Expressions of interest are now open for farmers in south-west WA to join the 2026/27 fertiliser management program, delivered through Healthy Estuaries WA and Soils – New Horizons in partnership with Leschenault Catchment Council (LCC), the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) and the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER).

With increased fertiliser and fuel prices, the program supports grazing beef, dairy and sheep farmers to better understand the agronomic needs of their soils, reduce input costs, and improve farm productivity, while also protecting local waterways.

Since 2009, more than 2,300 farmers have soil tested over 400,000 hectares and nearly 40,000 paddocks. This combined effort by farmers, catchment groups and government has shown that optimising fertiliser use can save participants an average of $8,700 per farm per year on phosphorus fertiliser alone. Farmers in the program have also reduced phosphorus applications by almost 1,500 tonnes over the past 10 years, helping to reduce a major source of nutrient runoff into estuaries.

Through the program, farmers receive whole-farm soil testing, expert agronomic advice, and support to develop fertiliser plans tailored to each paddock and production goals. Participants can also attend workshops to interpret their results and make informed decisions about fertiliser use.

“Farmers can make significant savings by tailoring fertiliser use to what their soils actually need,” said Sustainable Agriculture Coordinator Dr Deborah Holtham (DWER).

“By replacing guesswork with science-based decisions, farmers can maintain productivity while reducing unnecessary spending and protecting our waterways.”

Katrina Zeehandelaar-Adams, Program Manager from Leschenault Catchment Council, said the program continues to deliver strong outcomes for local farmers.

“Soil chemistry isn’t static, and having multi-year data allows producers to move away from guesswork, addressing specific constraints like acidity, and refining their fertiliser application with confidence.” She said.

Returning participants can also refer a friend to join the program, with both farmers receiving a $100 discount on soil testing fees under the Soil Mates initiative.

Expressions of interest are open until 11:59 PM on Wednesday 22 July 2026 at estuaries.dwer.wa.gov.au. The program is open to grazing enterprises with at least 40 hectares of cleared, arable land.

For more information, please contact LCC Project Officer tony.battersby@leschenaultcc.org.au

This activity is a part of Healthy Estuaries WA, a State Government program; and Soils - New Horizons, a bilateral partnership agreement between the Australian Government and the State Government of WA (DPIRD).