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Media Release - Gippsland Branch
Southern Farming Systems held their annual results day last Friday 20/3/09. Mark McDonald CEO gave an overview of SFS activities for the past year and presented the SFS Trial results book. Mark Steels SFS Agronomist detailed some of the variety trial work carried out in other parts of the state including the results of row spacing trials. The Gippsland results were presented by Greg Forster, Gippsland SFS Research and extension coordinator.
Greg said he was amazed by how the cereals had ‘hang on’ in the tough times. He went on to say that the tough year highlighted the need to harvest when the plant is ready and take every window of opportunity to maintain the productive capability of the plant. The season led to problems with summer weeds as treatments were less effective due to lack of moisture. Agronomy treatments were also inhibited by the lack of moisture. To add to the challenges the trial site was also inundated with ducks.
<- Photo: Mark McDonald CEO SFS & Norm King, Pioneer
(Norm is one of the original Bairnsdale Top Crop Guys)
The trial work at Bairnsdale focuses on cereals that can be grazed up to GS 32 (just prior to stem elongation) and then taken through to grain. Canola agronomy trials were also undertaken.
Summary of findings from the Bairnsdale trial work:
For winter grazing triticale was able to produce the most DM/ha when compared to wheat and barley with Crackerjack triticale out performing the barley and wheats by 300-500kgDM/ha.
For hay production GS5092 Barley and CS95102.1 wheat produced 9.3 tDM/ha, compared to one wheat that yielded less than 5tDM/ha.
For grain outcomes, GS5092 barley produced the highest yield for both sowing dates, whilst still able to produce above average DM for grazing throughout the season.
Late sown non-grazed trial yielded significantly higher than the early sown grazed trial equating to 150kg/ha yield increase, however the benefits of the grazing have to be considered.
New lines to enter the market look good for both yield and dry matter production.
Chris Bluett, Southern Grains Leader Department Primary Industries gave a presentation on Controlled Traffic Farming (CTF) which illustrated both the production and the environmental benefits of introducing CTF into your farm practice. Underlying CTF is the truism, ‘plants grow better in soft soils, wheels are better on roads’.
CTF divides the paddock into roads and plant beds which maximizes water use efficiency and increases the fertility of your soil. Chris said that when introducing CTF, the important thing was to have a plan and then take ‘one step at a time’.
CTF depends on spatial paddock measurements. You need to be able to identify the same area on your farm over time to ensure that the agronomy you have adopted is working. CTF should ‘fit your farm’, advance research & development on your own farm, lead to minimum tillage, reduce compaction, increase water infiltration, improve crop water use efficiency and generate efficiencies to reduce costs and increase net profit. Chris said, ‘Some CTF farmers have even faced the psychological challenge of downsizing their tractors’.
CTF also includes the use of auto steer and GPS technology. The system you introduce can be as simple however as developing your own ‘roads & beds’ with your current machinery and starting the journey to complete CTF with
Satellite generated overlays and computer systems that can assist farmers to identify the fertility and crop development across the paddock and agronomic actions can be varied accordingly. Chris said, ‘Satellites are an eye to provide you with the information to make decisions on farm’. Chris went on to say that professional farm design is available and that the State Government is developing 57 core base stations to support CTF.
Research has shown that conventional sowing leads to 85% of the paddock being compacted by one pass of the tractor. CTF limits the compaction to 12% of the paddock.
<- Photo: Julianne & Chris multi-tasking at the results day
Julianne Sargant gave an overview of the East Gippsland Carbon project and asked members to contact her if they wished to participate in the project. The project will measure the current carbon levels in the various soil types across East Gippsland. The measurements will be linked to different farming activities.
Trent Anderson chaired the Results presentation and in his introduction thanked presenters and sponsors for their support and commitment to SFS and the Gippsland Branch.
Organizations who have supported the work of the Branch:
Rodwells Sale, White’s fertilizers Traftractor Maffra, Elders Bairnsdale, AH & JG Stewart, Kyle Obst Landmark Bairnsdale & Landmark Wangaratta, East Gippsland Shire, Department of Primary Industries, Gippsland Landcare Network, J P Slattery Maffra, Dow Agro Sciences, HSR seeds & Planttech.
Tim Paulet commended the Gippsland team for their management of the Bairnsdale trial site in such adverse conditions.
Greg Forster expressed his appreciation to Brian Fairhall, for his assistance with the trials.
