The Agriculture Victoria Soil Moisture Probe network was established ten years ago to test the use of technology used in the irrigation sector in a dryland broadacre cropping setting. Upon the success of this initial trial, the network has expanded to include probes in not only more broadacre cropping paddocks, but sheep, cattle and dairy systems as well.

Information and analysis of data from the soil moisture probe network is formatted into an eNewsletter on a monthly basis in the growing season. Agriculture Victoria Seasonal Risk Agronomist, Dale Boyd, has been producing these eNewsletters for more than six years.

In spring 2017, three monitoring sites on dairy farms at Jancourt (Western District), Longwarry (West Gippsland) and Yarram (South Gippsland) were commissioned. The monitoring site at Jancourt consists of one probe installed into a perennial pasture paddock. Two probes at Longwarry with one in a pasture paddock with a history of chicory, while the second is a perennial pasture. A perennial pasture and a prairie grass paddock round out the sites at Yarram.