Turretfield Research Centre

The Turretfield Research Centre includes farming properties at both Turretfield and Kingsford, and a SARDI research facility. On average the area represents:

  • 2.8% of the state’s cropping area
  • 3.9% of the state's crop volume.

Livestock research at these sites benefits the state’s primary industries consultants, associations and agencies. This information is shared with producers and agribusiness through field days and special interest seminars.

Research capabilities

Sheep reproductive biology

Our world class research and commercial contract programs at the centre include:

  • optimisation of in-vitro embryo culture
  • commercial development of juvenile in-vitro embryo transfer
  • transgenesis, genome editing and cloning.

Our Livestock innovation and welfare program conducts advanced animal reproduction research at the forefront of its field in Australia.

Field crop research

The centre is a major site for our:

The centre also supports AgTech development located at the Turretfield demonstration farm.

Farming operations

Field crop research is conducted on 120 hectares which is farmed in a 5-split paddock rotation of:

  1. pasture and cereal – paddock area sown to pasture in year 1 is sown to cereal in year 2
  2. cereal trials and pulse trials – paddock area sown to cereal in year 1 is sown to pulse trials in year 2
  3. cereal in year 3
  4. pasture in the following 2 years.

The remaining arable land of around 80 to 160 hectares, is cropped irregularly to grow grain and hay. This is used to feed stock during late summer to autumn. Arable paddocks have been continuous pasture for up to 30 years.

Pastures

Pastures cropped at the centre are based on annual species, principally:

  • subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum, varieties Clare, Rosedale, Junee and Seaton Part)
  • Trifolium michelianum (Paradana)
  • Medicago truncatula (Parraggio, Mogul) together with these volunteer grasses:
    • annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum)
    • barley grass (Hordeum leporinum).

The pastures are normally dry sown after the cropping phase. Selective use of herbicides maximises the legume content of pastures and controls grass and broadleaf weeds.

Sheep stocking rate

The carrying capacity of Turretfield and Kingsford is 4,500 dry sheep equivalent (DSE) or 4.5 DSE per hectare. This equates to approximately:

  • 7.5 DSE per arable pasture hectare
  • 2.5 DSE per inarable hectare
  • 1.0 DSE per cropped hectare (stubble grazing).

Learn about the history of operations at Turretfield Research Centre.

Contact

Turretfield Research Centre
Holland Road, Rosedale, SA 5350
Phone: (08) 8524 9600

Page last reviewed: 21 Jun 2023

 


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