The Year That was

Anne Williams

2007Carbon Cockies Plains of NSW

• No-till farmers near Coonamble

Benefits on “Magomadine” from No-till farming

No-till since 1996

Environmental benefitsless erosion

Increased yields and profits

More water stored in the soil profile

Improved soil structure

Increasing level of soil nutrients

Ability to double crop

Carbon benefits

• 60% reduction in fuel

• Carbon rose from 0.7-1.2% in 7 years

• Why?

• Increased biomass

• No hay

• No N fertiliser

Biology Workshop

• Questioned our effect on soil biology

• Can we improve our soil biota?

Compost trial“Cotton Paddock”

• 2t/ha June 2007

• 6 replicated plots

Compost Trials

• No rain from end of July until harvest

• No visible difference

but…..

Measurements?

Yield increase

• An average of 20% increase in yield

Compost trials

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

Control compost 2t/ha compost 2t/ha+extra

compost 2t/ha+ tea

Treatment

yie

ld (

tota

l h

ead

) t/

ha

Compost Windrow

Compost tea

• Sowing 2008:

• Dribble tea down behind the sowing tyne

• Places microbes in moist soil with the seed.

Front WestPaddock

Total Carbon In Front West Paddock

April 2008

0

0.5

1

1.5

Uncropped No-till No-till + Compost

Location

To

tal C

arb

on

(%

)

Nematode population in Front West Paddock

April 2008

0

10

20

30

40

Uncropped No-till No-till + Compost

Site

Ne

ma

tod

es

pe

r g

ram

of

so

il

Masters ResearchUNE Armidale

GRDC Scholarship• Investigate:

Biological properties and soil amendments in the no-till cropping system.

Initial Farm Survey

• 20 Farms across the Central West

• Aim: To compare paired sites to find any significant changes.

• Soil tests– Physical, chemical and – Biological– Summary of farm – practices

Field Trial

• Comparing different organic and other possible amendments

• Trial set up in May 08

• 08 – long fallow

• 09- wheat crop

Where to next?

• All sowing with compost tea

• Continue to make compost

• Continue with studies

Thankyou!

– Jan 08