The
Mallee Farmer FOR FA RM E R S I N T H E M A L L E E REGION
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More options with dualpurpose crops
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Tracking Mallee goats
ISSUE 07 • AUGUST 2014
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Seeding systems to maintain seeding depth
Long term sustainability in the Mallee - p2 Improving soil condition is the key to increasing productivity - p21
The
Mallee Farmer
Contents Seasonal conditions
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No-till farming systems - long term sustainability in the Mallee
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Getting on top of summer weeds pays off at harvest
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More options with dual-purpose crops
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Environmental watering at Hattah Lakes
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Nyah Mens Shed HattahKulkyne National Park bus trip
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Tracking goats in Mallee parks
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Opportunity to improve mixed farming
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Landcare Links
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Improving soil condition is the key to increasing productivity
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Seeding systems to maintain a constant seeding depth
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Finding the right balance in a grain and graze farm
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Saltbush for constrained soils in 26 the Mallee Understanding aphids now and in the future
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Changes in dryland farming over the past 30 years
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Paddock traffic control paying off for Mallee farmer
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Eastern Mallee Cochineal insect trials - A potential long term solution to a growing problem
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Working in partnership for a sustainable future
Strong working relationships underpin sustainable agriculture in the Mallee and this edition of the Mallee Farmer showcases the exciting work these partnerships are making possible. established on constrained soils; the control of feral goats in Mallee parks; and Waitchie farmer Malcolm Bennett shares his thoughts on the changes he has seen in dryland farming over the past 30 years.
With contributions from organisations such as Mallee Sustainable Farming, Birchip Cropping Group and the Vic NoTill Farmers Association, along with the Department of Environment and Primary Industries, AGRIvision and Dodgshun Medlin, this edition provides readers with regionally-specific information on research trials, on-farm experiences and upcoming projects. The feature article prepared by the Mallee Catchment Management Authority (CMA), Mallee Sustainable Farming (MSF) and Dodgshun Medlin takes a look at the long-term viability of no-till farming; while an article from the Vic No-Till Farmers Association considers the balance between livestock and cropping; and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) examines the value of dual purpose crops. This edition also includes information on the quantity and quality of feed that can be expected from saltbush plantations
ISSN: 1839 - 2229
Cover Image No-till farming systems benefit cereal cropping. Story page: 2
DISCLAIMER The information in this document has been published in good faith by the Mallee Catchment Management Authority (CMA). This publication and the information contained within may be of assistance to you but the Mallee CMA Board and staff do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind or is wholly appropriate for your particular purpose and therefore disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence that may arise from you relying on any information in this publication. You should obtain specialist
The “Landcare Links” section focuses on the ways Landcare groups and consortiums across the Mallee are building their communities’ capacity to work together to bring about positive change. This includes everything from localised tree-planting projects to working in partnership to deliver landscape-scale projects across the Mallee region. This is a really inspiring collection of stories from local Landcare groups that emphasise the hard work and commitment of these volunteers. Overall, this edition of the Mallee Farmer illustrates the many ways sustainable agriculture organisations are working together, and in partnership with farmers, to improve the knowledge and understanding of our region to ensure we can continue to farm sustainably into the future. Thank you to all the organisations and individuals who have contributed to the Mallee Farmer. It is a collaborative effort to produce each edition and everyone’s contribution is valued. I hope you enjoy this edition of the Mallee Farmer. Sharyon Peart Chairperson Mallee CMA Board. advice on the applicability or otherwise of the information in this document. Neither the Mallee CMA nor any of the agencies/organisations/people who have supplied information published in the Mallee Farmer endorse the information contained in this document, nor do they endorse any products identified by trade name. The information in this document is made available on the understanding that neither the Mallee CMA, nor any the people who have supplied information published in the Mallee Farmer will have any liability arising from any reliance upon any information in this document.
The
Mallee Farmer
Seasonal conditions The season has had a great start but how will this effect pest management and what is best practice for management. By
Rob Sonogan, AGRIvision Consultant and GRDC Southern Panel Member
Seasonal conditions It has been stated by many that 2014 witnessed the best seasonal break in living memory and I believe they are right! However, the most memorable one for me was the break of March 1983 that followed the driest 12 months on record. My recollection of that event was the earthy smell in the late afternoon as the rain hit the parched earth and signified the end to the 1982 drought. This season however, not only began with a soaking 50 to 90mm delivered across the Mallee during the first ten days of April, but was followed up with significantly above average temperatures (May was 5 degrees celsius above average). These combined conditions have resulted in weed, pasture and crop growth rarely observed. The implications of this will provide us with conditions never before experienced, so we have entered into a somewhat unknown/ unexperienced era.
To date Early weed germination was excellent and pre-sowing control almost perfect, some reporting the best kills ever seen! It presented a great opportunity for a double knock down for resistance management. Insects jumped out of the woodwork and needed constant vigilance. Aphids, as an example invaded cereals so early that researchers and advisers had to scramble in an attempt to find relevant data as to possible damage. The huge bulk of pastures and crops, as of July 1st (time of writing), will
present management issues as the season unfolds. Pea canopies are huge, therefore leaf disease management utilising fungicides will most likely be very important.
Optimum seeding time with an early break? Results from “time of sowing trials” in 2006 and 2007 by Department of Environment and Primary Industries showed that for: • Canola - the last week of March, first week of April was both highest yielding and highest oil content. An extended flowering period with intermittent frost had pods right up and down the stem with many quite mature pods deep into the canopy away from frost damage; • Cereals - the 18 to 20th April was the earliest date to be sown before issues began emerging of lodging, high leaf disease, seed quality and severe frost damage;
Nitrogen management
• Legumes - for bulk (brown manuring) late March/early April, otherwise the results were inconclusive due mostly to leaf disease, as they were not sprayed. However, early sown peas (last week of March) did seem to exhibit a very high resistance to frost damage unlike later (May) sown and this needs further investigation.
The chances of these crops yielding 6 to 8 t/ha is slight so a few tillers dropping off now (some yellowing in the lower canopy) is of no concern. When and how much nitrogen to apply must be based on sound information, the greenest crop is not always the most profitable!
When to brown manure? Spraying must be done before problem weeds have any chance of seed set (this is always the case!) This year however, some vetch and pea crops may well be taken out even before full flowering occurs, which will allow both additional soil moisture to be conserved and stubble breakdown to commence. I have also seen the operation of rolling these crops flat a few days after spraying being very successful to both anchoring and assisting breakdown.
Many advanced cereals currently have between 600 to 800 tillers /m2. As a rule of thumb, every 100 tillers can realise a 1t/ha yield.
Work closely with your adviser utilising paddock history, soil test results, soil moisture status and business risk profile; only then decide on your crops nitrogen needs.
For more information Contact Rob Sonogan at AGRIvision Consultants Pty Ltd 259 Beveridge Street Swan Hill VIC 3585 Mob: 0407 359 982 Ph: 5032 3377
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Mallee Farmer
No-till farming systems - long term sustainability in the Mallee
The progressive adoption of no-till cereal dominant cropping systems by Mallee farmers has resulted in significant economic and environmental benefits, with the risk and incidence of wind erosion substantially decreasing. However, agronomic constraints including disease and herbicide resistance threaten the sustained viability of these cropping systems. By Michelle Kelly, Michael Moodie and Ivan Mock Local trials have shown agronomic constraints can be profitably managed by diversifying paddock rotations to: • Control build-up of soil borne cereal crop diseases; • Enable use of a greater selection of herbicides effective against grass weeds; • Capitalise on higher gross margins that can be achieved with pulses and canola. The Mallee Catchment Management Authority (CMA) has engaged Mallee Sustainable Farming and Dogshun Medlin to extend these trials. Under this five year program, innovative trial sites will be established and delivered in partnership with local farmers. The trials are being conducted in the northern and central Mallee by Mallee Sustainable Farming, and in the southern Mallee by Dodgshun Medlin. Co-funded by the Australian Government, under the ‘Safeguarding the Mallee land resource to secure healthy, productive, and resilient landscapes’ program, the trials have been developed to focus on one or more of the following Mallee dryland agriculture priorities4: 1. Increasing and maintaining the longevity of minimum till systems - focusing on issues including weed and disease control, stubble management, break crops and resistance to chemicals; 2. Dealing with poor productivity and groundcover on sandy soils; and 3. Better integration of livestock into cropping systems, including alternative pastures and summer grazing.
As determined by local stakeholders together with Mallee CMA. 1
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Figure 1: Rhizoctonia inoculum measured prior to seeding in 2012 and 2013 on the left hand y-axis and the root health score (1-5) measured in August 2013 on the right hand y-axis. Note: inoculum was only measured for each crop type in 2012 and not for each treatment.
Northern Mallee: Demonstrating the benefits of break crops in no-till cropping systems Break Crops can manage agronomic constraints The Grains Research and Development Corporation’s Crop Sequencing Trial at Mildura has researched the impact that one or two year break phases have on agronomic constraints in a long term notill - intensive cereal paddock. The trial has shown that including legume crops and pastures in rotations significantly increases soil nitrogen levels, even two years after the legume break was grown. Rhizoctonia disease inoculum levels have been highest following cereal crops and high Rhizoctonia levels corresponded with poor root health in the 2013 wheat crop (Figure 1 and 2). Including canola as a break phase has resulted in the greatest reduction in inoculum levels and best root health. While Brome grass can be effectively controlled in most break phases, at least two years (and possibly three years) of total control is required to drive down the seed bank.
Break phases improve the productivity of subsequent cereal crops Local research trials have shown that break crops increase the productivity of subsequent cereal crops. In 2013, in the Mallee crop sequencing trial, there was a significant step up in wheat yield in treatments where there was a two year break in 2011 and 2012. Compared to
Northern Mallee project activities Mallee Sustainable Farming have teamed up with local farmers for this project. Paired paddocks have been established in the northern Mallee where farmers are comparing rotations that include either a one or two year non-cereal crop phase to cereal intensive cropping systems. Each paddock will run for four growing seasons (2014 - 2017) with either a one year break phase commencing in 2014 or 2015 or a two year break phase commencing in 2014. Details of the demonstration paddocks
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Mallee Farmer
Figure 2: A visual representation of the crown root health scores in Figure 1.
continuous wheat, the benefit of having a two year break prior to the 2013 wheat crop was 0.5-1.25 t/ha. Research by CSIRO at Karoonda (SA Mallee) has shown that break crop benefits can persist for greater than one year. Average wheat yield gains were approximately 0.6 t/ha in the first year after a break and the size of this yield gain was similar in high and low yielding seasons. Second year break effects were generally in the order of 0.3 t/ha and third year break effects 0.1 t/ha, resulting in a total of approximately 1 t/ha more wheat being produced following a break compared to continuous wheat (Figure 3). established in 2014 are provided in Table 1. Each paired demonstration paddock is being implemented on a commercial scale by the participating farmers using commercial equipment. Monitoring will focus on two soil types (sandy loam and clay loam) within each paddock to collect data on weed dynamics, soil fertility, disease, soil water and productivity. The project will also focus strongly on the economics of the demonstration paddocks to determine return on investment of including break phases in northern Mallee cropping rotations.
Figure 3: Wheat yields following a break (one year after break; two years after break and three years after break) plotted against wheat following wheat. Data is from four soil types over three seasons (2010-13) and legume, brassica and pasture breaks. Table 1: Details of the demonstration established in 2014. Paddock Location
Break Phase Duration
2014 Break Phase
2014 Cereal Phase
Carwarp
1 Year
Canola
Clearfield Wheat
Pirlta
1 Year
Field Pea
Clearfield Wheat
Wargan
2 Year
Vetch
Oats
Yarrara
2 Year
Canola
Clearfield Wheat
Carwarp
2 Year
Canola
Clearfield Wheat
Karawinna
2 Year
Field Pea
Clearfield Wheat
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Mallee Farmer Central Mallee: Sustainable Brome Grass Management for no-till farming Brome Grass is recognised as a major threat to the sustainable use of no-till systems in the central Victorian Mallee and farmers should begin to manage Brome Grass using an integrated approach to prolong the use of effective herbicides. Why is Brome Grass a problem? Brome grass is well-adapted and has proliferated in the past decade across the Mallee, largely due to the absence of effective herbicides for its control in cereals, intensification of cropping systems (especially wheat on wheat) and the introduction of conservation tillage (Kleemann et al, 2013). It is highly competitive, and just 100 plants per square metre can reduce wheat yields by 30-50%. Furthermore, there is evidence that Brome grass is adapting to our farming systems. In a
local GRDC crop sequencing trial, high Brome grass numbers re-emerged two years after a one year break. Research by Kleeman (Kleeman and Gill, 2013) has found that Brome grass populations in cropping paddocks is slower to emerge than Brome grass populations on the fenceline in the same paddock (Figure 5). Therefore, the in-paddock Brome grass will become a problem in-crop as fewer plants are able to be controlled prior to seeding.
Therefore, an integrated approach where many tactics are ‘stacked’ together either within a year or across multiple years will be required to successfully manage Brome grass, to prolong the availability of effective herbicides and provide control options, once these herbicides are no longer effective.
Brome grass resistance Testing of Brome grass is showing that there are significant levels of herbicide resistance developing in regional Brome grass populations. Table 2 shows a range of potential control methods and the expected levels of the control for each. As can be seen in Table 2, apart from herbicides, generally no single management tactic will result in total control. Brome grass
Apr
Brome grass (plants m2) Figure 4: The effect of Brome grass population numbers on wheat yield. (Source: Sam Kleemann (University of Adelaide), data adapted from Gill, Poole an Holmes, 1987). Table 2: Integrated weed management tactics for Brome grass management and the likely level of control: Source: Sam Kleeman. Tactic
Likely % control (range)
Burning residues
70 (60-80)
Autumn tickle
50 (20-60)
Delayed sowing
70 (30-90)
Knockdown (nonselective herbicide)
80 (30-99)
Pre-emergent herbicide
80 (40-90)
Post-emergent (selective)
90 (75-99)
Pasture spray-topping
75 (50-90)
Silage & hay
60 (40-80)
Grazing
50 (20-80)
Residue collection at harvest
40 (10-75)
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Crop Fence-line
Germination (%)
Wheat yield loss (%)
Field germination - Warnertown, SA
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Figure 5: Germination of brome grass from an in-crop brome grass population and from a fence-line population from the same paddock. Source: Sam Kleeman (University of Adelaide)
Central Mallee project activities Mallee Sustainable Farming is teaming up with four farmers in the central Mallee region to demonstrate integrated Brome grass management systems on a commercial scale. The trials will focus on the regional priorities of increasing and maintaining the longevity of minimum till systems, and dealing with poor productivity and groundcover on sandy soils. Each paddock has been split so that in one section the farmer is implementing an integrated management approach and on the rest of the paddock they are controlling Brome grass using their normal management practices. These paddocks will run for four years
with a range of Integrated Weed Management (IWM) strategies being demonstrated. In 2014, the farmers have elected to trial: • Break phases (Lupins and medic pasture); • High seeding rates; and • Alternative herbicide groups. Coupled with the in-paddock demonstrations, the project will also research the effectiveness of selected IWM tactics through replicated trials conducted by the Department of Environment and Primary Industries. In 2014, the trials are looking at the effectiveness of spray topping pulses to prevent seed set. Other tactics will be investigated in subsequent years.
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Mallee Farmer Southern Mallee: Weed management strategies for sustained no-till cropping systems The ability to control grass weeds during the non-cereal phase of the rotation and broadleaf weeds in the cereal phase is now compromised over increasing areas of Mallee cropping country. To assist landholders combat weed competition including herbicide resistant weeds, without reverting to cultivation, Dodgshun Medlin will be trialling control options for weeds that pose the greatest threat to the continued viability of no till cropping rotations. While a broad spectrum of weeds are considered in the trials, Ryegrass and Wild Radish are focus weeds due to the incidence of herbicide resistance in these species. Economic impacts of herbicide resistant weeds The greater adoption of minimum-till cropping systems has necessitated the increased use of herbicides, which has led to a rise in resistance in weeds in Australia’s cropping regions. Tens of millions of dollars per annum are spent in an effort to control Ryegrass and Wild Radish across Australia’s cropping regions. Herbicide resistant weeds can cause substantial reductions in crop yield, seed contamination and tainting, and make harvesting difficult. Wild Radish is an alternative host for a number of pathogen and insect pests of grain crops. It is also relatively unpalatable to stock and can be toxic if ingested. Ryegrass is one of the most costly weeds of cropping systems in southern Australia. It is a highly competitive plant producing an extremely high number of seeds per plant and is a host for the bacteria Clavibacter spp. that cause annual ryegrass toxicity (ARGT).
Southern Mallee project activities Extending over five years, the trial in the southern Mallee will be conducted at a site south of Yaapeet, enabling both shorter term options for the current crop as well as more strategic integrated weed control over several years to be demonstrated. In 2014, three replicated field trials sites have been established at the site. Each of the following trials has a stringent statistically valid design so confidence levels can be determined for the results produced:
Project themes To demonstrate and quantify the effectiveness of a range weed control strategies applicable to southern Mallee no-till crop rotation, Dodgshun Medlin will be conducting the trials under the following themes: • Herbicide efficacy for specific crop types Including determination of herbicide resistance, selection of herbicides, rates and application timing, weed competition, and weed seed carryover to the next crop. • Exploiting crop herbicide resistance and crop end-use options utilising a range of herbicide resistance grouping within a crop (eg Clearfield®) to increase the herbicides that can be used without jeopardising grain yield as well as use of broad spectrum herbicides to terminate crop and weed development for hay or brown manure. • Cultural practices to reduce weed seed carryover Terminating a crop before maturity, for hay or brown manure applications. This can reduce weed seed set. Weed seed removal or destruction at harvest or postharvest are also techniques to progressively reduce weed competition to the crop rotation.
Dodghsun Medlin publications, and on the Mallee CMA website.
References S Kleemann P Boutsalis, G Gill and C Preston (2013). Identifying New Herbicide Options for Brome Grass, 2013 MSF R&D Compendium. www.msfp.org.au G Gill, M Poole, and J Holmes (1987). Competition between wheat and brome grass in Western Australia. Aust. J. Exp. Agric. 27: 291–294. McBeath et al, 2013. Break crops can provide over 1 t/ha of extra wheat over the three subsequent seasons. MSF Research and Development Compendium. www.msfp.org.au Moodie et al, 2013a, Mallee crop sequences influence soil nitrogen, Rhizoctonia and Brome grass, MSF Research and Development Compendium. www:msfp.org.au Moodie et al, 2013b Two year break phases can boost wheat yields and profits, MSF Research and Development Compendium. www.msfp.org.au
How can Mallee farmers be involved? These projects include a strong focus on communicating the latest information to farmers and agronomists. Each year, farmers and their advisers will have the opportunity to visit some of the focus paddocks during spring crop walks. In addition, opportunities for training with leading experts will be available over the course of the project. Information and trial data will be made available through articles published in the Mallee Farmer, the Mallee Sustainable Farming R&D Compendium, • Weed control options with pulses (focus of wild radish in field peas in year one); • Weed control options in canola (focus on ryegrass control in three resistances groups of canola); • Extended integrated weed control (cereal, pulse and canola crop sequences with herbicides; and physical seed destruction). Post emergent herbicide treatments were applied to these trials in June and data collection has commenced.
Acknowledgement This program is delivered by MSF and Dodgshun Medlin for the Mallee CMA through funding from the Australian Government.
For more information Michelle Kelly, Mallee CMA M: 0429 132 824 E: michelle.kelly@depi.vic.gov.au Michael Moodie, MSF M: 0448 612 892 E: Michael@msfp.org.au Ivan Mock, Dodgshun Medlin M: 0427 329 919 E: ozmocky@bigpond.com
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Mallee Farmer
Getting on top of summer weeds pays off at harvest Weeds growing in the paddock over summer and autumn steal precious soil moisture from the future winter crop. By Matt Witney, Dodgshun Medlin Agricultural Management As you are preparing for harvest, keep in mind your plan for summer weed control. Weed species that establish between harvest and sowing can impact upon the success of the following winter’s crop. Measures for controlling summer weeds within the Mallee have been implemented in various shapes and forms over the years. Traditional cultivation methods, although successful in weed control, often result in increased soil erosion and loss of key topsoil nutrients, leading to poor soil health. In a more conservation centered cropping enterprise, such as a no-till farming system, controlling the majority of summer weeds relies on herbicide applications.
Why is it important to effectively control summer weeds? Effective control of weeds over the summer period is especially valuable in the low rainfall Mallee. With increasing storms experienced during summer, it is becoming more and more important to maximise this rainfall by locking it into the system and not allowing weeds to use this valuable resource. Summer weeds aggressively compete with crops for nutrients, taking valuable nutrients from the soil and increasing
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the cost of replacing those nutrients in the form of either increased fertiliser at sowing or later in the season with top dressing. Well established weeds left in the soil can also wrap around tynes during seeding, interfering with seed placement. Additionally, some weeds can be aleopathic, meaning that they can secrete certain chemicals to prevent the growth of other plants nearby.
How important is timing when controlling weeds over summer? Timing is everything. Control needs to be done on small, actively growing weeds. Trials indicate that in wetter summers (150mm+), for every dollar spent on weed control, it is possible to generate a return of $5 or $6/ha at harvest. However, this is only if herbicide is applied early, within 10 days of the initial rainfall event. The return drops to $3/ha if herbicide is applied 10 - 21 days following rain. Spray on time, every time. Missing a pass over summer can result in a loss of value gained from prior applications.
Tips for successful summer weed control Know your weeds and the correct herbicides required, especially when controlling harder to kill weeds; • Ensure adequate application rates are adhered to at all times; • Stock can still be run successfully
Summer weed miss at harvest.
as long as the appropriate waiting times are observed after spraying and ground cover is maintained above 70% to avoid soil loss through erosion; • Apply a coarse/very coarse droplet at all times to minimise the risk of off-target herbicide drift; and • Abide by the rules in Chemical Control Areas.
For more information Contact Dodgshun Medlin Agricultural Management Ph: 1300 329 888 www.dodgshunmedlin.com.au
The
Mallee Farmer
Lameroo, SA, farmers Des and Brenton Pudney have been sowing dual-purpose crops for their 1500-head Dorper flock with good success. Photo: Mike Roberts
More options with dual-purpose crops GRAZING dual-purpose canola and wheat have opened up options to bridge the autumn feed gap for Lameroo farmer Brenton Pudney.
By Deanna Lush
GRDC Southern Science Writer
Brenton farms 3560ha with wife Beck and parents Des and Vicki, and workman Jacob Werner. About 2000ha are cropped to cereals, canola, lupins, peas and export oaten hay. Brenton says they are mostly croppers but had been looking at new ways to lift the performance of their 1500-head Dorper grazing operation. In 2006 they experimented with earlysowing and grazing Chebec barley, instead of waiting for the June-July germination of medic pastures. There was only a slight yield penalty in the grazed crop – in what was a very dry year – so they decided to keep experimenting. “The first year there was a bit of heart-in-mouth,” Brenton said. “Our agronomist Mick Faulkner had been involved in the first Grain and Graze project. He picked it up and worked with us to have a go.
the atmosphere through transpiration, instead they were putting effort in root growth.” “We found grazing was good for weed control too because it delayed development of weeds. If there’s a bit of ryegrass, the sheep run up and down the seed rows and eat the grasses first before they eat the cereal.” The Pudneys would normally sow a crop at a seeding rate of 65kg/ha, but for dual-purpose crops, it is up to 100kg/ ha. At the crop’s three-leaf stage, sheep grazing starts until growth stage 31, or stem elongation. By late winter or early spring, paddocks have been locked up – any later and yield potential for grain can be lost. Pasture paddocks have been rested and sheep are moved into those paddocks. However staggering cereal plantings can lengthen the grazing period. Brenton says the concern in a low rainfall environment was getting enough early rainfall to start sowing, and the risk of a ‘false break’.
“When we put the sheep on the crop, it was more stock per hectare than we were used to and they grazed it off to the ground – the weeds too. We thought, this isn’t going to work.”
“We haven’t found it to be an issue at all,” he said. “The seed just seems to stay there. If there is an issue, the sowing rate is so high at 100kg/ha that if it doesn’t germinate immediately, there is still the seed numbers there for plants to emerge later.”
“By grazing it to the ground, there wasn’t the leaf on top of the soil surface so plants were not losing moisture to
One of the key benefits for the Pudneys has been the ability to sow early. Originally ‘early’ meant late April/early
May, but now early paddocks are April 15 or earlier, if soil moisture allows. For wheat or barley in the ‘grain-only’ seeding program, the optimum is the second or third week in May. Canola was grazed for the first time last year. In total, 200ha was sown on April 14 and 450 ewes were put in on May 5. They had 500 lambs and grazed the canola until July 3. The canola crop went on to average 900kg/ha. Meanwhile wheat was sown on May 5 at 75kg/ha. Ewes that had grazed canola were changed to the 130ha wheat paddock in July and remained there until late August. “We probably feel more secure with grazing wheat, only because we have more experience with it. The canola last year was really sown as a pasture. It was a dabble but the germination was so good and the paddock was clean of weeds, we turned it into a crop,” Brenton said. “The key to dual-purpose crops is topping up with nitrogen once the sheep have been removed. We broadcast 50kg/ ha of urea so that can be washed in by rain. “In seeding early, the best paddocks to use are the ones that are fairly clean. Weed control is much harder because of chemical management and the need to adhere to stock withholding periods for grazing.”
For more information Brenton Pudney 0428 774 031 brentonandbeck@bigpond.com
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Environmental Watering at Hattah Lakes Environmental watering is underway at Hattah Lakes to top up existing water in the system and water some areas of floodplain that haven’t been watered for more than 20 years. By Lauren Murphy, Mallee CMA “This water will reach Black Box trees and other vegetation on higher sections of the floodplain that haven’t been inundated for some time,” said Mallee Catchment Management Authority (CMA) Chair, Sharyon Peart. “Approximately 120 GL is being delivered during this event, with about 50 GL to be returned to the River Murray for productive use.” Releases back to the river are expected to be completed by November 2014 and will be closely monitored and managed. Ecological monitoring will also be undertaken to measure the environmental outcomes of the watering.
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The watering, which began in late May, has already attracted a number of visitors to Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, including the Mildura 4WD Club, members of the Nyah Men’s Shed and members of the Nangiloc – Colignan community. A full story on the Nyah Men’s Shed visit can be found on the next page. Access to some areas of the park may be limited during the watering event. Affected areas include the Mournpall Track and Chalka Creek Track. For more information on the areas that will be affected please visit the Parks Victoria website at: www.parkweb.vic.gov.au This environmental watering event is being coordinated by the Mallee Catchment Management Authority, in partnership with Parks Victoria, the Department of Environment and Primary Industries, the Murray-Darling
Basin Authority and the Victorian and Commonwealth Environmental Water Holders. The water pumped into Hattah Lakes is allocated environmental water provided by the Commonwealth, Victoria and The Living Murray entitlements.
For more information On track closures contact: Parks Victoria on 5051 4648 or visit the website at: www.parkweb.vic.gov.au On watering contact: Mallee CMA on 5051 4377 or visit the website at: www.malleecma.vic.gov.au
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Mallee Farmer
Nyah Mens Shed Hattah-Kulkyne National Park Bus Trip The Mallee CMA has hosted a number of tours for regional community groups to the Hattah-Kulkyne National Park. By Kim Cross, Eastern Mallee Landcare Consortium Facilitator The tours have included the extensive infrastructure now in place to deliver water and visiting some of the sites which have received environmental flows this year. One such group to take advantage of these tours were members of the Nyah Men’s Shed. Early on a chilly morning on Tuesday 3 June, members of the Nyah District Men’s Shed gathered to depart for a discovery trip to Hattah-Kulkyne National Park. The trip was organised through Landcare as there is a strong connection between this group and the Nyah Men’s Shed which regularly undertakes joint volunteer activities with Landcare. Hattah-Kulkyne National Park is unique in that it not only lies in typical Mallee sand dune and swales country with extensive low mallee scrub and open native Buloke and Pine Belah woodland,
but also has an extensive lake and creek systems with the graceful River Red Gums hugging the lake, river and creek banks. It is a great place for bushwalking, camping or cycling around Lake Hattah. Arriving at the Park’s visitor centre, everyone was amazed at the size and diversity of the park and that this environmental asset is located right on their doorstep. Mallee Catchment Management Authority project officer, Malcolm Thompson, led a tour of Lake Hattah and explained the purpose of the environmental infrastructure. Environmental works in the Park includes a permanent pump station, regulators and environmental levees, which are used to return a more natural and healthy pattern of flooding to the lakes. This environmental watering program has seen native birds, animals and vegetation thriving. The trip was supported by Glen Sutherland, Regional Landcare Facilitator and Kevin Chaplin, Regional Landcare Coordinator. After the park
tour Glen and Kevin prepared a fantastic barbeque lunch for the Men’s Shed members. Discussions were held over lunch on the topic of Landcare and the importance and value of community groups collaborating to undertake local Landcare projects. Members are in the process of establishing their community garden in Nyah West and are eager to become more involved with Landcare volunteering. I enjoyed getting to know all members of the Men’s Shed and look forward to supporting future projects and events. The day trip was a huge success and everyone is now planning details of their next Landcare adventure. This tour was supported by the Mallee Catchment Management Authority and the Australian Government.
For more information Visit the Mallee CMA website at www.malleecma.vic.gov.au
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Mallee Farmer
Goat with GPS satellite collar in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park
Tracking Goats in Mallee parks Parks Victoria recently completed a six-month research project on feral goat movement in Mallee parks using GPS tracking technology. By Brendan Rodgers, Mallee Biofund Project Manager, Parks Victoria The purpose of the research was to gain an insight into when and where goats move and what factors influence this, and use this information to develop a long-term strategy for managing feral goats across the Mallee parks. Feral goats are known to cause significant damage to native woodlands and prevent natural regeneration of woodland species such as the threatened Slender Cypress Pine and Buloke. However, despite a long history of goat control in the Mallee, very little is known about their density, distribution and behaviour.
Methods The research project commenced in September 2013 with custom built collars attached to 15 feral goats, which were released into Murray Sunset and Hattah-Kulkyne National Parks. The collars were equipped with GPS satellite technology to record goat activity, which was fed back into a central database. Parks Victoria staff were able to log into
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the database through the internet and monitor the whereabouts of the collared goats and their movement patterns. The collars transmitted up to five positions per day which provided some insight into their behaviour. The project also used remote cameras, interviews with landholders and field surveys to help better understand where and when these animals move.
Key Results The key findings from the research showed goats are most active early in the morning and late in the day. They travel in small isolated pockets of the parks, but over time tended to have more broad scale movement. The goats moved mostly around the edges of the park and only a low percentage moved into adjacent farmland. This suggests the goat population is selfsustaining and does not rely on either food or water sources off-park. However, this may change if the population were to significantly increase. If left unmanaged, goats generally increase their population by 1.76% per annum.
Therefore in Murray Sunset National Park it is estimated the goat population is likely to exceed 80,000 by 2016 if left unmanaged. This could see goats
Key Achievements
1. Parks Victoria have recently completed six month research into goat movement in northern Mallee parks; 2. The research used GPS tracking collars, remote cameras, interviews with landholders and field surveys to collect data on goat movements; 3. The research indicated goat populations in Murray Sunset & Hattah-Kulkyne parks are selfsustaining; have no reliance on either food or water off-park; and tend to move in small ranges mainly around edge of park; 5. Goat populations in Murray Sunset National Park could increase to 80,000 by 2016 if left unmanaged; 6. Integrated control measures will be used to reduce goat populations by 3,500 per year including fencing, water point closures, culling program and ground shooting in conjunction with the Sporting Shooters Associated Australia.
The
Mallee Farmer
Map of goat tracking data in Murray Sunset National Park.
moving into adjoining freehold land in search of food and water, damaging crops and causing soil erosion. The final research report recommends approximately 3,500 goats need to be removed annually to keep the population at or below current levels. Parks Victoria’s long-standing successful partnership with the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia has removed more than 6,000 goats from Murray Sunset National Park over the last ten years. An aerial survey of goats across Murray Sunset National Park in 2012 estimated more than 8,000 goats still remained in the park. That is equivalent to 1.4 goats per square kilometre. “We needed to undertake this kind of research to ensure we can make evidence-based decisions to inform goat management strategies. Feral goat control is time consuming and there is no quick fix solution. To be effective over the long term, we need to implement a range of control methods in an integrated way so we don’t have all our eggs in one basket” Parks Victoria Project Manager Brendan Rodgers said. The control measures will include repairing existing fences and constructing goat-proof fencing around high value areas, such as the Hattah Lakes.
New goat fence at Hattah-Kulkyne National Park.
Unused artificial water points will be closed on both park and adjoining freehold land where the landholder is agreeable. An aerial shooting program in Murray Sunset National Park is planned and ground shooting in conjunction with the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia will continue. Trapping is also an effective control measure that may be used in future programs.
Acknowledgement The research is part of a broader plan to restore 80,000 hectares of degraded woodland across public and private land in the Mallee as part of a $3 million project, supported by the Federal Government. For more information Contact Brendan Rodgers, Parks Victoria. Ph: 5051 4648
Parks Victoria will continue to work with neighbouring landholders and values the on-going relationship and shared approach to managing feral goats and reducing impacts to both the park and adjacent farmland.
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The
Mallee Farmer
Main: Could cell grazing benefit both livestock and cropping enterprises. Inset: Brenton Kroehn and Jake Layton inspect a crop of winter (Wedgetail) wheat that has been grazed.
Opportunity to improve mixed farming A new project is underway that aims to identify solutions to improve the integration of cropping and livestock enterprises on mixed farms. By Michael Moodie, Mallee Sustainable Farming Mixed farming is important to many Mallee farming business. The 2012 Grains Research and Development Corporation’s (GRDC) farm practices survey reported that over 20% of the region’s farm income is generated from sheep, wool and lamb production and that 52% of the cropped area is grazed by livestock over the summer months. However, improving the integration of cropping and livestock enterprises is a major priority for mixed farming businesses in the Mallee. A new Mallee Sustainable Farming (MSF) project funded by GRDC is looking for interested farmers and advisors to be part of a focus group that will identify potential management practices and technologies that could improve the integration of cropping and livestock enterprises on mixed farms in the Mallee.
About the project Two focus groups will be formed to identify and evaluate management strategies and technologies that could
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improve the integration of cropping and livestock enterprises in Mallee farming businesses. The potential options identified will then be evaluated in terms of their impact on the cropping and livestock enterprises as well as whole farm profit and risk. The project will form one focus group in Victoria and another in the South Australia. The group discussions will be supported by consultants Ed Hunt and Daniel Schuppan, who both have experience in working with mixed farms in southern Australia.
How to be involved Both groups will commence in spring this year (2014) with a total of three workshops to be held over a two year period. Participation in the focus group will be a great opportunity to learn from like-minded farmers and interact with experts such as Ed and Daniel. MSF is seeking farmers and advisors with a strong interest in improving mixed farming in the Mallee to be part of these groups. If you would like to participate, please contact Michael Moodie at MSF on 0448 612 892 or email: michael.moodie@westnet.com.au
Acknowledgement This project is funded by the Grains Research and Development Corporation
For more information Michael Moodie M: 0448 612 892 E: michael@msfp.org.au or visit the MSF Facebook page or website: www.msfp.org.au
LANDCARE LINKS
August 2014
What is community capacity?
by Kevin Chaplin
A term that is often used in natural resource management is “Community capacity building”. But to the community what does it really mean, how do you achieve it and what does the end result look like if you manage to do it?
I also tend to use particular words or a combination of, sometimes called ‘buzz words’, to convey a message or image to have maximum impact in a minimum amount of text, but what are we really trying to do and why not just say it as it is? Well, in a nut shell, by using a ‘buzz word or phrase’ in the delivery of a speech or article you are trying to capture or convey a concept, a perception, a view or belief in a single word or phrase, saving yourself wasted breath or precious page space and the audience’s time. Unfortunately, as is always the case when you use something constantly, you can become complacent in its use and fall into the assumption that the people that you are talking to know and understand what you mean! Take a term that is often used in natural resource management ‘Community capacity building’. What does that really mean, how do you achieve it and what does the end result look like if you manage to do it? To understand this phrase better it is best if you first break the phrase down into its individual components. The Webster on-line dictionary defines these words as: Community – A body of people having
Tours for community groups are a great way to lift capacity and understanding of environmental issues.
common rights, privileges, or interests, or living in the same place under the same laws and regulations. Capacity – Ability to perform or produce, the power to learn or retain knowledge; the ability to understand the facts and significance of you behaviour. Build(ing) – To increase and strengthen; to increase the power and stability of; to settle, or establish, and preserve. So Community capacity building is all about increasing the ability of the people in local communities to participate in actions based around community interests, as individuals, groups, organisations and networks. In three little words we have captured a concept and perception that you could write a thesis on, and believe me, many have! Ok, so what does this mean when you use community capacity building and Landcare in the same sentence? How is Landcare building a community’s capacity? Well, Landcare is a community-based approach
that has played a major role and become a driving force in raising awareness, influencing farming and land management practices and delivering environmental outcomes right across the vast variety of Australian landscapes for the last 27 years. Caring for the land requires the acquisition of a range of skills and knowledge to put into effect activities such as soil conservation, erosion and salinity management, sustainable farm practices, restoration of native habitats, revegetation, control of weeds and pests and the development of local natural resource management skills and knowledge.
www.malleecma.vic.gov.au
In this fast paced world acronyms are now very much part of our daily lives particularly when it comes to using modern technology like texting and emails. Acronyms like LOL (laugh out loud) and ASAP (as soon as possible) are now common place and are accepted as part of our day to day vocabulary.
This has been achieved at a local level, consistently by local communities for almost three decades and in doing so they have built their community’s capacity to manage their own affairs and to work collectively to foster and sustain positive change and to ingrain the Landcare ethic into the very fabric of their society. Building a community’s capacity can come in many different forms and it can mean many
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LANDCARE LINKS
August 2014
different things to different people and the community they live in. This month’s Landcare Links give great examples of this movement across our beautiful Mallee landscape and I encourage you all to take the time to read the different stories as each have their own slant on what community capacity means to them. Some have a very localised and specific focus, as is often the case with small urban based Landcare groups, whereas others can be quite broad and all-encompassing as happens with groups that operate in the large dryland farming regions. Community capacity building is the very foundation on which the Landcare movement has been built and continues to be reinforced in the current Mallee Regional Landcare Support Strategy 2013-18. It is a major corner stone to
community’s focus is not what is important, it’s the ability and desire of that community to do what they know is right and having the knowledge and ownership to ensure they achieve the outcomes that they are looking for.
Capacity building through fun hands on education.
achieving our long term Mallee goal of having: ‘Informed and active communities balancing the use of resources to generate wealth with the protection and enhancement of our natural and cultural landscapes’. Ultimately the scope or size of a particular
Junior Landcare in the Mallee overview
The following articles have been provided by the Landcare team from across the Mallee. There are currently six positions in this team but at printing two Landcare facilitator positions were in the process of being filled, one at Hopetoun and one at Birchip. Once in place I encourage you all to make yourself known to these fresh faces and help them to help you to really reinforce and promote that concept of building community capacity and help keep Landcare the force for change and celebration that it is.
by Kevin Chaplin
Junior Landcare has existed in the Victorian Mallee in one way, shape or form for many years, giving children the opportunity to discover a passion for natural resource management and sustainable agriculture.
A major focal point of today’s academic learning explores how we use our planet and its limited resources. This learning starts at the primary level in schools. As a means of reiterating theory, a kinaesthetic (hands-on) form of learning is often used and this is where the Junior Landcare program shines. Schools will often have a vegetable garden, worm farm, recycling program and/or revegetation activities both inside and outside the school grounds. With a good support network of teachers, parents, community members and Landcare staff, these programs can really flourish. Junior Landcare has proven to be a big winner with the community, including both young and old people. It is very much an example of a program where once the children are involved, parents (and often grandparents, aunts, uncles etc.) will follow. Junior Landcare often presents activities where parents and friends are encouraged to join in and really get involved with what the students are learning, sharing the experience. This is very much the case in the Mallee
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Innovative approach to Junior Landcare - Red Cliffs Secondary College created a Landcare group.
where the shared experience is often both ways. Schools such as Tyrrell College in Sea Lake and Murrayville Community College do this by operating school farms that embrace the Landcare ethic of maintaining a healthy environment, while supporting rural communities. Fifty to sixty years ago children were very involved with the day to day running of family farms, looking after animals and helping with seasonal work at planting and harvest times.
Today, farming is highly technical and mechanised and the size of individual farms are getting into the tens of thousands of acres, so it is now often very difficult for the kids to get a full appreciation of what is involved. Being involved in Junior Landcare helps break down these barriers and encourages students to see farming as an exciting and progressive career option, all with the help of their parents and friends. Some schools in the region, such as
Manangatang P-12 College, Nyah District Primary School, St Mary’s Primary School in Sea Lake and Nangiloc Primary School have focused their Junior Landcare programs on sustainability at home. Children at these schools participate in organic fruit and vegetable production, keeping chooks to produce fertiliser and eggs; worm farms; compost to recycle food and garden waste; and developing areas of native vegetation both in and outside the school grounds, not only for rest and enjoyment, but also for interactive sensory outdoor classrooms. The children really love these activities and get immense enjoyment out of eating and selling the end products, while actively learning about soil fertility, recycling, sustainability, healthy living and organic production that reduces the reliance on chemicals and artificial fertilisers. The secret to success for any Junior Landcare program is the enthusiasm of a core group of individuals who are willing to keep the program’s wheels turning. In the case of a Junior Landcare program based within a school, teachers are very much the main drivers. It is through them that the program can deliver a holistic learning experience outside the normal classroom environment where the students practically apply their knowledge, giving them a greater sense of ownership, pride and accomplishment. Jane Stacey from St Mary’s Primary School is an enthusiastic proponent of Junior Landcare in schools. “Without Landcare’s contribution and involvement we would simply not be able to provide such a ‘complete learning experience’ for the students where they get to fully appreciate the environment in which we live,” she said. Sue Winbanks, principle at the Nyah District Primary School, also values Landcare’s involvement. “Having access to the Junior Landcare program provides us with information and resources that really helps our kids see the big picture when it comes to them understanding their place in the world and how their actions, both good and bad, can make a big difference,” she said. The Red Cliffs Secondary College took an innovative approach to Junior Landcare and created a Landcare group with the intention of integrating the Landcare ethic into the curriculum.
The underpinning belief was that a Landcare group run by the students would provide a holistic, ‘real world’ experience for their theoretical learning. When the group first formed, teachers took on the executive roles as a temporary measure. The purpose of this was for teachers to act as mentors to the elected student executive committee, thus ensuring that due diligence and good governance developed while the operation and direction of the group was led by the students themselves. The Landcare group was the brain child of one particular teacher who wanted to expand on the holistic approach to the general principles of learning. In accordance with her vision, biology and ecology students worked on the garden beds that contained vegetables and native plants; finance students managed the group’s financial matters; woodwork and metal work students designed and built infrastructure such as chook sheds and raised garden beds; and graphic design students produced marketing materials. By taking this approach, almost any curriculum subject could incorporate the Landcare ethic into its existing course structure and help reinforce students leaning. In particular, students completing the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) benefit from this concept as it helps them make the real life connection between physical actions and theoretical study. The Junior Landcare program in the Mallee has shown that Landcare can be a wonderful tool for learning across all ages. Managing a committee, planning projects, sourcing funding, taking practical actions, managing publicity, monitoring and reporting are all useful, transferable skills that students can and will use for the rest of their lives. Ultimately the big winner is community capacity. Students experience what it means to be a volunteer and learn how a team approach to common problems can deliver results, while being personally rewarding and fulfilling at the same time. For further information about Junior Landcare, or Landcare in general contact Kevin Chaplin, Mallee CMA phone 5051 4670.
2014 National Landcare Conference
This year Landcare is celebrating a quarter-century since its launch as a national initiative. This year’s National Landcare Conference, taking place in Melbourne from 17-19 September, will look at how the grass-roots movement can continue to tackle important questions of land and water security and promises to be the key knowledge sharing event for everyone involved in caring for Australia’s natural environment and its productivity. Based around the theme; ‘Celebrating our history, growing our future’, the diverse program includes robust discussions and analysis of the future of Landcare by pioneers, leaders of Natural Resource Management bodies, scientists, academics, government, and environmental, climate and biodiversity experts. The Mallee CMA is keen to hear from people who are interested in heading to this year’s event, we are looking to have a strong Mallee contingent, to celebrate and promote the continued good work of the region’s Landcare volunteers. We also have local identity Ken Stewart in the running for the National Indigenous Award and it would be great to have a strong Mallee presence to support Ken in the event of his winning this Award. For further details please contact Kevin Chaplin on 0428 370 175 or email kevin.chaplin@depi.vic.gov.au For more information and to register online and share in the celebration of 25 years of Landcare. Visit www. nationallandcareconference.floktu.com
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LANDCARE LINKS
August 2014
Improving Community Capacity for Ethnic Communities
by Nicola Vaughan
Every culture has different values for the natural environment, to share the Australian context and appreciation for nature with migrants, Landcare recently hosted a Wetlands Discovery Day for Ethnic Communities in Mildura. With its wonderful climate, beautiful environment and rich agricultural industries, it is no wonder that the Mallee attracts people from many backgrounds. Ethnic migrants have different values and understanding of land, water and nature, often coming from situations in which managing the environment is of low priority, particularly if they are from developing nations or disaster zones. Practices such as waste management, fishing regulations, removal of native vegetation and water contamination need to be explained conceptually, in order for values, understanding and respect for the environment in Australia to be shared. It was with this idea in mind, that Landcare recently hosted a Wetlands Discovery Day for Ethnic Communities. A warm, sunny winter afternoon presented Mildura’s ethnic migrants with the opportunity to discover Australian wetlands, offering a full afternoon of engaging activities based at Etiwanda Wetlands, on the outskirts of Mildura. The afternoon began with a delicious halal barbeque where each individual was given a personal welcome, showbag and introduced to others in their language group. After 65 people had been welcomed and fed, Northern Landcare Consortium Landcare Facilitator Nicola Vaughan officially welcomed everybody and acknowledged the traditional owners of the land. After the afternoon’s activities were explained, people were divided up into their language groups. Groups were supported by translators. The main language groups represented were Tamil, (Sri Lanka), Dari and Pashto (Afghanistan) and Kirundi (Rwanda, Uganda). Groups were rotated through activities lasting approximately 25 minutes. At the first station, the Mallee CMA Waterwatch trailer was manned by
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Etiwanda Wetlands day, a truly multi-cultural event
Glen Sutherland, where the concept of water health and how this can be monitored was introduced. The next stop was a discovery walk through the wetlands with Nicola Vaughan explaining what wetlands are, why they are important ecologically, socially and culturally, types of wetlands and how they work. Participants then visited Elizabeth Gosling at Station 3, the bird hide. Armed with a bag of binoculars, bird identification guides and posters, Elizabeth explained how wetlands provide important habitat to local and migratory species. The participants really enjoyed identifying what they could see through the binoculars. Following this the groups received a presentation from Sarah O’Connor (Mildura Rural City Council) at the Etiwanda Wetlands Gross Pollutant Trap. Sarah discussed waste management and the appropriate use of waste and recycle bins and talked about stormwater, pointing out the different pools at Etiwanda Wetlands, which were actually constructed for filtering stormwater. Our groups finished their visit at Station 5 with Kevin Chaplin, where they were invited to plant an indigenous tree to represent planting their roots in Australia, becoming a part of the land and this community. The day was a huge success and thoroughly enjoyed by all. By offering free, engaging activities and making the day as accessible as possible with halal food,
Planting roots in the Victorian Mallee
translators and kids activities, people felt welcomed and involved. Reaching out to these ethnic groups through their networks and gaining their support allowed for the event to be promoted successfully. While publications exist to inform on the topics addressed, people always learn more by participating and word of mouth is always a much more effective way to spread your message. Involving these community groups in Landcare activities, helps to increase their capacity and that of the people they interact with, to care for the land. Further information about the event can be obtained by contacting Northern Mallee Landcare Facilitator, Nicola Vaughan, at the Mallee CMA, on 5051 4377. This event was supported by the Australian Government and was held in conjunction with the Sunraysia Mallee Ethnics Community Council with assistance provided from Mildura Rural City Council staff.
Northern Mallee News
by Nicola Vaughan
Northern Mallee Landcare region has welcomed the edition of a new group in the area which has hosted several successful events.
Insight into group development Have you ever had the experience of wanting to join a community group, but what you are looking for doesn’t exist? What about if it does exist, but has a different focus to what you were after? This is how it was for residents of the Red Cliffs township, who were keen to improve the ecological and social values of their town’s namesake, the Red Cliffs and associated public spaces along the river. By talking among the community, a small group of people emerged with the same objectives. While the local Red Cliffs secondary college has a Junior Landcare group, there was a gap with the absence of Landcare for the wider Red Cliffs community. The Red Cliffs and District Community Landcare Group was formed to fill this gap. The Red Cliffs Scenic Reserve is home to the characteristic namesake of the town of Red Cliffs, the brilliant desert soils dropping dramatically into the Murray River, creating a striking contrast of colours for the eyes to feast on. Parts of the area have suffered some degradation over time. The Red Cliffs and District Community Landcare Group has chosen to focus its efforts on rehabilitating this iconic place. The group’s goals are to control or remove pest plant and animal species; revegetate with native plants; improve walkways and accessibility in the reserve and increase the signage and public awareness of the area.
Trees for Mum 2014 Mother’s Day provided the perfect opportunity for some much needed revegetation and exposure for the group and its purpose. The group hosted the annual Trees For Mum event at the Red Cliffs Scenic Reserve. This free event allows for people to celebrate their mum on Mother’s Day by planting a tree in her honour. With 120 adults registering and many more children and families in attendance, more than 150 trees were planted, each with a beautiful message of love written on the protective guard. Tubestock of Black Box
Trees for mum is a great family day.
Eucalypts, Acacia, Hakea Maculate, Slender Cypress Pine, Eremophila and Olearia were planted in order to revegetate and enhance the biodiversity of the area. Red Cliffs and District Community Landcare Group president, Tina Grasser was very proud the event was so successful, this being the group’s first activity under the new banner as a community group.
Tina Gasser (above) and the Clements family (below) plant a ‘Tree for Mum’.
Tina and secretary Bonney Dietrich were assisted at this event by group volunteers John Burfitt, Lynette Thurlow, Ann Duck, Shae and Ebony Noble and Mallee CMA staff. After planting, participants were invited to enjoy the spectacular weather with a complementary drink and sausage provided by the Rotary Apex Club. This event was supported by the Mallee Catchment Management Authority, Parks Victoria and the Australian Government.
Friday the 13th - Bat Night Innovatively taking advantage of the auspicious date, on Friday the 13th of June, the Red Cliffs and District Community Landcare Group held a Bat and Barbecue night. This free event began with an intriguing and entertaining presentation by local bat expert David Gee, president of the Sunraysia Wildlife Carer’s Group. Members of the Landcare group provided a delicious barbeque giving community members the opportunity to talk one on one with David. The event attracted 37 community members, all of whom enjoyed discussing bats that are found in their own backyard. Children were encouraged to enter the dress up competition as batboy and batgirl, with prizes awarded to best dressed. With
activities such as making their own bat masks, the youngsters were certainly kept busy and were very entertained by close up images of bats and their unusual facial features. After dinner, a walk through the Red Cliffs with an ultrasonic bat detector gave everyone an insight into the world of bat research. Illuminated by the full moon, bats of the Mallee were discussed and the group became keen to improve the local habitat. Options were discussed for building bat boxes and erecting these at the Red Cliffs, which the group is keen to follow up. A fantastic night was had by all.
Like to find out more? This fun and enthusiastic group are very interested in developing partnerships within the community and are inviting new members to join. To express your interest in joining a Landcare Group or Landcare in northern Mallee region, contact the Local Landcare Facilitator Nicola Vaughan on 5051 4571.
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LANDCARE LINKS
August 2014
Reaping the benefits of co-ordinated pest control
by Jess Cook
Rabbit treatment monitoring site at Birchip, following ripping.
The last two and a half years have seen a great transformation in the south eastern Mallee, with Landcare groups working together to create landscape scale change. The development of Landcare consortiums in the Mallee and meetings where executives of each group get together to discuss current issues, projects, and ideas, has allowed for the sharing of information between groups. Projects have begun to run across Landcare group borders, and target areas have been joined up to form projects that flow across areas. Previously Landcare groups would mostly conduct works within their own areas, and their neighbouring Landcare groups would often be unaware that a similar project was running on the next road over. Groups within the South Eastern Mallee Landcare Consortium are now working together to ensure projects are coordinated and more efficient.
Widespread rabbit control Coordination of the rabbit control projects between the six groups within the South Eastern Mallee Landcare Consortium and communication with the neighbouring Landcare groups and consortiums has resulted in much better coordination of works, taking on multi-group projects and aiming for landscape level control of common threats. The coordination of rabbit control works has seen an improvement in the landscape scale control of rabbits. Over the last two and a half years, the Berriwillock, Culgoa, Nullawil, Lalbert and Ultima Landcare
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Hudson Pear regrowth following chemical treatment.
Groups have achieved almost total treatment of their groups’ areas, and the Birchip Landcare Group is making inroads into its large area.
of National Significance (WoNS) listed species, Hudson Pear, which has an infestation on the border between the two groups.
Groups have also been working with the Buloke Shire Council and the Swan Hill Rural City Council to organise the roadside control of rabbits. These partnerships have been extremely valuable in controlling rabbits in designated target areas.
Since 2013, the groups have been working together to coordinate control works, communicate with landholders and organisations, with the aim of preventing further spread and significantly reducing the density in the currently infested area.
Close to 40,000ha within the south eastern Mallee has been treated for rabbits over the last few years through Landcare projects, without including complementary and follow up works done by landholders and other organisations.
The infested sites have now been treated twice, with a significant reduction in the density of the plants.
The increased community capacity resulting from a coordinated approach will result in the continuation of groups working together, with the aim of controlling rabbits to a manageable level on roadsides throughout the entire south eastern Mallee.
All large cacti have been treated, and the focus is now on preventing further spread by controlling the small plants that continue to emerge.
Goodbye On a personal note, by the time this edition goes to print I will have moved on from this position. I would like to thank everyone I have worked with in my time here.
Groups will continue to work with each other, local government, and many other organisations to achieve coordinated control across the south eastern Mallee.
I am very proud of the achievements of the groups over the past two and a half years, and will miss working with them on a daily basis.
Coordinated Control Hudson Pear
Coordinated pest plant and animal control programs referred to in this article were supported by Landcare Victoria and the Australian Government.
The Berriwillock and Culgoa Landcare Groups have been working together and pooling resources to tackle the Weeds
Capable Communities Manangatang Landcare Group
by Kim Cross
Successful Landcare groups all have at least one thing in common, a dedicated and hardworking, executive backed up by a skilled secretary. Jodi Elford has been a Landcare member of the Manangatang Landcare Group for 13 years. For three of those years Jodi has taken on the role as group secretary. The role is separated into volunteer administration, secretarial work and paid project development, including grant and report writing. Prior to taking on the position, Jodi had been president, treasurer and secretary for the local pre-school group and tennis club association. Residing in a small rural community, Jodi feels it’s vital to take on executive or leadership positions within your town. “Manangatang Landcare Group is at the forefront of pest, plant and animal control which contributes to ensuring local environmental assets are preserved in the region,” she said. “Without community volunteers this would not occur”. Manangatang Landcare Group undertakes numerous projects including beautifying local landmarks and rabbit control, bringing the community together to address a common environmental threat. ”If these control works are not carried out by the group, rabbit numbers will become unmanageable and will affect everyone. It’s great community Landcare volunteers work together to contribute to these successful
Manangatang Landcare Group tree planting day.
Manangatang Landcare Secretary Jodi Elford presenting John Arentz with the State Landcare Award for his Saltbush property at Manangatang.
projects,” Jodi said. Jodi says the rewards of being a Landcare secretary includes being able to contribute to Junior Landcare projects and build community capacity via awareness and education initiatives. She also values celebrating successful on-ground activities and providing tools to empower local volunteers.
Landcare is a community and Jodi has successfully demonstrated that working together is the group’s biggest asset when tackling natural resource management issues in the region. With busy local farmers making up the majority of members in the Manangatang Landcare Group, it is at times difficult finding volunteer time to contribute to group community projects. “The Manangatang Landcare Group has addressed this issue by effectively managing project time and sharing the workload amongst its members. Without member support on ground projects would not be possible,” she said. Jodi is committed to recruiting new members to become involved with Landcare and encourages community volunteers to bring their Landcare ideas to the next meeting. Yearly membership is only $22.00 (inclusive GST). Further information can be obtained by contacting Jodi at kookoomboo@activ8.net.au
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LANDCARE LINKS
August 2014
Mid-Murray Field Naturalist 2014 award - Jennifer Lenon
by Jess Cook
Contacts Kevin Chaplin - Regional Landcare Coordinator. Phone: 03 5051 4670 South Western Landcare Facilitator. Phone: 0409 655 646 Beulah Landcare Group Hopetoun Landcare Group Rainbow and District Landcare Group Woomelang and Lascelles Landcare Group. Kim Cross - Eastern Mallee Landcare Facilitator. Phone: 0427 883 100 Nyah West/Swan Hill West Landcare Group Manangatang Landcare Group Kooloonong-Natya Landcare Group Waitchie Landcare Group Sea Lake Landcare Group Robinvale Landcare Group.
Mid-Murray Field Naturalist President, David Thompson presents Jennifer Lenon with the Naturlist of the year award.
Jennifer Lenon has been acknowledged for all her hard work and efforts in the research, preservation and protection of native bushland by being awarded the Mid-Murray Field Naturalist of the year for 2014. The award is a perpetual trophy which recognises outstanding contributions to conservations. Jennifer Lenon has been a member of the Mid-Murray Field Naturalist Inc. since 1971 and has a passion for preserving local native flora and contributing to protecting bushland reserves in the Mallee. Completing a Bachelor of Science in Geology in 2001 and graduate diploma of Natural Resources in 2010, Jennifer is nearing the completion of her Masters of Natural Resources.
years to complete the research, which included identifying Mallee remnants in local flora and bushland reserves covering Wood Wood, Nyah, Yarraby, Woorinen South, Bulga, Goschen, Pira and Tresco. Jennifer says the highlight of her thesis research was the discovery of three species of orchid in the Nyah Bushland Reserve. Prior to this these species had not been identified or recorded in this area. The species included the Dwarf Green Hood, Midget Greenhood and the Spider Orchid. Environmental Impact Assessments were undertaken by Jennifer and contributed to the completion of her thesis. Jennifer is looking forward to collating and sharing her thesis findings.
Working remotely as a student of the University of New England Armadale, Jennifer has recently completed her research thesis.
Distance education was one challenge Jennifer encountered while undertaking her research. This challenge did not set her back and she was recently named Naturalist of the Year 2014 presented by the Mid-Murray Field Naturalists Inc.
The thesis is titled ‘Conservation value of eight Mallee remnants in intensely cleared agricultural landscape near Swan Hill, North Western Victoria, Australia’. It took two
Holding an executive position with the Mid-Murray Field Naturalist Inc. Jennifer is committed to preserving and protecting native flora in the Mallee for all to enjoy.
Project Partners
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Eboni Musgrove - Murrayville Landcare Facilitator. Phone: 0477 550 161 Murrayville Landcare Group. South Eastern Landcare Facilitator. Phone: 0409 615 846 Berriwillock Landcare Group Birchip Landcare Group Culgoa Landcare Group Lalbert Landcare Group Nullawil Landcare Group Ultima Landcare Group. Nicola Vaughan - Northern Mallee Landcare Facilitator. Phone: 03 5051 4320 Millewa-Carwarp Landcare Group Yelta Landcare Group Kulkyne Way Landcare Group Red Cliffs Landcare Group.
Mallee Landcare News Mallee Catchment Management Authority Telephone: (03) 5051 4377 PO Box 5017 Mildura Victoria 3502 www.malleecma.vic.gov.au This publication may be of assistance to you but the Mallee Catchment Management Authority refers readers to our Terms and Conditions, available from our website. Printed on 80% recycled Australian paper made from pre- and post-consumer waste.
The
Mallee Farmer
Improving soil condition is the key to increasing productivity A new project to address declining soil condition and sub-soil constraints on Victorian cropping systems is hoping to address long-term productivity, sustainability and profitability. By Melissa Cann, Specialist Productive Soils, Farm Services, Agriculture Productivity, Department of Environment and Primary Industries Many traditional farm practices have emphasised productivity at the expense of natural resource condition. This has resulted in a loss of ecosystem service provision from soils, and declining productivity. The Australian Government funded project, will focus on the innovative practices of subsoil manuring (SSM) and controlled traffic farming (CTF) demonstrations across priority areas in the Mallee, Wimmera, North Central and South West regions of Victoria. Remote sensing technologies will provide historical and projected data on yield and resource condition. Priority issues to be addressed include wind erosion, nutrient management, improving soil health and biological functions. Project partners include Victorian No-Till Farmers Association (VNTFA), La Trobe
University (LTU), and the North Central Catchment Management Authority (NCCMA).
Sub-soil manuring Victoria’s dominant soil under cropping is a Sodosol (texture contrast soil with a sodic subsoil). These soils have very low resilience to short and long-term climate variability. Over the last eight years more than 20 sub-soil manuring (SSM) trial sites have been established across the high rainfall zone of Victoria. Research has shown that SSM opens up constrained subsoils to root growth and allows for deeper soil moisture, resulting in yield increases of 40-96 per cent. Most importantly, the treatment has been shown to persist beyond six years. Although an expensive operation, economic analysis confirms a high benefit to cost ratio and the environmental, social and economic resilience of these farms have improved. This project is taking SSM out of the high rainfall zone, into areas of similar texture contrast soils and subsoil management issues. Of the eight sites established, the surface soils are sandy to sandy loam over an impervious clay horizon
within 30cm of the surface. One sight in the North Central region will investigate the benefits of SSM on the remediation of salinity. Improving water holding capacity and nutrient use efficiency will be of interest in the deep sand site in the central Mallee. The eight sites of SSM are located in Ouyen and Hopetoun in the Mallee; Propodollah, Toolondo and Rhymney in the Wimmera; Charlton and Kamarooka in the North Central; and Werneth in the South West. Seven sites are located on cropping properties and the Rhymney site is permanent pasture. Four sites used chicken manure from two different sheds and the other sites used a variety of composted manures from duck, turkey, cow and pig manures. Data collection will focus on soil physical (bulk density, soil structure, water holding capacity) and chemical properties, plant growth and yields over two growing seasons, in comparison to the rest of the paddock.
Controlled traffic farming Controlled Traffic Farming (CTF) is widely adopted in Queensland and New South Wales, but uptake in Victoria is poor. The project will target early adopters of CTF in Victoria (eight sites), and learnings will be developed through continued on page: 23
21
The
Mallee Farmer
Sowing the Seed Hawk treatments at Murrayville
Seeding systems to maintain a constant seeding depth This year, Mallee Sustainable Farming (MSF) has established a trial to investigate the ability of a range of seeding systems to maintain a constant depth across the range of soil types experienced in a Mallee paddock. MSF is collaborating with Jack Desbiolles of the University of South Australia to implement this trial, near Murrayville in the Victorian Mallee. By Steph Haw, Project Officer Mallee Sustainable Farming
The issue MSF surveyed farmers in the Murrayville region to determine which aspects of their seeding systems needed improvement. The survey was valuable in providing an insight into what local farmers currently implement, what works well for them and what areas could be improved upon. The survey results showed that the greatest issue faced by most farmers was the inability to maintain a constant seeding depth across all soil types in the paddock. As a result, crops were being sown too shallow on stony soils and too deep on sandy soils, which impacted on crop establishment, especially in canola. Based on the survey information Dr. Jack Desbiolles, an agricultural research engineer from the University of South Australia, and industry expert on seeding
22
systems, developed the range of treatments to be applied at the trial site which is located 10km from Murrayville.
The Trial A four hectare demonstration trial was sown in May 2014 at the Murrayville site, showcasing eight different seeder set-up options (Table 1). The site is located on a typical Mallee paddock, comprising three soil types ranging from a heavy stony soil (swale) to a light sandy soil on the dune.
seeding system at the MSF You-Tube page: www.youtube.com/msfmildura
Data collection and results The site is being intensively monitored for the impact of seeding system on crop establishment, seeding depth and crop productivity. Emergence counts on the site for both wheat and canola have been conducted and rooting depth measurements will be taken over the duration of the season. Yield data will be collected at harvest. Results of the trial will be available postharvest and will be documented in the Mallee Sustainable Farmer Research and Development Results Compendium.
Each plot was sown with a six row seeder on 11 inch row spacing and each plot is 205 metres long and covers a range of soils at the site (stony through to sandy). The plots are sown on a slight angle to the previous year’s stubble. Each seeding system is being evaluated in two crops: • Wheat (Grenade); and • Canola (Pioneer 43C80). Video footage of each operating seeding system was captured during sowing. You can view the footage of each
Dr. Jack Desbiolles, Agricultural Research Engineer, University of South Australia, checking for seeding depth.
The
Mallee Farmer Table 1: Treatments applied to the seeding systems demonstration site. System description
System name
Opener
Fertiliser placement
Seed boot
Furrow closing
District technology (Control)
Agmaster RB + narrow PW
16mm knife point (Agmaster)
Agmaster bracket (profile banding)
Adjustable rubber boot
50mm wedge PW
Improved district technology
Agmaster + wide PW
16mm knife point (Agmaster)
Agmaster bracket (profile banding)
Adjustable rubber boot
150mm wedge PW
Alternative chisel tyne technology 1
Agmor + wide PW
16mm PSA knife point (PR87)
Agmaster bracket (profile banding)
Adjustable Polyurethane Agmor UBV3
150mm wedge PW
Alternative chisel tyne technology 2a
RootBoot + wide PW
16mm knife point (RootBoot)
Shallow center banding
Paired row attachment
110mm wedge PW
Alternative chisel tyne technology 2b
Paired row Stealth
30mm Stealth opener
Deep center banding
Paired row attachment
110mm wedge PW
Contour following technology 1
Triple disc system
Yetter 24 wave fluted coulter
Shallow banding coulter option
K-Hart 3612 twin discs
PW 65mm
Contour following technology 2
Seed Hawk
14mm knife 1st opener
Deep banding front opener
Single row 2nd opener
PW 110mm
Hybrid technology: tyne-twin discs
Tyne/disc set-up
16mm PSA knife point (PR87)
PSA profile banding fertiliser boot
K-Hart 3612 twin discs
PW 65mm
Triple disc set-up at the Murrayville seeder trial site.
For more information Michael Moodie M: 0448 612 892 E: michael@msfp.org.au or visit the MSF Facebook page or website: www.msfp.org.au
Note: PSA: Primary Sales Australia, PW: Press wheel
continued from page: 21
Improving soil condition is the key to increasing productivity VNTFA’s Masters Mentor program and through four case studies. Soil properties on these CTF farms will be compared with their nearest neighbour on similar soils. Data on soil improvement, machinery conversions, product quality, water/nutrient use efficiencies, and reduced horsepower/ fuel requirements will be gathered to inform pathways to adoption. The CTF and neighbour sites are Mittyack, Nowie and Beulah in the Mallee; Vectis, Boolite and Telangatuk in the Wimmera; Charlton in the North Central; and Werneth in the South-West. Charlton and Werneth sites have SSM on CTF paddocks to demonstrate the benefits of combining twin practices on Victorian cropping soils. Data collection will primarily evolve around soil physical properties including bulk density, penetrometer resistance, soil structure and crop yields.
Remote sensing Remote sensing will underpin and add value to CTF data collection by applying Landsat and MODIS time series data to infer and map soil differences and assist in soil condition monitoring.
While looking at historical data will provide consistent spatial and temporal comparisons of vegetative conditions and an insight into past management, the collection of paddock data and knowing what is happening in the paddock is key to calibrating this time series data. The data collection purpose is twofold. To assess the variability of biomass in the paddock at a snap shot in time and to give time series evaluation of biomass variation over the years. Rainfall information, seasonal conditions, crop rotation and yield data will aid in determining what has happened in the past. This information, along with crop simulation models, may help predict crop performance in future seasons.
Conclusions The adoption of sustainable land management practices has productivity benefits but also helps to build soil and improve ecosystem service provision. The planned activities will demonstrate the benefits to Victorian cropping farms to build capability and adoption of innovative technologies to encourage a step-change adaptation for long term productivity.
Please keep an eye out for promotion of field days at subsoil manuring and controlled traffic sites in your area and for other discussions of results as they become available.
Acknowledgment The Australian Government is providing funding to undertake this project which will focus on the innovative practices of subsoil manuring (SSM) and controlled traffic farming (CTF) demonstrations across priority areas in the Mallee, Wimmera, North Central and South West regions of Victoria.
For more information Available from DEPI, contact: Melissa Cann, Swan Hill 5036 4815. Darryl Pearl, Mildura 5051 4531. Nicole deCourcey-Ireland, Horsham 5362 2343. Renick Peries, Geelong 5226 4827.
23
The
Mallee Farmer
Finding the right balance in a grain and graze farm Mallee no-till farmer Rodney Hayden is on a continual search beneath the surface to finding the best possible balance between livestock and cropping. On his farming enterprise, a stone’s throw from the Murray River at Piangil, he rarely leaves the house without a shovel in hand.
By Kerry Grigg, Victorian No-Till Farming Association Since tapping into the state-wide farming network of the Victorian No-Till Farmers Association, Rodney says his search has gathered momentum. He has always been on the lookout for diversity and new farming ideas, and says joining Vic No-Till last year is helping find the right balance. “In farming, the better informed you are the better decisions you make,” he says. “I’m looking for diversity and alternative points of view. Vic No-Till gives me that – I have more leads to pursue, more people to talk to and more points of view.” Rodney and his brother, Max, work on the family farm that their father, Don, and mother, Thelma settled in the 1950s. The farm income split is around 90%
24
cropping and 10% livestock. Rodney says they have always had livestock. They used to run a dairy and had beef cattle and have always had a few sheep. Rodney hosted farmers at a Vic No-Till ‘Grain and Graze in the Mallee’ event recently. He says being able to tap into the expertise of San Jolly was of great value on the day. Discussions included opportunities and challenges of a grain and graze system, nutrient requirements of livestock, feed budgeting, pasture options, weaner management and key profit drivers. “You can’t go anywhere without tripping over advice on how to grow a crop. But in this part of the Mallee you’ve really got to dig it out to try and find agronomy advice if you are cropping and grazing. That’s why days like the Grain and Graze one are so important,” Rodney said. For the past six seasons they have sown their crops with knife points and press wheels. The investment in a knife-point
seeder was something they worked towards for several years. “I’ve never liked cultivation because we’ve got sandy soil that’s very prone to wind erosion” Rodney said. “Dad was always concerned about soil erosion so we’ve been looking at better ways to manage our soils here, some of the sandiest in the Mallee, for a very long time.” Rodney says he doesn’t have all the answers or all the know-how, but he is always on the lookout for more information, particularly about how to balance cropping with grazing. “A lot of people struggle with how to run sheep and cropping together in a no-till system,” Rodney said. “It’s going to be different on every farm. There isn’t a formula for success but you can make better decisions if you’ve got access to good information. Although cropping is 90% of our income, I also want to make the most of the 10% that is livestock. I believe it’s important to have break crops and livestock give us the opportunity to have robust and relatively low-cost breaks to our cereals.” Rodney is particularly interested in learning more about cover crops and has
The
Mallee Farmer
Sheep and crop.
enjoyed the opportunity to hear Montana farmer and leading soil biologist Dr Jill Clapperton speak on this topic at the past two Vic No-Till conferences. He travelled to the 2012 conference with fellow Mallee farmer and soil enthusiast Ross Watson, fuelling his passion to further explore multi-species cover crops on his own farm. “Spending time with Ross and meeting Jill reinforced the view that I had been forming about what I wanted to do on our farm, which is try and do what was right for the soil first and that should look after the crop. In the long-term I want to look after soil health first, then whatever we grow in that soil in the future should be more resilient and more robust in adverse conditions”, Rodney said. Rodney said the challenge was to ensure their sheep complemented rather than competed with their cropping. “The sheep allow us to get all the grain out of our paddocks after harvest, which has a big impact in some instances. A good example was during a mouse
plague after the 2009-2010 wet summer and January floods. Paddocks that sheep went into after harvest presented virtually no trouble with mice compared with paddocks we couldn’t graze. This is just one example of where sheep can complement cropping.” Rodney commented that he was continually looking at ways to incorporate a ‘break crop’ into their farm rotation, with fodder crops for sheep being critical to the farm business.
No-till farmer Rodney Hayden with his much used shovel.
“The sheep give us opportunity to have a low-risk profitable break from our cereals. That’s where I see them fitting into our no-till farming system. When I say low risk, I mean we’re not worried about terminal heat stress and late frosts.
For more information Contact Kerry Grigg, Business Manager Victorian No-Till Farmers Association M: 0429 820 429 E: kerry@vicnotill.com.au
There are plenty of things that can go wrong in spring with a break crop but sheep are fairly resilient with all that sort of thing. Over last few years lamb prices been pretty good and our sheep paddocks have been among the more profitable on the farm”, Rodney said.
Events August
6-7
Mallee Machinery Field Days, Speed
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GRDC Grower Update, Horsham - Contact Matt McCarthy, 03 5441 6176
20
BCG Industry Field Day, Horsham - www.bcg.org.au
26-29
2014 Aust Controlled Traffic Farming Conference, Mildura - www. actfa.net
2
MSF Mildura Field Day, Mildura - MSF, 03 5021 9100
2-3
Precision Agriculture Research Symposium, Adelaide - Nicole Dimos, 0437 422 000
4
MSF Karoonda Main Field Day, Karoonda SA - MSF, 03 5021 9100
10
BCG Main Field Day, Birchip - BCG, 03 5492 2787 or www.bcg.org.au
17-19
National Landcare Conference, Melbourne - www.nationallandcareconference.floktu.com
17-18
Mildura Show (National Water Week), Mildura
September
October
25
The
Mallee Farmer
Saltbush for constrained soils in the Mallee Mallee Sustainable Farming (MSF) along with CSIRO and the EverCrop Project (part of the Future Farm Industries CRC) have been working together to better understand what quantity and quality of feed can be expected from saltbush plantations established on constrained soils. By Andrew Smith (CSIRO), Michael Moodie and Todd McDonald (Mallee Sustainable Farming) The project used a combination of monitoring of commercial plantations to assess shrub growth, modelling to predict what productivity farmers can expect from established sites and analysis of feed quality of established shrubs.
Shrubs in the Mallee Forage shrubs, such as Old Man Saltbush, are often planted on areas otherwise marginal for cropping. The areas of forage shrubs on most farms are small and in many cases they are not optimally managed or utilised. In the Mallee these soils are usually constrained, meaning that plant rooting depth may be limited to the top 60cm of soil. Coupled with region’s low rainfall (275-350 mm/year), these areas of the farm typically have much lower long-term average crop yields and, importantly, a much higher risk of poor yields and even crop failure. Whole-farm economic analysis conducted for the EverCrop project indicates that farm profit could be increased on a typical Mallee mixed farm when around 3-5% of land is planted to forage shrubs for grazing.
might be possible across the range of rainfall conditions that are experienced during the historic 100 year period. There were a number of key findings: • Average edible biomass production per shrub measured at commercial sites varied from 0.4 – 4.8 kg/ha, however there was little variation in edible biomass production per hectare due to differences in saltbush plantation densities (Figure 1); • The monitoring activities and model outputs show that total potential production from saltbush is relatively low (generally 0.5-1.5 t/ ha/year); • Lower shrub productivity occurs on constrained soils and modelling indicates that soil type is a greater determinant of shrub production than rainfall in the Mallee and North Central regions.
Feed value of Mallee shrubs Forage shrubs are usually grazed during the late summer and early autumn period when the farm feed gap is starting to kick in. During this time there are very few feed alternatives; however, as shrub plantations are known to have variable, and at times, marginal
feed quality, information about the notional quality of the feed is important for livestock production. The energy profile of the edible biomass measured at each monitoring site in 2013 was generally low. Although protein levels were sufficient for wether maintenance requirements, they were well below the requirements of productive animals such as growing lambs, or pregnant and lactating ewes. Furthermore due to the high salt content, saltbush also has very low organic matter digestibility, which means the feed source has low energy levels and as a result livestock diets must be supplemented with high energy feed sources such as hay and grains. Therefore, while reasonable quantities of feed can be produced from shrubs growing on constrained soils, farmers should not anticipate they will be the sole feed source.
Forage shrub farming systems To improve overall feed quality for livestock, farmers are looking at establishing wider inter-row spacing (up to 10m) to allow regenerating and sown pastures to provide a supplementary feed source. Recent research through the ENRICH project has also focused on identifying new shrubs for grazing. Mallee saltbush is one that has demonstrated particular potential and is the subject of ongoing development. There are also new Old Man Saltbush shrub types with significantly improved feed quality that are in the later stages of development before commercial release. However, as shown in Table 1, there are a range of alternative shrub species with superior feed quality to Old
Table 1: Quality of feed produced by range of perennial shrubs suitable for grazing. Data sourced from Revell et al (2013). Common name
Crude Protein %
Acid Detergent Fibre %
Organic matter digestibility %
Productivity of Mallee Shrubs
Old man saltbush
14 (7-23)
14 (11-17)
35 (27-45)
A number of established forage shrub plantations on farms in the Victorian Mallee and North Central Catchment regions were monitored from 2011 to 2013 to determine what productivity might be expected from plantations on constrained soils. The monitoring data was also compared to the outputs from a model to understand what production
River saltbush
21 (18-27)
14 (9-17)
50 (49-51)
River Murray saltbush
22 (19-26)
14 (10-17)
46 (45-47)
Nitre goosefoot
20 (10-28)
11 (7-15)
64 (57-69)
Ruby saltbush
18 (15-28)
14 (12-16)
46 (41-55)
Bluebush; Yanga bush
23 (19-29)
16 (14-18)
39 (35-42)
Mallee saltbush
14 (10-23)
9 (7-11)
60 (54-70)
Thorny saltbush
21 (16-27)
11 ( 8-16)
56 (50-64)
26
The
Mallee Farmer Man Saltbush, although these shrubs generally have lower biomass production. Therefore including these news shrubs in mixed plantings with the more traditional Old Man Saltbush can improve the overall feed quality to livestock of the plantation. Further and more detailed information about the contents of this article can be found in the following resources: D. K. Revell, H. C. Norman, P.E Vercoe, N. Phillips, A. Toovey, S. Bickell,E. Hulm, S. Hughes and J. Emms (2013). Australian perennial shrub species add value to the feedbase of grazing livestock in low- to medium-rainfall zones. Animal Production Science 53(11), 1221-1230. K Descheemaeker, A.P. Smith, M. J. Robertson, A. M. Whitbread, N. I.Huth, W Davoren, J Emms, R. Llewellyn (2014). Simulation of water-limited growth of the forage shrub saltbush (Atriplex nummularia L.) in the low-rainfall environment of southern Australia. Crop and Pasture Science, in press. M. Moodie, T McDonald (2013). Determining production of saltbush growing on constrained soils in the Mallee and North Central regions of Victoria. Mallee Sustainable Farming R&D Compendium 2013. www.msfp.org.au M.Moodie (2013). The potential benefits and limitations of the use of saltbush on Mallee mixed farms. www.msfp.org.au M. Moodie (2013). Saltbush in the farming system. www.msfp.org.au Elite saltbush lines offer productivity improvements. Future Farm Industries CRC article. www.futurefarmonline.com.au/ LiteratureRetrieve.aspx?ID=171211
Acknowledgement This work is being supported by Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation CSIRO and the Future Farm Industries Cooperative Research Centre (CRC).
For more information
Michael Moodie M: 0448 612 892 E: michael@msfp.org.au or visit the website: www.msfp.org.au
Figure 1: Photographs of ‘Average’ shrubs at each site monitored in 2013 Top: Manangatang (4.8 kg/shrub; 1066 kg/ha) - row spacing (4.5 x 10 m) Middle Mildura (0.4 kg/shrub; 250 kg/ha) - row spacing (4 x 4 m) Bottom: Kerang (0.8 kg/shrub; 1334 kg/ha) - row spacing (3 x 3 m)
27
The
Mallee Farmer
Understanding aphids now and in the future Researchers at the Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI) Horsham are gaining a better understanding of pest behaviour and disease severity in cereal crops grown under elevated carbon dioxide (eCO2). By By Justine Severin, Communications Officer Birchip Cropping Group
AGFACE Findings from the eCO2 research, being undertaken as part of the Australian Grain Free Air CO2 Enrichment (AGFACE) program at Horsham, are expected to help shape future crop management regimes to reduce yield penalties caused by cereal crop pests. With CO2 levels predicted to rise by about 40 per cent over the next 40 years, the AGFACE program – a joint initiative of DEPI, the University of Melbourne and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) – was established in 2007 to better understand how grain production is likely to be impacted. The program is part of the world-wide Free Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) initiative and Birchip Cropping Group
28
Inc. (BCG) is involved in an extension capacity, charged with the task of raising awareness about the AGFACE program and the work being done to address issues that will emerge as a consequence of rising CO2 levels. Along with pest and disease dynamics, the AGFACE program is looking at all aspects of wheat production under eCO2 levels including varietal differences, grain quality, below-ground processes and nutrient cycling.
Pest and disease dynamics under eCO2
Plant vector borne disease specialist Piotr Trebicki from DEPI said understanding how pests and diseases behave under eCO2 is important because pest and disease outbreaks account for significant reductions in grain yield and quality. He said while wheat breeding programs that focus on the development of cultivars suited to a hotter and dryer
environment could help to combat the threat of climate challenges, the threat from pests and diseases also needed to be considered. “Despite the extensive use of insecticides, that are costly and harmful to the environment, pest and disease outbreaks remained a common occurrence, reducing yield and grain quality,” he said. “And unless adaptations are made, research is showing that in the future, aphids and wheat diseases such as barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) could pose an even greater threat to crop production.” According to Dr. Trebicki, under ambient CO2, BYDV accounts for a nine per cent difference in yield. Under eCO2 there is a higher yield penalty. “So far, we know that eCO2 changes the plant nutritional quality, leading to alterations in aphid feeding behaviour, growth rates, fecundity and population density,” he said. “Due to changes in the carbon to nitrogen (C:N) ratio on plants grown under eCO2, aphids produce less offspring but increase feeding. Also, despite the wheat plant growing faster and yielding more under eCO2 (due to the fertilisation effect of carbon
The
Mallee Farmer dioxide), wheat is appearing to be more susceptible to BYDV, showing early symptoms and lower grain weight when compared against plants grown under current CO2 levels.”
The research This research involves comparing fully replicated wheat trial plots grown under CO2 levels expected in 2050 (550 parts per million) with plots grown under the current CO2 concentration (400 ppm). The pest and disease project, which is focused on the bird cherry-oat aphid (Rhapalosiphum padi L) and barley yellow dwarf virus, compares infected and non-infected plants with randomised replicated wheat plots grown under ambient and eCO2 conditions. The field experiments are conducted at a purpose-built facility at Horsham and large scale yield and quality analyses are completed on harvested wheat samples at the conclusion of each growing season. Meanwhile, back at the lab, aphids are being closely examined in purpose-designed, environmental CO2 growth chambers.
Findings and future research So far, research findings from laboratory chambers and FACE facility field experiments indicate that increased CO2 will modify pathogen aggressiveness and host susceptibility by affecting the initial establishment of pathogen on the host. “We know that under eCO2 plant physiology changes and this has a direct effect on how aphids behave and transmit disease,” Dr Trebicki said. Essentially, a reduction of nitrogen in wheat plants grown under eCO2 affects aphid fecundity but they compensate for lower plant nitrogen (and reproduction rates) by feeding more.
Plant disease specialist, Dr. Piotr Trebicki.
“The insecticide may reduce aphid numbers, but they may not necessarily be preventing the disease.” Dr Trebicki said the interaction between increased CO2 and pest and disease behaviour was complex and there was still a lot to learn. He said further research was critical to not only understand how pests and diseases would behave under future climates, but to also understand the effects of insecticides and virus transmission and acquisition. “This research will be important to develop strategies that will reduce the severity and incidence of disease.”
Acknowledgement The study of pest and disease dynamics under eCO2 has been supported by GRDC, which has funded the AGFACE program for another three years. The AGFACE program is a joint initiative of DEPI, the University of Melbourne and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC).
For more information Contact Justine Severin at Birchip Cropping Group 73 Cumming Ave, Birchip 3483 Ph: 5492 2787.
While the results of this research are yet to be published, Dr Trebicki said yield penalties suffered by wheat plants grown under eCO2, as a consequence of BYDV infection, were significant. As a consequence, Dr Trebicki said ongoing research was needed to identify how different nitrogen application regimes might affect aphid behaviour and BYDV transmission rates on wheat crops grown under eCO2. Further to this, Dr Trebicki has identified a need to better understand how aphids transmit BYDV and what role insecticides play in protecting crops from infection. “We’ve learned that in the case of BYDV, which is phloem transmitted, aphids often transmit the virus before the desired insecticide effect takes place,” he said.
29
The
Mallee Farmer
Lalbert Creek in flood 2010-11
Changes in dryland farming over the past 30 years Eastern Mallee Landcare Consortium Local Landcare Facilitator Kim Cross recently caught up with a wellknown and respected Waitchie Landcare member and farming identity, Malcolm Bennett, to gain his insight and perspective from experiencing a lifetime of change in dryland farming. By By Kim Cross Local Landcare Facilitator, Eastern Mallee Landcare Consortium Malcolm Bennett has resided in the Waitchie district all his life with his wife Sue and their children. Malcolm’s passion is working on the family’s broad acre farm. Waitchie is located in Victoria, 44km west of Swan Hill and not far from Lake Tyrrell. Malcolm is very active within his small community holding a long standing position as treasurer for the Waitchie and District Landcare Group. Throughout his time as a member of the group Malcolm has contributed significantly to supporting community led projects such as pest control and management, tree planting and social gatherings.
30
Malcolm has a strong passion for his volunteer work within Waitchie and is knowledgeable on a range of farming practices. In the past Malcolm has been involved with various Natural Resource Management (NRM) committees, using his local knowledge to create positive change.
What has been the greatest challenges of dryland farming? “Purely and simply the weather. It’s the only thing you have no control over, the rest you can deal with to some degree but we have no control over the weather.”
What has been the great highlight of dryland farming over the past 30 years?
Malcolm has a welcoming and jovial personality and enjoys telling stories of the family farm which has a 94 year history. Malcolm is a resourceful and resilient farmer embracing change and adopting new technologies on his farm.
“I think the biggest difference between when I first started and current accepted farming practices is with direct drilling. A lot more money is spent on chemical. When I first starting farming there was no chemical only fertiliser; little or no-till broadacre farming means no more nonstop sitting on the tractor for upwards of 1,000 hours per annum, like when I was young. Now it’s more like around 100 hours on the tractor and harvester, with more time on the spray truck than anything else.”
How many generations has the farm been in the family?
With farming machinery, have you seen many changes over the past 30 years?
“I am the second generation on the farm. In 1920 my dad and his brother bought the farm which has been operating over the past 94 years.”
“Definitely; I remember Dad buying a new tractor, it was a little Fordson major, it was 60 horsepower. Today the tractor I drive is 425 horsepower. The computer
The
Mallee Farmer age has made things a lot different. The first tractor I had was manual steering, there was no power steering on it. Whereas now you can push a few buttons and it can drive itself basically. The manual labour today versus when I first started is negligible.”
landholders. Eighteen months ago a 5-6,000 acre property was purchased and sectioned off to four local Waitchie families.”
What has been some of the on farm survival methods you have adopted over the years?
“I just enjoy farming full stop. With the biggest change going from a mixed farm of sheep, cattle and cropping to basically all cropping.”
“You need to batten down the financial hatches basically. You only buy what you really, really have to. Maintenance on your machinery - you try to do as much of it yourself, instead of buying manpower at $120 per hour to come and do the work for you. The availability of mechanics and labour is there but the cost of getting someone coming out to do the work for you is hugely different from when I first started.“
Do you feel young people are staying on the family farm? and has this changed over the years? “I am basically still farming my own land by myself. In regards to my farm there wasn’t enough work for more than one family. In Waitchie, farmers are increasingly buying up more land. For example if a farm comes up for sale the locals tend to buy the whole lot, or sections of it and divvy it up between
What have you enjoyed most about farming over the past 30 years?
How has being part of a Landcare group contributed to supporting your farming practices over the past 30 years? “I think the control of vermin and noxious weeds with the help of Landcare has been very beneficial to the district. The problem we face today is locals buying up their neighbours land as it becomes available, meaning less and less manpower is available to do any of the on farm-work associated with keeping abreast of vermin and noxious weeds.“
What do you feel is needed for you to continue farming now and into the future? “A coordinated approach is needed if we are going to control vermin and noxious weeds across the spectrum. This approach has to involve all parties including local, state and federal government and landowners. Majority of landowners today are absentee
landowners, which makes it doubly difficult to coordinate and control certain things. When Landcare was first started in Waitchie in the early 1990s we could have 15 to 20 locals come to a meeting. Over the past 30, years 12 families have left the region. With less manpower it could affect local environmental assets if there is no one there to do it, it doesn’t get done. That will augment an increase in vermin and noxious weeds due to a lack control and without forward planning nothing can be achieved.”
What are your experiences in being involved with a small farming community over the past 30 years? “Without regular social catchups at the Waitchie Fire Shed you wouldn’t know what your neighbour was doing, let alone thinking. There is a lot interaction between the individuals in regards to what’s on the plan for spraying, harvesting, commodities or sales. The interaction at the local level broadens everyone’s horizons.”
For more information About Landcare in the Mallee visit the Mallee Catchment Management Authority (CMA) website at: www.malleecma.vic.gov.au
Remnant vegetation fencing on property at Lalbert Creek.
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The
Mallee Farmer
Paddock traffic control paying off for Mallee farmer Ross Watson has championed water use efficiency through the introduction of new agricultural methods, and a move to confine paddock traffic to pre-determined tramlines. By Alex Milner-Smyth, Australian Controlled Traffic Farming Association (ACTFA) ‘Tangerboun’, 30km northwest of Swan Hill, has been in the Watson family since 1972. Third-generation farmer Ross bought a share of the property in 1994 with wife Cynthia, and expanded it to 2,240ha. The typical Mallee soils are a sandy loam with a pH of 7.5-8.5 comprising heavier flats and sandy rises. A common crop rotation at ‘Tangerboun’ would see either a cover crop of vetch or a cash crop of chickpeas, followed by canola, two seasons of wheat, and one season of barley. In 2005, the last sheep were sold off to further reduce soil erosion. Ross’ drive for continual improvement is underpinned by his philosophy, “Rainfall is low, so you need everything else going for you”. With an average annual rainfall of just 300mm (150mm of which falls during the growing season) he has increased water use efficiencies through his move to a notill system in 2004 and then to a zero-till system in 2010 with full stubble retention. This philosophy also lead Ross to consider moving to a controlled traffic system in 2004 after presentations from farmers including Rob Ruwoldt and Peter Walsh at events hosted by organisations such as Vic No-Till. Ross attended ACTFA’s annual conference in 2008 at Dubbo and also a weeklong tour of controlled traffic farms in Queensland - “Their farmers have been at the pointy end of the (controlled traffic farming) system for a long time”. Ploughing, combined with the high level of traffic associated with working up a paddock multiple times, resulted in a hard pan 2-3cm below the soil surface. The introduction of the tyne and disc seeders helped to reverse compaction, but had not remedied the situation completely. Ross was also looking to improve soil health and reduce soil disturbance during seeding to prevent weed seeds
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from being buried and then germinating. He also wanted a system with as much ground cover as possible, in order to reduce soil erosion and provide competition for weeds. In 2004, Ross started to match machinery and axle widths up, redesigning the setup in 2011 to a 3m axle width system with a 12m wide seeder bar, 36m boom spray and a 12.2m harvester. Paddock layouts have been remodeled and loaded trucks are now confined to a newly created internal network of roadways that have an access point to each paddock. Despite down sizing from a 17m Hydraulic Multi planter to a 12m disc seeder, the gains in speed with the disc seeder have mitigated the capacity decrease and work in perfectly with the 3:1 machinery width ratio. The average seeding speed is now 13-16km / hour or 16-1 ha / hour compared to the tynedseeder at around 14ha / hour. For Ross, the results of moving to a CTF system were visible almost instantly “You can see a reduction in compaction just by walking on it and there are more earthworms in paddock now, but very few found in the tramlines”. He has also noticed an increased resilience in crops since the move. “Crop roots are definitely longer and I think they’re extracting more moisture so they can hang on better in dry conditions - sometimes up to 4 or 5 days longer”. Additionally, Ross has seen positive increases in input efficiencies since his paddocks have become easier to travel on. “I reckon the hard tracks are easier for machines to travel on, so you need less horsepower, use less fuel and don’t need dual tyres”. His back of the envelope calculations indicates a saving in fuel of around 10%, depending upon the season. To further reduce soil erosion, crops are planted into wheel tracks, resulting in a reduction in the amount of dust while spraying and ‘okay’ yields from the tramlines. He also notes that yield monitor data is more accurate since the
harvester follows the seeder exactly. The wet harvest conditions of 2010 further proved to Ross that CTF had been a worthwhile move. “A contractor’s header, which was wider than our tramlines, did enormous damage to the paddocks - you can still see the rutting now”. With his own header set-up for the tramlines, he is not so worried about a future wet harvest, but would never again compromise the paddocks to get the crop off – “I’d rather wait until the paddock dries out than harvest off-tracks”. He has avoided issues with the tramlines becoming over-compacted by moving the wheel track over 16cm and back to the original track the following year, successfully mitigating the need for a renovator common among Wimmera growers. “If you want to be more efficient and produce more for less, it’s a system you need to look at, rather than just putting more inputs on”, Ross says of CTF systems. He warns farmers to do their homework adequately, including consulting groups like ACTFA and SPAA for information to determine the right machinery width ratio. “Working out the right widths and multiples of machinery for your farm is the first step, and an important one. I think the 3:1 system is becoming a standard, but it will pay for farmers to work out what’s best for their set-up”. Are you interested in learning more about controlled traffic farming? The Australian Controlled Traffic Farming Association’s Annual Conference will be held this year in the Victorian Mallee at the Quality Hotel Mildura Grand, between 26-29 August. The program includes innovative researchers and growers presenting on a range of controlled traffic topics including the use of CTF in low rainfall zones. For more information and to register visit www.actfa.net
For more information and details on how to register visit: www.actfa.net Contact: Alex Milner-Smyth, Australian Controlled Traffic Farming Association (ACTFA) E: alex@rusticevolutions.com.au M: 0412 633 370
The
Mallee Farmer
Eastern Mallee Cochineal insect trials A potential long term solution for a growing problem By
• The infected Wheel Cactus pad needs be secure and touching for the insect to penetrate the healthy cactus;
Kim Cross, Eastern Mallee Landcare Consortium Facilitator Wheel Cactus (Opuntia robusta) a native to Mexico is spreading throughout the Mallee due to its adaptation to growing in arid environments, surviving long periods of dormancy in dry times and capability of responding quickly to small amounts of rainfall. Wheel Cactus is spread by birds and native animals eating the fruit and dispersing it to areas often located among dense populations of large eucalypts. Originally introduced as an ornamental plant in Australia it is often found thriving in old vacant house and school sites in the Mallee. This invasive weed grows rapidly and can reproduce and mature in three to four years from seed.
• Be sure to have the right equipment so you do not have to be in contact with the cactus; • The cochineal insect is best attached to large infestations where conventional methods such as chemical or mechanical removal is not viable; and • Clearly record, photograph and mark your site for future reference. Shirley Pratt, Koorloonong Nyah Landcare Group coordinator.
Identified as a Weed of National Significance (WoNS) the Wheel Cactus poses a major threat to the biodiversity and primary production values in the region. Control of this invasive cactus by conventional chemical and mechanical techniques requires repeated treatment over a number of years to be effective. These processes can be very time consuming, costly and labour intensive for large infestations. During 2013/14 searching for an alternate long term solution, and with technical advice and support from Natural Resource Management (NRM) Biosecurity officers in South Australia, I was able to secure wheel cacti pads infected with a biological cochineal insect Dactylopius coccus. Eastern Mallee landholders and Landcare members agreed to take action participating in cochineal insect trials on their properties. The program has successfully demonstrated an increase in community engagement, awareness and local capacity to address this major environmental threat. The viability of the cochineal insect has not been trialled on a large scale in the Eastern Mallee region prior. The cochineal insect was harvested to treat Wheel Cactus only and will not affect other varieties of Cactus. Once this clever insect is placed on a healthy wheel cactus the female cochineal insect spends her life feeding on the plant segments.
Introducing cochineal infected pads to a healthy plant.
This control method is a long term solution and it will take a few years to reveal significant results. However, other regions in a similar climates have employed these methods and successfully reported zero regrowth once the insect has invaded the whole plant. Twenty treatment sites have been established in the eastern Mallee and will be closely monitored by landholders over the next few years. Taking direction from South Australia’s Opuntia Biosecurity staff, all infected pads were attached by spearing the healthy cactus with wooden stakes so both pads are touching. Points identified by those taking part in the trial include: • Ensure a few days clear of rainfall or frost before attaching the insect; • Attaching the infected pad away from direct sunlight or shade increases effectiveness;
Interesting Facts
Cochineal insects are covered in a white, waxy secretion and turn bright red when crushed. A high concentration can produce a substance called carminic acid. It is extracted from the insect’s body and eggs and is mixed with aluminium or calcium salts to make carmine dye (also known as cochineal). Cochineal is used in many applications including food colouring, fabric, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Introducing and testing of any biological control in new areas can be a slow process with unforseen outcomes. Not all invasive cacti species will warrant this level of investment. The majority of medium to small invasive cacti outbreaks would respond to conventional control techniques, combined with awareness and early detection. It is encouraging to have dedicated landholders and Landcare members in the eastern Mallee willing to monitor the effects of the cochineal insect and continue to work together to find a solution to minimising the spread and impact of this invasive Weed of National Significance.
For more information
To find out more about the cochineal biological control please contact: Michaela Heinson Principal Biosecurity Officer Weeds Biosecurity South Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regions Michaela.Heinson@sa.gov.au
The Last Word What do ancient Aztecs, Spanish conquistadors, British red coats and Australia’s First Fleet have to do the Mallee? This is a fascinating story that spans human history and starts with people seeing red. Red dyed cloth has always been associated with status, prestige, power and wealth. Kings and shahs wore red as did cardinals and top echelon Roman senators. Before the advent of artificial dye, nature provided dyes for clothing; true red being the hardest to find and therefore extremely expensive and sort after. In 1519, the Spanish conquistadors discovered a remarkable red dye being sold in Mexico by Aztecs. The dye was derived from collecting and squashing cochineal insect Dactylopius coccus. The Spanish cornered the cochineal market and made a fortune from being the only supplier of the much sort after dye for a couple of centuries. Understandably, other countries were very keen to establish their own supplies and this is where the Australian connection comes in. Records show that Captain Arthur Phillip’s “First Fleet” cargo included a collection of cochineal infested Prickly Pear plants sourced from Brazil and other places on his way to establishing the first white settlement in Australia. It was the job of famed botanist, Sir Joseph Banks, to establish the cochineal dye industry at Botany Bay. Nowadays, the importance of cochineal is not what is derived from squishing them, but what they like to eat, which is cactus. The Wheel Cactus control trials story on the previous page details how cochineal is being assessed as a potential ally in the fight against the spread of cactus in the Mallee. Infestations of both Wheel Cactus (Opuntia robusta) and Prickly Pear (Opuntia stricta), classified as Weeds of National Significance (WoNS), are reported to be on the increase in parts of the Mallee. Both cacti are natives of Mexico and North America and are
Cactoblastis hard at work controlling cactus.
Cochineals tell-tale white protective covering.
thought to have escaped into the wild after being planted in domestic gardens. Prickly Pear was also thought to have been cultivated as an emergency drought forage crop on stations in outback areas of northern New South Wales and Queensland in the late 1800s.
food/pests-diseases-and-weeds/weeds/ a-z-of-weeds/prickly-pear-erect
Both cacti are spreading due to their suitability to Mallee climatic and environmental conditions. These cacti are readily spread by birds and native animals. Resultant seedlings are often located in large eucalypt populations where birds prefer to roost amongst the dense foliage. These highly invasive plants grow quickly and can mature and reproduce in three or four years. These prickly cousins pose a major threat to the biodiversity and primary production values in the region. Like any pest management campaign, a coordinated and concerted effort is required and infestations are best dealt with early. Control of this invasive cactus by conventional chemical and mechanical techniques requires repeated treatment over a number of years to be effective. Both are difficult to remove with machinery as any small segments left behind can readily re-establish. Injecting plants with herbicide is effective but time consuming. More information about controlling cacti can be found at the links below. www.depi.vic.gov.au/agriculture-andfood/pests-diseases-and-weeds/weeds/ a-z-of-weeds/wheel-cactus www.depi.vic.gov.au/agriculture-and-
The
Mallee Farmer Contact
Mallee Catchment Management Authority Telephone 03 5051 4377 Facsimile 03 5051 4379 PO Box 5017 Mildura Victoria 3502
www.malleecma.vic.gov.au
www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/pestsweeds/weeds/profiles/prickly-pear
Acknowledgments
The Mallee Farmer relies heavily on the contributions received from the many individuals and organisations who support farming and the environment in the Mallee. Their support is greatly appreciated for without it, this publication would struggle to maintain its standards for providing relevant up to date and interesting information to the broader Mallee farming community. The Mallee Farmer is produced by the Mallee CMA, in partnership with organisations across the region such as, the Victorian Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI), Birchip Cropping Group (BCG), Mallee Sustainable Farming (MSF), Victorian No-Till Farming Association (VNTFA), Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and specialist consultants. Funding for the publication is provided by the Australian Government’s Regional Landcare Facilitator Initiative. If you would like to submit any ideas, comments or suggestions for future editions please contact: Glen Sutherland, Regional Landcare Facilitator, Mallee CMA T: 0417 396 973 E: glen.sutherland@depi.vic.gov.au