• Introduction
• Recent Soil Moisture Monitoring observations (from 6 February)
• Speedo assessments - change in overall soil moisture at a particular site.
• Speedo soil moisture graphs
  • Mallee
  • Wimmera
  • North Central
  • North East
  • Gippsland cropping
  • South West

The soil moisture monitoring 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 down to one metre as a reference point for a paddock.

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.

Figure 1: September rainfall deciles for Victoria

September rainfall north of the divide provided rainfall that was able to meet crop water demand with high yield potential.

Figure 2: October rainfall percentages for Victoria

October rainfall exceeded plant/crop water requirements and caused water logging in low lying areas. Highest rainfall on record in the catchments caused flash flooding locally and downstream in flood prone areas.

Figure 3. November rainfall deciles

November rainfall was generally above average, but the Wimmera clay soils drained slowly which caused harvest trafficability issues.

Figure 4. Summer rainfall deciles - December and January

Wimmera summer rainfall (to date - 6 February) is below average and parts of the Mallee and the South West are average to below average. North Central and North East are average to above average. 

Isolated storms have given high amounts away from the official gauges at times.  Most soil moisture profiles have plenty of deep moisture and summer rain has not contributed any additional moisture.

Month to date February rainfall percentage continues the dry trend  Recent and historical rainfall maps

Soil moisture measurements collected by the Agriculture Victoria moisture probe network have shown that generally, soil moisture profiles are all higher than commonly observed at this time of the year.

Mallee paddocks are starting the season with well above average moisture conditions and have high to moderate/high deep soil water.  Wimmera, Central and North East are moderate to high if summer weeds have been controlled.

Moisture profiles in the South West are in a good position to enter the autumn period in the high rainfall zone. A de-watering strategy at Hamilton growing spring sown chick peas is different to the general district practice.

The Agriculture Victoria Fast break seasonal outlook is split between drier and neutral for Autumn, but is in a forecast period of lower skill.

Note - use extensionaus.com.au/soilmoisturemonitoring to monitor the changes to the sites relevant to you in between the next reporting period and following rain events.

Thirty-five per cent higher moisture levels than this time last year. Deep soil moisture is 100 per cent.

Ouyen summed  soil moisture graph – 2022/23 view

There was a consistent depletion of moisture during July and August last year where rainfall didn’t meet crop demands. September was wet enough to meet crop demands and October had excess water available to the barley going into grain fill and this soil moisture still exists throughout the profile.

The Speed soil moisture monitoring site has a wet profile down to 100 centimetres (some of those zones are still saturated, above 100 per cent moisture).

Images from Speed, 22 December where the area of the probe was monitoring hadn’t been harvested due to the wet conditions and potential bogging situation.  Soil cores were wet as indicated by the capacitance probe sensor data (see above).

Wet conditions at Normanville were enough to meet wheat water requirements in September and excess in October has topped up the deep soil moisture profile. Moisture profiles are 50 per cent higher than this time last summer.

Off line, modem replacement planned for February.

https://extensionaus.com.au/soilmoisturemonitoring/Bangerang/

Deep soil moisture conditions were moderate/high at shallow levels and were excellent for the wheat crop to flower and proceed through grain fill with low environmental stress.

Off line, linked to the modem/gateway replacement planned for February at Bangerang.

High rainfall and high disease pressures made it challenging for faba beans growing at this site during spring. Yields were low, but the high water holding capacity soil (self mulching clay) is now wet to depth. It is 70 per cent higher than this time last year in summer.

Please follow the link to the soil moisture monitoring dashboard to obtain the most recent changes in the Wimmera at Taylors Lake.

Conditions ranged from 80 - 100 per cent moisture for canola flowering and pod fill last spring. Deep soil moisture conditions are excellent at 80 per cent and are at similar levels as this time last year, however, the paddock was in fallow in 2021.

Note - this paddock was in fallow with no crop grown last year which will traditionally build up a solid moisture profile. Additional moisture has been banked during spring and is expected to be positioned well below one metre. The soil type should permit access to this during spring for this year’s winter crop.

The Raywood soil moisture monitoring site is back online and reading a full profile after the district experienced flooding last spring.

Modelled soil moisture at Elmore with the Soilwater app compared to moisture probe data, indicates similar line trend changes associated with spring rainfall, free draining soil and high biomass, high yielding wheat crop.

Modem swap over to 4G at the Elmore site has the data back online after some system changes during December.

Youanmite has a full profile and 30 per cent wetter than this time last year.

The Giffard West site in Gippsland was planned for an early sown summer crop, but the sowing window passed. Conditions have been dry and shallow moisture losses have been experienced in the past six weeks.

Lake Bolac had a full profile through spring and there has been some slight drying of the top horizon in the past two months. Deep sensors are above saturation.

Off line, modem replacement planned for February.  Spring sown chick peas nearing marturity and harvest at Hamilton.

https://extensionaus.com.au/soilmoisturemonitoring/Hamilton/

The second probe site at Yalla - Y - Poora in the South West is in the process to be converted onto the dash board format of the other Agriculture Victoria sites. Upper limits have been identified and the site recorded a full profile through winter and spring and some slight drying of the top horizon during summer.