Faba Beans: Growing, grazing and feeding

Explore how faba beans could fit into a Southern Tablelands farming system Join Tablelands Farming Systems and Delta Ag for a practical field day looking at faba beans, their performance as a crop and their potential role in livestock and soil management. In early 2026, TFS and Delta Ag set up 2 trial sites in Bungendore and Goulburn (funded by GRDC) to determine the viability of dual-purpose faba beans in the Southern Tablelands, benchmarked against vetch. This Field Day will review the faba bean and vetch trial in the paddock. We'll discuss crop performance, grazing potential and what we’re learning about using faba beans and vetch as a dual-purpose crop. Agenda: James Cheetham (Delta Ag) - overview of the trial, crop performance and key findings to date Dr Mark Peoples (CSIRO) - nitrogen fixing capabilities of faba beans and legumes Tony Swan (CSIRO) - the value of legumes in the farming system and nitrogen balance Katrina Ridgway (Delta Ag) - the nutritional value of faba beans as a dual purpose crop and as a grain We’ll also look at variable-rate lime application on farm, exploring how soil testing and spatial information can be used to target lime applications. This is particularly important when sowing faba beans. The day will be practical and discussion-based, with plenty of opportunity to see the trial, ask questions and discuss how these practices could apply on your own farm. Come along to see the crop, hear from industry experts and explore practical ways to get more value from legumes. This project is an investment of the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). It is led by Tablelands Farming Systems in collaboration with Delta Agribusiness.