and provided the conditions for deeper infiltration with early December rain.
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Figure 3. November and December rainfall deciles
Harvest rain over late November and early December provided decile 8-10 in the Mallee and northeast and parts of the northern country.
With these volumes, there is evidence with moisture probes and soil models that infiltration has been detected at the first sensor at 30cm, and in some circumstances down to 50cm and beyond.
With weed control, some of this moisture should be retained for this season’s winter crop.
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Figure 4. January rainfall totals (month to date - 13.1.2025)
Dry conditions for the start of January with some patchy storm cells likely to be moving across the state within the week starting 13 January.
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Soil moisture measurements displayed on the Agriculture Victoria dashboard. The monitoring of pasture sites highlights the dry conditions typically experienced during this time of the year.
Mallee, north central, northeast and Wimmera cereal crops have had varying percentage increases to soil moisture in the past 3 months, which has largely been a result of one weather system.
The perennial pasture sites continue to be dry which has impacted catchment runoff water into farm dams.
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| Soil moisture speedos 13 January 2025 |
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Note – use extensionaus.com.au/soilmoisturemonitoring to activate your preferred reference monitoring location soil moisture percentage.
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All sites soil moisture percentages 13 January including annual winter crop and non-cropped paddocks and perennial pastures.
The drop-down selection bar on bottom left-hand side of the map provides the option to either select crop or grazing sites.
Cropping sites are reviewed in more detail in the sections below.
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| Speedo soil moisture graphs |
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| Werrimull soil moisture (30 – 100cm) |
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Offline (new 4G modem required)
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Shallow rooted lentils grown at Ouyen in 2024 depleted moisture reserves down to 70cm.
Higher water demand crops such as barley are likely to have lower soil moisture profiles.
Ouyen recorded >75mm for week of 24 November to 1 December where rain connected to the unused deep moisture providing a full deep profile for this year’s winter crop.
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Moisture built up to 40 - 50cm during October 2024, and permitted the harvest rain to infiltrate deeper past 50cm.
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Harvest rain has recharged the profile to 50cm and there is still some remaining deep moisture reserves the canola didn’t access last spring.
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Wheat used the soil moisture reserves last year and at harvest time there was 25% moisture remaining.
There have been small moisture improvements with harvest rain but this is shallow, and confirmed with soil cores in January.
Summer weeds have also germinated and are growing with the availabilty of soil water.
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Harvest rain has recharged the profile to 30cm and there still is some remaining mid profile moisture reserves the barley didn’t access last spring. Deep moisture levels are dry.
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The wheat crop last year struggled to generate biomass in the dry growing season, but there have been some small moisture improvements from harvest rain.
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Barley used the soil moisture reserves to meet crop water demands last spring and there have been limited moisture improvements during summer.
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Lentils extracted moisture to 50cm last season. This soil type does have a very large water holding capacity above the first sensor positioned at 30cm.
Soil classification indicates this soil can hold approximately 45 – 55mm plant available water in the top 30cm.
Harvest rain infiltrated down to 30cm.
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Modelled soil moisture at Birchip with the Soilwater app to simulate a cereal crop and moisture depletion 2024 season. With an estimated moderate/high plant available water at the start of April.
This would have the assumption of appropriate biomass last season, depleting moisture reserves from mid-July as rainfall was unable to meet crop water demands during this time.
There has been a small improvement to soil moisture from harvest rain, but evaporation has since depleted some of that.
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Harvest rain has recharged the profile to 50cm and there is still some remaining deep moisture reserves the frosted wheat cut for hay had left behind. The cutting date of 10 October can be clearly seen with the loss of leaf area and no photosynthesis, stopping plant water use.
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Harvest rain has recharged some of the profile to 30cm and below that depth there is limited plant available water.
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Harvest rain has recharged the profile partially to 40cm and there is limited deep moisture reserves below that depth.
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Modelled soil moisture at Elmore with the Soilwater app compared to moisture probe data. 18 October rainfall was consumed by the high yielding wheat and there were small improvements to the moisture profile at harvest time. Evaporation has taken some of that moisture since then
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| Youanmite soil moisture (30 – 100cm) |
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Offline - currently calibrating new probe to speedo format but harvest rain infiltrated to 80cm. Modelled soil moisture at Youanmite with the Soilwater app indicates a similar story for soil moisture build up.
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Soil moisture reserves are low but recent storm even will improve the levels slightly (see update).
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| Lake Bolac SMM (30 – 100cm) |
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Lake Bolac is back on line. Some moisture improvements to 50cm.
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Hamilton wheat crop was being harvested on 3 January when the photo was taken and yielding well.
Tiller numbers were appropriate for the season and the red wheat filled the heads with slightly more grains per head than average.
While moisture reserves never built up in 2024, spring rainfall was able to meet crop water requirements.
The crop yield calculator can be used to determine tiller density and grains per head.
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