The Eastern Darling Downs region is characterized by grain dominated winter cropping, which is typically grown on moisture accumulated over a summer fallow. Grain sorghum is the preferred dryland summer grain crop, as it is hardier and more tolerant of dry weather than maize. Dryland and irrigated cotton is common, and crops such as sunflower, millet, panicum, maize, chickpea, soybean, mungbean and navybean are important components of rotations with wheat and barley.

Vertosol (cracking clay) soils are common throughout the region are characterized by high soil fertility and high plant available water capacity. Rainfall in the eastern section of the region can be > 900 mm/yr, but declines rapidly as you move west of the Great Dividing Range. Two thirds of rainfall tends to occur over the summer months, with spring and summer rain generated by storm events with high intensity rain and high erosion potential.